Target Field: The food

I wasn't sure what I was going to chow down on at the ballpark for my second visit. I considered going the traditional way of getting a hot dog of one variety or another. Or maybe I'd spot something that would make my mouth water as we made our lap around the concourse.

Instead, I went with the pizza that I had last time. You get two hunks of piping-hot, pan-style pizza for $6. Not a bad deal at an event where everything is overpriced.

A feast for the family
My dad, brother and I shared a canoe (yes, the paper container was in the shape of a canoe) of cheese curds from the State Fair food stand located in the outfield side of the stadium. The curds weren't nearly as greasy or salty as the ones you'll find at the Fair, but they were still pretty good.

Mom tried the Murray's steak sandwich, which looked good although messy. The bottom of the paper tray was filled with icky grease, and the roll was splitting apart at the top.

Dad, of course, had a classic hot dog, purchased for him by my brother Kyle. This was a big moment since Kyle had "owed him a hot dog" for quite awhile now.


With just one little complaint...
Our biggest complaint from the new park was that despite the huge concourse and multiple food vending areas, there were no high-top tables or ledges along the wall (like you'd find at the Xcel Energy Center, for example) that would greatly assist in someone trying to eat their overpriced food.

We had to walk awhile from the pizza stand back to our seats so we could enjoy our Italian goodness. For my first game, our seats were right near the pizza, so the thought about the tables didn't even cross my mind. Maybe a few tables could be an area of improvement for the Twins and Target Field to work some of the kinks out.


Stay away from the ice cream
As for the ice cream I tried, there's five bucks I'll never see again. I was debating between a Kiddie Cone ($4) or the classic ice cream helmet. I went with the helmet because, unlike at the Dome, there are toppings available.

I ordered vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles. What I got was a soupy mess of hot fudge (big difference from sauce, making the ice disappear even faster) and sprinkles with a dollop of visible ice cream on top.

If I wasn't so concerned with getting back to my seat and the game, I should have asked for another one. And the ice cream isn't that creamy kind of soft-serve, it's more of a watery texture. I think I'll be passing on the ice cream from now on.

So there you have it, the low-down on what my family and I feasted on while at Target Field. It's almost as important as the game, right?

Target Field: Visit No. 2

First visit with the family to Target Field? Check. We made it to our first game as a family Friday night to see the Twins get a 2-1 win over the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. To quote Dick Bremer, "It was a beautiful day for baseball."

We arrived at the park quite early, entering thought the main Gate 34, so we had a chance to admire the surroundings. The first task as we began to walk around the lower-level concourse was to locate our seats on the first-base side. We were far enough back in the section to be under the overhang, near the Twins dugout.

Taking a lap
We then made a walking-lap around the ballpark, taking it all in, and picking up some food along the way (More on that later.). Once we made a full "circle," we stopped near the FSNorth staging area so my mom could take a few pictures.

While we were hanging around there, Roy Smalley came through the area. Another fan was setting up to take a picture of him, which Roy noticed, so he offered to pose for a picture with the whole family. Then he made small talk with them. That was a nice gesture to see.

Same old story with the bats
The game itself wasn't the offensive outburst the Twins produced the night before in an 8-2 salvage-win over the Bronx Bombers. Instead, we were treated to more of the same from them: A lack of clutch hitting, more double plays and yet another high LOB (runners left on base) count.

Designated hitter Jim Thome had a chance twice with the M & M boys on base, but failed to produce. Then he came up with the bases empty and knocked a double down the right-field line. Go figure. And I believe yesterday's LOB count was something like 9, but don't hold me to that.

Joe Mauer drove in the team's two runs with an RBI-single in the third, and by hitting into a bases-loaded double play with nobody out in the fifth. Want DP stats? Mauer has already hit into 12 this season; it was 13 for all of last year. As a team, the Twins currently lead the majors as they have hit into 61 double plays.

I'm also not sure on the Twins' team average with the bases juiced, but it can't be above .200 (and that mark is being generous). With two months about to be in the books, clutch hitting for the Twins is still a struggling point.

The other side of the coin is if they can still win games (which they can) and still be in first place in the division (which they are), then who cares? True, but these stats are something that can be improved upon.

A home-run review and strong pitching
Anyway, I've already rambled on these things before. The game did have some exciting points. We experienced an umpire's review when the Ranger's Ian Kinsler hit a ball down the left-field line toward the foul pole. I didn't see where exactly the ball hit, but I saw it cross the pole on the foul side. Apparently, so did all the fans on the platform who were motioning foul.

The third-base umpire signaled a home run, but Gardy came out to make his case, and the umps headed in to look at the tape. They overturned the ruling, but Kinsler ended up scoring anyway, tying the game at one apiece.

Starter Kevin Slowey earned his sixth win by going 6-2/3 innings. He kept his pitch count manageable and, unlike his past outings, he didn't hit a wall in the fifth or sixth. Jose Mijares and Matt Guerrier came on in relief and didn't allow a run.

Then Jon Rauch came in to close things down. He gave up a hit, but finished off the game and redeemed himself for his loss and blown save in his previous couple outings. The crowd was up on its feet during the ninth, cheering the home team on to victory.

We hung around afterward to take a few pictures before heading out. It really was a beautiful night for baseball. A sunny day with temps in the 80s. What's not to like?

Indy 500 qualifying

It's time for the Indianapolis 500 yet again. Sunday's race will be the 94th running of the greatest spectacle in motorsports. Who's excited?

Last year was the first time I was able to attend the Indy 500. I went with my family and had a blast. The few downsides were Marco Andretti crashing on the first lap of the race, and Helio Castroneves taking home the win. I was pulling for some of the "underdogs."

I really wish I was going back to the speedway this weekend to be a part of the largest single-day sporting event in the world, but I guess I'll just have to wait. For those that haven't been to see an IndyCar race in person, you're missing out. Television doesn't do the sport justice.

Now that I am the Marco Andretti Examiner for Examiner.com, I have been paying even more attention to everything related to the IZOD IndyCar Series. That includes getting fired up when the Indy 500 festivites commence.

Let the racing begin!
The drivers arrived at the brickyard a week before Pole Day (which was this past Saturday). They practiced all week leading up to the qualifying weekend, including Pole Day and then Bump Day on Sunday.

All week, the weather conditions at the track were mostly overcast and fairly cool. There were even delays for rain, and Monday's practice sessions were scrubbed altogether. But when the weekend hit, the sunshine beamed down onto the pavement, resulting in significant changes to the race track and therefore, qualification speeds.

Versus provided the coverage all day long on both Saturday and Sunday, so if you had nothing else to do, sitting in front of your TV watching racing would be a great way to spend your time. I watched all the coverage I could when I wasn't busy, and also stayed updated by my beloved Twitter.

Pole Day, Fast Nine and Bump Day
This year is the first for a new format on Pole Day. Positions 1 through 24 were decided, and the remaining drivers would have to try and qualify on Bump Day. In addition, the top nine drivers advanced to the Fast Nine 90-minute qualifying session to determine the pole position and the remaining P2 through P9 order.

The Fast Nine segment was exciting to watch. Although, Castroneves took some wind out of the sails when he posted laps in excess of 228 mph as the first car out on the track. Positions jostled during the rest of the session, but no one could match Helio's blistering speed.

There were a few crashes during the weekend. Tony Kanaan had near identical crashes in qualifying and then practice. His bad luck at Indy continued, and he was lucky to make it into the field on Bump Day. He'll start 32nd.

Poor PT
I think the biggest disappointment for me, and for a lot of race fans, is that racing veteran Paul Tracy failed to make the field. He was one of the first cars to attempt to make a qualification on Saturday morning, but his car decided to go into neutral on him.

That left Bump Day, where he had appeared to make the cut. But if a driver wants to make another attempt to try and better his or her speed, he or she must withdraw the previous attempt - as if it never happened.

Tracy's team made the call to go out again late in the session because they felt PT would be bumped by rookie Jay Howard. He failed to make it in and was unable to make another run before the gun went off. As the saying goes, that's racing.

It's really heartbreaking for Tracy because he has unfinished business at Indy. He feels he should have won the 2002 race (instead it was Helio's second win), but was denied on a technicality regarding a yellow flag that came out around the same time Tracy made a pass for the lead on Castroneves.

There was so much more that happened over the weekend, and as usual, I'm already writing a lengthy entry. Check out IndyCar.com or the Indy 500 website for more details and tidbits about qualifying and the race itself. Or, head over to my Marco Andretti Examiner page for the specifics relating to Marco and his Andretti Autosport teammates.