Repairs to the roof of the Metrodome, normally the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers baseball team, will begin today — appropriately enough, in a drizzle. The repairs should take the rest of the spring and a chunk of the summer, as three large panels will be replaced before the roof is reinflated. Then comes […]
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Twins set spring attendance record — in Florida
As spring training winds down, we’ll be looking at the winners and losers of 2011. The first big winner of 2011: the Minnesota Twins, who set a Florida spring-training attendance record at Hammond Stadium. The Twins drew 129,453 fans to 16 games at Hammond Stadium this spring. It’s a record for fans attending spring Twins […]
Forbes: It’s the Yankees and the 29 dwarves
It’s not even close: in the magazine’s annual evaluations of Major League Baseball franchise values, Forbes prices the New York Yankees at an astounding $1.7 billion — some 86 percent more than runner-up Boston Red Sox and far outpacing the average franchise value of $523 million. Still, you’ll be surprised by the most profitable team […]
Twins clear-cut Target Field
Batters at Target Field won’t be able to see the forest or the trees, as the Minnesota Twins took down 14 spruce trees that comprised the ballpark’s batter’s eye last season after complaints from batters. The 14 trees weren’t fed to the choppers: they were dug out and transported to Bergen’s Greenhouse in Forest Lake, […]
Gophers shift 2011 Big Ten season to Target Field
With the Metrodome down for the count, the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher baseball team will play all of its Big Ten home games in the 2011 season at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota will open Big Ten play on Friday, April 1 at 1:05 p.m. with a doubleheader against Purdue at […]
A guide to spring-training practices
Die-hard spring-training fans aren’t content with just sitting in the stands and watching a game: they want to watch a practice and get close to the players. It’s a great experience, as long as you know what you’re in for: most teams train on practice fields, not the ballparks, and so the creature comforts are […]
Target Field big tax winner for Minnesota, Minneapolis
Tax revenues generated by Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins, were significantly higher in 2010 than in 2009, when the team wrapped up a final season in the Metrodome. How much higher? Well, the state of Minnesota pulled in $11.6 million from fans at Target Field, $6.6 million higher than in 2009. […]
Twins relocating trees behind center field at Target Field
The Minnesota Twins will be relocating 14 pine trees currently planted past the center-field wall after players complained about them being a distraction at the plate. No word on how the pitchers feel about the move. In general, Twins batters weren’t that thrilled about playing at Target Field, despite the obvious team advantage of having […]
Metrodome out for the count; Gophers working on backup plan
The Metrodome will be unavailable for use by the University of Minnesota baseball team for the entire season, as officials will debate whether to repair the roof or replace it — a process that could last until August — so the Gophers are looking for a new home. No decision has been made about the […]
Metrodome roof won’t be fixed until March
Hundreds of college baseball games slated for February and March will be postponed or scrapped, as the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission announced today that repairs to the Metrodome roof won’t be completed until sometime in March — at the earliest. The Metrodome serves as the baseball home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, whose season begins […]
The Year That Was: 2010
It was a year that saw many teams struggling on the financial front, the emergence of a truly great ballpark in downtown Minneapolis, some recognition of true notables in front offices, and some potentally great markets entering the baseball world. Here are the top stories of 2010 on Ballpark Digest, as meaured by page views. […]
Saints jump on Metrodome deflation with whoopee-cushion promotion
In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of “Inflation Day” of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and, subsequently, the 2010 “Deflation Day,” the St. Paul Saints (independent; American Association) announced a Metrodome Whoopee Cushion giveaway during the 2011 season. The first 2,500 fans attending the Saints vs. Sioux Falls Pheasants game on Saturday, May 14 will […]
Dome roof could be repaired for Gophers season
Metrodome officials are prepping a repair of the stadium’s inflatable roof for a late January or early February completion, but the longer-term issue of what happens to the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher baseball team remains to be seen. New Teflon panels are being prepared in a Tijuana, Mexico manufacturing facility: four […]