Comments on: Hitters complained, so the Twins are getting rid of the center field trees at Target Field

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 01:44:35 +0000

That’s interesting, because I didn’t hear any complaints about the limestone behind home plate.

Walk, the wall that got the fresh coat of paint is the one directly behind the trees. You can see how far it extends here. http://antonehenry.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Target-Field-Scoreboard-1-Small.jpg

By: Walk

Walk — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 01:02:14 +0000

Was there any changes made to light stone colors behind home plate? I saw third basemen lose line drives in that light coloring several times and just duck and cover. That seemed less a nuisance and more of a danger to players. I know andrew said a coat of paint was applied, i was just wondering if it was on the section behind home. (my apologies andrew i am not certain how far the wall runs) As far as the trees go i liked how they looked as well and i loved the whole look of the park even the light colored stone.

By: twinsfn343

twinsfn343 — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:16:56 +0000

If they moved the wall in (I know its not at all likely) then they could make the walkway zig-zag down vertically like in Philly that way it wouldn’t take up room from the concourse. I’m actually suprised that they dont already have some sort of team HOF feature there. Before the first time I went I thought for sure it would be where the merch shop is by the left field foul poll…

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:49:15 +0000

I suppose after Morneau complained about the fences being too deep, the Twins may have felt obligated to appease the hitters in some way.

That brick wall was causing problems all year. It got a fresh coat of paint midway through the season to darken it.

Above/behind the brick wall is the main concourse, and there isn’t a lot of room to add much without taking away walking space in the concourse, even if the wall (not fence) was moved forward.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:45:58 +0000

More seriously…

2. T.C. Bear, Twins mascot. When he was introduced before the games started, he would pop out from behind a tree, then climb over the fence onto the field. I’m amazed he never lost his head doing that.

By: cur68

cur68 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:54:48 +0000

Hmmm…I see a dazzle pattern looking at that background. In WW2 someone came up with that kind of pattern to make it harder for subs to torpedo surface ships. This worked well till the enemy cottoned on and practiced looking for it then it still worked but not as well as initially (google it if you don’t know what I mean). So, as I see it, the Twins have gotten used to the dazzle, enjoy an advantage because of it, and are now going to level the playing field for their opposition because the Twins hitters are bothered by it ( but to a lesser degree than opponents). Still with me? Right. I’m a Jays & Expos fan (Hey! No! Snickering! A man can dream. Just like Mets fans…) so I say; go ahead Target Field, make it easier for my boys to beat your boys. Lord knows we need anything we can get when we gotta play there.

By: clydeserra

clydeserra — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:33:38 +0000

I am still reading it that way

By: RickyB

RickyB — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:20:47 +0000

Funny, I played ball at a college that had very tall pines lining the entire outfield fence. Everyone thought of it as a great hitter’s background, and all of our games were played during the day. But compared to other solid two-dimensional surfaces, I imagine the trees would add another level of difficulty in picking up pitches.

By: phukyouk

phukyouk — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:39:22 +0000

im just saying… if he did in fact complain and the twins allowed it i would be pissed.

By: twinsfn343

twinsfn343 — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:33:54 +0000

As a fan I liked the trees, I thought there were aesthetically pleasing and a nice “Minnesota” touch, but obviously I’ve never stood in the batters box at Target Field…I’m not sure how tall black spruces are supposed to grow, but I wonder if they considered just rasing the trees up on an ivy covered platform kind of like the batters eye at Comerica. I just hope it doesn’t become a big wasted empty area in the ballpark. Perhaps they could move the brick wall in a bit (not the fences) and maybe create a little Twins Hall of Fame/history walkway section like they have in Cleveland and Philly.

By: wintwins

wintwins — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:20:42 +0000

The wall / paint caused the glare, and the motion of the trees (and their shadows) in the breeze made it hard to see the ball very well.

By: bcopus

bcopus — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:05:57 +0000

1) They flash little mirrors whenever they dislike a batter.

2). That thing….is Joe Mauer’s childhood nightmare. How it got out of his mind…nobody knows.

By: bcopus

bcopus — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:02:43 +0000

That was a quick jump on Godwin’s law…

By: BC

BC — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:55:30 +0000

1. How do trees cause glare?
2. In the picture, what is that thing standing in the trees? Smokey The Bear?

By: phukyouk

phukyouk — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:40:00 +0000

wow im terrible. at first glace i read it as Hitler complained…….

By: bloodysock

bloodysock — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:38:28 +0000

Idiots. They can’t see the baseball through the trees.

By: Ari Collins

Ari Collins — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:26:15 +0000

But doesn’t every team score more runs at home? Except maybe in EXTREME pitcher’s parks like SD. And most everyone wins a lot at home, with plenty of the 50-wins-at-home crowd being in hitter’s parks.