Monday, April 12, 2010

The Twins Home Opener is Here! Here's why the new stadium and this day are so special

Target Field represents the dawning of a new era of competitiveness for the Twins and vibrancy for downtown Minneapolis.

Target Field is a size challenged ballpark - wedged into downtown Minneapolis, but ranks among the best of the new ballparks. This is awesome since we live in an era when most every city that wants one owns a beautiful new ballpark. Target Field lacks a body of water to add atmospherics and a sense of place for those sweeping cityscape camera shots you see on national broadcasts, but wins for its architecture, integration into its city and for possessing the kind of artful touches that make fans proud.

Statues of Twin hall of Famers greet visitors to the games at Target Field. The Hall of Famers themselves, as well as more recent Twins stars, will welcome fans at various gates.

Minnesotans will not only see the sun for the first time since 1981 while attending a Twins game in Minnesota, but they will encounter homages to franchise history everywhere from Harmon Killebrew statue on Target Plaza to the old Met Stadium flagpole on the right field plaza.

Target Field powerfully evokes Twins history, but even though the stadium pays homage to the Twins past, it stands as a reminder that the Twins as a ballcub never has been more relentlessly competitive than they've proven to be in the last decade, and that the Twins as a franchise has never been healthier or more promising than today.

Some of the exciting home opener happenings today are:
  • Unveiling of the Kirby Puckett statue
  • The raising of championship flags by Twins stars: Jim Kaat, Jim Perry, Bert Blyleven, Frank Viola, Jack Morris, Eddie Guardado, Corey Koskie, Shannon Stewart, Brad Radke and Bill Smith
  • Unfurl of giant U.S. flag
  • The raising of the Twins Territory flag
  • The debut of viewing of the Target Field
  • An appearance from some special guests
  • An induction of the Twins retired numbers
  • The ceremonial first pitches
  • The first time the Twins will take the field

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