Melissa Berman

Always love hearing from a fellow Melissa! This was a lot of fun to write :) The best part of that Morneau jersey is that he's a Twins legend, so you can wear that to games forever (just like Mauer, Killebrew, Hrbek, and all those other jerseys you see at games.) I have a Morneau one too! I should add that back into my rotation. I definitely want to get one of the new jerseys too- either the white or cream one. They are just beautiful. I like the pinstripes on the Twins players a lot, but don't know if I myself would wear a gray jersey. Whenever I get jerseys, I try to get whoever is going to be around the longest LOL. Gotta get my money's worth! I Correa would sure fit the bill! And Buxton!

This is an awesome write up! Incredible detail. I would love to a game here- you really sold me on it! Looking forward to reading your future pieces.

Love this. Such a defining, shining moment for the organization. A completely mutually beneficial contract. It was evident to me that everyone involved at the press conference was genuinely thrilled.

We all thought he was gone, and so did MLB apparel retailers. Right after the news broke on Tuesday that Carlos Correa was returning to the Twins on a six-year, $200 million contract, fans flocked online and to sporting goods stores in search of recently-discounted Correa apparel still sitting on the clearance racks. Image courtesy of Melissa Berman When Correa turned down a 13-year contract with the Twins and subsequently signed deals with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets (which both fell through), retailers slashed Correa Twins apparel prices for t-shirts, jerseys, and merchandise. But suddenly, when the news broke at 11:23 a.m. Tuesday that Correa was a Twin again, all that heavily-discounted Correa apparel became relevant again. Within minutes, Twitter was abuzz with this realization. I was at work when the news broke. Not to be deterred from a good deal, I commanded my brother, Matthew Berman, to run out to Eden Prairie Scheels to scour the sales racks during his lunch break and report back on his findings. Matthew, the only Twins fan crazy enough to get to even more games than I, hightailed it out to Scheels in search of some C4 bargains. He was in luck- Matthew found a Correa shirt emblazoned with “Land of 10,000 Rakes.” The tag displayed a list price of $22.99 with “was $31.99” right below it. He bought the last two shirts- one for me and one for him. The listed online price is back up to $31.99. While Matthew was there, he ran into several other fans who had also sprinted to Scheels with the same goal in mind, and he overheard a store employee say that she saw a fan leaving with four Correa jerseys earlier. Upon searching a little more, in all its Kasota Gold glory, he found the holy grail: an authentic red Correa jersey exactly in his size. The last one, too. There was no price tag on the jersey, and when Matthew asked for a price check, it rang up as $60. Jackpot. Too good to pass up, he bought it. Twins replica jerseys with the now-outdated branding are going for $135 on Scheel’s website and in-store. I got a screenshot shortly after the signing that shows a Kasota Gold navy Correa jersey going for $69.99, and now it's back to $135 like the others. Stores floors did not get the immediate memo for this price change, as evidenced by my brother's experience, While stuck at work, I checked online and found a Nike Women’s Navy Correa Jersey Shirt on clearance on the Dick’s Sporting Goods website for $8.97, down from $35. There was also a red youth Correa jersey shirt for $7.97, down from $30. On the MLB Shop website, I only found a white Correa “Big & Tall” replica jersey on sale for $47.99. When I went back and looked at the same jersey later in the day, it was back up to its full price of $119.99. After I left the office, I descended upon the Richfield Dicks Sporting Goods’ clearance racks like a vulture on Black Friday. I found a rack inside the main doors with around 30 navy Correa t-shirt jerseys on sale for $8.97, with an additional $25% off that. I bought one for myself, one for Matthew, one for a friend, and an extra one or two for good measure, all for the bargain price of $6.73 each after the discount. I saw a couple of other fans scouring the racks too, and one guy was calling his friends to get their sizes for t-shirt orders. “You better grab these fast- they’re going to start pulling these from the shelves! They’re back to full price online,” one man hugging an arm full of shirts warned me. The staff at the store, busy helping other customers, gave no indication that they were about to do such a thing. The same shirt on the Dick’s Sporting Goods website is sold out, and other navy shirts of current players with the Kasota Gold branding, now-retired by the Twins, are going for full price. However, not everyone waited until the news broke to scoop up discounted Correa apparel: one Twins fan went viral on social media for having beaten everyone else to the punch. On December 14, the news broke that Correa had signed a 13-year contract with the Giants. Shayla, a Twins season ticket holder, ordered a white Correa jersey and a Correa t-shirt jersey in the new uniform branding style online from the MLB Shop on December 19. The jersey was around $45, and the t-shirt jersey was $15. Even though it seemed like Correa’s time in Minnesota was over, she bought the jerseys because she had such fond memories of the 2022 season and could not “believe we got to have him in our jersey.” And a little bit "just in case." After the news broke Tuesday, Shayla tweeted about the Correa jersey she had bought, and Talkin Baseball, a baseball podcast by Jomboy Media, posted her tweet on its Instagram account. As it turns out, Shayla will have a lot more use for her Correa jerseys from now on than just reliving happy former memories, and Correa will be in that Twins jersey for a long time. “I am so happy. Happy for us. Happy for the players. Happy that in addition to his on-the-field work, we get a great baseball mind and a wonderful leader.” Shayla said. “I had a hunch from the beginning that this wasn’t gonna be a one-year deal.” View full article

Come on up for a game this year! ? I can only slightly promise there won't be catastrophic weather/ storms, lol

Super cool video- I'd never seen this before. I was barely aware of my surroundings in 2010?

Thank you so much, I appreciate it a lot! I have some fun pieces on tap for 2023. Happy New Year!

Thanks for the kind words and reading- Happy New Year!

Better get those handwarmers out- 16 home games next April, the most of any month! ?

Thank you so much for the kind words and reading. I appreciate all your insightful comments you left on my articles this year. Happy New Year!

Thanks so much for the kind words, the great response, and the happy, lovely story. I'm thrilled that you got to town to see a game! What a beautiful stadium, right? That sounds like such a happy day you had. and lasting memories. So cool you got to see the HOF ceremonies too! The majority of games I went to with my brother, and the others I took good friends. I still need to do the official Target Field stadium tour- I did the US Bank Stadium tour last winter and it was unbelievably cool and worth it. Definitely come back for another Twins game and to see the Saints too- lots of great overlap in the schedules! CHS Field is just beautiful. Even though the Saints are of course AAA, they have maintained much of the fun that was characteristic of the indyball days. I'd love to get to a Kernals game. Thanks again for reading and the great response. Baseball is such a special, beautiful thing, especially when shared with loved ones.

It'll be interesting with the pitch clock next year shaving off somewhere between 20-30 minutes per game. It will be nice for weeknights and kids for sure! The "runner on second in extras" rule has definitely done a lot to make game length a bit more predictable as well

Where is my badge of honor?

Super detailed and well-written article. Happy to have you aboard!

Great post, super detailed and informative. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Jeffers and Kirilloff can do with with a full, healthy season.

It will be interesting to see how the game flow changes with the pitch clock next year, which will shave anywhere from 20-30 minutes off games!

In 2022, Twins Pass in hand, for better or worse, I went to 57 Twins games: 56 at Target Field and one at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. At about 3 hours and 3 minutes a pop, the average length of an MLB game in 2022, I spent roughly 174 hours at the ballpark watching Twins games. When I confided in friends how many games I attended, their reactions ranged from amusement to shock. Even though the Twins did not make the playoffs (not that you needed a reminder), I do not regret going to any of them. You know the old saying, "the time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time?" Here’s what I noticed from my 57 games in Twins Territory. Image courtesy of Melissa Berman 1. Never underestimate the draw of the Brewers series, Blue Jays series, and Prince Night. By the eye test and official numbers, these games drew the largest crowds of the year by far- even more than Opening Day (which was quite chilly this year). It is incredible how well Brewers and Toronto fans travel, which is likely because Target Field is closer for many members of the “Brew Crew” and Toronto fanbases than Miller Park in Milwaukee or Rogers Centre in Toronto. When I arrived for these games, I was shocked at how difficult it was to find parking, how packed the concourses were, and how much Brewers and Blue Jays Blue filled the seats. Make a mental note to leave lots of extra time if you plan on attending one of these games next season. 2. But otherwise, attendance was lackluster this year. Even with the Twins battling for the top of the division for much of the season, in 2022, the Twins finished 20th in MLB attendance, averaging 22,514 fans per game. In 2019, the Bomba Squad season, the Twins brought in about 28,000 fans per game. Truthfully, many games felt much emptier than that 22,000 figure, especially weekday games and games in the spring and September. However, entire seating sections were empty on beautiful summer nights, too. We know that team performance impacts attendance, but with the Twins playing competitive baseball the majority of the season, I was often surprised just how empty Target Field felt for many games. There were almost never any security or bathroom lines, and there was always plenty of space in the concourse, so that when games were busy, it was almost jarring. The Twins tried to compensate for the low attendance by running a myriad of bargain ticket deals at various points during the season. These included a limited-time sale in which fans could buy $4 upper level tickets to any weekday game during the season, and expanding college ticket night to every night in September. 3. Fans love post-game concerts, and the Twins should do more in the future. Maybe the most fun idea the Twins had all season was to host a free full-length concert after one of their games. In August, Twins fans who hung around after a Twins- Blue Jays game sang along to a 75-minute show by country music artist Cole Swindell. Even though I’m not a country music fan, the show quality was excellent, and the reviews from fans were almost universally positive (except from the Twins fans who were annoyed by the sudden influx cowboy hat-clad music fans traipsing up and down the aisles during the game). Because the Twins have not done much to whip up excitement among their fans via trades and the free agent market this offseason, they should consider treating fans to more shows or promotions in the future to get them in the doors. 4. This season had two of the craziest weather games in recent memory. The most memorable game I went to all year was only three innings: the Twins rainout vs. the Houston Astros on Star Wars Night, May 11. I remember evacuating into the lower level concourse and watching the wind blow the rain in sheets with a ferocity I had never before seen. I jotted down everything I noticed and heard using my cell phone notes app. I sloshed back to my car, arrived at my apartment, and found that the power was out, so I wrote my narrative account of the game’s chaotic events while sitting in the dark. The result was perhaps my favorite piece I wrote this year. To be fair, I attended the game knowing that some wild weather was going to blow in, and I wanted to see what happened. I was surprised they chose to play the game at all. After this, I thought I would not see such severe weather at a game for a long time, but similar severe weather blew in on July 12, seemingly out of nowhere and on the first night of the Brewers series. I remember being trapped on the upper-level concourse (people packed into the stairwells, bathrooms, and indoor areas seeking shelter from the wind and blowing rain) while being sprayed with cold rain blown by the high winds. A major takeaway I had from these rainy games is how unbelievable Target Field's water drainage system is; the Twins were able to resume the game after about an hour delay. No one likes rain delays, but everyone loves Club Rayne. Calm after the storm as seen from Target Field during rain delay on July 12 5. Target Field upped the fanfare this season. Late in the 2022 season, Target Field began dimming the lights during Jhoan Duran’s entrance song. To my knowledge, the Twins have never done that for a pitcher, especially one who is not a closer. Jorge Lopez also got the dimmed lights treatment with his horror movie-themed walkout. Walkout songs have always been a bit of a show (remember Fernando Rodney's electric entrance?), but they became their own spectacle this season due in part to the Mets’ Edwin Diaz’s viral walkout song "Narco." Pitcher entrances across the league became their show within the show this season, and the Twins kept pace. In addition, 2022 was the first season in which TC Bear drove around the perimeter of the field in an ATV after every win carrying a "Twins Win!" flag. The Twins also premiered a giant t-shirt cannon called the "Mall of America Blaster," which they shot from the same place on the rightfield concourse every game. 6. The “5 Lookalikes” bit was the best new thing at the stadium. Whether it’s Chubbs Peterson from “Happy Gilmore,” Captain Kangaroo (ask your parents), Jay Leno/Paul Allen, or Iceman from Top Gun, it is incredible how Twins staff can spot fans in the crowd and accurately match them up with a celebrity or fictional character that they resemble. Though some comparisons are closer than others, many of the lookalikes were borderline uncanny. Seeing the unsuspecting doppelganger’s reaction to noticing themselves up on the big screen was priceless. 7. Seeing the Twins play at an away ballpark is unbridled joy. Perhaps my favorite experience of this year, baseball or not, was seeing the Twins play the Chicago White Sox on October 3 at Guaranteed Rate Field. I have been to Twins spring training several times, but this was the first time I had seen the Twins play in another city. Being a visiting fan in an opposing ballpark, “enemy territory,” was a unique and exhilarating feeling. I was proud to wear my Twins jersey and hat even though the Twins were way out of the division race by that point, and it was fun high-fiving other Twins fans I came across in the stadium. I thought Guaranteed Rate Field was beautiful. Before the game, we went and got Chicago-style pizza at a place called Ricobenes near the stadium and tailgated outside the stadium in Lot B. 8. The Twins should consider doing Hall of Fame ceremonies before the game or at least clearly advertise when the game is actually going to start. Look, I get it; the Twins do not want an empty house when Twins greats like Dan Gladden and Ron Gardenhire walk up to take the podium at their Twins Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies. At the same time, it makes for an exceptionally long day for fans, especially those with children, when the game starts an hour after it was advertised. Watching Dan Gladden’s acceptance speech on a sunny Sunday, Kids Day, at Target Field, I was surrounded by squirming children. Hall of Fame ceremonies are not a regular occurrence for the Twins, but maybe in the future, the Twins should clearly state that the listed start time of the game is actually the start of the ceremony. 9. The Twins have its littlest fans to thank for their packed attendance during day games. If you’re not a fan of little kids, and lots of them, day games during the summer are probably not for you. The entire upper deck at many day games consisted almost solely of kids’ day camps, all wearing their matching camp t-shirts. Their unified “Let’s Go Twins!” chants were adorable and impressive. 10. Some of the favorite moments I saw at Target Field in 2022: Royce Lewis' first MLB home run- a grand slam- on May 13; Gary Sánchez's grand slam on April 10; the Twins' walkoff win vs the White Sox in the 10th inning on April 24; Max Kepler's grand slam on May 23, which was the 1000th home run hit by a Twins player at Target Field; the Twins hitting back-to-back-to back home runs on June 9; Louie Varland's home debut on September 23. 11. There are some really special people at Target Field. From the more visible figures like Target Field staple Sue Nelson on organ and the local artist Kickliy to those behind the scenes, like Bally Sports audio engineer Chris Tveitbakk, who mixes the sound for every Twins home game broadcast from the Bally truck behind Target Field, we are lucky to have so many unique, interesting, and passionate people working at the ballpark. 12. No matter how the Twins are playing, there is no better place to be than Target Field on a summer night. You’re reading Twins Daily; it’s evident that you care deeply about the success of the team. I do too. But every season, no matter where the team is in the standings, I stand by the fact that Target Field is the best place to be on a beautiful summer night. Despite going to 56 games at Target Field, sometimes as many as six in a week, I never got tired of going. I never grew bored of the skyline views, the post-game fireworks, Sue Nelson on the organ, Minnie and Paul shaking hands after a win, or the Dollar Dogs. There is just so much to love about Target Field, and time spent with friends and loved ones at a baseball game is never time wasted. Happy 2023! Thank you much for reading my work this year and all your kind and thoughtful comments. Joining Twins Daily had been such a joy. Here's to a year filled with lots of baseball, Twins wins, and for me, maybe 60 in-person games! View full article

Fun idea. This definitely illustrates the lack of pitching success/ development the Twins have had over the last almost 20 years. Me and you both really started getting into the Twins around a similar time. It's fun looking back on Santana's Cy Young stretch from when we were kids. Love if we could experience something like that again, but we just seem to have an inability to develop great starting pitching, or we let him walk when it's time to pay him (Berrios- though we know he dropped off afterwards).

Great thoughts. You make a really good point that highlights an issue across sports- there is often a lack of desire to rebuild because the Front Office/ management wants to keep their jobs. They don't really have an interest in the team's *future*, only the present. Thus, a lot of teams including the Twins remain in a middle ground of not going "all in" but not going in full rebuild and start over mode. Like you said, with how bad the division is, they could feasibly sneak into the playoffs, but we can't expect a deep run from this team. We don't even have a full starting rotation at this point with almost al FAs off the board.

I went to 56 games last year with my Twins pass, which was an unbelievable value, especially for the weekend games. At $50/month, tickets usually equated to about $5 (or less) per game, depending on how many games there were in a given month. I agree that the cost of tickets needs to be lowered, especially for the upper deck. Weekend games without a Twins pass are pricy. Just get people in the door and they'll spend on other stuff. I was also surprised how poor attendance was when the Twins were winning. I'm not sure if it was a holdover from 2021 or what. Early season was impacted by cold weather, but no excuses for this beautiful, mid-summer nights. Regardless, I'll be getting the pass again and love spending summer evenings at Target Field. You have great feedback and thoughts and the Twins should be doing something to solicit feedback on what they can improve on.

I would say that there was a not insignificant number of people who showed at the beginning of the season for the chance to see Correa in a Twins uniform. A lot of people were really excited about that signing. Attendance was low, but having him on the team didn't hurt things (unless there was a large mass of people who were morally opposed to seeing a "cheater," which I doubt,) Signing Correa would've been a major offseason move for the team that would generate excitement. ("they finally spent money! The team is going in a new direction!") I'm not saying the Twins had to match the Giants' offer though. Instead, the Twins haven't done anything besides signing Vasquez. Not much excitement

This is 100% accurate. I went to 56 games with my Twins Pass last season. It was admittedly nice having no lines and an uncrowded concourse. When the Brewers came to town and every single seat was filled, the concourse was unwalkable, and all my usual parking haunts were filled, it was jarring and frustrating to me