Luxury baseball

I had once been to all 30 major league ballparks, but then they kept on building new ones.  I've gradually checked those off the list and this week was at 27 of the current parks, with Target Field, Busch Stadium, and Marlins Stadium left to go.

Yesterday, I went to my first game at Target Field in Minneapolis to see the Twins and Royals and to have the most luxurious experience it's reasonable to have at a baseball game.  We were in the Champions Club, a handful of rows of seats just behind home plate with comfortable padded seats, exclusive wait staff, and access to the club beneath the stadium with a fine dining buffet and ballpark fare.

Normally, I walk up to a ballpark from some transit stop or parking lot a ways away, but for Champions Club, you drive right up to the back door of the stadium where the valet greets you feet from the door.  All in all, the approach is a decent experience, even though you miss the awe of walking up and checking out the exterior of the ballpark.  There's plenty to check out in Champions Club.  Here's the entrance:

I got a wristband, identifying me as a person of greater value than normal people who have to use the front door.  Then to the buffet.

At ballparks I like to see what concessions they have as part of the overall experience.  Good regional and unique concessions are a plus for a ballpark, like the Turkey Legs in Houston and the Crab Cakes in Baltimore.  Minnesota has some of that, but I didn't care, because they had a chef making fresh Caesar Salad and plating it in a massive wheel of Parmesan cheese.

I don't care for Caesar Salad, but I was impressed anyway.  Also by the meat.

The Bananas Foster didn't suck either, though I didn't take a picture. Instead I took three helpings.

I sat in the fifth row behind home plate.

Balls were flying out of the park in the early innings, with home runs by Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and Terry Plouffe.  Gordon also robbed Valencia of a home run in the second inning in one of the best catches I've seen in person.  The ball settled down as the light rain settled in about the fourth inning, and the Royals ended up winning 7-6, giving the Twins the worst record in the league.

The ballpark is awesome.  It has the right mix of history and modern convenience, plus great sight lines, great views, good concessions, and unique features.

Here are some things I liked:

This is Minnie and Paul, mascots of early ballclubs in Minneapolis and St. Paul shaking hand.  A nice tribute to history and camaraderie for the new park and the Twins.

I love the design of this seating section above center field.  See?  The section is the shape of Minnesota's northern border with Canada.  Love it.

The center flagpole flying the Stars and Stripes is the original flagpole from the Met--the Twins' first ballpark in the 50s.

It's Minnesota and it's April.  The stadium has heat lamps in the seating sections.  (One of the drawbacks of sitting in the front rows.)

After the sixth, we walked around so the local hosts could show me around the park and point out other features.  It was also a local trade group's annual Twins event, so we went to the Legend's Club suites to see those folks.  It was grins and back slaps all around as my hosts saw their colleagues.  "When did you get here?" they'd ask.  "We're down in the Champion's Club," we'd say.  "Oh, with the cake-eaters," they'd mockingly reply.

"Um, it's not like you're slummin' it up here," I'd remark.  They'd smile and take another drink of free beer.

In the suite level they have nice pictures of every ballpark in the league, as well as a cool model of Target Field in a little museum about its history.

Where does this park rank, you are undoubtedly thinking?  High.  It's easy to rank the top three parks: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, and AT&T Park in San Francisco.  I'd put Target Field in the next group of parks with Petco Park in San Diego, and no other parks I can think of.  So,  I definitely rank it in the top five.

And concessions?  I got some Killebrew Root Beer.  Other than that, I had to make do with all the free popcorn, Reeces' Pieces, and flank steak salad with white balsamic vinaigrette I could eat.  And Bananas Foster. 

28.