The latest issue of the Sporting News ranks the major league baseball stadiums from first to 30^th with the Metrodome at No. 29.  Twins president Dave St. Peter hopes any listings of America’s best ballparks in 2010 and beyond will include Target Field.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it is ranked very high nationally because of its unique design, intimacy of seating in the bowl and urban nature,” St. Peter told Sports Headliners.

Target Field will include a distinctive limestone exterior and contemporary roof canopy.  St. Peter said about 60 percent of fans attending games will enter through the stadium’s outfield area.

Those elements and others, such as the small area upon which the stadium is being built, will make Target Field unlike any other ballpark.  The facility will be the result of thorough planning and input by St. Peter and others with the organization.  They have studied all the big league stadiums during the last several years.

“We took pieces of all of them,” he said.  “It (Target Field) won’t be exactly like any of them.”

Because of what St. Peter refers to as their “small footprint,” or locations, San Francisco’s and Pittsburgh’s stadiums are most like Target Field in his opinion.  Those ballparks made the Sporting News top five ranking that goes like this:  Fenway Park, Boston; PNC Park, Pittsburgh; Wrigley Field, Chicago; Camden Yards, Baltimore; AT&T Park, San Francisco.

While Target Field will embrace fans with a great game day experience that includes public access to the ballpark, intimate sightlines, good eats and friendly service, St. Peter said there was another element that went into the planning that was important. The Twins took a “very inclusionary” approach with their leadership and department heads, encouraging input.  The result will be that behind the scenes operations such as kitchens and lockerrooms will be highly functional and effective, according to St. Peter.

St. Peter said a “few thousand” tickets remain for the franchise’s last game in the Metrodome, Sunday, October 4.  If the Twins “stay competitive” in the Central Division race, he expects total attendance of 2.4 to 2.5 million.

The Twins will announce their All-Metrodome team later this month.  The most obvious choice for the team will be the late Kirby Puckett who St. Peter describes as possibly the most popular athlete in Minnesota sports history.

The Twins rank highest at No. 23 among the four local pro sports teams in ESPN The Magazine’s Ultimate Standings article.  The July 13 issue of the magazine said: “Our standings rank all 122 MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises by how much they give back to fans for all the emotion, money and time fans invest in their favorite teams.” The Wild rank No. 66, the Vikings 89 and the Timberwolves 113.

The Xcel Energy Center is No. 1 in the best arenas/stadiums category.  San Francisco’s AT&T Park is second, Green Bay’s Lambeau Field third and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park fourth.

Among the criteria used in calculating an overall franchise rating is the “stadium experience.”  The Twins received a 114 rating, the Vikings a 117 in the baseball undesirable Metrodome.  Huh?  https://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4297569

The Twins, who lost 4-3 to the Yankees last night, are 7-31 when they score three or fewer runs.  They are 6-18 vs. the American League East.

Bobby Keppel, who pitched 3.2 innings last night, has 11.1 scoreless innings since joining the Twins from Rochester in late June.

A couple dozen family and friends leave on Sunday for St. Louis to watch Joe Mauer in Tuesday’s All-Star game.  A family member said the 26-year-old Mauer isn’t dating but expects Mauer will be married by his 30^th birthday.  “He wants the stability,” the source said.

A crowd of more than 30,000 is possible for the first public scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, August 22 starting at 3 p.m.  The event is open only to football season ticket holders.

A Goldy’s Locker Room store will be located at the main entrance to TCF Bank Stadium, at the corner of University Avenue and Oak Street. The store will be finished and open to the public by mid-August.  The store will offer the largest selection of Gopher sports products in the state, according to a news release.  Products will range from apparel, accessories and gift items to special collectibles and gameday novelties.

Lakeville South High School will be in the 16-team 7-on-7 High School Player Development National Tournament at Winter Park on Friday and Saturday.  The teams represent eight AFC and eight NFC franchises.  Hosted by the Vikings this year, the tournament is an annual event that started in 2004 as an extension of the NFL’s High School Player Development Program.

Wolves CEO Rob Moor and owner Glen Taylor will have input on final candidates for the coaching position, Moor told Sports Headliners.  David Kahn, new president of basketball operations, likely will have candidates for Moor and Taylor this month, but a coach won’t for sure be in place by August 1.

Moor clarified that under NBA rules the Wolves hold the NBA draft rights to first round pick Ricky Rubio for up to one year after he becomes available to them.  Rubio is presently not available because he’s under contract with his Spanish team.

Moor also said the Wolves have sold about 200 seats through new season ticket purchases since the NBA draft in late June.

Radio personality and public relations executive Dave Mona enjoys Irish music. He and wife Linda are planning an Irish music cruise to the Caribbean next winter.