They're Heeeerrrreeee.......

FINALLY, my Twins tickets arrived in the mail today. I was told that I would have them no later than last Saturday but later was told they didn't get mailed until Friday. Talk about cutting it close since I have tickets to Friday's exhibition game. Here's a look at the different ticket faces that I received.

When I was expecting my tickets to arrive on Saturday, a package came in the mail addressed to Michael so gave it to him and he handed it back to me. I opened it and I loved what I saw:

A Bert Blyleven jersey! I am very excited to have this jersey, not only because I've never owned a Twins jersey before, only t-shirts and a hoodie but because I love Bert. I was in the audience for a sports TV show that had a panel of athletes circa 2003, including Bert Blyleven and Jack Morris and I was approached in the audience by someone who worked on the show asking if I would be willing to come up with a question to ask any of the panelists while being on TV. I didn't really want to do it but I did anyways. After my question, which had something to do with the comparison of the current Twins team and one of the World Series teams (Hey, I was put on the spot), I asked Bert if he would circle me. He said that he didn't have his telestrator (the "Circle Machine") with him but he circled me with his finger in the air and said "You are hereby circled". I got to meet him after the show, which was very exciting to me. I told him that he reminded me of my dad and that I hope he wasn't offended by that. He asked how old I was and said he had a son around my age so that wasn't offensive to him. (Maybe he would have been offended if he had actually met my dad. Ha ha, just kidding Dad.)

And to top off this baseball post, we had our fantasy baseball draft last Saturday. Yours truly had the first pick in the draft and without hesitation, I chose Joe Mauer. Good catchers are hard to come by in the league so I hope my decision was a good one. Here's to a productive and healthy year, Joe Mauer!

Dinner and Lots of Laughs

M and I went to a restaurant last night called Wooley's Steakhouse and it is located in the Embassy Suites hotel in Bloomington, close to the airport and Mall of America. I bought a gift certificate on www.restaurant.com six months or so ago and was able to purchase a $50 gift certificate for $4. There were some stipulations to this gift cert, including that you had to spend $100, excluding alcohol. After looking at the menu prior to going there, I knew we could spend $100. M and I are not big fans of restaurants in hotels but decided to give it a try anyways. Overall, we were not happy with our experience. I don't even want to get into details about the whole dinner but basically we spent $45 each on a steak dinner that was equivalent to a $7 meat market filet you would buy and prepare at home. Actually, M commented that the steaks I prepare tasted better than this. They weren't bad, just bland. No seasonings and our meat was cooked incorrectly. M also made a special request regarding his food and when the plate came out, his request wasn't granted plus we're pretty sure that they got my steak mixed up with M's. Our server was nice though. Her name was Grandma Sue. Her name tag even said that and we even heard another customer request Grandma as their server. So even with that $50 discount, we still ended up spending $88 including tip and all the stupid hotel/Bloomington tax or whatever and only included one beer. When you spend that much money, you expect a certain quality and we didn't get that. Extremely overpriced. So. Not. Worth. It.

The best part of our night was to come. We headed over to the Mall of America and we knew our luck was changing when we were able to get a front row parking spot. You know how much of a hassle it can be to park at the MOA. We walked into the 4th floor of the MOA to Rick Bronson's House of Comedy. As you might remember, M and I go and see a comedian each month and March was supposed to be Jimmy Fallon, however I got an email and phone call from Ticketmaster the day of the show stating the show had been cancelled. Jimmy Fallon stated he had hurt his back but I think it was lack of ticket sales that was causing the pain. So, we were left to find another comedian to see. There were plenty that came through Minneapolis this month but M is usually the one that does the research on the comics and we both agreed on the one we saw last night.

This was the first time we had been to House of Comedy and for those of you who use to hang out at the bars on the 4th floor back in the day, it is the old Gators location. Once inside, we were seated as part of a long table that was actually on the side of the stage. We were only five feet away but our table was actually behind the front of the stage so we didn't really know what to expect to see once the comics came out. There were two comics besides the host. One was Elaine Thompson, who is a local comedian and she was pretty funny. The headliner, Sebastian Maniscalco, was HILARIOUS. He was one of the best comedians I've ever seen in person. We had a chance to meet him after the show and he was truly happy to be meeting some fans. After coming off a meeting with Pauly Shore the month before, Sebastian was much more friendly and genuine. After the show we each got an Easter egg with candy in it and mine had a 2-for-1 ticket inside and M's had a free ticket inside so we'll definitely come back to see a show. It is a little pricier than Acme but so far our debut at House of Comedy was well worth it. Check out the video of Sebastian from Jay Leno.

To Have Lost

I think we've all experienced loss in our lives at some point or another. Last Saturday night, I had just gotten back from a late trip to the store when I went into the kitchen and discovered something terrible. On the counter, just lying there, I saw this:

RIP Wine Opener 2006-2010

My wine opener was broken and had died. No time is a good time for something like this to happen but fortunately, the bottle of wine that I was about to crack open had a twist-off cap. Yes, I know what you're thinking and the answer is yes, it was a very expensive bottle of wine. I spoke to M to find out if he had caused this pain and with much sorrow, he looked at me and said that he broke the wine opener. I wasn't mad at M in the least bit. I knew in my heart that the wine opener had a good long life with us. He had made us happy many times over and I still have all of the corks to prove it. The pain was also lessened slightly knowing that I didn't even have to pay for him. He was a Christmas gift from a former employer. Thank you, former employer. And thank you, wine opener. When a dog or a cat passes away, many times the owner goes out shortly after and purchases a new puppy or kitten. Don't think I won't be any different. I have decided to take my time with my purchase and when I'm at the store and see that perfect (or on sale) wine opener, I'll know and then, only then, will I purchase it and take it home to slowly make it a part of my life again.

There really isn't a good way to end a topic like this so I'll leave you with this....In the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, " 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

To All You Posers

Dear Posers,

This letter includes, but not limited to, young females. There is a phenomenon that is sweeping the nation that I can no longer stay silent about and must voice my opinion. Most people I know smile when they are getting their picture taken. Some smile with their teeth and some do not. What I cannot take any longer is this pose I am seeing everywhere. Where did this come from? When did it start? I don't even know what to call it...The Zoolander Magnum Face, model pose, kiss pose, I-think-I'm-sexy-pose, etc. Girls, this pose looks stupid. No, you're not stupid, but all of your pictures are! Fast forward 20 years from now while looking through your pictures getting disappointed and thinking, Why the hell I am posing like that in every single photo? My advice to you is simple: Stop looking foolish and start smiling again.

Sincerely,

A Teeth Smiler


P.S. You are going to get premature wrinkles around your mouth if you continue this behavior.


Public pictures compliments of Flikr

If anyone can enlighten me regarding this movement, please do so. I'd love to hear your comments!

Target Field!

What I'm about to tell you I've kept a secret from most people since last summer. Ok, it really wasn't a secret but I purposely didn't say anything for the purpose of this specific blog post. Last summer, I purchased a season ticket package for the Minnesota Twins. No, not a full game ticket package but a 20 game package, which still entitles me as a season ticket owner and the opportunity to see the shiny, brand new Target Field before the general public.

M and I went down to Target Field around noon on warmer than average sunny Sunday to check out the new home of the Twins located in Minneapolis on 1 Twins Way. One of our friends had been there earlier in the week as she works there and said it was breathtaking. I have to describe it the same way. We walked into the gate closest to my seats and with just a few steps into the stadium, we saw the field. No more cement walls blocking the action from the corridors like the Dome.

Here's some of our first looks of the stadium up close and personal. The unfortunate thing was that the field was covered with only one corner of bright green grass exposed. It didn't really bother us while we're there but in pictures it looks like the whole field is covered in snow.








We felt like little kids galloping around going from one place to the next. We first went up the escalators to my seats. I should say "our" seats since M will be my guest most often but I need to spread the love a little to some family members this season too. I hand picked my actual seats back in October so it was fun to see how well I chose based on availability. I was happy with my seats, which reside in the Skyline Terrace with a great view of, duh, the Minneapolis skyline. Actually, any of the seats on the 3rd base line have a great view of the skyline. After sitting in our seats and soaking up the sun for enough time for M to eat a jumbo dog, which M claims is BETTER than a dome dog and for me to call my mom to tell her I was in my seats and for me to change my status on Facebook to reflect as such, we were on our way to explore!

The view from our seats. I keep hearing that every seat in this stadium is a good seat. I now agree. While it might look like my seats are far away, it doesn't feel that way. I am up on the terrace level and it can feel a little steep but these seats would be terrible if they were at the dome. The seats are slightly angled towards home plate so you don't have to whip your neck around to see.

We were allowed to explore any part of the stadium that we wanted so we took full advantage of that. We first down one level to Town Ball Tavern. The bar was somewhat small but it also had a small patio area. Here's your first piece of Target Field trivia: The flooring behind the bar used to be the floor that Minneapolis Lakers basketball team played on at the Minneapolis Armory before they relocated to Los Angeles.

The floor the Lakers played on

After the tavern, we took the elevators to the Budweiser rooftop deck. This is an area that has seats and standing room only and you can't access unless you bought a ticket for this area. There is a fire pit that allows you to stay warm on the chilly days.

The fire pit

The view from above

A look at the seats from the deck towards left field. It made me dizzy looking down in person and it does in the picture too.

We headed around through the outfield into center field which is where the State Fair Classics stand will be featuring the following MN State Fair foods:

• Walleye
• Pork chop On-a-Stick
• BBQ Ribs
• Turkey Drumsticks
• MN Wild Rice Corn Dogs
• French Fries
• Buffalo Shrimp On-a-Stick
• Vegetarian Kabobs
• Italian Beef Sandwiches
• BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
• Cheese Curds
• Assorted Candy
• Peanuts
• Novelty Ice Cream On-a-Stick

Center field is also where Minnie and Paul are shaking hands. In case you aren't from Minnesota or can't figure it out, Minnie, on the left, represents Minneapolis and Paul, on the right, represents St. Paul. They are both shaking hands over the Mississippi River which separates, wait for it....The Twin Cities. Minnie and Paul were part of the original Twins logo. This sign is very symbolic to me. I love that this is part of the stadium. Target Field Trivia: Minnie and Paul are neon and when one of the Twins players hit a home run, you will be able to see them shaking hands.

A couple of views of Minnie and Paul:

We made our way to what is called Target Plaza, where there are 2 gate entrances, including Gate 34, in honor of the late Kirby Puckett. There are some monuments here including The Golden Glove along with a plaque that shows every Twins player that has won the award. There is also The Wind Veil, which is a large wall of metal pieces that sway in the wind and it titled, "The Wave". It is also illuminated by LED lights. There is also a Twins store which there was a big line to even get in the door. Target Field Trivia: The original flag pole from Metropolitan Stadium is on Target Plaza where it displays the American flag.

The Golden Glove

The Wind Veil

The flagpole

We went back into the stadium and toured the areas that are behind home plate. They have the same vendors on that side as they do at other parts of the stadium. We went down to the seats directly behind home and plate and the dugouts. The club level has wood-backed seats and a cushy seat. Take a look at these seats!

Behind home plate

My seats. Just a little bit different!

Target Field Trivia: The Videoboard is the 4th largest in Major League Baseball. It stretches nearly 5,800 square feet of 1080p HD television.

We stopped at Hrbek's, a bar named after, you guessed it, Kent Hrbek. Again, it was small like the Town Ball Tavern but it had a lot of character. Each tall table had different Kent Hrbek baseball cards printed on it and plenty of Hrbek pictures on the wall. The ceiling is made of tin and has all different Twins logos stamped all over it.

Kent says: Smoking- Not OK Drinking- OK

One of the tables

The ceiling

We took the escalators up one level to the Legend's Club level. I don't know if this area will be accessible by all once the stadium opens as there is a separate set of doors that bring to the Legend's Club own vendors. Walking from 3rd base line around to 1st base line, you go through different sitting areas with bars on the side including 573, a bar that is in honor of Harmon Killebrew's career and his 573 total home runs. There is a sitting area right outside the Herb Carneal (RIP) Press Box area and from there you go into what looks somewhat like a Twins museum with photos on the wall of various Twins players. In this area also are two atriums that have murals made of wood featuring Rod Carew and Kirby Puckett.

The backside of the Press Box which features announcer's famous Twins quotes.

The sitting area behind the Press Box.

I love you Bert Blyleven!

RIP Kirby Puckett 1960-2006

Target Field model

We got to enter into the suites and they were painted different colors and included a kitchen area and TV. In the corridor area of the suites, each baseball stadium was featured on the wall.

The final area we went through was the Metropolitan Club, which I believe is only accessible to season ticket holders but I could be incorrect. It's here where you can make a reservation and relax for pre or post-game buffet or drink or just watch the game from there.

Relaxing in the sun outside the Metropolitan Club on the patio

I hope you've enjoyed the tour of Target Field! We spent 3 hours there, about the same time it took me to create this post. I hope this gets you excited for the upcoming season, especially now that we know that Joe Mauer will be a Minnesota Twin for the next 8 years earning a paycheck of $184 million, which he seems to deserve. I'll leave you with a picture of him we took at Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida in 2007. Outdoor baseball isn't just in Fort Myers anymore!