Twins 4 Athletics 3

August 13, 2010

Friday night

with SHR

Minneapolis

Another new park for me to conquer! Seemingly every time I reach the vaunted ALL 30 major league park status, I only get to enjoy it for a year or so before a new park opens. Granted, I didn't reach the ALL 30 mark for the first time until 2007 but still ... But after attending this game, I'm set until 2012 when supposedly the new park in Miami opens. In case you are wondering how it feels -- it feels good. Damn good.

So ... how was the park?

It was good enough. It was definitely better than the Metrodome. But not as good as some other parks that I was hoping it might be similar to like Detroit's ballpark. But who cares? It was good enough. And it was also a lot of fun to go to my first game with SHR w/o the boys since the 2008 debacle of a game.

The outside of the park reminded me of San Diego's and Pittsburgh's parks.

The Twins don't need fans to complain in the offseason like the Mets brass do to actually put Twins stuff up. There was Twins stuff everywhere!

Bombo!

SHR and I had standing room only tickets which was fine. We had an excuse to walk around the park.

I don't think I've been to a game since the one in St. Louis in 2006 that had so many fans decked out in their team's gear.

New park nooks and crannies.

It was on this trip that I complained about being made to feel super old. I was aghast at the time but now that I see this picture, I realize that I did look like I was in my 50's. Yikes.

That's a lot of winning.

Ugliest shirt of the year? The combination of crappy player and hideous shirt is utterly spectacular. Perhaps the ugliest baseball shirt I've seen since these from 2007.

The view from the team store.

SHR enjoyed the soft serve. As good as Pittsburgh's? I think not.

We love the Twins logo so much that we bought the boys a shirt with it on it.

Double Trouble's favorite beer.

We could have really used these in Harrisburg back in April.

Norman Rockwell, 2010

So the view is pretty great but I almost think the park is more impressive looking on TV than in real life. I don't know what it was but I just didn't love this place as much as I was hoping I would. Still - pretty darn solid place to watch a game.

Hey look - another improvement on the Mets stupid ballpark. You can actually see the game from the bar area! And you don't even have to sneak in!

No retractable roof but rocket like. Or something like that. Kinda creepy.

Speaking of creepy.

Where is Kirby's other hand?

Other things of note:

1. They played a Westerberg song before the game. Keeping it local. Nice touch.

2. Overheard in the gift shop before the game:

Black dude to white female friend: I'm Joe Mauer, only a bit darker.

White girl: You're too black.

Black dude: Ok I'm Denard Span.

3. I loved all the people in fake Carl Pavano staches. He won his 15th game on this night. The power of the 'stache!

4. SHR and I heard perhaps the worst song ever recorded at the game. It was some sort of song about Chicken fried or something. We had never heard it before but I knew that my parents would know it. I brought it up to them and sang a lyric. I was right. They know it AND love it. What has the world come to?

Don't believe me that it's awful?
Check it out. Skip ahead to 1:30 to get the full effect.

Minnesota: 66-50

Oakland: 57-57

Posted: 12/1