Bob CollinsIt’s done. Today, the Minnesota Twins are the proud owners of a new ballpark, thanks to the people of Hennepin County.
Rick Prescott, who writes the excellent Ballpark Magic blog reports that scalpers are getting — or at least asking for — $7,000 per ticket for opening day, and that parking is going to be a pain in the neck:
There’s gonna be congestion and confusion in these ramps come April, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in these parts since, oh, let’s say the Carter Administration. (Feel free to point out that Timberwolves fans have figured this all out and, if you want a fight, that Twins fans are smarter than Wolves fans. But I don’t think it matters.)
The Twins have installed a piece of art — a wind veil — from artist Ned Kahn. Prescott’s video looks like a chain-link fence…
… which is not to say it’s not art, of course.
The opening of the new ballpark also means the end of Kirby Puckett Way. The new Twins’ address is 1 Twins Way, which invites some to note that 1 Twins Way is to barely make the playoffs and then lose to the Yankees in the first round.
Opening day at the new yard is April 12. Here are the recent high temperatures in Minneapolis on April 12:
2009: 57
2008: 37
2007: 46
2006: 72
2005: 54
2004: 46
2003: 64
2002: 63
2001: 50
Outdoor baseball will require us to get back into the habit of checking the forecast before deciding whether to take in the game. In the meantime, veterans of the old Metropolitan Stadium are obliged to share their keep-warm strategies.
