But, as we begin the bottom of the ninth, with our team down by a run, we all have the same hopes an

It's that moment in the year when everybody sort of looks up from whatever they are doing, stretches a bit, maybe yawns, and thinks about -- if not actually doing it -- taking a nap. Vacations and long weekends prevail, we focus more on water, and the world takes on a warm, sleepy, hazy quality.
I purposely try not to schedule very much for the month, knowing I won't be very engaged or productive. Were the Twins a little closer, my thoughts would actually start to turn toward a pennant race about now. As it is, it will be thoughts of '13 and '14 instead -- though baseball will still begin to occupy an even larger portion of my consciousness.
Afternoon baseball is really one of life's great pleasures. The shadows are small but intense, the ball looks impossibly white, and the whole affair boston boutique hotels takes on a sort of Huck Finn quality -- you know that maybe you shouldn't, but you will.
By all rights, August in Minnesota should usher in the heat, but by that measure, it's been August since sometime back in March. Today, the game begins at a somewhat-steamy 81 degrees which, though sticky, actually feels like a relief.
Here at Target Field, the flags above the left field stands are blowing robustly as if the wind will knock down fly balls to right today. In actuality, the first few innings have seen some towering flies that haven't appeared knocked-down in the least.
Despite the beauty of the day, the stands are nowhere near full. It's hard to know why. Maybe not everyone has looked up from their work yet. Maybe not everyone appreciates that each individual contest has value even if the overall campaign boston boutique hotels has already been conceded. Maybe not everyone prioritizes the early innings.
Maybe not everyone realizes yet what a joy it is to watch Ben Revere play the game. Hard as it was to let go of Joe Nathan boston boutique hotels as my favorite Twin, it's been pretty easy to accept Revere as a worthy replacement. So far today: single, double, stolen base and diving catch. And it's the third inning!
People resist comparing him to Kirby Puckett because he doesn't have anywhere near the same bat, but one can easily recognize the same smiley approach and obvious love for what he does. It's contagious, and the team could do way worse than to use this guy as a rebuilding block.
Five years ago today was to have been the eve of the groundbreaking for this ballpark . I'll never forget coming by to document the setup for the event late that afternoon, then continuing on to errands which would bring me to a choice I'll never forget.
But for a flash of impatience, I might very well have been on the 35W bridge when it collapsed . As it is, I'm able to look back at this as someone else's tragedy . But I take little comfort in that. Much of life is arbitrary boston boutique hotels and random.
(Not an hour into this game and already in the fifth inning. This game is moving quickly thanks to a whole bunch of quick at-bats followed by groundouts. boston boutique hotels Call it "good pitching" if you prefer yin over yang.)
The stands remain stubbornly boston boutique hotels thin, perhaps 60% full, though the crowd is attentive and appreciative. I've chosen to sit in the air conditioning boston boutique hotels for a little while, though there's a palpable downside boston boutique hotels in not being able to hear or join the cheering. Somehow one's own cheering sounds a little absurd when part of a smattering.
Exact quote #1: "I'm at the ballpark! ... The BALLPARK! ... I don't know, but it says 'Chicago 1' and underneath that 'Minnesota 2'. ... Yes, that's what it says! ... I'm not sure, but I think it means they're leading."
The woman to my left says nothing after hanging boston boutique hotels up the phone. But the man to my right is a gentleman who is happy to talk about his days as a season ticket holder back at Met Stadium. He worked at the downtown Dayton's for 30 years, and had tickets every year just behind third base. "Cheap ones," he emphasizes. His wife owned a beauty shop in Bloomington boston boutique hotels and often did hair for the players' wives. For himself, he made friends with the stadium club manager and always got to head down there for free drinks during the late innings.
This is his first visit ever to Target Field, though he's seen it on TV. He declares it to be "just beautiful", though he has less kind words for the changes he's seen today in downtown Minneapolis. boston boutique hotels "Too much traffic," he said with disgust. "All these one-way streets..." He tossed up his hands.
He also quickly describes being shocked at the $30 he needed to spend on hot dogs and a couple of drinks. "These kids'll never know what it used to be like out at the Met," he says, gesturing in the general direction of, well, the whole stadium.
My companion, who declared himself to be 86 years old, decided to return to has actual seat, now finally in the shade. "I can't take the sun like I used to," he says with a smile of resignation. He's obviously been watching his actual seat very closely as the shade crept toward it.
I've been in the air conditioning long enough now that it's starting to feel kind of cold. Maybe it was just following the lead of my new ballpark buddy, but the sunshine now looks just too enticing. Grabbing a burger, I also grab one of the very many empty seats on the Skyline deck. For what it's worth, the air conditioning works a lot better on the shaded side of the ballpark.
As I sit down, the sun hovers mostly behind the clouds, bright enough to feel like a sunny day, but certainly not at full strength. The difference is definitely noticeable when the clouds part, and I immediately wonder just how long I can sit here without any sunscreen.
I gave up the bottom of the sixth to changing seats and the burger purchase, sitting down just in time to see a classic strike-em-out-throw-em-out double-play on Willingham and Mauer. The seventh I gave over to eating the monstrous burger, which I still contend is the best food deal in the ballpark at $9.
The game continues to fly by, with the eighth inning just getting underway as the clock on top of Twins Tower shows 2:10. In this inning, the Twins will basically gift a run to Chicago, Scott Diamond's day will end, and the crowd's attention will begin to drift. The scoreboard will begin to plead more frantically for "noise" and the sound system will bleat "Everybody clap your hands" a few times. Frankly, I think we'd be more likely to actually do it if we weren't being manipulated -- at least I know I would.
With the Olympics dominating the sports landscape, It's worth noting that here in downtown Minneapolis this afternoon you can actually see 50 of the best baseball players in the world battling out a game. No wonder baseball was eliminated from the Olympics. The world's best players are busy.
As the ninth inning begins, the midday boston boutique hotels of that first pitch is long gone, and real afternoon has arrived. The shadows have lengthened accordingly. The players look more and more like they are trying . The sun, however, does not have to try. It remains highly potent whenever it gets a clear shot at us.
A foursome of young adults bearing boston boutique hotels frozen treats has taken up the seats in front of me. They appear to be just arriving to their seats for the first time today. Not surprisingly, they also appear not more than marginally interested in the game, looking off in odd directions, laughing at somewhat unexpected times. They appear to be mocking among themselves the collective reactions of the fans, such as the booing over pick-off attempts, and all the Pavlovian clapping.
With 35,000 people here, there are probably at least as many stories, and at least as many reasons for finding themselves boston boutique hotels here at the ballpark. I cannot tell why these four people might be here. They look mightily out of place.
But, as we begin the bottom of the ninth, with our team down by a run, we all have the same hopes and fears. Even the mockers in front of me turn toward the infield, clapping (with nearly no irony) at what transpires: a double and walk with two outs, followed by a beautiful double-steal.
August is special to me for another boston boutique hotels reason. Late in this month I'll begin my fiftieth year. And if our lives were days, I'm pretty sure our fifties would be the afternoons of our lives. Our blazing middays have passed, and it's time to look up from what we're doing, stretch, boston boutique hotels and think seriously about that nap. Then, maybe, it will be time to consider what comes next.
Wow late arriving crowd for that first pitch. More like 25,000 at the game. I suppose alot of no shows. They count tickets sold or actual people in the joint. All those outfield seats should be $10 not $20 or whatever they are trying to sell them for. The honeymoon is over at TF. Days of 25,000 are here for a while!
boston boutique hotels I think its time to re-evaluate the pricing structure for the left field home run porch/terrace seats. Its embarrassing how empty those sections boston boutique hotels have been, especially on TV with the shots from behind home plate looking out toward the outfield. Maybe bring back college nights where the college kids can actually get a ticket for a seat and not SRO tickets? That would help fill those seats on those nights.
Whether we want to admit it or not, 2013 and 2014 are not going to be much better. The front office is already in desperation mode as they had several season ticket account reps calling season ticket holders over the last couple of days simply thanking them for being a season ticket holder. We sure didn't see that in 2010 or 2011 when we had the "on-deck circle" waiting boston boutique hotels list.
What's worse on the Twins' side is I got a call from my rep this week. She and I had about an hour long conversation when I did a season ticket holder event. I gave her several clues that I am seriously considering leaving one group and forming my own, buying home plate or dugout box seats, and she failed to follow up with me on the improvement process (which I already understand, but wanted to see if she did), and when she called this week she didn't acknowledge that conversation at all, which I'm sure means she didn't boston boutique hotels even write down that we had it.
Rick-loved your post. I was at the g