For most people on a baseball bus trip, a visit to the mall probably wouldn’t be the most dreamed about destination.
But for Gary, who was a part of the Diamond Baseball Tour group, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Gary, who hails from Australia, lost his luggage during a layover at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). He made his flight from LA to Denver, where the tour began, but his luggage did not.
A quick stop at a Denver-area Walmart helped gather some necessities for a couple days, before arriving in Minneapolis and the Mall of America, where he was able to gather a few more items.
Now, the Mall of America isn’t just your average mall. In addition to the requisite shopping, there is also an amusement park and aquarium. It is the largest shopping mall in total area and largest in total store vendors, when it opened in 1992. It sees about 42 million visitors annually, eight times the population of Minnesota.
On September 4, 1995, the mall hosted the first episode of WCW Monday Nitro. But that is not the only sports-related notable, especially for baseball fans. The mall was built on the former site of Metropolitan Stadium, former home of both the Minnesota Twins and Vikings.
It takes a little bit of searching, but you can find the exact spot Harmon Killebrew hit a mammoth 520-foot home run, marked by a chair from the stadium on the wall in Nickelodeon Universe. While the chair is somewhat easy to find, it’s a little harder to find is home plate and the 50-yard line, both marked by a plaque on the floor.
While there is a nod of history at the Mall, and even in the new stadium, Target Field is quite full with modern-day amenities.
There are eight party areas, bars, and restaurants where fans can access to watch the game, in addition to the traditional seating areas. The Budweiser Roof Deck features the only open-air bonfire in MLB.
Some of the other restaurants and bars include Hrbek’s, the Twins Pubs, and Town Ball Tavern. Hrbek’s (section 114) is named after former Twins first baseman Kent Hrbek, The Town Ball Tavern is in reference to the popular sport of town ball in the state. Town Ball is similar to baseball, but features amateurs representing different towns and cities.
At Target Field, the Town Ball Tavern (Section 229), also has a bit of history. The hardwood floor is the same hardwood floor that was in the Minneapolis Armory, where the Minneapolis Lakers played before leaving for Los Angeles.
Being a downtown ballpark, there were some constraints to the land, based on what was available, and city streets. It is one of the smallest stadiums, only covering 8.5 acres of prime real estate. That is about the same size as Fenway Park. It may feel like 10.5 acres though, because parts of the stadium cover roadways. The stadium capacity is 38,544, which is also similar to Fenway’s 37,731.
Being in the Great White North, there was concern about building an open-air stadium, but after years of discussion and even more years being inside the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, they settled on the current design.
The design includes local limestone, prevalent throughout the park. The limestone is sourced near Mankato, MN. It doesn’t have a roof, but it does have heated viewing areas and a heated field. There is also a canopy over the top deck. That canopy is unique to Major League Baseball. Instead of just seeing beams and girders, there is a finished look to it.
In right field, part of the seats overhang the playing field, similar to the upper deck in Tiger Stadium.
Dimension-wise, Target Field is 339 down the left field line and 377 to left-center, 411 to center field left corner and 403 to center field right corner, 367 feet to right-center and 328 to right field.
The admission gates also honor former Twins greats. The left field gate is No. 6, honoring Tony Oliva, who entered the Baseball Hall of Fame last month. Oliva’s statue is nearby. Killebrew is honored in center field with gate no. 3. The Target Plaza gate, in right field, is No. 34 in honor of Kirby Puckett.
Another right field gate is No. 29, honoring Rod Carew. The home plate gate is No. 14, honoring Hrbek, along with his statue.
In addition to the Twins legends another noteworthy icon is represented at Target Field – Charlie Brown. No, he’s not there because he was a hapless also-ran like the Twins were for many years, but rather because Charles Schulz is a Minnesota native. Only one other MLB ballpark is able to display a Peanuts character. Oracle Park in San Francisco is the other because Schulz was a Bay Area resident in his later years.
One of the most prominent features is the huge Twins logo out in center field, of Minnie and Paul shaking hands over the Mississippi River. When the Twins first moved to Minnesota, then-owner Calvin Griffith didn’t want to alienate fans from Minneapolis or St. Paul, so he was going to name the new team, the Twin Cities Twins. MLB didn’t like that name, so they became the Minnesota Twins, but Griffith was determined to have the two cities represented.
The team’s logo shows two men, one in a Minneapolis Millers uniform and one in a St. Paul Saints uniform, shaking hands across the Mississippi River. They are affectionately known as Minnie and Paul.
During a game, various events will spark the logo board to flash: a run scored, a strikeout, a scoreless inning, and of course, a home run. When the Twins win, the T and S flash on and off, conveying the message “Twins win.”
Next year, the left field scoreboard will become the fourth largest among MLB stadiums, and the fifth to be HDR capable. It will feature more than 10,000 square feet of LED display. Daktronics will install it this offseason.
The Minnesota light rail system has a stop built into the stadium, behind the left field wall. Also, along the Fifth Street side, there are knotholes, which allow fans from outside to catch a glimpse of the game without a ticket.
Just over the right field wall is the Target Center, where the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and NBA’s Timberwolves play. Overlooking the stadium in neon lights is the Target dog, Bullseye. His tail wags in relation to the loudness of the Target Field fans, especially during key moments.
Like most stadiums, they bring parts of the old into the new. Target Field is no different. After Game 3 of the 2009 American League Division Series, they dug up home plate and eventually installed it at Target Field.
Now, this next bit of trivia, may or may not be true: Killebrew died a year after Target Field opened. Rumor has it that a picture of Killebrew was placed under home plate after his death.
During our tour of the park, the tour guide mentioned the story and added that he asked head groundskeeper Larry DiVito if that was true. DiVito just laughed and said there was no truth to it.
True or not, it’s a nice legend to have.