Target Field - which side is sunny this time of year??

[BLACKJACK]

Thinking about going to the White Sox game next Sat., having been to only one previous game at Target Field, was wondering which side of the field will be in the shade first, the third base side or the first base side??

Thanks!!

[B. Amish]

1st base

[DonBo]

yep, what he said.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks guys!!! Guess I'l be buying tickets on the first base side!!! I don't like to cook in the sun!!

[Kyhl]

Huh? 1st base is on the south west side of the stadium.

You want to be on the north side of the stadium if you want sun. Just like the north end of a lake warms up earlier in the spring.

Look at the satellite view from maps.google. You will see where the sun shines and the shadows are.

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=44.98145,-93.274838&spn=0.003468,0.009463&safe=strict&t=h&z=17

Saturday is a noon game. I'll spend the afternoon in the sun down the 3rd base line.

[DonBo]

The 3rd base line runs straight north and south, with homeplate to the north. If you sit on the 3rd base line for a noon game, you may be in the sun for a short while only. The sun will be at your back.

The 1st base line will be in the sun all day long, with the sun in your eyes.

Check it out here:

http://mlb.mlb.com/min/ballpark/seat_view.jsp

[daydreamer]

DonBo is rarely wrong in my book but this one he's off the mark. I can see into the stadium from my office. First things first, home plate is to the south of 3rd base. It's 2:27 right now meaning a noon game would be in about the 7-8th inning typically at this time. The whole third base line seats are in the sun until you get up into the top deck. First base line and behind home plate area few areas where you'll be able to find some shade.

[Kyhl]

True, a noon game probably will have sun just about everywhere. So it really won't matter as long as he avoids sitting under an eve.

It matters more for 3pm games. That is the reason I chose my season tickets on the third base side. I wanted to be in the sun in the Spring and Fall.

I think it is also the reason that the Twins switched dugouts when they moved to the new staduim. The Twins dugout was on the 3rd base line in the Wart. Now they are on the 1st base side with the visitors sitting in and looking into the sun.

My wife and I were at a game late last Sept where we were in the sun on the 3rd base side, confortable with a light jacket or long sleve shirt. Between innings the camera showed people in the shade wearing leather coats with mittens to hang on to their drinks.

We were amused by this.

[Bryce]

Sat in Legends Club seats on first base side for an early June afternoon game. Seats were in the shade just prior to game time. Should be even sooner now with lower sun angle.

[Kyhl]

The 3rd base line runs straight north and south, with homeplate to the north. If you sit on the 3rd base line for a noon game, you may be in the sun for a short while only. The sun will be at your back.

The 1st base line will be in the sun all day long, with the sun in your eyes.

Check it out here:

http://mlb.mlb.com/min/ballpark/seat_view.jsp

Leave it to the Twins to screw up a compass heading.

Check out the satellite view I posted from maps.google. It shows the statium almost runs east to west with home plate on the west end.

I have a picture somewhere of a full moon rising out of the outfield from a game this summer.

[DonBo]

If you're right, then the map in the link above is wrong. Take a look. It clearly shows that home plate is straight north of third base.

Our Season Tickets are just slightly to the 3rd base side of Home Plate and we got them specifically so we are never in the sun. Now they are in the upper deck, so we don't know for sure what is happening below us in the "good" seats. If you can see into the stadium right now, then it's hard to argue with you.

[BLACKJACK]

Final verdict is that we got tickets off the first base line and by the time the game started at noon, we were in the shade. It was perfect weather wise, we didn't cook, light breeze - if only the Twins wouldn't have played like dogs. Fun experience at Target Field but spendy!!! When you plunk down a $20 bill for two beers and get $2 back, you do a lot of sipping!!!

[Kyhl]

There were a few sunburns on the third base side, including my wife who doesn't make it to many games or spend much time in the boat.

You will quickly find ways to not spend money at the park.

1.) Avoid alcohol. Easier said than done with Surly and Goose Is. near my section.

2.) Walk. We park down by Rock Bottom and walk. Cheaper parking and sometimes there is a coupon on the back of the ticket for a free beer post game. It's also a quick and clean exit to 35 south.

3.) Bring your own bottled water and peanuts. In the summer I wear cargo shorts to the game and can carry in four bottles of water in the pockets.

I still think the meatball is the best value for food at the park. At $9 it's spendy, but you get 1/3-1/2 pound of beef. And it's not bad smothered in tomato sauce, parmesan, and crushed peppers.

[nofishfisherman]

for sure the beer is the biggest money suck at the game. I personally never buy beer at sporting events. $7-8 for a Mich Golden is not my idea of a good time. It always blows me away to see guys downing 6-8 of them throughout a game. I mean really they don't taste $50 good.

Some of the other tricks i've used to make the money go a little further is to refill water bottles at the drinking fountains. If your bottle is opened they make you dump it but you can bring in a full/sealed bottle or an empty bottle you can fill.

If you want to buy a soda ask for it with no ice. You'll get almost twice as much soda that way and they you could easily share a souvenir soda.

I don't think the food is too badly priced if you compare it to the cost of going out to eat at a restaurant. I usually go for the brat or polish sausage at Kramacuzks (no idea how to spell it). They are $7 and are pretty filling if you ask them to pile on the onions.

[DonBo]

We were at the Yankees day game a couple days ago and I even took photos to back up my statements about the sunny/shady sides of the field. I just went back to see what I posted and could not believe what came from my keyboard. Believe me, what I wrote and what I knew to be true were two different things. I appologize for any confusion my confusion may have caused.

[ozzie]

haha that is funny