Rain Delay

When Kelli and I watch baseball, rain seems to find us. Of course, in the Metrodome we never had to worry about this. But one summer we followed the Twins to Kansas City and sat through rain while Johan Santana pitched them to victory and later that same summer, with Marty and Melissa in Colorado, we watched a thunderstorm literally roll in off the Rocky Mountains while sitting in the centerfield "rock pile" of Coors Field for a Rockies/Cardinals game. We found shelter in some unused and covered seats for the majority of the rainy game, but still, we decided then and there that we were meant to watch outdoor baseball wearing ponchos.

We had great luck last year at Target Field, in its inaugural season. We attended two games, the first of which was a gorgeous night game and the second of which with Shawn and Kali and was sunny and hot. Both games were won by the Twins. This year, I bought tickets to five games. Last Tuesday was the first game Kelli and I would have attended together this year. Hated rival Chicago was in town. I had never seen the Twins battle the White Sox in person. I still haven't.

We drove through pouring rain near Medford and the sky cleared up some by the time we reached the Twin Cities. We arrived at Target Field at 6:00, an hour before the start of the game, and the tarp was on the field. We watched an episode of Twins Live tape with host Roy Smalley and when 7:00 came around, the game was officially in a rain delay. We walked up to where our seats would be and talked for nearly half an hour with a retired usher whose niece teaches at North Butler. He offered us his house to stay in that night and we told him we had friends near the city. Funny thing was, neither of us think he was merely being polite. If we wanted to, we seriously could have stayed the night at this man's house!

We wandered into some areas of Target Field we had never seen, primarily the Delta Sky Legend's Club and the Metropolitan Club, and a little after 8:00, it was announced that the game had been postponed. We waited out the rush of exiting fans in Hrbek's bar and got a drink in before they tossed us out, then we drove back to Cedar Falls. We thought of staying with Kali and Shawn but with the game not getting made up the following day (our tickets will still be good for the makeup date), and with a daughter sleeping peacefully at her grandparents' house, a full night of sleep in our own bed sounded like the perfect way to cap off the rained out night (sorry DeBoers).

Speaking of Charly, we should have followed our instincts. Charly came down with the start of an ear infection (her first ever!) late Saturday. We got her to her doctor early enough on Monday and by Tuesday morning, she was acting pretty good. Our doctor thought we had warded it off. We contemplated not going and just sacrificing the tickets. Ironically, they'd still be good anyway! Suffice it to say, we went ahead. All in all, it was still fun to road trip together, hang out in Target Field surrounded by other Twins fans, and at the end of the day, I suppose I'd take a rain out over sitting in the Metrodome any time.

Here's hoping the weather cooperates next Tuesday when we go up to watch the Twins take on the Dodgers!

My First Vacation

Mommy and Daddy like to take me places. It feels like they're always strapping me in my carseat and driving me somewhere. I'm really curious so I love going to new places. There is always so much to see.

Last week, Mommy and Daddy strapped me in my carseat and drove me somewhere farther than they ever had before. I didn't know how far exactly because I fell asleep after just a few minutes on the road. I woke up along the way and heard Mommy talking about vacations she went on with her family when she was little. I got excited. Maybe I was going on a vacation! Mommy talked about places like Arizona, Washington D.C., and Disneyland. They all sounded cool! Daddy talked about a place called Minnesota and baseball games and zoos.

Before I knew it, we pulled up to a house I had never seen before. It was Kali and Shawn's house, two of Mommy and Daddy's really good friends. We were in Minnesota and we were going to go to a Twins game! I knew this was Daddy's idea. He talks about a place called Target Field all the time!

We took another drive, a short one this time, in Kali and Shawn's car. We drove into the city. I had never seen buildings so big and tall before. There was so much to see in the city; I was excited! So many colors, so many people. I wanted to soak it all in! But Daddy covered my eyes as we walked past a place called Sex World and another place called Deja Vu Gentlemen's Club. I guess Mommy and Daddy didn't want me to see those places, even though Kali thought it was pretty funny.

The weather was awesome! The sky was so blue. The grass was so green. And the people were so LOUD! They all cheered together and it startled me at first, but I got used to it. I had to take a nap halfway through the game but woke up in plenty of time to see the Twins beat the A's. Kevin Slowey, the Twins pitcher, had a no-hitter after the 7th inning but the manager pulled him. The crowd booed really loudly! They didn't like that and neither did Daddy.

The next day, Mommy and Daddy took me to a zoo! A free zoo! There were all kinds of animals there. Lions, tigers, gorillas, polar bears, and my favorite . . . giraffes! A family of three. The baby giraffe was only 5 days old. They looked just like my chew toy Sophie!

Later in the day Kali and Shawn took us into the city again. Mommy and Daddy ate at a weird pizza shop where Daddy got mac n' cheese on his pizza! Gross . . . but he sure liked it. That night, we went to an ice cream shop in St. Paul called Izzy's Ice Cream. They are famous for having some of the best ice cream around. They've even been on the Food Network on TV! It was one of Mommy's favorite parts of our little trip. That, and seeing me giggle on the floor playing with Norman!

Mommy and Daddy stayed up late playing cards with Kali and Shawn but I crashed. I had had too much fun for two days. I can't wait to go on more vacations!

Goodbye Rug Burns, Hello Grass Stains

I have to admit, as a Twins fan, I was never really anti-Dome. Sure, a slight pang of jealousy would surface while sitting in Kauffman Stadium or Coors Field, watching other baseball teams play outside in picturesque ballparks. But to me, the Metrodome has always been the Minnesota Twins.

In 2000, when talks of contraction were sweeping throughout the major leagues and the Twins' name was coming up in conversation regularly, the Dome was used against them. It was unattractive. It was low-rent. It was not a place for baseball. When the Twins survived the contraction issue and went on to dominate the American League Central, the Dome survived too. The little engine that could, of sorts. I couldn't help but cheer the Dome on!

When talks of Target Field began taking shape, I may have been in the minority of Twins fans. Amidst all the hope and excitement, I was a little sad. The Dome was where I had become a Twins fan each and every summer as a boy with my family. The Dome was home of Kirby Puckett, my childhood hero. The Dome was home of TWO World Series Champions! Sure there were Hefty Bags hanging in right field and sure the purple and gold of the Vikings clashed with the navy and red of the Twins, but the Metrodome was Twins Territory as I knew it.

Seeing Target Field on television, has been surreal. It feels like watching and cheering on an entirely different team. A team and a stadium that garners respect, not the opposite. I've been waiting to see it in person since Opening Day and on Wednesday, Kelli and I left Charly with Grandma and Grandpa Henrichs for her first ever overnight and made the three hour trek up north.

It was slightly eerie riding the train past the Metrodome and into the Warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. I had been there before and I was having trouble envisioning a ballpark in the midst of all the busyness. Stepping off the train, the seemingly endless wall of slate stone behind left field, did not look like much. However after walking along the outside of the stadium on our way to the front entrance, the surreal images I had become accustomed to on television, slowly started becoming reality. By the time we reached the front entrance, I was beginning to feel like a lifelong Cubs fan on their first visit to Wrigley.

Despite looking like it's own version of the Starship Enterprise, Target Field is rather impressive. The right field Plaza is bustling with vendors and personal Twins touches yet the entire area feels quaint and welcoming. Kelli and I browsed the Twins Majestic Clubhouse and looked at the bronze statues of Kirby, the Golden Glove, and Harmon Killebrew (we totally missed Rod Carew's statue!). We admired the numbered gates honoring past Twins like Tony O. - 6, Hrbek - 14, Carew - 29, and Kirby - 34 (didn't see Killebrew's - 3), then we bought a beer and chilled on one of the many benches in the Plaza. By 5:00, two hours before first pitch, the area was packed with people.

We filed into the stadium around 5:30. Our seats were on the first base side, 12 rows up in the lower section. Instead of finding them, we took a lap through the concourse. We found Hrbek's bar and made our way to the upper deck to check out the view from above. Seeing the skyline behind right field was truly awe-inspiring and it was the moment I began to forget about the Metrodome entirely.

40,814 people (the largest Target Field crowd to date) found their seats as Scott Baker tossed the first pitch. The Twins scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning thanks to Danny Valencia and Nick Punto singles. Scotty Baker struck out a career-high 12 batters. The Rockies closed the gap by scoring a run in the top of the eighth off a Matt Guerrier wild pitch. Jose Mijares came in to strike out Todd Helton, pumping his fist and screaming as he came off the field and into the dugout. Twins' closer, Jon Rauch made short work of three Rockies batters to record his 17th save of the season. The Twins won 2-1, going to 11-4 overall when Kelli and I have been in attendance (since 2003)!

I surely will miss the Metrodome and the memories I have from it. But after singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame into the open, Minnesota air, watching the sun fall behind homeplate changing the sky from blue, to orange, to black, and admiring while victory fireworks fill the night sky behind the glorious video board in left-center field, I understood just what we Twins fans had been missing out on in the Dome. This is what summer is all about. This is how baseball is supposed to be played. I can't wait for our next visit!