Baseball is back!

Location coordinates:
44°58'54"N, 93°16'42"W
Target Field,
Minneapolis, MN

Need a sure fire way to lift your winter-worn spirits and get spring off to a grand start? Consider attending early season games of your favorite baseball team. The 2011 major league baseball season is now underway, and surrounding yourself with the sights, smells, and sounds of a ballpark is a guaranteed route to a better mood.

Last Friday I attended the home opening game festivities for my favorite team - the Minnesota Twins. My route to Target Field involved public transit (allowing me to avoid the inevitable downtown traffic and parking trauma), and you could sense the excitement as soon as I stepped off the bus. The area was alive with a party-like atmosphere. Pubs and restaurants near the stadium were overflowing with people eating and drinking at both indoor and outdoor tables. Not stopping at one of the pubs, I fell into the stream of fans funneling up the streets adjoining the stadium. We were like salmon returning to their home waters, eventually joining the throngs gathered in Target Plaza directly in front of the stadium.



Overlooking Target Plaza

 I made my way into the crowd but quickly diverted to a stairway leading to one of the Minneapolis skyways so I could get an elevated vantage point. What a happy sight. Everyone seemed to be wearing a "this is the year" expression on their faces and were decked out in infinite variations of official Twins attire. Comforting aromas of char-grilled burgers and kettle corn filled the air. It was loud, but in a good way. Percussion band music, public address announcements, laughter, and a subtle background of urban life noise characteristic of any downtown location.

Bright blue sky for the home opener

One of the best and most welcomed features of the afternoon was the weather. It has been a cold and snowy winter in the Upper Midwest, and everyone here is in need of sun and warmth. Outdoor baseball in the Twin Cities carries with it the threat of cold miserable weather, especially for early and late season games. But that threat was unfulfilled for the 2011 home opener. The pre-game sun was bright and the temperature was in the mid-60s. Perfect.

Target Plaza

The National Anthem, raising of the flags, and a F-16 fighter jet flyover (always an emotional sight) rounded out the pre-game events with the first pitch occurring at 3:17 pm. The Twins went on to beat the Oakland A's 2-1, capping off a great home opening day.

If you're ready to feel good and de-stress, then step away from the Parade of Doom, (aka the nightly news), turn off that cell phone, and get outside to your local ballpark. Buy yourself a hot dog, sit back, and let America's favorite pastime transport you to a much happier frame of mind.