For our entire lives, we only knew indoor Minnesota baseball, which was played at the Metrodome for 28 seasons starting in 1982. Our home team, the Minnesota Twins, won two World Series Championships there in 1987 and 1991. And we were lucky enough to attend the final Twins game at the Dome on October 11, 2009, when the Twins lost (once again) to the Yankees in the AL Division Series. So out with the old and in with the new.
2010 brought us Target Field and the thrill of outdoor baseball in Minnesota.
Located on the opposite side of downtown Minneapolis, it’s quite a bit smaller than the old Dome holding only 39,504 seats to the Dome’s 46,564, but it makes up for it in how much cooler it is. And it was probably all meant to be based on what happened to our beloved Dome this winter (which we still find hilarious every time we see it).
Sometimes Mother Nature says no. Now you might be asking yourself, outdoor baseball in Minnesota? Isn’t that kind of dicey? For sissies maybe. Our weather is unpredictable to say the least, and we did attend a game in May of 2010 where we saw snow, sleet and rain. But you just bring a blanket, dress appropriately, and have a beer or two to warm yourself up from the inside.
The first game we attended was in the opening series last year against the Boston Red Sox, and it was 70 degrees in early April. This year, we made it to opening day on April 8, and it was a beautiful afternoon game. We actually had to put on a little sunscreen it was so nice.
After so many games inside, it’s almost surreal to be sitting outside on a sunny day cheering for the Twinkies. Last year we felt like we were visiting someone else’s stadium because it was so different. But seven games later, it’s starting to feel like home. Now we just need the Twins to give us something to cheer about besides our bitchin rock star of a stadium.
The only downside has been as many postponements already this year at Target Field as there ever were in 28 years at the Metrodome (2…and it is only April), and we have yet to see the same kind of home field advantage the Twins experienced at the Dome. But outdoor baseball is here to stay and we are loving it. Go Twins.
