Twins versus Rays--brutal

Last night I had the privilege of using the first of my Twins’ seasons tickets. For the second year in a row a group of guys in my neighborhood are splitting a 20 game package. Our seats are in lower level—section 130 in left field. The seats are much better with the addition of the new scoreboard and Twins tower.

I shared on my Facebook page that it was a bad omen when snow greeted me as I left the office to drive to the game. Gary Wassam was willing to venture out into the snow to attend the game with me. We shared in our yearly ritual of eating at Wendy’s before watching the Twins.

We made it to Target Field without a hitch, found our seats, remarked at how late arriving the crowd was, and settled in with hopes that the Twins could extend their three game winning streak. We weren’t impressed that Hughes, Butera, and Tolbert made up the bottom of the Twins’ order. We thought that the Twins would be fortunate to score five runs.

The Twins needed a shut-down start by Francisco Liriano.

Our hopes were quickly dashed. The game started at 7:10. At 7:16 Ben Zobrist hit a triple making the score 3-0. Sean Rodriguez immediate singled Zobrist home and in six minutes the Rays had scored four runs. Could that be a record?

The Twins had some opportunities in the first and third innings to give us hope—but Justin Morneau didn’t deliver in either inning. When the Rays scored three runs in the fourth the outcome was sealed and the game became about the weather.

It snowed—at a baseball game—on April 27th. I made a comment on Facebook about snow at the ballpark and received a Semi-Pelagian (figure it out) response that we Minnesotans wanted outdoor baseball, and this is what happens in outdoor baseball. I agree, but it doesn’t make the experience any less brutal.

I have now attended Target Field the first time it rained during a game—Twins versus Boston last April—and the first time it snowed.

Wass and I were amused by the appearance of Santa Claus, a gorilla, and winter wonderland music played by the organist. We also had three guys in our section who were individually dressed in a completely green, orange, and blue outfit. As I was driving to the game, the two announcers on Dan Barreiro’s radio show said the heaters at the ballpark were not working. Thankfully this information was incorrect. For the last three innings we stood under the radiant heat.

We left at the bottom of the seventh thinking. We didn’t miss much. I love the Twins and outdoor baseball, but last night was brutal.