Author: David Shama

With apologies to New Age thinkers, it’s difficult to stay in the present moment and not look ahead to the September 23-25 Twins-White Sox series in the Metrodome.  Go ahead and label it the “might be, could be, will be the series” of the season for the two teams.

Chicago and the Twins are tied for first in the Central Division standings.  It’s been that sort of coziness, and now anticipation about more of the same, that can make the three game series in late September the get together of the season for the White Sox and Twins, a headline-making national sports story.

Home field has been a comfy feeling so far in 2008.  The Twins won just twice in nine games at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.  The White Sox are 1-5 so far in Minneapolis.

The Twins know the hitting background, lighting, and field surface in the Metrodome, plus they can feel the juice of a large and noisy crowd.  That home field advantage figures to help the Twins’ including the defense led by players like catcher Joe Mauer, infielder Nick Punto and outfielder Denard Span.  Limiting a team to singles, doubles and triples is always a good idea, but particularly against the homer happy White Sox who lead the major leagues with 178 home runs.

For all the complaining about the dome over the years, it’s been a highly successful place for the Twins who have won two World Series, four division titles since 2002 and are 44-22 at home this season, 26-31 on the road.  “As undesirable a facility as it is for baseball, when you put 40,000 to 50,000 in it, the Metrodome becomes a unique place,” said Patrick Klinger, vice president of marketing for the Twins.

Klinger said there’s already a “buzz” among fans about the September series and  advance ticket sales are about 20,000 for each game.  If the series meets present expectations, crowds are certain to exceed 30,000 and certainly could be higher.  Right now the franchise has drawn 30,000 or more for 18 consecutive games.

The games will be played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.  Week night crowds trend smaller than weekends and having schools back in session limits attendance.  Klinger said the Wednesday game will be Student Night, a season long promotion that offers tickets for $4 each, plus all fans can buy hot dogs for $1 a piece.

No cheerleading towels or other series promotions are scheduled yet, but Klinger said that could change.  He and the Twins just hope the opportunity presents itself.

There’s a classic story about Memorial Stadium, the on-campus home of the Golden Gophers from 1924-1981.  A group from Notre Dame visited Memorial Stadium in its early days as part of a tour to learn about building a new football facility for the Fighting Irish.  Legend has it that a member of the group reviewed the Minnesota stadium and announced:  “Gentlemen, this is how not to build a stadium.”

Old timers become nostalgic talking about Memorial Stadium but the truth is its faults included mediocre sightlines, too many seats in the far away bowl end and archaically crowded rows, ramps, concourses and rest rooms.  By 1982 the old facility, named after the state’s World War I heroes, was in need of major upgrades and school leaders opted to leave campus for the new Metrodome.

Starting in 2009 the Gophers will be playing on a piece of property within a pitching wedge shot of the old Memorial Stadium site, now home to the McNamara Alumni Center. If a tour last week of the still under construction new TCF Bank Stadium is a reliable indicator, there won’t be anyone coming to town from Notre Dame or other colleges to knock the new place.

TCF Bank Stadium will be distinctive in its newness.  Only two other campus stadiums have been built by major colleges in the last 27 years.  When the Gophers play in the Metrodome, they’re in the newest stadium in the Big Ten Conference by 22 years.  When the Gophers are in TCF Bank stadium their home will be the newest by 48 years.

With much of the structure in place, it’s easy to grasp a feel for the stadium and environment.  The seats are in close proximity to the field, creating an intimate atmosphere much different than Memorial Stadium which for much of its existence had a running track between the stands and the field.

There are 25,000 seats between the goal lines in the new stadium that will have backs and armrests.  The remaining 25,000 will be benches, like the seating in typical major college stadiums.  Among those having bench seating will be University students who will have a spectacular view of downtown from the stadium’s bowl end.

The capacity can be expanded by 30,000 if there’s demand for an 80,000 seat stadium.  The expansion will be achieved by adding a third deck to the stadium’s north side, according to Paul Kitching, construction executive for Mortenson Construction who led the tour last week.

The larger of the two video boards will be 108 feet by 48 feet, the second biggest in the country on a college campus after the University of Texas, according to Gene Allen, director of University relations for TCF Bank.  Allen said the video board surpasses anything similar in the Metrodome.

Size made a major impression on the tour group, too, when we stopped in the Gopher locker room.  Kitching said it’s 60 yards long and has 120 lockers.

The brick exterior and arched entrances are similar to Memorial Stadium, providing a nostalgic feel.  The names of all 87 Minnesota counties being placed around the exterior will help provide a connection for state residents to the stadium and Gophers.

On September 12, 2009 coach Tim Brewster’s Gophers will run out on the field through the bowl end of the $288 million horseshoe shaped stadium to play Air Force.  The Gophers will be back on campus and flying high.

Because of the close race for a playoff spot, the Twins haven’t mailed season ticket holders notice yet about buying post-season tickets, according to Patrick Klinger, Twins vice president of marketing.

Twins outfielder Jason Kubel tied his career high with four hits and scored a career-high four runs in yesterday’s 11-8 win over Seattle.

Twins catcher Joe Mauer has hit safely in 10 consecutive games, batting .359 (14-39) in that period.  He’s tied for the American League lead in average with Dustin Pedroia of Boston.  Both are hitting .321 average.

Francisco Liriano is 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA since his recall from Triple A Rochester on August 1.

A source reported via e-mail that the per capita expenditures on concessions for the recent Ultimate Fighting Championship event at Target Center was $21.40.  Much of that were beer sales from the announced crowd of 15,082 that set an all-time record for gross ticket revenue in the building.  Press credentials issued were about 120, double the total for a Twins or Wolves game, according to the source.

The basketball Gophers are in aggressive pursuit of two power forwards and two point guards, according to rivals.com.  The Gophers have reportedly made scholarship offers to power forwards Sam Dower of Osseo and Torin Walker of Columbus, Georgia.  They’re also pursuing top 15 point guards Darius Smith of Chicago (reportedly made offer) and Eric Bledsoe of Birmingham, Alabama.

The Timberwolves will unveil the team’s new uniforms today beginning at noon in the IDS Crystal Court. This will be the third uniform design in franchise history which began in 1989. The previous uniform change occurred prior to the start of the 1996-97 season. The Wolves introduced a re-designed primary and new secondary logo earlier this summer.

Also today the franchise launches a new online store at www.shopwolves.com. The team website, www.timberwolves.com, will undergo cosmetic changes to reflect the team’s new look.