I miss baseball

I think it's worse this year than any other year.  Last year at this time we were all excited because we got to go to a new stadium. That made it hard to wait for Opening Day... But this year. This year I know how awesome our stadium is.  I know what it's like to go to an afternoon game in the sun.  I even know what it's like to go to a game in the drizzle!  It makes it so much harder to wait for the first crack of the bat.  I'm jealous of everyone in Ft Myers getting to enjoy it now... I've never really been too interested in hitting up spring training till this year.  I miss baseball, I miss my Twins and I miss that awesome food they have at Target Field!
And the weather does not help any of this... It took me an hour and a half to get to work today. Average speed 14mp.  No joke.  It's normally a 40 min drive!!
Anyway... This is my favorite game day photo from last year. I love it. Kevin is pitching against the White Sux and the lighting on field and on the skyline is PERFECT.  Most of my photos you get either the field or the skyline...

I thought seeing it again would make me feel better. But really, it just makes me more sad that it's still a month and a half away. :(

2010, what a year! Thank you Twins!!

Though our season came to a screeching halt last night (or the minute it was the yankees we had to play in the playoffs)... I wanted to take a minute to go thru my year at Target field.  What an amazing inaugural season the boys had, and I had.  After 21 years of metrodome baseball, I was introduced to outdoor baseball at Turner Field in Atlanta... I still remember the chills I got walking through the gates (not revolving doors...) into the stadium.  Love at first sight.  I'm so glad we FINALLY have outdoor baseball in MN again.  Though in my life it's the second time we've been there, but the Twins went from the Met to the Dome in 1982, so I was much to young to remember...
Today I'm going back through all my photos to bring in memories of my/the twins first year at our brand new and beautiful stadium... Let's take a journey! Going to do two or three photos for each game... first up will be a photo of me and the person I attended the game with... the second will be my favorite shot of the game... and one that's just showing off the view from our seats!
It's no secret that Baseball and the Twins are some of my favorite things... so here we go!

April 20, 2010
Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Indians
MN Pitcher: (my) Kevin Slowey
Twins win 5-1
Attendance: 38,985
Seats: section 318 row 8 seat 4 $22

Here is the view from my first seats at Target Field!

 Jeremy, Jesse, me and Jason spent the game in the Twins Pub... Jason and I sat in our seats for about two minutes before we decided we'd go looking around at all we could see...then met up with Jeremy and Jesse at the Twins Pub, stayed there the whole game! Great view!

And for my favorite photo, well, it's gotta be the one with fireworks...couldn't do that in the dome!!  Way to go Kevin :)

May 23, 2010

Minnesota Twins vs Milwaukee Brewers

MN Pitcher: Carl Pavano

Brewers win 4-3

Attendance: 38,952

Seats: section 120 row 24 seat 7 $62

 Mary's first game at Target Field... the most expensive seats that I've got this year.

 I can't believe I got this shot... Denard Span takes one off his back, and I somehow managed to be taking a photo just then!

And the view from our seats... Too bad Jim Thome didn't take advantage of the men on base to make it a first walk off win in the new stadium... We got close, just couldn't get one more run...

June 9, 2010

Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals

MN Pitcher: Carl Pavano

Twins win 6-2

Attendance: 40,323

Seats: section G row 7 seat 5 $55 (won these tix:)

I got extremely lucky in wining tickets to this game... I'd wanted to go into the Legend's club since Jason and I found it, and were told we couldn't go in without tickets to that area... I was so excited that I'd get to be a part of this area today!!  That's me and Jen just a few rows down from where we were sitting... In awesome wooden back chairs with cushions on the seat!

Here's a view of beautiful Downtown Minneapolis from our seats. soooo pretty.  

 There were soooo many photos I loved from this visit to target field... but this one has to be my favorite...some of the best quotes in Twins history...

June 12, 2010

Minnesota Twins vs Atlanta Braves

MN Pitcher: Nick Blackburn

Braves win 3-2

Attendance: 40,001

Seats: section 131 row 6 seat 12 $24 (Mathias' season tickets)

This is the view from our seats!! We were right next to the bullpen, it was great!!  We got to see Nicky and Joe throw some practice pitches before the game!

 and Joe makes it in as my favorite shot of the day! Little did I know I'd be rubbing elbows with him not 24 hours later!! :)

This is the first game for me and Kel at the new stadium... Kelly and I've been going to Twins games for years at the dome...this place is much better for our baseball watching pleasure!

 I had to have two photos to show the view from our seats.... Thought I'd show one of the actual field rather than the guys in the bullpen!

June 13, 2010

Minnesota Twins vs Christy & Ryan

Justin Morneau's Casino Night

MN Pitcher: Christy

Christy wins 10-0

Attendance: 2010 Minnesota Twins

Seats: Legend's Club.

Okay you couldn't expect me to go thru my year at Target Field without putting photos from the best night of my life(to this point)!!! Me and my Justin Morneau. He must have thought I was craaazy... Who meets someone new and says "Hi Justin Morneau, nice to meet you"  and then after the photo "thanks Justin Morneau"  

The love of my life on the Twins pitching staff.... Kevin Slowey. He's so darn cute...so stinking sweet... and he couldn't keep his hands off me ;)  You know he's a good guy, grounded guy because he'd just had a horrible outing against the Braves just 3 hours before.... and he was in a great mood, you'd have never known that he had such a bad game.  Had Dan not been in my life, Kevin would have been in big BIG trouble :)

And the Prince of the Diamond, mr Joe Mauer.  He's just as gorgeous in person as he is in this photo.  soft spoken... and I could have sniffed him in all night!!

July 15th, 2010

Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sux

MN Pitcher: Kevin Slowey

Sux win 8-7 

Attendance: 40,697

 

So I was invited by Jason to this game... His boss was kicked out of Target Field for the season, until he purchased a sh!t ton of tickets....buying his way back in... and Jason was nice enough to invite me along...and since I was with him and his work folk, I can only tell you that the blonde girls name is Dinah (or something..) then it's me and Jason.. Don't have a clue who that girl on the left is... You can also see more co-workers waving in the background.

My boyfriend Kevin was pitching again tonight :)  Love this shot of him and the skyline!

and this is the beautiful view we had this evening...what a stunning stadium we've got.  This is the only game I ended up leaving early.... It was the longest game ever. okay not ever, but it was long.... I think I left at 10:00 and they were in the 7th or something redonk like that. 

July 16th, 2010

Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sux

MN Pitcher: Fransico Liriano

Twins win 7-4

Attendance: 40,427

Seats: section 302 row 14 seat 15 $13

 Cassie was my guest tonight at Target Field, it was great hanging out with her... Since she's a mom of two toddlers... we don't get to hang out much... Here we are at the gold glove

Our tickets were in the most top row in the stadium..... but we still had such a beautiful view... I thought the view would not be very good from this far away... then we sat down... I'm pretty much sold to the fact that there are no bad seats in this place!

  and for my favorite shot... not sure why I like it so much, but I do... it's the Budweiser Roof Deck... A place I haven't watched a game from yet!

August 16th, 2010

Tour of Target Field

MN Pitcher: Danny boy

Christy wins 8-7

Attendance: 40

Seats: wherever we want

 here are two beautiful shots of my favorite stadium!

 

and a photo of my favorite boy and myself on my favorite field :)

August 17th, 2010

Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sux

MN Pitcher: Scott Baker

Twins win 7-6

Attendance: 40,714

Seats: section 216 row 6 seat 1 $34

 

Here is where we sat for today's game.. Right behind us was the Twins Pub.

 TWINS WIN in WALK OFF fashion thanks to Jim Thome :) way to welcome your former team to MN, and way to welcome Dan too! :)  perfect game for Dan's first! I was much too excited to be taking photos when I saw that ball sail out of the park...this was the first one I took after jumping up and down for like 5 minutes..

 Here is me and my Danny boy up close to the field. auuhhh :)

August 18th, 2010

Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sux

MN Pitcher: Fansisco Liriano

Twins win 7-6

Attendance: 40,702
Seats: section 326 row 14 seat 18 $15

 So I didn't take any photos of Dan and myself today...but I'll still put up three photos.. Here is another shot of Budweiser Roof Deck from where we sat!

 As if last nights first walk off home run wasn't enough... Dan and I saw Joe Mauer's first home run at Target Field the next night!  you can see Minne and Paul sparkling here!

and here is a view from our seats. second to last row in Target Field.

September 17, 2010
Minnesota Twins vs Oakland Athletics
MN Pitcher: Nick Blackburn
A's win: 3-1
Attendance: 40,681
Seats: section 136 row 2, seat 8 $24

 IMHO these are the best seats in the house... LOVED it out here in the overhang!!  there is Jason out here in right field. 

 Saw this game with Brian, a friend I haven't seen in like 5 years, good times. lots of vodka.

the vodka probably explains this photo... surprised i didn't end up in right field...

October 2, 2010
Minnesota Twins vs Toronto Blue Jays
MN Pitcher: Brian Duensing
Twins win: 5-4

Attendance: 40,235

Seats: section 235 row 1, seat 8 $24

 First game in years that Stef and I hit up. good times with me sista

 a view from our seats in the front row

 my man Kevin came in for an inning... sooo happy he did, it could be the last time I see him pitch with my Twins :(

  and I've got to have a 4th just because I had another walk off win :)  go twins!

I had a wonderful year, and so many memories thanks to you boys! thanks for a great year, and hopefully next year someone else can take out the yankees for us!

my Twins

So Friday night I stayed at my sisters house while my Bro-in-law worked on my car.... Whilst watching the Twins take on the Blue Jays, I was teaching my adorable niece how to say the different Twins players names.. My favorite was when I taught her "kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuub"

So, in the time I was teaching my lovely niece how to say the names, I had a conversation with my sister about walk off wins.  I was explaining to her what a walk off win.... I told her I was at the first walk off home run win at Target Field when Jim Thome hit a two run home run in the bottom of the 10th to beat the White Sox.....

what a foreshadow to saturday's game! holy cow it was a great game!  well, the ending was anyway!!  It was the bottom of the ninth when i turned to my sister and said "this is where we get a walk off win!"  dang i'm good. I called Jim Thome's walk off homer in August... I called Danny V's grand slam last weekend... and I called the walk off win... and stuck by it even when we had 2 out in the bottom of the 9th.  what a fun game.

This photo, btw, was from Jimmy's walk off dinger on August 17th... it's one of the photos from the calendar that we got on Saturday.  It's going to be my next painting... love the looks on the guys' faces!!

here are a few shots from Saturday's game....

 Great view of our pennant flags, blowing in so you can see what a great team we've had thru the years!

This is the first game that Stef and I went to at Target Field...

 And here comes my boyfriend, Kevin Slowey. This made me a happy girl to see him coming in to relieve :)

 View from the front row, above the green wall and pine trees

 well fancy that, miss Sarah was at the game!  I haven't seen her in years! Thank goodness for mobile facebook, or we wouldn't have known!

 alright folks, it's RALLY TIME!

 And my predictions come to be! way to load the bags boys!

a happy Twins crowd!

Target Field

Dan and I decided we'd do a tour of Target Field before he went to a Twins game there... We figured it'd be good to do this so when we were at the games, he could be watching baseball instead of wondering around.  Here's how it went!!

We started out here, in the stands, a familiar place to me :)  We learned that the flag pole is the original flag pole from the Met, just a bit shorter, it used to be 95 feet tall, and used to be right in center field in the middle of the playing field!

We also learned that the jumbo-tron is the 4th biggest in MLB... if  you add 3 feet to either end of the board, it's the size of a basketball court!  craaaazy.  it's also 4 times as big as the one in the metrodome. 

These are the suites... you have to buy them in 2  4 or 6 year terms... they are all purchased thru the next few years.... they are all named after MN lakes.  We got to take a peak in Jim Thome's suite. 

Up to the Budwiser Roof Deck...a place I haven't been in the stadium!  The games are sold out for the roof deck this year.  There are only tickets to Tuesday and Saturday games to the deck...the rest have been sold to different corporations and junk

All the pennants we've won since 61

WHAT A VIEW!

Here are some of the "firsts" as far as balls go....first pitch, first homerun, etc.

The Metropolitan club... another place i hadn't been yet

What awesome china... I wonder where I could register for this one day...

More suites.. these ones are sold each game rather than the others that are per season.

We are the greenest ballpark in america...this is where the rainwater goes... it's recycled by using it when they wash the seats, and sprinkle the field!

Here I am in outfield!

Here I am sitting on the Twins' bullpen bench!

ANNND Here we go into the visiting team's locker room!

this thing is STOCKED!!!  lookit all the food and drink in here.  The batboys help the visiting team, and if there isn't something here that a player wants, say jimmy johns, the bat boys get it ordered and get it to the players...and they are tipped out at the end of the series... i want to be a bat boy!

and here is the locker room of the visiting teams...

Soooo we have some a-holes in this game... we have this brand new beautiful park, and the milwaukee brewers come to town and vandalize it!!! there are similar cleat marks on the other door too. what a bunch of a holes.  

We've always got to get our goofy photo.... i'm loving this one. crack me up.

We are in the visitors dug out here.  my butt is where Chipper Jones, and Andruw Jones' asses have been!

oh my goodnesssssss soooo close to the action i can hardly handle it!

This is the Champion Club... pretty nice digsss.... 

LOOOVE the carpet here!! Want it for my own house!

So here is the view from a Champion's club seat.  This seat would cost you $23,000 a year!

and this is the one place we didn't get to see :(  but that's b/c Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau were in!!  I guess this winter they may do tours thru the clubhouse...may have to do this all over again!

Can't leave without a photo by the golden glove!

aaauhhh danny and hall of famer Harmen Killebrew

And here's the Plaza. See the vine thingies to the left?  there are 9 of these bats... each inning one lights up. i have yet to see this cuz its so stinking bright during the games!  

and that's it. if you haven't done the tour, you gotta! $15 and you get to see it all!