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clarkzac
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- Oct 31, 2010
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Warning, long read coming up, feel free just to scroll through for pictures.
This past weekend I was able to make it to Minnesota to catch three games with my dad, two against the White Sox and one against the Royals. Keep in mind that it is a total of 11 hours driving for me to get to Minneapolis, and these were games number 8, 9, and 10 for me at Target Field this year. I get to my dad’s early Saturday morning, then we make the drive from Sioux Falls, SD to the Cities. We get there early enough I figure what the heck, I’ll go down and try for some White Sox autographs. While I’m down there I’m able to get one, Todd Frazier. I missed out on Chris Sale by a couple of people, but he got mobbed and I didn’t want to move around and reach over people to get an autograph.
Now, while I’m trying for autographs, my dad was selected for a season ticket holder exclusive bobble head of Miguel Sano. This is his first year being a season ticket holder, and the Twins came out with a new plan that was perfect for us, the Flex Plan. Basically you can pick between two different tickets, buy a block of 20 and use however many you want when you want except for what the Twins dubbed ‘Elite Home Games.’ This plan was perfect for us since he’s 4 hours from the Cities and I’m 11 hours out. Here’s what the bobble head looks like, I believe there are either 2,500 or 5,000 of these given out, but I’m not 100% sure.
But today we weren’t using the Flex Plan seats, instead we were in the Legends Club, which is difficult to get tickets for as they are generally all sold out for the year to season ticket holders. This was my first time in the Legends Club, my dad’s second. Not a bad view, and can’t complain when there’s a cushion on your seat! The game goes extremely well. I got to see home runs from Brian Dozier (can anybody say on fire!), Miguel Sano, and Trevor Plouffe. There was one other Twins home run at this game, Byron Buxton’s first career grand slam. Twins win 11-3 and I go home a happy camper.
Sunday’s game was a bit of a letdown. It was a back and forth game, that eventually went to extra innings that ended with the Twins losing. I did get to see Dozier hit home run number 35, becoming the first Twins player to hit 35 since Josh Willingham in 2012. Before the game I checked out the game used kiosk, even though I already looked the night before. There was an item there that caught my eye that I was thinking about getting, but held off for a second straight day. Decided to relax today, and didn’t get there early for autographs, I figured there was going to be a chance for autographs the next day.
Monday was the reason I went to the game. There was a special ticket package for the Budweiser Roof Deck for an Eduardo Escobar and Friends Meet and Greet following the game. For $30, you were able to get a standing room only ticket ($50 got you a guaranteed seat), a baseball signed by Eduardo Escobar, and a meet and greet with Escobar and ‘friends.’ This was the main attraction for me for the weekend. But I didn’t know how to plan for it since the only player that I knew would be there was Escobar. So I did what I thought was most logical for a game in September, find 1-2 cards of every player on the 40 man roster since who knew who might be called up with rosters expanding.
So my dad and I get to the stadium, I decide to hold off on autographs again before the game. I almost took my Royals cards out, but I’m glad I didn’t (more to come on that). We get to the stadium and I go to the game used kiosk and sure enough, there’s my item still there. I think about it for a while, and decide to splurge a little on myself, figuring I deserve it working close to 50 hours a week. The kiosk is willing to hold the item until I’m ready to leave the game, thankfully since I didn’t want to have to carry it around everywhere.
After I make my purchase we head to the season ticket booth and scan our cards seeing if we win anything. But before I even scan my card the guy working the booth asks if we were at the game together, of course we are! He then asks us if we wanted to play Password during the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] inning on the jumbotron to win some free Twins stuff. Did you say free stuff? I’m in. So we are told to meet back at the booth following the first inning. We then went to the Metropolitan Club, a restaurant inside the stadium exclusive to STH, to eat lunch. After that we head up to the Roof Deck to claim our free Escobar baseballs.
We get back to the season ticket booth and are escorted up to the Legends Club, where we will be playing the game. We decide my dad will give the hints while I try guessing the word. We are told we need three right to be able to stay within the Legends Club for the rest of the game, and five right to win free stuff. With it being Labor Day, the category was trades. We fly through the game, we get three right, then five, finishing with a total of seven correct answers. For those wondering the answers that I had to guess were electrician, plumber, mason, roofer, chef, painter, and butcher. So here was our free Twins swag ($39 price tag on the shirts!) We also got a blue one, just like the red one, and the team store was willing to exchange one of the shirts for a different size for us.
So now that’s two games that we get to watch from the Legends Club. We got a few congratulations from people during the game, and a few people telling me that they were surprised that I got mason correct. So in the middle of the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] inning we head back to the game used kiosk to get my purchase and then head up to the roof deck so we are up there when the game is over for the meet and greet. While all of this was going on Brian Dozier managed to hit not one, not two, but THREE home runs. An interesting tidbit about Dozier and multi-home run games- I was at his first career two home run game in Denver in 2014 and I was at his first career three home run game. Sadly, the Twins still lost the game.
Finally, the time has come for the meet and greet with Eduardo Escobar. He comes out and thanks everybody for being there and supporting Venezuela ($12 of every ticket went to a Venezuelan Foundation.) While he’s talking Kurt Suzuki comes out, so I get him to sign a 2015 Allen and Ginter card and my Twins yearbook (no scans of the yearbook.) Then all of a sudden Kyle Gibson is following (only player I missed). Then what do you know, Byron Buxton walks out. My dad and I were able to get three Buxton autos, a 2016 Ginter, 2015 Heritage, and a mini bat that my dad bought just to get a couple of autographs on. Escobar mentions that there will be a couple more players coming out, including Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier! Two of my biggest needs as far as autographs go! But before they get out, I see Tony Oliva walk out, my dad had his sign his broadcasting page in the yearbook and I forget to grab a ball for him to sign in time. Then I see Robbie Grossman, who has been one of my dad’s favorites. He signs two cards for me and signs my dad’s mini bat. I look up, think about getting Suzuki again since I had an 8x10 in my backpack that I forgot about, and Suzuki has just a couple of people around him. I then look down even further and there’s Joe Mauer! I head over there to get his autograph, only to see that Brian Dozier is right behind him. I skip Mauer for now and head to the line forming to see Brian Dozier. I get Dozier to sign a 2016 Ginter and my purchase from the game used kiosk, a game used bat that may have been used to hit home run #17 of what is turning out to be a historical season for him. My dad then has him sign a 2015 Heritage and his mini bat. We decide then to try for Mauer, hoping for the best. But wait! I see Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez! Thank goodness I didn’t leave my Royals cards in the car! We then get to Mauer, and we are two of the last autographs he signs before they want all of the players to take a group photo. Easily the best game day experience I’ve ever had. I apologize for the extremely long read. Here are scans of my card haul from the meet and greet.
So two $30 tickets ended up turning into seats in the Legends Club, two $39 tshirts, two signed Eduardo Escobar baseballs, and close to 25 more autographs if you include the guys I got in my yearbook and my dad’s bat. Easily takes the cake for being the best day I’ve ever had at a baseball game.
This past weekend I was able to make it to Minnesota to catch three games with my dad, two against the White Sox and one against the Royals. Keep in mind that it is a total of 11 hours driving for me to get to Minneapolis, and these were games number 8, 9, and 10 for me at Target Field this year. I get to my dad’s early Saturday morning, then we make the drive from Sioux Falls, SD to the Cities. We get there early enough I figure what the heck, I’ll go down and try for some White Sox autographs. While I’m down there I’m able to get one, Todd Frazier. I missed out on Chris Sale by a couple of people, but he got mobbed and I didn’t want to move around and reach over people to get an autograph.
Now, while I’m trying for autographs, my dad was selected for a season ticket holder exclusive bobble head of Miguel Sano. This is his first year being a season ticket holder, and the Twins came out with a new plan that was perfect for us, the Flex Plan. Basically you can pick between two different tickets, buy a block of 20 and use however many you want when you want except for what the Twins dubbed ‘Elite Home Games.’ This plan was perfect for us since he’s 4 hours from the Cities and I’m 11 hours out. Here’s what the bobble head looks like, I believe there are either 2,500 or 5,000 of these given out, but I’m not 100% sure.
But today we weren’t using the Flex Plan seats, instead we were in the Legends Club, which is difficult to get tickets for as they are generally all sold out for the year to season ticket holders. This was my first time in the Legends Club, my dad’s second. Not a bad view, and can’t complain when there’s a cushion on your seat! The game goes extremely well. I got to see home runs from Brian Dozier (can anybody say on fire!), Miguel Sano, and Trevor Plouffe. There was one other Twins home run at this game, Byron Buxton’s first career grand slam. Twins win 11-3 and I go home a happy camper.
Sunday’s game was a bit of a letdown. It was a back and forth game, that eventually went to extra innings that ended with the Twins losing. I did get to see Dozier hit home run number 35, becoming the first Twins player to hit 35 since Josh Willingham in 2012. Before the game I checked out the game used kiosk, even though I already looked the night before. There was an item there that caught my eye that I was thinking about getting, but held off for a second straight day. Decided to relax today, and didn’t get there early for autographs, I figured there was going to be a chance for autographs the next day.
Monday was the reason I went to the game. There was a special ticket package for the Budweiser Roof Deck for an Eduardo Escobar and Friends Meet and Greet following the game. For $30, you were able to get a standing room only ticket ($50 got you a guaranteed seat), a baseball signed by Eduardo Escobar, and a meet and greet with Escobar and ‘friends.’ This was the main attraction for me for the weekend. But I didn’t know how to plan for it since the only player that I knew would be there was Escobar. So I did what I thought was most logical for a game in September, find 1-2 cards of every player on the 40 man roster since who knew who might be called up with rosters expanding.
So my dad and I get to the stadium, I decide to hold off on autographs again before the game. I almost took my Royals cards out, but I’m glad I didn’t (more to come on that). We get to the stadium and I go to the game used kiosk and sure enough, there’s my item still there. I think about it for a while, and decide to splurge a little on myself, figuring I deserve it working close to 50 hours a week. The kiosk is willing to hold the item until I’m ready to leave the game, thankfully since I didn’t want to have to carry it around everywhere.
After I make my purchase we head to the season ticket booth and scan our cards seeing if we win anything. But before I even scan my card the guy working the booth asks if we were at the game together, of course we are! He then asks us if we wanted to play Password during the 4[SUP]th[/SUP] inning on the jumbotron to win some free Twins stuff. Did you say free stuff? I’m in. So we are told to meet back at the booth following the first inning. We then went to the Metropolitan Club, a restaurant inside the stadium exclusive to STH, to eat lunch. After that we head up to the Roof Deck to claim our free Escobar baseballs.
We get back to the season ticket booth and are escorted up to the Legends Club, where we will be playing the game. We decide my dad will give the hints while I try guessing the word. We are told we need three right to be able to stay within the Legends Club for the rest of the game, and five right to win free stuff. With it being Labor Day, the category was trades. We fly through the game, we get three right, then five, finishing with a total of seven correct answers. For those wondering the answers that I had to guess were electrician, plumber, mason, roofer, chef, painter, and butcher. So here was our free Twins swag ($39 price tag on the shirts!) We also got a blue one, just like the red one, and the team store was willing to exchange one of the shirts for a different size for us.
So now that’s two games that we get to watch from the Legends Club. We got a few congratulations from people during the game, and a few people telling me that they were surprised that I got mason correct. So in the middle of the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] inning we head back to the game used kiosk to get my purchase and then head up to the roof deck so we are up there when the game is over for the meet and greet. While all of this was going on Brian Dozier managed to hit not one, not two, but THREE home runs. An interesting tidbit about Dozier and multi-home run games- I was at his first career two home run game in Denver in 2014 and I was at his first career three home run game. Sadly, the Twins still lost the game.
Finally, the time has come for the meet and greet with Eduardo Escobar. He comes out and thanks everybody for being there and supporting Venezuela ($12 of every ticket went to a Venezuelan Foundation.) While he’s talking Kurt Suzuki comes out, so I get him to sign a 2015 Allen and Ginter card and my Twins yearbook (no scans of the yearbook.) Then all of a sudden Kyle Gibson is following (only player I missed). Then what do you know, Byron Buxton walks out. My dad and I were able to get three Buxton autos, a 2016 Ginter, 2015 Heritage, and a mini bat that my dad bought just to get a couple of autographs on. Escobar mentions that there will be a couple more players coming out, including Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier! Two of my biggest needs as far as autographs go! But before they get out, I see Tony Oliva walk out, my dad had his sign his broadcasting page in the yearbook and I forget to grab a ball for him to sign in time. Then I see Robbie Grossman, who has been one of my dad’s favorites. He signs two cards for me and signs my dad’s mini bat. I look up, think about getting Suzuki again since I had an 8x10 in my backpack that I forgot about, and Suzuki has just a couple of people around him. I then look down even further and there’s Joe Mauer! I head over there to get his autograph, only to see that Brian Dozier is right behind him. I skip Mauer for now and head to the line forming to see Brian Dozier. I get Dozier to sign a 2016 Ginter and my purchase from the game used kiosk, a game used bat that may have been used to hit home run #17 of what is turning out to be a historical season for him. My dad then has him sign a 2015 Heritage and his mini bat. We decide then to try for Mauer, hoping for the best. But wait! I see Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez! Thank goodness I didn’t leave my Royals cards in the car! We then get to Mauer, and we are two of the last autographs he signs before they want all of the players to take a group photo. Easily the best game day experience I’ve ever had. I apologize for the extremely long read. Here are scans of my card haul from the meet and greet.
So two $30 tickets ended up turning into seats in the Legends Club, two $39 tshirts, two signed Eduardo Escobar baseballs, and close to 25 more autographs if you include the guys I got in my yearbook and my dad’s bat. Easily takes the cake for being the best day I’ve ever had at a baseball game.
