Twins Home Opener Weekend

I renewed my 20 game season ticket package with the Twins again this year but unfortunately opening day doesn't come with the package.  I put my name in a lottery as I did last year (but didn't get picked) and won the opportunity to purchase opening day tickets. I did get tickets for opening day and here's what our day was like.

The game started at 3:10 pm on Friday, April 8th and talk all week was that hopefully the rain coming would be out of the way before game time.  Well it didn't even rain all day.  The weather was sunny for parts of the day and it the 60's and then it became cloudy and a little cooler. I was able to use the new Twins blanket M got me for the colder games early on in the season. We took the motorcycle down to the game and it was my first ride of the year.  We parked in our usual spot, a block away and for free!

Opening day was amazing.  The improvements made to the stadium in the off season are great, including the additional video screen in right field and a 100 foot LED tower that stands right next to it. The only thing that was sad to see was the removal of the spruce trees in center field.  It's now just a big black background with some small plants/flowers that will be sprouting up soon.

There was an F-16 flyover but the planes flew over the canopy area so we only saw them while they were flying towards the field and then could only hear them as they passed.  Here's a short video of them passing...kind of.

We got to see the division champs flag with "10" on it get raised next to rest of the flags.  We were able to see Bert Blyleven's quick little speech about going to Cooperstown and they started "Bert's Countdown to Cooperstown" and they unveiled Tony Olivia's bronze statue outside of Gate 6.  

The game itself was pretty boring with Pavano pitching and the A's lead 1-0 until in later innings and then we had a quick rally and the score ended 2-1.  Twins win! It was a perfect day!

Tony Olivia

The crowds coming into the gate on the plaza

Tony Olivia throwing the first pitch

A huge glove on a building outside of Target Field

Yay!

Started out in short sleeves

Ended up in a blanket

Part of the LED tower to the left.  Of course it says Michael

Nervous during the 9th and hoping Nathan would get a save

Michael's new job

We also went to the game on Sunday.  It was warm and humid on Sunday and in the 70's at game time at 1:10 pm but in a couple of hours it would drop about 10-15 degrees and it became kinda cold. It would be sunny and then cloudy and it would do that for the whole game.  Scott Baker started but the Twins lost 5-3.  It was 5-0 until in the 8th when Jim Thome hit his first home run of the season and the first Twins home run in Target Field for the year.  It was his 590th home run and it was a bomb at 444 feet.  That is about as exciting as the game got.  Twins, you need to pick it up!!