Minnesota Twins: 10 Things You Don't Know About Target Field

Taken from: http://www.vesphoto.net/?p=1012

Twins baseball all started outdoors in 1961 at Metropolitan Stadium in suburban Bloomington, Minnesota. In 1982, the Twins moved the party indoors to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in beautiful downtown Minneapolis. Then in 2010, the team moved a couple blocks away to the crown jewel of baseball, Target Field.

This upcoming season is the third season the Twins call Target Field home, but we are all still adjusting to the new digs.

Many know that the construction of Target Field basically saved the team from contraction, but did you know the main flag pole over right field is the same flag pole that was at the old Met?

Join me on a cavalcade of fun facts about the beautiful home of the Minnesota Twins.

Look at the Floor

Taken From: http://www.coroflot.com/jbranham/target-field-minnesota-twins-ballpark/15

Many know about the restaurants in Target Field like Hrbek’s, the Twins Pubs and Town Ball Tavern, but have you ever looked at the floor in the Town Ball Tavern?

It’s a hardwood floor, but not any ordinary hardwood floor. The hardwood is the same hardwood that was in the Minneapolis Armory where the Minneapolis Lakers played before they skipped town for Los Angeles.

So, while you’re drinking down a cold one at Target Field, you may be standing on the same spot George Mikan was when he was dominating the NBA.

Scoreboard!

Taken From: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uFYtT3I_QHY/S9S0F15diAI/AAAAAAAAAYU/G-HjYxdgor8/s1600/4.16.10_18%5B1%5D.jpg

It’s obvious that the left-field scoreboard is huge, but how huge is it?

It’s so big it’s said to be easily seen when landing at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

By the numbers, it’s the fourth-biggest scoreboard in the majors, it’s nine times larger than the board at the Dome, it’s as big as 1,042 42-inch TVs, and it has 4.8 miles of wiring inside.

It’s a shame that the beautiful scoreboard didn't have more highlights to show than it did last year.

Turf Wars

Taken from: http://shortstorysnapshots.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/imag0477.jpg

When you walk into Target Field, it’s immediately obvious that the grass is beautiful and that the grounds crew works hard to keep it that way, But, did you know that there’s turf at Target Field?

After a long tenure at the Dome with the bounciest turf known to man, turf is still seen at the new place. The bullpens, located in left-center field, both have artificial turf as their playing surface. This is the only turf visible at Target Field.

Grass Grabbing

Taken From: http://www.icgmn.com/portfolio.html

The grass is surely beautiful and a whole lot more appreciated once reminded of the turf Twins fans and players had to deal with at the Dome, but the grass is actually world-class.

I’m not one to brag, but Target Field’s grass is worth bragging about. The 2.5 acres of grass come from Fort Morgan, Colorado—the same place where Wrigley Field and Notre Dame Stadium gets its green.

There are many things that are cool about Target Field, but being in a select group with famous stadiums like Wrigley and Notre Dame is pretty cool.

Size Matters

Taken From: http://www.vesphoto.net/?p=1012

Saying Target Field is fit snugly in downtown Minneapolis is an understatement. Target Field is the smallest ballpark in all of Major League Baseball. The footprint is very small; it only covers 8.5 acres of prime real estate.

Looks can be deceiving, though. If you look at Target Field from above, it looks like the stadium occupies 10.5 acres because parts of the stadium cover surrounding streets.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Taken From: http://twinsfocus.areavoices.com/2011/05/17/twins-to-honor-killebrew/

Does home plate look familiar to you? It should if you ever attended a game at the Dome. After Game 3 of the 2009 ALDS, home plate was dug up and later installed at Target Field.

Also, a picture of Harmon Killebrew was placed under home plate after he passed last year.

I'm on Fire

Taken From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/webdh/4969833834/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Arizona might have a swimming pool, and San Francisco may have a ballpark by the bay, but the Twins have a fire pit.

High in the right field corner is the Budweiser Roof Deck, the standing-room fun house of Target Field. Up there is the only open bonfire in the majors.

So, don’t fret if you’re going to Target Field on a chilly spring or fall day. Just head to the roof, and warm up by the fire.

Flash Dance

Taken From: http://www.vesphoto.net/?p=1012

In my opinion, the Minnie and Paul logo is a very underrated logo. It represents the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul getting along and coming together to support a baseball team…while shaking hands over the Mississippi River.

Target Field has a huge Minnie and Paul logo in center field, but did you know that it flashes?

Various events spark the flash: a run scored, a strikeout, a scoreless inning and, of course, a home run. The coolest feature may be when the Twins win, and the T and S flash on and off, conveying the message "Twins win"—a much underused feature last year. 

Naughty Knots

Taken From: http://www.vesphoto.net/?p=1012

No ticket, no problem.

Along the 5th Street side of Target Field, there are knotholes which allow fans from outside the ballpark to see the game without a ticket.

Trust me. If you haven’t already, get inside this beautiful ballpark.

One and Only

Taken From: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/02/pictures/110204-super-bowl-green-stadiums-nfl-fifa-soccer-football-baseball-energy/#/green-stadiums-super-bowl-target-field-minneapolis-minnesota_31996_600x450.jpg

The Twins have had three homes, but only Target Field was built specifically for them.

Metropolitan Stadium was built for the Minneapolis Millers five years before the Twins got to town, and the Metrodome was built as a multipurpose facility for the Twins and Minnesota Vikings.

It may have taken a while to build it, but the Twins definitely got Target Field right.