Inside Target Field

Throughout my 16-year career as a TV reporter in Major League Baseball, I’ve been asked hundreds of times about which ballparks are my favorite. As someone who loves ballparks enough to write a book about them, I can’t really give anyone an honest answer without including two parks specifically, and Target Field is one of them. 

Why? Well, for starters, I was the home team’s TV reporter for the first game ever played there on April 12, 2010. It’s cliché to say this, but it’s true: I remember the entire day, start to finish, as if it was yesterday. Out of a lot of memorable baseball moments, this one is ingrained the most indelibly. Imagine the energy of a few generations of fans who just wanted to see Twins baseball played outdoors at their home park. Some of them would be seeing it for the first time in decades, and others for the first time in their lives.

My first task that day on the air happened live at approximately 8:03am.  The game was not scheduled to begin until after 3pm, and we were already there in the pregame show. A SEVEN-HOUR PREGAME SHOW! Probably the only time I’ve ever been a part of something like that. I mean, the average length of the pregame show for the friggin’ Super Bowl is five-and-a-half hours, and here we are, on Fox Sports North, planning to fill seven hours of airtime about the excitement surrounding a new ballpark. 

That first live interview I did was with a fan who’d been waiting outside the right field entrance since around 7am or so. That’s the type of passion Twins fans brought to the game that day (and honestly, they bring that level of passion to most games). That was how I kicked off my first ever on-air job in baseball. 

Baseball in the Twin Cities is a sight to see. It’s truly special. Walk around the park on a picture-perfect Minnesota day, and you’ll see people wearing jerseys of generations past and present. That’s not unusual, of course, but what is unusual is that most of those players weren’t born and raised in Minnesota, and yet, after they played for the Twins, they stayed. It’s the kind of place you never want to leave.

The Twins treat their players, families, media, and fans with the utmost class and respect. From this perspective, it is one of the top organizations in the game. 

How to See the Field

If you’re looking for a drink, be sure to stop at The Loon for a Grape Ape. Ask for Tim Mahoney, and tell him Robby sent ya. You’ll be treated to as special a pregame/postgame experience at a bar as there is in the game of baseball. The Loon is a block from the field, and it’s legendary.  Players, coaches, managers, umpires, and broadcasters have all enjoyed a drink or two at The Loon and have a story to tell about it. 

Before you scan your ticket, walk around Target Plaza and check out the statues of Killer, Puck, Rod, and the Golden Glove. Then, head in through the gates, grab a Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy and a sausage from Kramarczuk’s, and enjoy a walk around. You’ll encounter the friendliest ticket takers, concessions workers, and ushers you’ll ever meet, and you’ll see the floor once used by the Minneapolis Lakers (yes, I’m serious) and the flag pole that once stood inside Metropolitan Stadium.  

I could go on forever, but I’ll just let the pictures do the talking from here. Target Field is a ballpark truly worth savoring—a place that brought back the joy of outdoor baseball to some of the friendliest, most welcoming fans the game has to offer. 

TC Bear’s Statue

You won’t see many mascots around baseball with their own statue. The “TC” stands for “Twin Cities,” Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Born in 2000, TC Bear resembles the logo from Hamm’s Beer, an early Twins sponsor. TC isn’t the team’s first mascot; previously, they had Twinkie the Loon (1980 - 1981).

Twins Clubhouse

One of the more beautiful clubhouses in baseball. The first-class home clubhouse is overseen by Rod “Hot Rod” McCormick, one of the most well-respected and beloved employees in the history of the franchise.  

Minnesota’s World Champs on Minnesota limestone

The two Twins World Series winners, in 1987 and 1991, have banners drilled into Minnesota limestone, which was quarried in Mankato, about ninety mins south of downtown Minneapolis. Twins Territory is a special place. 

Gate 14

In a tribute to the final out of the 1987 World Series, Kent Hrbek’s statue depicts the hometown hero’s fist pump as the Twins win it all for the first time. Hrbek, who grew up in nearby Bloomington, spent all fourteen MLB seasons in a Twins uniform.  

Gate 14

Another angle.

Peg Imhoff Tribute

As you enter the press box at Target Field off the elevator, you are greeted by a tribute to Press Box Ambassador Peg Imhoff, who spent forty-two years with the Twins organization. Peg passed away in 2107 at age 79. I am thankful to have known Peg in my time as a Twins TV reporter. She was all class, THE VERY BEST of Minnesota. We all miss her.

Señor Smoke’s

Honoring popular pitcher Juan Berenguer, Señor Smokes is one of the more popular concourse stops. “Señor Smoke” played four of his fourteen big leagues seasons with the Twins, helping them win the 1987 World Series.

Minnie and Paul and the scoreboard

This is a special pic to me, as I spent fifteen of my sixteen seasons as a reporter with these two teams.

The flower beds

These flower beds line the entire outfield, providing play-by-play announcers with the opportunity for some interesting home run calls.

Nighttime Scenic

With downtown Minneapolis in the backdrop, the view from behind home plate at Target Field is IG-worthy, whether the sun is setting or rising.

Morning Scenic

The 573 Bar & Lounge

In a tribute to Hall of Famer Harmon “Killer” Killebrew’s 573 career homers, the 573 Club is an underrated hangout at the park. Killer played 21 of his 22 seasons with the Twins franchise, beginning with the Washington Senators in 1954.

Puck’s Fist Pump Statue

One the most popular Twins ever, Kirby Puckett hit a walk-off homer in the 11th inning of Game Six in the 1991 World Series, forcing Game Seven, which the Twins would win in 10 innings, giving them their second World Series in five seasons.

Puck’s Seat from the Dome

Transported from the Metrodome to Target Field, this seat is where the ball landed after Puck’s walk-off bomb in Game Six of the 1991 World Series. The seat was renumbered from its original 27 to 34 as a tribute to Puck’s jersey number.  

Town Ball Tavern

Walk into the Town Ball Tavern out in left field in the upper concourse, and you can have a beer while you see the floor from the old Minneapolis Armory, home of the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team before they left for Los Angeles.