April 13, 2010

Opening Day at Target Field

After spending around nine hours at Target Field yesterday I'm way too tired to do the whole experience justice before going to bed, but the ballpark is spectacular, the Twins are now 6-2, covering my first game for NBCSports.com was very interesting and enlightening, and perhaps best of all nearly everyone there from my fellow writers in the press box to assistant general manager Rob Antony were incredibly kind and friendly to me. Just a great day, all around.

I wrote a bunch of articles throughout the day on Hardball Talk, so check those out:

UPDATE: Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote about his Target Field opener experience, including this excerpt that seems like a "which one of these things doesn't belong" question on a test:

Besides seeing the Red Sox scribes, as we do all spring in Fort Myers, we had several national baseball writers in the press box yesterday -- Bob Nightengale from USA Today, Tyler Kepner from the New York Times, Scott Miller from CBSSportsline.com, Jon Paul Morosi from Foxsports.com, Jeff Passan from Yahoo, John Hickey from AOL Fanhouse, Aaron Gleeman from NBCSports.com -- and my only regret is not having more time to catch up.

See what I mean about everyone there being so nice to me?

8 Comments »

  1. From one of the few who did not make it there yet: It is also amazing on the small screen! 525 Mil well spent.

    Comment by PaulG — April 13, 2010 @ 8:17 am

  2. Did you think Delmon Young should have been charged with an error on that long fly he dropped? At the time I did, but now I’m not so sure. He clearly misjudged the flight of the ball. Was it just a bad play or the first sign that the wind can do some strange things there?

    Comment by James M. — April 13, 2010 @ 10:57 am

  3. Has the growing number of strike outs for the Twins hitting staff raised anyone eyebrows other then myself. I love to see the power, but has the whole hitting strategy / philosophy changed for the twins.. Except for Punto that is.

    Comment by McPete — April 13, 2010 @ 11:12 am

  4. I think Gardy should be charged with an error anytime he pencils Young in to play left field.

    Comment by Karl — April 13, 2010 @ 12:15 pm

  5. Dear Mr. Gleeman,

    I appreciate your humble nature and your columns. However, as one self-deprecating (ex)-Minnesotan to another, you no longer have to wear the goofy “I can’t believe I am here” grin in print anymore. Pat yourself on the back. You are a national baseball writer who has his hands in many well-respected facets of this game we love. At some point the “gosh, I don’t belong” bit gets tired. I know that you will say I am wrong and, honestly, I probably would do the same thing as you if I were in that position until the day I die. But there is a fine line between general astonishment (which you no doubt have) and weak-kneed pandering. You, sir, have earned yourself a little finery. I have no doubt that you will always be a congenial, friendly scribe and my Jewish friends tell me you will never lose the ingrained guilt so…don’t worry so much about the “aw shucks” routine. It no longer serves nor represents you. You keep writing and doing your thing and I will keep reading and secretly resenting you because I want to do what you do.

    Yours truly,
    Erik “Freddy Fridell

    P.S. This is the only “Mr.” or “sir” you will ever get out of me from now on. Sadly, I am in my mid-thirties and after all that makes me your superior (in age solely).

    Comment by Freddy — April 13, 2010 @ 1:10 pm

  6. AG,

    Any Brad Radke sightings yesterday? I haven’t read one thing about him since he (almost literally) pitched his arm off for us in his final season. I wish he was still involved with the team in some way.

    Austen G.

    Comment by Austen G. — April 13, 2010 @ 9:48 pm

  7. What the hell was the deal with FSN’s centerfield camera angle? I hope they get that fixed. It was too far away and too high up.

    I can’t believe others haven’t noticed. I hope it was just an experiment. They need to get it back to a normal closer, tighter, lower shot. After all, 90% of the games is shown from that angle.

    Comment by ripvanwanker — April 13, 2010 @ 10:42 pm

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