As I walked out of Target Field last October following the final game of the season for the Twins (damn Yankees) I didn't realize that my 6 month wait for next April's home opener was going to feel more like 6 years. The reason I felt this way was because this past winter seemed to last forever. I'm talking one long, cold, snowy, miserable winter. I've never been a big fan of winter in Minnesota but the weather we had to deal with this past year put me put me into a severe "winter funk." Having a text book case of the winter blues added to my on going mental problems was truly a recipe for disaster.
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| Just another day |
The start of my mental melt down can be traced back to November 13th when Maple Grove received 11 inches of snow.....moving forward from that day there was snow in my yard until April 5th....that's 138 consecutive days of looking at snow...... I mean "come on man" that's just not right!
As the months wore on my list of health problems grew....
- Stage 4 Cabin Fever
- Stage 5 Winter Blues (and there are only 4 stages)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD
- Sun Downers (you may need to google this one).
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| I just love going for a nice long walk on cool crisp day |
It got so bad that my mind actually started to work in reverse. Instead of wanting to escape from this harsh winter weather I found that my desire to stay and face it grew stronger. For some unknown reason I now wanted to "gut it out" and prove that I was a true Minnesotan....you know be a "man's man"....a tough guy.
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| No sun and fun on the beach this year |
This of course meant that I wasn't even going to consider heading south to a warm weather climate. I decided I wanted to see every one of those 138 days of cold and snow. I found that I was now proud to say that Minneapolis received 85 inches of snow, the 4th highest total on record. As you can see the winter weather had obviously poisoned my mind. It got so bad that the Twins home opener scheduled on April 8th was not even on my radar anymore.
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| Daily view through the windshield of my car |
Suddenly without warning a miracle took place....... on April 6th the snow was gone!!....... and just like that I snapped out of my winter funk. Once my head cleared I knew it was time to figure out how I was going to get a ticket to the Twins home opener on April 8th.
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| What happened to all the snow? |
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| I didn't think this day would ever come.... |
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| Carew: "Palmer, you think you had it bad....try standing out here all winter" |
At my age it is often hard to find people who can go to Twins games with me so I had to take that into consideration as I made my plans to attend this year's home opener. Family commitments and work responsibilities often times make it nearly impossible for my friends to attend games with me. With that thought in mind I put a plan in place to attend this year's Twins opener.
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| Carl: "Hi Palmer, glad to see your OCD has kicked in again....can't miss the opener" |
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| Calvin: "Yes Palmer, I know you were at Jack Kralick's no hitter in 1962" |
If I'm going to a game alone I like to buy a Standing Room Only (SRO) ticket because it's relatively cheap and it allows me to go almost anywhere I want in the ball park. When I'm at a game by myself I don't want to have an assigned seat because it's much more fun to just roam around the ball park, talk to people and watch the game from several different vantage points.
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| With an SRO ticket I can watch the game from here.... |
Wandering around the ball park soaking up all the sights and sounds of a major league baseball game makes me feel like a carefree kid again. (some may question my use of the word "again" - see Peter Pan syndrome). The only problem with going to the game by myself is that I have to spend the whole day with me...... and I don't necessarily like me that much....fortunately I have learned how to totally ignore myself on these type of outings.
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| ......or I can watch from here..... |
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| .....or from here (lots of options) |
Seeing I didn't have to worry about other people's schedules I was at the ball park when the gates opened 3 hours prior to the start of the game. The little kid that still resides in my mind took over at this point and I was in the ball park at 12:11pm. Once inside the gate I quickly hustled down towards the field and I claimed a prime seat right behind the Twins dugout.
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| It's about time you opened the gates.... |
The Twins management does allow all fans to go down close to the field during batting practice. (I love this policy). Of course down by the dugout I was surrounded by hundreds of kids who were desperately looking to get autographs from the players on the field. Watching how these kids came up with creative ways to beg for autographs was very entertaining.
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| I love to hang around the batting cage and talk about hittin' |
There were of course several other lonely soles like me down by the field taking it all in.....and like me they were loving every minute of it. I found myself bonding with complete strangers who seemed to be just like me (now that's a little scary...being like me is not necessarily a good thing).
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| My dream job....pitching batting practice in the big leagues..... |
It is interesting to see how baseball fans will engage in long conversations with each other even though they have never met (and they never bother to introduce themselves to each other)....further proof that baseball binds people together in a very special way and provides a universal language that all fans understand.
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| The "fungo bat" is his brush, the ball is his paint and the field is his canvas.... |
The 2 hours I sat behind the dugout before the game were probably as effective as having 6 months of professional help from my therapist. The bad memories of this past winter along with all of my other problems were suddenly all forgotten and my mind was free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I was free at last.
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| Life in the big leagues.....the daily grind you seldom see |
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| Cuddy: Do you want to see where they cut the wart out of my foot? |
If you're not a baseball fan you will probably never fully appreciate the magic of the home opener. The significance of this very special day is really so much more than just being the first home game of the year. This day actually represents so many things way beyond baseball....it's about rebirth, a fresh start to life, the end of being in a winter funk, the first day of spring, being outside again, sitting in the sun, getting your first look at fresh green grass, seeing the deepest blue sky ever....and the most important thing is that it gives you "hope" for better things ahead....not just for your baseball team but for you as a person ...... and as we all know "hope is a good thing".
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| Nathan: "I just sprinkled dirt from the dome's mound onto the Target Field mound" |
This game day experience was further enhanced by the gorgeous weather that had suddenly come to Minnesota. The word gorgeous may not even properly describe the day. Perfect is probably a better description and yet that might still sell the day short.....I mean I'm taking nice, real nice. The great weather along with the sites and sounds of the ball park made me absolutely giddy.
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| Span: "I promise that I won't get picked off first base as many times as last year." |
The home opener also adds some special pre-game festivities that help commemorate this very important day..... the pomp, the pageantry, the hype, the hoopla and the ballyhoo which are all traditional components of a "home opener" help make this day extra special. Baseball is noted for all of the traditions, rituals and superstitions that have been passed down from previous generations. (did someone say traditions, rituals and superstitions?....now that's right in my OCD wheelhouse....no wonder I love baseball so much)
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| Ahhh....the pomp and pageantry of opening day.... |
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| The tradition continues....player introductions on opening day |
During player introductions Tsuyoshi Nishioka (aka "TNish), the Twins injured second baseman from Japan, got a louder ovation than hometown hero, Joe Mauer (aka "The Baby Jesus").....that makes sense in what world?....maybe it was because "TNish" is the new guy in town and he went on the field using crutches.....we Minnesotans are so nice....
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| The "First Pitch"....(I just have to see the first pitch) |
As I strolled around the ball park I took note of the changes that were made at Target Field this year. A quick list of the changes are as follows:
1. New digital color video board and a "Twins Tower" have been installed above the upper deck in right field - very nice, great digital picture, good addition, people in the left field stands can now see replays, etc.....the Twins Tower lights up with color images of the player who is at bat....hard to describe...need to see it to understand how it works.
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| New video board and Twins Tower in standard score board mode.... |
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| New video board and Twins Tower all lit up... |
2. Removed the 14 trees that were behind the center field fence....a new dark hitting background was installed in place of the trees....players like it because it makes it easier to see the ball when batting.....reduces glare they say.....fans don't like it ....doesn't look as good without the trees.....didn't help the Twins hitters much in today's game.
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| We removed those beautiful trees for this??? |
Baseball probably values its history more than any other sport. Teams, players and games from the past are never forgotten. Famous players from the past are still revered today by all baseball fans. The stories about these legendary players are retold over and over....they never seem to get old to real baseball fans. Fans love to discuss and relive important games from the past......hummmm......reliving good memories?....retelling old stories over and over?.....living in the past?.....now we're taking....... that's my "sweet spot".....
The Twins organization certainly buys into this notion of honoring their former players. Some examples from today's game......
1. A new Tony Oliva statue was unveiled just outside of Target Field's Gate #6 (by the trains). This joins the other 3 statues that were unveiled last year - Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew and Kirby Puckett.
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| Tony Oliva and that sweet swing frozen in time |
2. Tony Oliva also threw out the first pitch of the game to Harmon Killebrew's grandson...the Killer couldn't be there because he is battling cancer....(pray for my boyhood hero).
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| Tony Oliva throws out the first pitch...he can do it all....(will he be selling beer?) |
3. The daughter of Zolio Versalles (1965 American League MVP) sang the national anthem and Tony Oliva's son accompanied her on the guitar...(big day for Tony, huh?)
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| Zoilo....one of my all time favorite Twins |
4. A new sign under the Budweiser deck counts down the days until Bert Blyleven is inducted into the baseball hall of fame....50 days was number this day......Bert went out on the mound and spoke to the crowd...of course he couldn't resist talking about how many days it was until his birthday. (I hate that routine of his).
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| Circle me Bert |
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| Roy: "Yes Palmer, I know... you saw me make the final out at Met Stadium in '81" |
Oh yeah, I almost forgot.....they actually did play the game.....the details of the game are really not that important to me on this very special day. It's all about the "total experience" of being at the ball park for the home opener.
The Twins rallied for 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to win the game by the score of 2-1. The two major highlights were Joe Mauer's hit to drive in the winning run and Joe Nathan's return to the mound after missing all of last year due to elbow surgery. Target Field was really rocking as Nathan shut down the A's in the 9th inning.
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| Joe Mauer gets the clutch hit to win the game |
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| Hangin' with Tony O.......(How old am I?) |
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| Kirby: "Palmer, we will see you tomorrow night" |
How did Kirby know that I was coming to Saturday night's game? (baseball is truly magical)
Just another great day at the ball park!!
I.L.O.V.E.T.H.I.S.G.A.M.E.
