Twins Drop Target Field Opener

… but who cares? For Minnesota baseball fans, last night was not about the result of the game at all. It was about the first pitch at Target Field being a groundout to Orlando Hudson. About Denard Span getting the first hit, extra base hit, triple and homer at Target Field. About seeing Span make a running catch in center field. About the food. About the fact that people were out in short sleeves in Minnesota in April. About the sign in center field.

Carl Pavano started and pitched OK (minor tangent: if you could legally bet on such things, how great of odds could you have gotten last year that Carl Pavano would throw the first major league pitch in Target Field?). Joe Mauer got a huge standing ovation eclipsed only by the one that Jacque Jones got (if that doesn’t tell you how great Twins fans are, nothing will).

Maybe the only thing marring the game was that Kyle Lohse got the win. Also, to anyone calling Target Field a hitter’s park: it’s been one game. Settle down. We won’t know for three or so years (honestly I like to use 5 years) whether or not it is the case, but I agree that anecdotal evidence tends to sway towards it being a hitter’s park, whether it be the shorter porch in right, the way the wind seems to interact in the stadium, and the total lack of foul territory.

But again, last night wasn’t about analysis, whether it was a hitter’s park, or even winning the game. It was about enjoying baseball under the sun, enjoying a jewel of a ballpark, and other sappy things that I could fill a book saying.

Opening day is 2 days away. Go Twins and Happy Easter to all my readers.