Twins Fest 2008

There has been so much in the news about the Minnesota Twins that I haven’t even written about Twins Fest yet! Did anyone think that the attendance numbers seemed a little low this year? I guess there was an official Twins Fest attendance number of 30,483 fans. It was the third-highest total in event history. Maybe it seemed like a smaller crowd because last year was so crowded and it was the first year that I ever went so I expected every year to be like that.

There were plenty of players, many of which I could never pick out of a line up…perhaps I am not a true fan or perhaps they need better cheat sheets when you enter. My favorite part about TwinsFest is seeing all the youngsters in their Twins garb with big teethy smiles. My least favorite part about TwinsFest was viewing the new Twins ballpark display and thinking how over budget we are and how I will refuse to go to a game when the weather is nothing less than ideal – I still say it’s not too late to add a retractable roof (-;

Twins New Ballpark Design

The Twins' new ballpark model was completed and reviewed by the Hennepin County board for approval yesterday. It was all over local news as the Twins try to keep the excitement over the project on the front burner. I think the Twins are worried about public support and frankly they should be after their disappointing season finish. Minnesota fans like a winning team and if millions of dollars are going to be spent, it better be worth it.

The ballpark reveal yesterday had a few changes from its original model including a few more left field seats, hanging a few rows of seats over the warning track in right field and making some room for family time beyond centerfield. But the field retains the signature architectural strokes revealed last April when the design was announced, such as its limestone exterior, the Norway pines behind the centerfield fence and a heated canopy over the upper deck.

The Hennepin County Board is slated to vote next week on the design. Groundbreaking on the 40,000-seat ballpark is already under way in the Minneapolis Warehouse District of restaurants and offices, it is scheduled to open in time for the 2010 season.