Melissa Berman

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment. Things are looking good down at Target Field! I hope you can make it to a game coming up here! Lots of great ones on deck this year, especially with the new balanced schedule format, like Padres and Cubs. Next year we'll have Dodgers, Phillies, and Braves at home. Go Twins!

I don't think Spiderman will have much trouble scaling this building to make a catch

Thanks so much for reading! 😄 These are my favorite things to write. Go Twins!!

Thank you so much for the kind words. I *always* signed up for the designated driver Good Sport program when I got to games to get the free pop. I stopped doing it once they took the pop away, but that bag of Twins gear sounds awesome and maybe I should've kept up with it! Super good point that that's another thing that's gone- I didn't notice that. Free suite access? Row 15 behind home plate!? Wow! How does the upgrade happen- does a fan experience person come up to you, or does something else happen? I got upgraded at a Wolves game in Jan, and someone came up to me and handed me paper tickets. Looking forward to getting back next week! Heading to a Saints game in between!

I still haven't gotten a change to hear Cole Sand's "Sandstorm" entrance, which I'm bummed about

I was also surprised that Easter was so quiet- if it was like a typical Minnesota Easter in the 40s I would've understood, but it was such a beautiful day! I was at the Twins game until about the 7th, and then I walked across the street to go to the Wolves game. Thanks so much for the kind words! Hope you can get to some more games coming up!!

Thanks so much for the kind words. These are some of my favorite pieces to write, just a fun story about the fan experience. We really are so lucky to have such a beautiful park!

Ha, yes they are, in a way. They don't put "Durantula" up there anymore, but the start of his intro video includes tarantulas.

Thanks so much for the kind words! Any plans on making the trek to Target Field this year!?

You must've not run into me, because I don't remember anyone yelling at me! Haha. It's a lot of fun to be at games with the cross-town pride. With two Big Ten teams in the Final Four, I guess Big 10 hockey is doin alright now!

It is honestly shocking how fast the games move now. Total game-changer. On Tuesday I bought a couple of the dollar hotdogs right when I came in before I sat down, but then I made it a point to not get up again. This time of year isn't as bad because the games are pretty empty/ lines are short, but come summer, people who get up to buy beers etc will probably miss entire innings of action.

The Twins wrapped up their first two homestands! With the Twins’ $4 ticket flash sale in January, I bought a bargain ticket to nearly every home game this year, so naturally, I decided to go to all three of the Twins vs. Astros games and then Games 1 and 2 vs. the White Sox series. I did not go to the Wednesday day game vs. the Sox because of work, which was a bummer because it was a record-warm day! Here are my observations from my time at the ballpark so far. Image courtesy of Melissa Berman Opening Day was a blast, and it was the right call to push it to Friday. For the second year in a row, the Twins moved their Home Opener to Friday, and this seemed to be the right call. It was less windy and about 12 degrees warmer, and by the end of the game, it felt plenty chilly enough in the shade with that breeze. Other fans cooled off during the game, too, because many crowded under the concourse heaters warming themselves like iguanas by the end of the game. From the fans I talked to, the consensus was that mostly everyone was happy with the Twins' decision to move the game to Friday. The Twins handed out navy blue baseball hats with the new TC logo on Friday and Saturday of the series. In past years, the team set the bar high with Opening Weekend giveaways like vests, hooded sweatshirts, and zip up jackets, so I was a little underwhelmed, but it is a nice quality hat. Everyone who stuck the game's chilliness out was rewarded: nothing like ending the game with a walk-off win vs. the defending World Series Champs! Eighty-degree games in early April? When they unveiled the Twins’ 2023 schedule, I immediately noticed that there were 16 home games in April, the most of any month, and figured we’d have a lot of bundling up and hand warmers in our future. I never expected we’d have games with temperatures in the 70s and 80s! “False Summer,” anyone? The Twins are leaving town just in time to cool down again, so time will tell what it will be like when the Twins return to play the Nationals on April 21. Attendance was strong over the weekend for the Astros series, but was been noticeably light for the White Sox series (12,078 on Monday, 16,153 on Tuesday, and 17,658 on Wednesday) despite the warm temperatures. Nearly everyone at at the ballpark was in shorts. Light attendance is pretty typical of April weekday games though, especially day games, and no doubt attendance will rebound on weekends and once school gets out; Target Field is packed with youth day camps during the summer. The revamped Target Field looks impressive. Target Field was refreshed with a number of upgrades during the offseason, as you've heard by now. The new scoreboard looks even bigger in person, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised that it is not cluttered with ads. The scoreboard operators had a field day on Opening Day of scoreboard errors and mistakes, but since then it has been smooth sailing. The new, bright Minnie and Paul sign is a fun touch, though their handshake is slight, so you might miss it if you’re not looking closely! The "disco ball" in right field is cool, though I have not noticed it too much (it's pretty high up there). I also really enjoy the enhancements the Twins have added on the right field concourse, like mini golf and a new video board so that the parents chasing their kids around out there can keep up with the game action. After 13 years, it was time to bring Target Field into the future. One other change fans at the ballpark will notice is how quickly the building in left field is going up. I asked a friend who works in the urban planning industry, and he said that the tall tower has 352 long-term rentals, 98 short term rentals. The shorter building (not visible from inside Target Field) has about 350k square footage of office space and is already about a quarter leased. There will also be and 17k square footage of retail space in the base. Fan reactions to this giant building, and its crane, appear to be mixed; it's the only building visible on that side of the ballpark, so for now, it sticks out. But I’m not a fan of replacing the out-of-town scoreboard in the right field with rotating advertisements. The scores are now on a new light-up scoreboard down the third baseline. The scores and details on this screen are small and hard to read, and you can’t see the screen at all if you sit near home plate or anywhere down the first baseline. And, of course, no one wants to look at a giant ad the whole game, either. I know money makes the world go-’round, but I thought the out-of-town outfield scoreboard was a useful, unique feature of Target Field. Now the scoreboard is effectively unusable to a majority of the stadium. Somewhat related, it’s not a change the Twins made this year, but I miss the flags in right field displaying the order of the central division standings. The new security system is a game-changer. I covered it in my story about Opening Day, but the new scanners have all but eliminated lines to get into Target Field. Even on Opening Day, which traditionally has lines that can span blocks, people could walk in as if entering during the middle of the game. I’ve still triggered the scanner a few times because I often bring a portable charger to the games (I asked a security employee, and he said the scanner is still a metal detector. He recommended I carry my portable charger in my hand so that security can see on the screen exactly what set off alarm- I took a peek at the security screen and saw a pitcher of me with a square over my bag. If I had been carrying the charger in my hand, I would've had a square over my hand), but it’s been no problem to hand my bag to the security staff and walk through the body scanner again. The new scanners will make everyone's lives a lot easier, especially those who bring purses are bags to games, because usually the bag lines were the longest. He’s baaaack! Everyone’s favorite local realtor is back as the sponsor of the 7th Inning Stretch this year. Talk about an advertising budget. Just don’t mention him by name on Twitter unless you want him (or someone from his team) to swoop in and like every single tweet he’s mentioned in. Saturday Strikeouts and Ski-U-Mah! I am a proud University of Minnesota alum. It's not every day that your team plays in a National Championship, so I wore a Gopher hockey jersey to the game on Saturday. I was extra excited when the Twins used the big video board to wish the Gophers good luck, and they played the Gopher Rouser, which I loudly and passionately (annoyingly) sang along to. A side note is that the main video board looks even bigger when they use the entire display to show an image, and it's not sectioned into different parts like batting lineup, player picture, and stats. The Twins only handed out 5,000 of the magnet schedules a night on Monday and Tuesday of the White Sox series. I make it a point to get the magnet schedule yearly because I heavily reference it throughout the season. I got to the stadium early on both Monday and Tuesday, but I did not get a magnet either night. For reference, they're handing out 5,000 presumably-expensive wood bats for Carlos Correa bat day? Come on; it’s a magnet! Everyone in attendance should get one, which is what they do for the Timberwolves and Wild. It's a bummer for people who like to collect these, but of course they have already appeared on eBay. No more TC on his ATV. Last year after every win, TC Bear drove his ATV around the perimeter of the outfield carrying a giant Twins flag. It doesn't appear he's doing that again this year, apparently because it was a sponsored bit and that sponsor is out, which I'm a bit bummed about (I had no idea it was a sponsorship honestly). Anyone know of any Segway companies looking for a sponsorship? More Family Value Sections. This year, the Twins added a third Family Value section. I usually sit on the lower level, so if I wanted to meander over and get a discount lemonade or bag of popcorn, I'd have to walk over halfway around the park to the location in center field. With the speed of games and the pitch clock, I simply would not do that anymore; I would miss too much game. Now there is a second, prominently-located stand on the 100 level- outside section 120. I sat in 120 for the Opener and was surprised and excited the stand was located right outside my section. The other two stands are located outside 133 311. Here are some of the prices. Dollar Dog Night returns. Dollar dog night is every Tuesday this season. The Twins say there is a limit of two hotdogs at a time, but I saw others buying way more than that. I don't plan on missing many of these nights. I noticed the Twins added way more condiments like BBQ sauce and mayo to their concourse tables, too. The Buck Truck is back! This year, after Buxton gets a home run or a big hit, the Twins have played a loud truck horn as Buck rounds the bases. Buxton also has brought back his pull-the-truck-horn celebration. In past years the Twins have sounded the Bomba siren as other players do their home run trot, but the siren has yet to appear. Fans are fully taking advantage of the expanded beer sales. The Twins announced that this year, they would be continuing their alcohol sales into the 8th inning due to the shorter game times caused by the pitch clock. From what I have seen at the games, fans are taking advantage of this extra time. In the bottom of the 8th inning on Tuesday, a guy sat down a couple of seats from me with two fancy cocktail drinks. You have to wash down those dollar dogs with something, right? The intent of stopping the sales in the 7th was so that fans sober up a little before the game ends, but was that enough time to begin with? It is a good move to let vendors recoup a bit of the money they otherwise would have earned before MLB implemented the pitch clock. Speaking of.. The games feel MUCH faster in person. But it's kind of nice. Tuesday night’s game was a blazing fast 2:23 despite ten innings. That was partly because Pablo López retired 23 consecutive batters and struck out 10, but also because of the pitch clock. Everything feels faster now. It was the bottom of the 7th inning, and I looked up at the clock and saw it was only an hour and a half into the game. I am hestitant to get up at all during the game, because I might feasibly miss an entire half or full inning. It is a significant mindset change for me walking to my car at 9 p.m., getting home, and not having to go to bed immediately. It will be nice, especially on weekdays, for kids attending games or those who have to wake up early for work the next day. I used to consider watching a Twins game my entire afternoon or evening's activity, but now I almost equate it to the same amount of time spent watching a Timberwolves or Wild game. Target Field has a pitch clock in the outfield so that fans can monitor it, as well as two located behind home plate. Once the pitcher starts his windup, I've noticed the timer immediately turns off- probably so that the pitcher doesn't see the flashing numbers in his peripheral. On Saturday, we saw our first strikeout due to a pitch clock violation when Joe Ryan struck out José Abreu, and fans in the stands really hooted & hollered/ laughed. Great walkup song choices (even though I don't know many of them). Most of the returning Twins, outside of pitchers, changed things up this year and are using new walkup songs. Maybe my favorite is Kyle Farmer, who is using "A Sky Full of Stars" from the kids movie Sing 2 as his walkup this year because his son likes it. I was thankful they ditched the somewhat-cringy horror movie theme entrance for Jorge López (last year it included a scary little girl laughing and also the famous "Thriller" laugh). Best of all, it was incredible seeing Duran's entrance on Tuesday night- the first of the season under the lights. His entrance is an entire show in itself. The video board prompted fans to take out to turn their phone lights on, and the Twins flickered the stadium lights as Duran ran out. We don't need to mention what happened on the first pitch Duran threw, but the theatrics were incredible. Full list of Twins walkup songs here. We'll see you back at Target Field next week for the Nationals Series! _ _ Have you made it out to Target Field yet? What have you noticed during your time spent at the ballpark? Let us know in a COMMENT below. View full article

Yes! No security lines from now on is such a game-changer. There's been a few minor mistakes today, like I'm looking at one right now, but much-improved from yesterday!

YEP, and how Michael A. Taylor was every single player yesterday. A few blips at today's game, but much improved!

LOVE this picture! That green grass, blue sky, and a beautiful family! 😄 So nice seeing you too!!!

Sporting events are a source of special memories for many fans, but no tradition is more cherished than MLB Opening Day. 2023’s Opening Day at Target Field will likely stand out in fans’ memories as being even more special: from the debut of new league rules to the giant new scoreboard and a dramatic win in walk-off fashion. Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports The 2023 MLB season represents a time of change both for MLB and the Twins, as MLB implemented a host of new rules, and the Twins did their first significant remodel of Target Field since it opened in 2010. At Friday’s Home Opener, in the company of friends and family, Twins fans got their first experience of what a game in this new MLB will be like. Old and new traditions The Twins Opener was pushed back from Thursday to Friday for the second year in a row due to cold temperatures. But with a high of 50 degrees and an intense sun, the weather was even nice enough that Twins fans Sarah and Thomas Kendrick biked to the game- about 10 miles one way from their house. “It’s beautiful out, and I feel like it’s easier than having to deal with parking,” Sarah said, though she said with a laugh she had not ruled out riding the bus back with her bike. It was Sarah and Thomas’ first Opening Day, which between biking to the stadium less than a week after a blizzard, and the Twins’ win in walk-off fashion, will be a memorable one for them. Maybe even a new tradition? Friday's sunny weather led to an announced attendance of 38,465 fans, a sellout, up from 35,462 last year. It was noticeably cooler in the shade; those sitting in it bundled up, and others sought respite by crowding under the overhead heaters on the concourse. Cam Bailey drove with his 14-year-old son Trae, seven-year-old son Bostyn, and father Ron from Marshall, Minnesota, about three hours away in southwest Minnesota, for the Opener. Attending Opening Day has been a tradition for Cam, who has been to every Twins Opening Day at Target Field since the stadium opened, and now the tradition is one he can share with his sons: it was Trae’s fifth Twins Home Opener and the first for Bostyn. Ron has been to about 30 openers throughout the years. Though the family makes the trek to a number of Twins games a year, the Opener is special, “You kind of look at it like it’s almost a holiday of sorts,” Cam said. “We kind of joke, you know, that everyone has a clean slate, and it’s a new season." Cam said his family enjoys walking around the stadium on Opening Day and checking out all the new amenities at the ballpark. This year, there were plenty, but that won't be the only thing his kids remember about the game. "For my youngest son, it was his first Opener, so this afternoon when we left, he, said, 'Dad, my first Opener. I think that was my first extra-inning game. And I think that was my first walk-off game," Cam said. Hunter Anderson, a Twins fan who drove up for the game from southern Minnesota, attended the Opener with his mother. In 2014, his baseball coach invited him and his mother to the Opener; they’ve attended it together nearly every year since. “Knowing that it’s a tradition for probably the majority of the attendance makes it that much more special,” Anderson said. Friday’s game was Anderson’s second Twins Opener of the season: he traveled down to Kauffman Stadium last week to see the Twins open the season vs. the Kansas City Royals. For Kenny Devine, attending the Home Opener is a tradition he and his brother typically share, This year, he attended with friends, but is celebrating his brother's birthday at the game during opening weekend, “Opening Day, it really does have such a great energy. Everyone goes, even if it’s cold," Devine said. And this writer also attends Opening Day with her brother each and every year, and hopes to continue the tradition for years to come regardless of jobs, obligations, and whatever else is going on in life. First Look at Revamped Target Field At Friday’s game, fans could see Target Field’s new outfield scoreboards for the first time during in-game action. The boards, installed during the offseason, feature 22 new LED displays and 75% more square footage than last season. The large board in left-center field is MLB’s sixth largest main video board. The Twins also added a new, smaller video board on the Gate 34 plaza, so now fans playing cornhole on the plaza can keep up with the game action, and added extra video boards on the concourse. Devine was impressed with the new scoreboard displays despite his and many others' observations about some first day malfunctions. He especially liked the prominence of pitch speed and type. "It's going to be fun to be a fan, but also a more more engaged fan in terms of like 'wow, that was actually a super good curveball' or whatever it is," Devine said. With the giant new video board, "there's so much more room and more opportunity to show [facts] off," Devine said.. Friday also represented the home debut of the Twins’ new, redesigned uniforms. The Twins wore their home whites, one of four new uniform designs the Twins are debuting this year, in addition to two new logos- a simplified “TC” design and a new “M” design that the Twins will wear on the road. Though the jury is out on the new logos, the home white uniforms have received near-universal acclaim from fans. “They’re definitely an upgrade. Looking back at the old home whites, they were so bland. These ones have more noticeable piping, and the sleeve patch is my favorite part,” Anderson said. Noticeably absent this year were the traditional Opening Day security lines, which right before first pitch, typically have stretched for as far as blocks. New this season are Evolv scanners at each entrance, which rely on artificial intelligence to scan fans for weapons upon entry. On Opening Day, fans could walk straight into the stadium through the scanners without emptying their bags and pockets, and only had to stop to have their bag searched if the scanner flagged something. “Flawless,” said Devine of how the Evolv scanners seemed to work. In past years, Gate 6 in left field, where he typically enters games, has had security lines that snake all around the transit station area. But today, getting into the stadium fast was “no problem.” “Walking in, we kind of got there late, which wasn’t ideal. But there wasn’t a line like I thought there’d be,” Devine said. The home opener also was the first Twins game many have attended with a pitch clock. Friday’s game lasted 2:47 with ten innings compared to 2022, which lasted 2:53 in regulation. Cam noticed the effect of the pitch clock during the Opener. “When we go to games, it’s not like I want the game to go quicker so we can go home faster, but the pace was smoother,” he said of Friday’s game. Despite driving three hours to go to Twins games, Cam said he is okay with the games being a little shorter and that the pitch clock would be good for the game in the long term. Anderson said the effect of the pitch clock was especially noticeable at the Kauffman Stadium season opener, and that he might miss some of the lulls in the action when at games in-person. “I definitely am going to enjoy not having to stay up late for games on TV on work nights, but I did enjoy the longer games while being in attendance,” he said. Target Field will continue liquor sales into the 8th inning this season, rather than stop in the 7th inning like in the past, due to the shortened game times. Other changes at the ballpark include a new Minnie and Paul sign with a mechanical handshake, mini golf holes on the right field concourse, a third family value concession stand, a new Women in Baseball art installation, and the spinning "disco ball" located in right field. Despite how sweet Opening Day always is, a day spent with cherished family and friends watching baseball, the day is just a little sweeter when the Twins win. “Our day started at 8:30 this morning, and we’ll pull into the driveway at 10 o’clock at night, but the drive back’s a heck of a lot easier when you win,” Cam said. _ _ Do you have any special Opening Day celebrations? What did you think of all the new Target Field features? Let us know in a COMMENT below. View full article

So excited for the Opener tomorrow!! Best day of the year- such a happy day full of fun traditions!

Wow! This looks awesome! Can't wait until tomorrow!

Yes!! That Padres series will be a lot of fun! I scooped up a bunch of the SRO tickets to games this season. Next year will be great seeing Bryce Harper and the Phillies at home, plus the Dodgers, and Braves! That Cubs series will be fun at home this year too, though they're on the downswing right now

This looks awesome! Can't wait!

That's a really good way to sum it up. Also, in my head I still have to get used to the Cubs being a weaker team

It will be fun watching a bunch of other teams play who I haven't seen much! The Rockies, for example

After opening the 2023 season on the road vs. division foe (foe is maybe a strong word there) the Kansas City Royals, the Twins are getting their first experience with MLB’s new balanced schedule format by heading down to the sunshine state to play the Miami Marlins. Now thanks to MLB's balanced schedule format, Twins fans will be reunited every season going forward with the fanbase’s beloved former utilityman and Batting Champ, Luis Arraez. Image courtesy of Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports This season for the first time, and from now on, every team in baseball will play every other team in baseball at least once. Every team will play 24 fewer games against their divisional opponents than they did previously, 52 rather than 76. What does the new balanced schedule format mean for the Twins? The Twins schedule isn’t more difficult under the balanced schedule format than it would have been otherwise. This year at least. Under the old format, Interleague Play opponents rotated against the other league’s divisions once per year. In 2023, it would have been the AL Central’s turn to play the mighty NL East, composed of three 2022 playoff teams the Phillies, Mets, and Braves. Mike Petriello of MLB.com did a great analysis of MLB schedules by looking at the strength of schedule under the new format vs. what the strength otherwise would have been in 2023 without implementing it. He concluded that in 2023 there is almost no impact on the strength of schedule for any of the teams in the AL Central. “That’s because these five teams had already been scheduled to face the NL East in 2023, so those games aren’t new, and instead, they’ll pick up games against the equally weak NL Central and the NL West, which features a somewhat depleted (compared to previous years) Dodgers squad and the very poorly projected Rockies,” Petriello wrote. The Pirates, Diamondbacks, and Cubs a few of these other weaker NL Central/ NL West teams the Twins pick up games from. The Dodgers aren't exactly looking depleted this season so far like Petriello thought, but really are they ever? Petriello notes that the new schedule will make the Wild Card race even tougher for teams in the AL Central, given how strong the AL East and AL West divisions are, because these juggernaut teams will be playing each other less. Of course, the Twins will hope to win the division, so they don’t have to worry about the wildcard race. Could the Twins face a tougher-than-it-otherwise-would’ve-been schedule in future years like 2024, when the Twins would have played the relatively-weak NL Central? That’s possible, but the schedule will be harder for all our fellow AL central foes, too. Further, season record projections are not gospel, and team and division trajectories change from year-to-year, so it's impossible to really know what would have happened. Less head-to-head matchups with our division foes and fewer road trip opportunities, but we’ll still dislike the other AL Central teams just as much. Under the new balanced schedule format, MLB teams will play 13 games (four total series) against each divisional opponent (decreased from 19 games across six series). Will it diminish the sense of rivalry between AL Central teams? That seems unlikely; I do not foresee us feeling any less antagonistic vs. the White Sox now just because we’ll see them a little less. I don't know if many Twins fans (or those selling tickets at Target Field) will be too disappointed about seeing less games vs. the Tigers and Royals either, considering these in recent years have been less exciting games. However, during AL Central division races, those head-to-head games vs. division opponents are extremely high-stakes, exciting, and fun because they present a direct opportunity for the Twins to control their own destiny and get business done by beating Cleveland directly, for example (rather than just hoping whoever is playing the Guardians beats them) and either make up a lot of ground or pull away. Now we'll have less of those opportunities, which is a little disappointing. One downside for those who like to travel to opposing division ballparks is that they will have fewer opportunities. For example, I am interested in traveling to Chicago this season to attend a Twins vs. White Sox game, but now we have two series options rather than three: May 2 and September 15. Neither series is ideal weather-wise, and that September series could be a lot of fun or a snoozer, depending on how the division standings look at that late stage in the game. Increases a sense of rivalry between AL and NL? Sometimes in past years, I have felt like I’m in a bit of an AL bubble; I don’t pay as close attention to what is happening in the NL because we hardly see them outside of the Brewers series, Interleague games, and the All Star Game. Similarly, I don’t have any real animosity toward any NL teams for this same reason (besides perhaps the Brewers). Now that we will be going head-to-head with the Padres, Rockies, Reds, and everyone else every year, maybe new rivalries will emerge. Exciting opponents are coming to Target Field. Or at least teams you may not have seen before. Twins fans in 2023 can swing down to Target Field and see some of MLB’s top stars and teams that otherwise would hardly come to Minnesota. Twins fans will get to see Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado when they come to town with the Padres on May 9-11, the Cubs May 12-14 for Mother’s Day, the Giants on May 22-24, Diamondbacks on August 4-6, and Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor with the Mets September 8-10, to name a few. The Twins will vs. star-studded NL teams like the Dodgers, Phillies, and Braves on the road in 2023. Along with the pitch clock, shift ban, bigger bases, and the balanced schedule, 2023 is a year of monumental change for MLB. What do you think of the new Balanced Schedule Format? Leave a COMMENT below. View full article