wooo hoooo!!!!!

As if I didn't need more proof that now is the perfect time to move to Minneapolis. What excellent news.

YES! It's hard to believe it finally has happened. Some random thoughts:

* In 2010, I can take my son to opening day at the new stadium and he'll be only three years old. He'll have no recollection of baseball in the Metrodome.

* I think we might miss the 'Dome the way that you miss an old apartment from your youth - the kind that was crappy and you'd never want to move back into but that was the home to alot of fun while you were there.

* Is there any way that the new ballpark can be called "Puckett Field" at Target (or 3M or Best Buy or whatever corporate sponsor ponies up the cash) Stadium?

* Let's do what it takes to make sure that Johan and Mauer are there for the first game.

Long live Legovision Park!

Jerry Bell isn't eligible for the medal of freedom. He actually accomplished his goal. :)

I would love to see some sort of dedication to Kirby at the new park. Naming the stadium after him might not be feasible, but let's get one of those nice big statues of him right out front.

Will - There should absolutely be a life size statue of Kirby and all the other players whose numbers were retired! They should be on short pedestals so people can have their pictures taken next to them. We can tell our kids, "Yes, Kirby really was that size. He wasn't big: just very, very good!"

And how about flying a flag somewhere for every country represented on the roster?

And how about having a beer garden named "Wally's"? Let's hope Wally the Beerman is still peddling his wares when this thing finally gets built!

I'm excited about this.

I'm all misty-eyed over this. I hadn't let myself get my hopes up this time around, we've been down this road before.

Some of the best and most memorable moments of my life have happened in the Metrodome (I was there for Game 7 in '91, I got married on the field at the Dome this past September) and I'll always be fond of the Metrodome and will be sad on the day they tear it down, but I'm ecstatic that we'll finally have a real baseball stadium (again) for the Twins.

Two years ago, they predicted the same park to be only $430-$450 million.

All my dreams have come true...nearly. Just need to somehow get a retractable roof on that stadium and it's perfect.

Let's see...

2,034,243 fans last year. Let's say 2500000 this year. Every time you go to the game, you donate at least $2 to the stadium roof fund. That gives them $5mill. Pohlad family matches the donation of what happens. $10million. Sell the naming rights to Target, Best Byy or someone for $35 million (same as the gopher stadium). That brings it to $45 million. Then you get other contributions outside of the $2/person. That "Other" would have to be $80 million to get to the $125 million roof.

I am so incredibly happy for you guys.

In four years, I'll be getting ready to graduate from college. Perhaps my spring break will coincide with opening day in Twins Territory? I'll cross my fingers for that one...

In four years, I'll be just about done with my first year of college, and nothing will hold me back from being there at opening day.

In four years, I'll be getting ready to graduate from college.

In four years, I'll be just about done with my first year of college, and nothing will hold me back from being there at opening day.

*blinks*

*feels old*

Er... those quotes should have been italicized... but I forgot that I can't italicize. *sigh*

I was thinking the same thing Carrie. It's possible I could even have grandkids by 2010.

Now where did I put my friggin cane?

What a weekend...those clowns under the dome in St Paul finally getting the job done, followed by multiple replays of AJ getting a forearm smash to the chops. Too bad for Boof tho...he deserved better.

Boof did put out a BOD-worthy effort and it was certainly disappointing to see that game given away by the bullpen.

An honorary BOD award could have been given to JJ too, for his 2 run, 2 out HR (with pink bat, I believe) to beat the Bitches, too.

FINALLY!!!

Even a Twins loss can't get me down today!!! I can't wait until 2010!

What they should do is give Jerry Bell a team number just so they can retire it. That man deserves most of the credit for getting this new park, finally, FINALLY, after all the headaches and disappointments. He's the one I feel most happy for right now, although I feel pretty darn happy for everyone who's in any way connected with Twins Territory.

Huzzah for Puckett Field!!!

What a weekend for the Twins' future! I'm really excited to see the park plans as they mature. I'm still shocked they passed this.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Best.News.EVER!!!!!!

I actually shed happy tears over this! I'm so incredibly happy that this is FINALLY done! Words cannot describe the happiness and relief that Twins fans feel today!

But, I do have to say one thing: Bud Selig. SHUT UP. You have no right to say anything about this because you tried to get rid of our team. So just shut up. :stillbitter:

By this point, I feel a bit like I've been served with a juicy Polish sausage--after I've been working a long shift at the Hormel factory. I've seen too much of what goes into it to really savor the meal. I might have been happier to hear the news today, too, if it didn't come served with Dick & Bert interviewing Bud Selig for a couple innings... and then go on to complain, over and over, about what a long, hard 10 years it's been. Gag.

I thought it ironic that while Dick & Bert were toasting Jerry, Bud, the legislature, the fans, and the prospect of outdoor baseball in Minnesota, the Twins were playing the 3rd straight day under a closed roof in Milwaukee--because, though it's the 3rd week in May, it's still too frickin' cold or wet in the Upper Midwest for properly enjoyable baseball weather. But what the hell. There will be years to come for Dick & Bert to complain about that detail. Tonight, let's eat, drink & be merry....

Ohh... I'm sorry CarrieKCL. Didn't mean to make you feel old.

I was extremely happy with the stadium news I read before heading back to Miller Park for game 3. I am all for a roof fund, especially since instead of driving up from Madison when the new park opens I will be coming up from Chicago. The roof would be nice, but I will make sure to come up for a weekend and when its summertime.

As for the game today, disappointed the Crain Drain ruined Boof's first win. Boof did a great job after the first run. Even the crazy Brewers fan next to me was impressed.

But what a series-Liri's win and hit (with RBI), 16 runs last night, Fatista's 2 dingers, and Boof's outing were great to see. Oh, and the Chairman piled up some hits as well-and Silva came in and didn't give up a run today (although I freaked when I saw him warming up).

Still go weekend for the Twins on the field and off. Hopefully by 2010 this team will be poised for a World Series run.

The best part about the done stadium deal: '06 can end up being a great or crappy season but it won't be the Twins last in good old Minnesota. I feel now I can exhale, relax, savor '06 and dream about the future of Twins baseball.

Yea! kal

Dearest Frightwig,

Rest assured that it is entirely possible to play and watch baseball outdoors in the cold, rain, wind and snow--without a roof. We here in the Northeast do it every season, complete with hours and hours of rain delays. It's called "coats, hats, gloves, scarves, umbrellas and coffee."

And I won't even go into the joys of *football* outdoors in below-freezing blizzards. The things we do for love... welcome to our world! You will get used to it in no time, I promise. And you'll be sooooo much happier!!

Congratulatingly,
Laurie

Now, if only they had approved a new DECC for Duluth.

If the Twins do get statues of the players who's numbers are retired, I think Blyleven's number should be retired. Are there any specific categories that a player needs to fufill to have his number retired?

That's the second best thing that happened this weekend!

Thank goodness the Twins, but also for me, the Gophers, are soon to be out of the 'Dome. Both teams need new digs to stay competitive. The Vikes, on the other hand, can stay for a little while longer, as they were the ones who pushed for it so long ago, and they can survive, thanks to the NFL's overwhelming success.

Dearest Laurie, I am aware of how outdoor baseball is enjoyed in other Northern locales when the weather turns cold or wet. I have lived in places besides Minnesota, places where major league baseball is played outside, and visited many more such idyllic burghs. I have no doubt, however, that Twins fans (and announcers) will be bitching about the weather (hot, sticky weather, too), and blaming it for lagging attendance after the new-park smell has dissipated, within a few years of the Grand Opening.

Most Twins fans still want a retractable roof even now, when the idea of 81 home games is still abstract to most local fans. That's not going to go away, I don't think.

There *is* a reason that Minnesotans once thought the Metrodome was a sensible replacement for the old Met in the first place, even if they later discovered it wasn't ideal. (Believe it or not, people used to *like* it in there.)

I want to make one thing clear.

Roof or no roof yadda yadda yadda. The ONLY true imperative for the new stadium is to have a black dirt infield like the old Met. That color was so distinctive. Homage to our midwestern agricultural heritage.

Black dirt! Black dirt! Black dirt!

This I believe.

Thanks for the mention Bat-Girl! I do indeed intend to keep blogging. We've got 4 years before the new stadium opens, and there will be a lot to discuss in between that time.

Go Twins!

Probably not going to read this as its kind of old, but I'd like to go on record as saying that my opinion of the legislature went down. They caved. Cowards.

CONGRATS!

Getting out of the dome and into the sunlight is wonderful. There are lots of sucky games made nice just by being in the sun and at the ballgame.

I hope it works out and I hope I can see the dome once before it is torn down.