23. Target Field
My Florida road trip was the only official "drive around the country and see baseball" trip of 2014, but I did manage to squeeze in two other parks on other trips. The first of them was a trip to Minnesota to revisit the scene of my first ballpark visit. After many years of complaining about the somewhat spartan facilities in the Metrodome and many aborted attempts at financing, a deal was struck that allowed the construction of Target Field in time for the 2010 season.
As it happens, my high school friend Randy who has thrown a yearly summer party for most of the past decade that I always meant to attend. Finally in 2014 my personal schedule, his party schedule and the Twins schedule overlapped so I headed into the Twin Cities for a long weekend. Even better, one of my coworkers who lives in the Twin Cities not only offered me a place to crash, but he urged me to borrow his car AND when we were flying into into the Cities that day (he'd been at our main office that week) he turned a flight delay into a $800 Delta credit. Then after arriving Friday morning I had a Jucy at Matt's with an old friend from college.
In short, I was having a pretty damn good weekend even before I met my high school friend Pat tand his family at the statue of Kirby Puckett to watch the Twins take on the Chicago White Sox. We snagged four seats in the upper deck on the first base line and even go there in time for batting practice. The practice must have paid off as there were a total of five home runs, including number 30 on the season for Cuban sensation and eventual Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu.
The park is unquestionably a vast improvement over the Metrodome. I do think it's a bit odd that they went without a roof in a state where April blizzards are almost routine, but apparently the price tag was a bit high. They did decide against heated seats, which would have been awesome, but did add a bonfire in the right field standing-room-only section, which is unique to MLB. There are statues for the people you'd expect (Killebrew, Carew, etc.) as well as a giant "Golden Glove" statue big enough to sit in.
All of these amenities, as well as little touches like the the giant old fashioned Twins logo with Minnie and Paul that lights up in different ways for runs and strikeouts should make this park a standout. However, on the whole I feel that instead it runs into the "every park is a special snowflake in the same way problem." I was there in a great mood with gorgeous weather with people I really like for extra time beyond the game... and most of the things I describe above (except Kirby's statue) only resurfaced in my memory after I looked at some pictures of the park while writing this. I'll certainly go there again as I have many baseball loving friends in the Twin Cities, but it's definitely in the second tier of new parks, albeit at the top of that tier.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Marlins ParkMiami MarlinsMay 23, 20141
2 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
3 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
4 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
5 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
6 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
7 Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
8 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
9 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
10Target FieldMinnesota TwinsJuly 25, 20141
11 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
12 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
13 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
14 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
15 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
16 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
17 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
18 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
19 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
20 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
21 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
22 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
23 Tropicana FieldTampa Bay RaysMay 21, 20141
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude
As it happens, my high school friend Randy who has thrown a yearly summer party for most of the past decade that I always meant to attend. Finally in 2014 my personal schedule, his party schedule and the Twins schedule overlapped so I headed into the Twin Cities for a long weekend. Even better, one of my coworkers who lives in the Twin Cities not only offered me a place to crash, but he urged me to borrow his car AND when we were flying into into the Cities that day (he'd been at our main office that week) he turned a flight delay into a $800 Delta credit. Then after arriving Friday morning I had a Jucy at Matt's with an old friend from college.
In short, I was having a pretty damn good weekend even before I met my high school friend Pat tand his family at the statue of Kirby Puckett to watch the Twins take on the Chicago White Sox. We snagged four seats in the upper deck on the first base line and even go there in time for batting practice. The practice must have paid off as there were a total of five home runs, including number 30 on the season for Cuban sensation and eventual Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu.
The park is unquestionably a vast improvement over the Metrodome. I do think it's a bit odd that they went without a roof in a state where April blizzards are almost routine, but apparently the price tag was a bit high. They did decide against heated seats, which would have been awesome, but did add a bonfire in the right field standing-room-only section, which is unique to MLB. There are statues for the people you'd expect (Killebrew, Carew, etc.) as well as a giant "Golden Glove" statue big enough to sit in.
All of these amenities, as well as little touches like the the giant old fashioned Twins logo with Minnie and Paul that lights up in different ways for runs and strikeouts should make this park a standout. However, on the whole I feel that instead it runs into the "every park is a special snowflake in the same way problem." I was there in a great mood with gorgeous weather with people I really like for extra time beyond the game... and most of the things I describe above (except Kirby's statue) only resurfaced in my memory after I looked at some pictures of the park while writing this. I'll certainly go there again as I have many baseball loving friends in the Twin Cities, but it's definitely in the second tier of new parks, albeit at the top of that tier.
Park Rankings
RankParkTeamFirst Visit# Visits
1 Marlins ParkMiami MarlinsMay 23, 20141
2 Wrigley FieldChicago CubsApril 23, 20042
3 PNC ParkPittsburgh PiratesSeptember 25, 20042
4 Jacobs FieldCleveland IndiansApril 17, 199963
5 Miller ParkMilwaukee BrewersApril 24, 20041
6 Camden YardsBaltimore OriolesJune 22, 20121
7 Kauffman StadiumKansas City RoyalsJune 9, 20131
8 Yankee Stadium (original)New York YankeesJuly 28, 20061
9 Comerica ParkDetroit TigersJuly 31, 20041
10Target FieldMinnesota TwinsJuly 25, 20141
11 Turner FieldAtlanta BravesMay 5, 20071
12 Busch Stadium IIISt. Louis CardinalsAugust 8, 20131
13 Nationals ParkWashington NationalsJune 21, 20121
14 Citizens Bank ParkPhiladelphia PhilliesJune 23, 20121
15 Citi FieldNew York MetsJune 24, 20121
16 Rogers CentreToronto Blue JaysMay 21, 20051
17 Cinergy FieldCincinnati RedsAugust 8, 19984
18 Yankee Stadium (sequel)New York YankeesJune 25, 20121
19 The MetrodomeMinnesota TwinsJune 22, 19923
20 Shea StadiumNew York MetsJuly 24, 20061
21 Great American Ball ParkCincinnati RedsMay 9, 20041
22 U.S. Cellular FieldChicago White SoxApril 25, 20041
23 Tropicana FieldTampa Bay RaysMay 21, 20141
Background: Prologue Memory Interlude