Tag Archives: target field

Thoughts on ALDS Game 1

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I attended last night’s Yankees-Twins playoff game, which was the first postseason game in the history of Target Field. The Yankees took Game 1 of the American League Division Series to get a 1-0 lead in the best-of-5 series.

The two teams didn’t do me any favors. I had decided prior to the game that I would drive back to Fargo-Moorhead right afterwards, and with the game going about four hours I didn’t make it back until close to 4 a.m. (construction north of Maple Grove contributed to that as well).

Anyway, a few thoughts on yet another Twins’ loss to the Yankees:

  • First off, if a team gets a 3-0 lead against CC Sabathia, they have to find a way to win that game. Considering it was Sabathia, I’m not surprised the Twins lost. But I do feel like if you hand your No. 1 starter in the postseason – Francisco Liriano – a 3-0 lead, that game has to be won.
  • I agreed with almost all of Twins manager Ron Gardenhire’s decisions last night. The one that really bothered me was leaving Liriano in to face Curtis Granderson. I realize Granderson was 4-for-22 lifetime against Liriano, but it was pretty obvious with the pitch count where it was that Liriano was having trouble staying in front of hitters. And I said that before he gave up the go-ahead two-run triple. I heard Gardy say on the radio after the game that Liriano “deserved the opportunity” to get Granderson out. If he had said, “I thought Liriano gave us the best chance to win,” I could live with that. But he “deserved” it? I don’t know. I think the 24 other guys in the clubhouse deserved the opportunity to be put in the best position to win the game. If you think that’s Liriano, then fine. The calls to fire Gardy – and I heard them Wednesday – are insane. For all I know, he could have brought Jose Mijares in, and Mijares would have given up that triple. It’s easy to criticize baseball managers, since the sport is based entirely on failure (the best hitters get hits 3 out of 10 times, etc.). Just saying if it was me, I’d have pulled Liriano.
  • It’s worth noting that Liriano pitched extremely well in the first five innings. He had some trouble falling behind hitters in the second and third innings but at one point retired 10 in a row. He hit the wall in the sixth, though.
  • I was pretty surprised with the crowd last night, and I heard a couple of callers call in to the postgame and say the same thing. I expected things to be a little more raucous. The only times fans really got into the game were after Michael Cuddyer’s two-run homer and after Orlando Hudson’s great first-to-third baserunning play on the Joe Mauer groundout. After watching the two other playoff games Wednesday, Target Field felt more like Tampa Bay and less like Philadelphia.
  • How great was Hudson’s baserunning play? After a postseason hampered by bad baserunning last year, I’m sure Twins fans had to enjoy that one.
  • At the end of the day, the Yankees made the most of their scoring chances and the Twins didn’t. By my count, Minnesota left eight runners on base in the final four innings. And in three of those four innings, the first two hitters got out. Pretty tough to put together two-out rallies together. The Twins will need to get “ducks on the pond” a little sooner than that tonight if they want to even this series before heading to the Bronx.

Now that was a discouraging loss

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Back home at Target Field. Joe Mauer back in the lineup. Francisco Liriano – your Game 1 starter – on the mound. And the uplifting news that Justin Morneau could be on the path to recovery from a concussion. All of these factors seemed like just what the Twins needed to get over the five-game losing streak that had been snapped the night before.

Francisco Liriano

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Francisco Liriano, center, yielded five runs in 5 1/3 innings Thursday. Associated Press photo

Instead, Thursday’s game was just like five of the previous six, with the Twins losing to the Toronto Blue Jays 13-2 to open the team’s final series before the playoffs.

Minnesota has now given up double-digits in runs in five of the last seven games. But Thursday’s loss wasn’t comparable to the 11-10 loss the Twins took when Liriano left early with an upset stomach in his last start. Nor was it comparable to the Nick Blackburn 10-1 loss or the Kevin Slowey 10-8 loss. This was your Game 1 starter. And with Mauer back, the Twins lineup looked more like a playoff one rather than a Rochester Red Wings one.

Twins designated hitter and the state’s latest 40-year-old icon, Jim Thome, is expected to play Friday. Carl Pavano – the Twins workhorse, routinely going 7 innings in a start – pitches for Minnesota. Can Pavano be the stopper? Twins are going to need him to be. Momentum is overrated, but these losses are getting pretty embarrassing and will certainly be a talking point for baseball analysts as the playoffs approach.

Finally, a victory

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I’ve spent a lot of money in the process, but after seeing four straight losses by the Minnesota Twins in person, I saw a victory Wednesday.

And those losses came in every which way: ALDS loss to Yankees, exhibition loss to Cards, regular-season loss to Red Sox, and regular-season loss at Kauffman Stadium to Royals.

Wednesday’s game marked the only time this year I’m going to a night game at Target Field, and I got to say that place lights up pretty nicely at night.

I kept waiting for the Twins to have a big inning against Royals starting pitcher Kyle Davies, but it didn’t really happen. They chipped away here and there to the tune of six runs for the game. And wow, Delmon Young hit a bomb into the second deck in left field.

Twins starter Carl Pavano looked great. He seemed like he was hitting his stride in the later innings. I was hoping he’d get a shot at the ninth inning, but I’m not surprised he got pulled either. Bert Blyleven won’t want to hear this, but his pitch count was approaching 100.

Do you think Blyleven cringes at the sight of pitch counts being tallied on those scoreboards at Target Field? They’re even listed throughout games on TV now on some networks, right up there with the score and the number of outs.

On the downside, what’s with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire choosing to hit Matt Tolbert in the No. 2 spot of the batting order? On what planet does that make sense?

I’m a big Gardy fan. I think he’s one of the best managers in the game. But to me, a guy that hit .250 in the minors before being called up to the bigs – where he’s hitting .138 – shouldn’t be that high in your lineup. Really, you’re much better off just sliding everyone up, putting Joe Mauer at 2, Justin Morneau at 3, etc.

I know studies have shown lineup order is overrated. But I just don’t get that one.

Twins game postponed tonight

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The Minnesota Twins didn’t waste any time today in postponing tonight’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.

The game will be made up Saturday night. Saturday’s game will remain at 12:10 p.m.

This is the first time a Twins home game has been postponed by rain in almost 30 years. The last time was Sept. 20, 1980, at Met Stadium in Bloomington.

ANOTHER LINK ON COYOTES/JETS TALK

If you enjoyed my previous post on the Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation, check out this link.

That’s right. That’s the ESPN message board for the Coyotes. One person – just one! – has commented on it since that news broke. Phoenix could lose its hockey team, but if anyone’s talking about it, they sure aren’t doing so there.

 

The Great American trip – Baseball, beer and BBQ

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I’m back from vacation. Well, not exactly, since my employer won’t see me until next week. But I am back in Fargo-Moorhead. And I must say, I’m quite flattered someone in my last post actually noticed I was gone. That has to be some sort of milestone for the blog. Thanks for your regular reading.

But back to the vacation. I spent the last five days in the Twin Cities, Kansas City and St. Louis, and making a tiny detour to Van Meter, Iowa, to check out the Bob Feller Museum.

Saturday – from the Twin Cities to Kansas City, Mo.

The trip really started on Saturday, with a couple of friends from high school joining me on the way to Kansas City for Sunday’s Twins-Royals game.

On the way Saturday, we stopped at Feller’s musem, which is nearly halfway between Minneapolis and Kansas City. Bob Feller and Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver were among those signing at Feller’s museum in that small Iowa town just off the interstate.

I already had Feller’s autograph on a baseball, which I got from a co-worker. But I had never met him and couldn’t pass up dropping the $25, going through his line and getting his John Hancock on a photo and shaking his hand. Pretty cool experience. I mean, here’s a guy who broke into the bigs in 1936. My grandpa was in like junior high at the time (well, they probably didn’t have junior high at the time, but you get the picture). Feller had a little story for everyone. He seemed in great spirits and pretty sharp for a 91-year-old guy. If I’m that with-it at age 51, I’ll be happy.

We met up with another former high school classmate in KC on Saturday night when we got into town and had dinner at the Jack Stack Barbecue. Doesn’t get more authentic than that. You may have had baked beans, but you haven’t enjoyed them thoroughly until you’ve been there.

Sunday – from KC to St. Louis, Mo., but a game first

The four of us went to the Royals-Twins game on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium. Absolutely outstanding ballpark, especially considering the era in which it was built. I know some renovations were done, but still, the footprint was there. I recommend checking out the KC Baseball Museum at the park. Very cool.

We had seats in the front row in left field in front of the fountains out there. Much easier to get cool seats when the home team isn’t drawing.

Game was close, but I sure am bad mojo for the Twins, who are now 0-3 in games I attend (counting the exhibition opener loss at Target Field). Ugh.

It’s amazing what 25 years without a playoff berth will do to baseball fans. We’re sitting in left field, which is where the Royals had Scott Podsednik stationed. A few fans are just riding Scotty Pods, who is hitting a league-leading .420 or something like that coming into the game. Geez! What do you want from the guy?

After that, we left our KC classmate behind, and the three of us headed to St. Louis.

Monday – St. Louis

Spent the whole day in St. Louis. We had tickets for the Braves-Cardinals game at Busch Stadium that night.

But before that, it was time to check out the town. Our hotel was at Union Station, which was really cool. Very old school, 19th-century feel to it. And it had a valet!

We were well within walking distance of Busch Stadium and the Arch, but we opened our morning by driving to the Budweiser Brewery. We passed up the free tour for the $25 one, which gave us greater access, a few gifts and free beer. It was worth the money.

After that, we walked around Union Station, where there are plenty of little shops to check out inside, including a Cardinals team clubhouse.

In the early afternoon, we took off for the Gateway Arch. Downtown St. Louis was great. It was nice to see how the city blended old with new.

And fitting right into that scheme was Busch Stadium. This is one of my favorite parks, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s in a baseball town like St. Louis. There was about 35,000 in attendance for the game that night.

We saw another one-run game, once again with the home team coming out on top. And it was nice to see Albert Pujols play in a game that wasn’t an exhibition, albeit at Target Field. This was a real game, and Pujols looked real good with a multi-hit effort.

Well, that’s about it. It was a fun trip. There’s a few photos below. I’ll try to write more about the trip in the coming days. Right now, though, some relaxing sounds pretty good after spending at least three hours in a car in five of the last six days. I might be in a walking mood tomorrow.

Bob Feller signing autographs at his museum in Van Meter, Iowa

Kauffman Stadium – Kansas City, Mo.

Busch Stadium – St. Louis, Mo.

Target Field isn’t only outdoor park dodging rain

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Minnesota Twins officials have to be thrilled that there hasn’t been a single rain delay or any other type of weather postponement so far, considering how unpredictable weather in the Upper Midwest can be in April.

And apparently, Target Field is just part of a larger trend. The Associated Press reports that there hasn’t been a single postponement of any kind this year.

There have been delays, of course, but no games postponed. That’s the longest stretch to open a season since 1985.

More good news too – special thanks to my brother for the heads-up – on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Larry David and HBO will do an eighth season of Curb, which will debut next year.

I could have seen David calling it quits on a high note, because this last season was outstanding. Jerry Seinfeld always said that "Seinfeld" needed to end while it was still good, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if Curb did that too.

But fortunately, fans of the show will get at least 10 more episodes of what I think is the best show on television.

Time to rank the parks

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After having made a couple of trips to Target Field, I felt it was time to rank all of the baseball stadiums I’ve been to.

These rankings are just based on what stadiums I enjoyed going to. There’s no real hard-and-fast rules on where each park ranks.

I am excluding the Metrodome from this.

So, here we go:

  • 1. Fenway Park: I had a great time at Fenway a few years ago and plan to go back there sometime in the near future. The atmosphere outside of the park before a game is like nothing I’ve seen anywhere else. And once you get in there for a game or to take a tour, you literally get chills thinking about all of the history that’s happened there.
  • 2. Wrigley Field: I went to Wrigley last year for the Twins-Cubs series, and it was awesome. Another one of those unique baseball meccas that every fan should try to get to sometime during their life. I don’t really know why I rank it below Fenway. I just liked Fenway a bit more.
  • 3. Target Field: I’m sure this will look biased, but I really was impressed by it. The Twins have done a great job incorporating their history into the park. I haven’t been to a ton of the new-style parks, but this one is the best I’ve seen so far. I’m sure there are better. One day, I’ll get to San Francisco, San Diego and Pittsburgh and see how they stack up.
  • 4. Safeco Field: Reminds me a lot of Target Field, just because there’s so much green. It’s a huge park, as most retractable roof stadiums are. But they did a tremendous job of keeping it somewhat of an open-air facility, unlike Toronto and Milwaukee, which feel very closed off.
  • 5. Miller Park: Pretty sharp stadium, but like I said, it feels gigantic. It’s very comforting to know there will always be a game with the retractable roof, but like I’ve said before, you do lose something too.
  • 6. U.S. Cellular Field: Nothing special, but a solid park. Maybe the three-hour rain delay I sat through last year soured me on it.

I’m going to Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City and Busch Stadium in St. Louis this summer. I’ll have to update the list after those trips.

First glimpse of rainy outdoor baseball in Minnesota

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I went to my first regular-season game at Target Field on Wednesday after having gone to the first exhibition game. I know, I know … sounds like I’m going overboard. But this is the last time I’m heading down there for a couple of months.

Anyway, Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Red Sox saw plenty of rain, but on the encouraging side, there was no stoppage in play. But man, was I wet! I brought a jacket, but there’s only so much that can be done to protect yourself from the elements.

The field held up pretty well through the showers, though there was quite a few times during the fifth inning where Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey had to stop to clean the mud from his spikes. Of course, if Slowey hadn’t allowed so many baserunners, he would have had less time on the mound, and thus, less time spent cleaning spikes.

But besides the rain, it was a great experience. I got a burger, fries and a drink at Hrbek’s, and it was good, though the prices were too high for me to ever go back there again. A meal like that should never cost $16.

But one very pleasant surprise was Smalley’s 87 Club, which just opened about a block or so from Target Field. The food was great, the atmosphere was great, and the prices were just as easy to digest as the food was. I had a pulled pork sandwich, and co-worker Tom Mix ordered the buffalo chicken. My sandwich was great, and I know I have to try that buffalo chicken next time I go there.

I highly recommend the 87 Club. And Roy Smalley, if you’re out there, I’m available to do advertising spots.

More photos of Target Field and other stuff

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Thought I would attach a few more photos from last night’s exhibition game at Target Field between the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals.

But first, a few other things:

  • Jon Weber didn’t make the New York Yankees, but he took home some hardware for the great spring he had. The former Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks player will head to his familiar Triple-A surroundings again. Hopefully, he gets a shot in the bigs sometime this season.
  • The Twins ended their closer-by-committee experiment faster than anyone expected. On Friday, three days before the regular season starts, the Twins decided that Jon Rauch will open the season as the closer. My guess is the Twins said closer-by-committee just because they were working on a trade – probably for Toronto’s Jason Frasor – and it didn’t happen. Just a guess, though.
  • Finally, make sure to pick up a copy of Sunday’s Forum. We’re doing some Twins preview stuff that doesn’t really translate well to the Web. Some if it will be on inforum.com too, but not all of it.

Without further ado, here’s some more photos from Friday’s opener at Target Field:

Above: The Kirby Puckett game.

Above: Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew walking around before the game.

Above: Rod Carew checks out his new statue.

Above: Hrbek’s bar is a must-see. That place was impressive.

Above: Had great seats to see the retired numbers unveiled.