February now is upon us, and most of reality has entered the picture again. The airline situation has become unreliable and expensive. My mini-van is making new noises that have already proven to be expensive. Once in a lifetime family events have started to enter the summer calendar. And yet, the MLB schedule is relentless. There is no breathing room. 

Connecting flight gets canceled? You miss the game. Important family event emerges for a weekend in May? You miss the game. Changes at work? How did you plan on paying for those trips? Better miss the game. New opportunity for your work emerge that requires some in-person presence in a non-MLB town? You miss the game.

Most humans saw this coming in December already, but were kindly waiting for me to realize it on my own. The only humans that can actually make every Twins game in a season, let alone every road game, are those who are employed specifically for that purpose. Another option is being independently wealthy with no desire to maintain a family life past May. So what is a man with a dream gonna do?

Writing the weekly TwinsDaily entries about the 2023 road trips has been a gift. I've been able to methodically and strategically investigate the dream that I was given. I've learned things about the stadiums and communities that both invigorates my journey, and makes me not want to waste my time and money! The books that I've read seem to all point to the fact that being present for the daily grind of an MLB season often leaves you with nothing to write about besides "I took a nap here" and "I avoided a car crash there." Home life was happening for all of the individuals, and yet they couldn't really be present to experience it, because they were in Seattle, or Baltimore, or some campground in the middle of the Midwest because they ran out of cash and read Google Maps wrong.

Now that the veil has been lifted, I've begun to envision a compromise. A recalibration if you will.

What if a Twins fan from South Dakota tried to go to a Twins road series in every MLB ballpark over a three-year stretch?

This combines the "every ballpark" bucket list dream with the "I feel called to experience what my team experiences" dream. It also allows me to not go to Cleveland four times in two years. Once will do just fine. It allows me to say to the MLB scheduling crew, "Texas to Cleveland in September with no off days at the start of my son's first year of high school and marching band competitions just isn't cool." It allows my family to take an extra five days to explore the West Coast before, during, and after the Oakland/Seattle trip. It allows me to tell the White Sox that I won't be there in person to see them lose that series, because I'm going to be doing something amazing with my work someplace else.

Before I make this switch, I really need to figure out why I'm doing this trip at all.

The Twins don't care. My presence will not impact our bullpen's ability to throw competitive pitches in the 7th and 8th innings. My plane ticket purchases aren't going to help at the trade deadline. The players will enjoy having more fans supporting them in the road ballparks, but they are going to do their best regardless. At least they better...

My family cares way more. They care about where I am and why. Trips to Twins games and new places with them definitely has emerged as the reason to do this at all. In order for that to be the main point of this epic adventure, it can't take place all at once. It needs to be savored and treasured, not rushed.

I do think that other Twins fans in this frozen hemisphere are interested. It's novel, and something that would be epic. I want to share this story with them...with you. Will it still be a story worth sharing if it requires us to walk together for a little bit longer, over a few more twists and turns? Or is the urgency and impossibility of the travel what is worth sharing?

Epic-ness is still involved. I can't miss a National League Park next year if the three-year plan is going to work, and missing one this year would be a major risk. 

Usefulness is still involved. I can still provide the fans with a deeper look into the ballparks of MLB, while paying particular attention to how Twins Territory is being represented live and in person at the enemy stadiums. As I began to write about the return trips to Central Division ballparks for 2023, I realized that going back to places within the division didn't scream excitement like the first trips to a place. The playoff push in September might alter that scenario, but for now, I'm not losing sleep about only going to Comerica Park once in two years. And I sure as heck am hoping that MLB sees the error of their ways and links that trip next year to the Toronto series, you know, since they are only a ferry ride apart!

I'm also am starting to hope again about the Twins' chances. That, in and of itself, changes things about the "why" behind the trip. When I started my planning, we were deep into a winter of not getting the players we needed. Now, we are mostly through a winter of wondering how we pulled that off!

Why would I not want to join in on a longer window for success? Two chances for the Twins to see the stars align. Putting all of my eggs in the 2023 basket, at the current price of eggs, doesn't seem very wise. Why not leave open the opportunity for back-to-back World Series campaigns?

I want to share a thank you to all of my family and friends who have already committed to 2023 adventures with me. At the very least I'll still be catching 16 road trips, and approximately  48 games of Twins baseball in places that I've never been, often with friends and family that I haven't been able to be in person with for years. If I would have proposed 48 games a year on the road for two years back in December, the same questions of sanity would have arisen.

I'm curious what you think TwinsDaily friends? What types of things are you looking forward to the most about my road trips? What makes for the most interesting stories? Is it the travel? The stadiums? The food & drink? The in person account of how clutch hitting in July in Oakland will determine the fate of our next two months of success?

I'm seeking wise counsel, from my favorite community. I've attached a New Revised Standard Version of the "All 81 Adventure." Technically its more of a "Great Outdoors 96er." (If you don't get that movie reference, please take the next 90 minutes to redeem that life fault) How does it look to you?

Thanks again for helping me plan this epic voyage, for as long and as often as I'm able to take it.

Revised 2023-24 Twins Away Game Trips.docx

Are the Twins for real in 2023 all of a sudden?

I wasn't anticipating a need to feel nervous at these ball games. I was just going to enjoy the relationship-building travel and some delicious food along the way. Now I might have to worry about a playoff race? I was just going to cheer on Luis Arraez as he wiggled his way to breaking up some Dodger pitcher's no-hitter in a 9-0 game, but now I might have to be on the edge of my seat with a series victory on the line in Chavez Ravine? I was breathing a sigh of relief at not having to witness Carlos Correa Giants jerseys in year one, and then it was Mets jerseys for a few weeks, and now I'm left kicking myself for not buying every jersey while they were still on clearance.  The worst part is, Carlos will know after 81 games of seeing me in the one Correa jersey that I have, that I gave up on him when he said he signed with two other teams.  I'm not a true believer.

Increased team expectations for 2023 mean that frigid April bullpen debacles in Kansas City sting that much more. Random acts of lineup malfunction in Chicago in May mean increased blood pressure in September. 

I'm pretty sure that the Twins aren't yet finished with shaping this year's roster. I'm guessing that at least one more familiar face that my kid's loved cheering for will be someone I now get to see in a new home on the road this season. There will be more where that came from during the trade deadline in July/August for sure. Why? Because when Correa re-signed the tables turned and the season took on an urgency that wasn't a part of my earlier trip calculations. 

I'm fine with it.  Trust me.  I like winning.

But instead of being "the weird dude in Twins gear at our ballpark when the Twins have moderate to no shot at winning the game," I'm more often than not going to be "the weird dude in Twins gear at our ballpark when the Twins are making local fans angry for shelling out cash to watch our team beat their team in their park so they are gonna verbally (not physically please) take it out on that weird dude" guy.

It's going to be very hard for the Twins to go unnoticed this season on the national level. Will this help our team rise to the occasion? Or will the added attention multiply our faults? Will it drive up my ticket prices and lodging costs? Or will locals stay away because they don't want to cry in their own stadium?

Time will tell, and I for one can't wait to get it started!  Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month, on my birthday, Februrary 16th.  I can't think of a better gift in the middle of such a long harsh winter on the Dakota plains.  

Grace and peace Twins Territory, wherever you are!

In the ever evolving nature of sport, some changes can fly under the radar.  This scheduling change will impact the entire league in both extreme and subtle ways, and I'm not sure the Twins will be on the winning end of any of them.  Here are a few of the main changes that I'm noticing as I plan the All 81 trip.

1.  In-Division games are reduced from 19 to 12 per team.  For the Twins, this means that feasting on KC or Detroit gets portion-controlled.  One might also argue that since our Guardians head-to-head record was so ratty, this will help the Twins stay in the running within the division.  Pundits are arguing that for teams in "weak" divisions, the new balance of schedule does not help.  Time will tell.

2.  At the very least, it amplifies the 12 games that we do have within the division.  A 3-game series in April gets magnified in the new revised standard schedule system.  Series tended to get lost in the shuffle when conceptually there were 5 others waiting down the road.  Now, a 3 day rough patch in KC could make or break division hopes.

3.  There are the same amount of road series, but little replication.  Why does this matter?  In baseball, routine matters.  In the next few years, finding a way to adapt to new travel and surroundings on a week to week basis will replace almost a month of traveling to the same AL Central destinations.  Keeping rhythms now that interleague travel and new ballpark navigation becomes the norm rather than the exception will be vital to success.

4.  Now, you could argue that every team has to deal with these same issues, so nobody will really benefit from the switch in scheduling.  Yet, because of their unique and isolated geography, the Twins gain no benefits from an expanded list of destinations each season.  Everywhere they go is definitely "away."  Think Cleveland as a counter-example.  Adding stops in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati or Washington mean less in terms of travel and time than it does for Minnesota.  Again you could argue that taking one trip to Chicago or Cleveland or Detroit out of the Twins' annual travel schedule provides room for this change.  But because of how the geography and divisional alignment work, those new interleague journeys will always be further away for the Twins.

5.  If you think the Twins have it rough...try being Seattle, or Miami.  Losing those 4 in-division trips up and down the coast inevitably ends up with more 3 series road trips, thousands of more miles of travel, and the inevitable time-travel through time zones that can mess with a player's focus.  

6.  What is gained with the new scheduling?  Potentially more parity.  In most recent history, a team could convince its fanbase that playing to the ability of your division resulted in "success."  Now, every team will be increasingly exposed for how they stack up across the entire MLB.  Good teams will rise to the top regardless of division.  Teams will have live-action experience with every MLB roster every season for scouting and analysis purposes.  Trades to teams in the other league now have the chance of biting you each year, not just every three.  

7.  On the positive, to the members of Twins Territory scattered across this country (and Toronto!) the new schedule opens up far more opportunities to experience your favorite squad live and in person.  Transplanted Twins fans in San Diego know that they get 3 games every other year in their backyard.  South Beach influencers who cut their teeth on Kirby Puckett's heroics will get a guaranteed chance every two years to wave their homer hankies in Miami.  If attending a Twins game live is the practice that strengthens the relationship, then Twins Territory is prime for expansion and growth.

In summary, I'm pretty sure that the new schedule will not help the Twins reach their playoff goals this season, or any season.  But if the schedule benefits the ability of Twins fans to engage with their club and their passion for MLB baseball, then its a move worth making.  And if there is even the slightest chance for bringing some element of parity into the MLB conversation, then such a change is long overdue.

What are you most interested in seeing with regards to how the new MLB interleague scheduling shakes out?

Grace and peace,

Steve

April 13-16 - @ New York Yankees (4 games)

Yankee Stadium – capacity  47,309 -  2022 attendance was 3,136,207 (ranked 1^st out of 15 AL teams)

Yankee Stadium screams “we own you” to Twins fans.  Last year was the first Twins victory there since May of 2019, and the Twins have gone 3-24 at Yankee Stadium since 2015.  So yes, four games in a row seems a bit _______ (I’ll let you fill in the blank here). 

But what Yankee Stadium lacks in hospitality to our chances for success, it makes up for in baseball history and charisma.  Monument Park shares the rich tradition of the pinstripes, and apparently is the place to be before first pitch.  The tiered outfield seats provide a few too many flashbacks for me to Twins crushing defeats of the past, but being present for the “roll call” tradition of the Yankees outfield bleacher bums and knowing that millions of humans are within blocks of you offers a lot of excitement.

Then there’s the rain.  Assuming Josh Donaldson is still around the Yankees by then, he won’t be the only bringer of rain as April in New York often does the same on its own.  This stretch of games carries the biggest weather risk of the season, and financially I’m not sure how I could handle it if I have to come back to this zone for a rain out make-up later in the season.  Luckily, MLB appears to have also thought this through, and scheduled a mutual off-day for the Monday after the series.  Multi-layered and thick skinned, I’ll make my way to the enemy’s lair with confidence.  At least for the first game…

Yankee Stadium resides in the heart of the Bronx, so parking and any “quick” travel to destinations doesn’t happen ?.  With at least 4 days in the area, I shouldn’t have to rush through the tourist situation either.  Apparently the Statue of Liberty takes most of a day to visit properly.  I would love to see Ellis Island, where rumor has it my last name became something new (not every letter makes it to the next generation when immigration workers’ and penmanship get involved).  Broadway, TV show scenery, and Central Park are must sees.  Or I might just sleep in my car and eat some ham sandwiches for 4 days.  Budget tbd!

Mitchell, SD to Yankee Stadium gates is 1436 miles.  To drive or not to drive, that is the question.  Its 21 hours to get there by car, and flying and utilizing mass transit while in the region is a no brainer if I’m going by myself.  However, if it becomes a family trip of sorts the options grow wider and more complicated.

April 18-20 - @ Boston Red Sox (3 games)

Fenway Park – capacity  37,755 (4^th smallest, actually listed at 37,305 for day games because they tarp the batters eye)   -  2022 attendance was 2,625,089 (ranked 4^th out of 15 AL parks)

One of two remaining “jewel box” ballparks (Wrigley being the other), Fenway Park serves as a must-see for any baseball road-tripper.  Across the Charles River from the likes of MIT and Harvard, the Red Sox’s home field carries a history of curses and triumphs.  From the house that Babe Wrecked to Big Papi’s stomping grounds (ouch), Fenway speaks to the iconic and cultural power of baseball in Americana.

Even my backyard wiffleball set-up had a “Green Monster” set of evergreen trees…temptingly close but impossible to clear.  I didn’t make that up, Fenway did.  At 37 feet tall, the Monster serves as the biggest batter distraction in baseball.  Pesky’s pole in right field sits a mere 295 feet away from home plate if you believe independent measuring services (“officially” 302 according to the Sox).  The pull-happy Twins should do great there, as long as they can remember to actually watch the ball and not the scenery.

Boston uniquely ties into my family tree as well.  My father-in-law attended seminary at Boston, so my wife started kindergarten in the midst of this baseball lore.  My trip to Fenway will necessarily explore some of these connections.  Being the birthplace of our nation also provides numerous places for investigation.  Boston Harbor, Paul Revere’s home, and the replica of “Cheers” the bar!  In 2022 the Twins were in Boston for Patriot Day, the 3^rd Monday of April, with an 11am game time so that fans could catch the end of the Boston Marathon.  The whole town shuts down, and remembers who they are.  This year, the Twins come into town on Patriots Day on an off day, and the Angels will be in town for that event.  This should save me some serious cash and traffic issues!  I get Boston’s hangover, with a post-Patriot Day Tues-Thurs series.  Is it worth it to try to make it into town for the marathon?  Should a guy try and catch a dose of Ohtani and Trout while in the area?   

Mitchell, SD to Fenway Park gates is 1,616 miles.  Yankee Stadium to Fenway Park gates is 204 miles.  Rental car or train from Yankee Stadium?  Again the type of transportation that I bring will determine where lodging occurs.  These larger cities are set up so well for mass transit, that it seems ridiculous to try to drive everywhere.  And yet, the freedom of having your own vehicle is engrained in my midwestern heart quite deeply.  Again, amount of travelers and distance to accommodations will impact this decision.  Hotels aren't as plentiful around Fenway as there are in the Bronx.

----------------------

Now it's your turn to plan!

If you have been to either Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park, please post your list of "best seats" and "must sees."  Anyone else planning on going to these series?

Grace and peace Twins Territory!  Thanks for the help!

Steve

I learned not to do that again. 

But I also learned that humans are humans, no matter where you go.  It was what we call an immersion experience.  I was going to be there, surrounded by other humans who were going to be there, in numbers and diversity previously only seen on movies by this farm kid.  In my mind, however, there was a lifeline in the storm.  Something that I could hold onto as I prepared for the move, for the commitment to my next three years of existence being "away," carried out in this foreign land of White Sox fans.  You see, the Minnesota Twins were moving to Chicago the same day I was!

When the schedule for 2002 came out, I had no idea how much I would depend on the winds of fate, and the flight schedules of my favorite squad.  At that point in the winter I hadn’t even decided to go to more schooling, let alone which city would be my new “home.”  Needless to say I hadn't given the schedule much thought, outside of the day to day Aberdeen American News weekly MLB schedule. So as I began to finalize my move-in date with the campus, I remember Dan Gladden casually mentioning that the Twins would be heading out on the road to Chicago in the week ahead.  Before smartphones and Twins apps, Dan Gladden broke news like this.  Like a fortune telling saint.

I began to ask questions that had no immediate answers.  Do they allow Twins fans into the White Sox ballpark?  Can a human who has never driven in Chicago before actually navigate to the game?  Is Wrigley Field different than Comiskey Park?  How does a person buy a ticket without internet in his apartment yet utilizing only a bag phone from some tech startup called Verizon?

Wow...those questions make 2002 seem like a different planet.

Upon arrival in Evanston on August 20th, I began plotting my course.  I listened to the Twins reign victorious that night on Chicago sports radio via an actual radio.  I celebrated and imagined what it would be like to cheer such a victory in person on enemy soil.  I called the ticket office, was assured that sell-outs don't happen, and I planned my route.  Those who I encountered around the campus said, "Dear Lord don't try driving there."  My apartment literally was touching a stop on el train system's purple line.  So for 2 bucks, I could be driven right to the stadium's front gates on Sox & 35th Red Line stop!  90 minutes later, dressed in my bright white with navy blue pinstripe replica Twins jersey and favorite black Twins ballcap, I arrived at Comiskey.  It didn't take too many stops on the el train to determine that most people in this new "home" of mine were NOT Twins fans...

So with some trepidation I approached the ticket offices at the front of the stadium.  And to what should my wondering eyes appear, but a vision of "home" and hope...Dick Bremer!  There he was!  Television star, and voice for the majority of my summer evening experiences, out on the sidewalk, surrounded by a huddle of 8-10 Twins fans all decked out in Twins gear...all absolutely second-guessing whether or not attending this game was a wise decision.

I am so glad that we made the community decision to enter Comiskey that day.  The crowd was awesome.  The staff was so helpful.  And the game...well, that's another story.

We took an early lead thanks to the heroics of the man, the myth, the legend: Bobby Kielty.  His single staked us out to a 1-0 lead.  The world was our oyster!  The sweep was on!

Then, Jose Valentin tried to kill me.  Emotionally and physically.  There is actual video evidence of this near-death experience thanks to the miracle of ESPN highlights on youtube.  At the 11:40 mark in this classic film you can see me, in my shiny white Twins jersey and black cap, standing next to the poor soul who took Valentin's homerun off his stomach!  This is why wearing a glove in the outfield is a thing no matter your age, and why taking a Pepsi and nachos break almost cost me big time.

What you can't see in the highlight is what makes being in the ballpark so amazing.  When Valentin hit that ball, he crushed it...foul.  It was foul.  From my choice location in the right field corner, I watched it travel over the 1st base line foul territory and into the crowd.  And then, all of a sudden, it bent like Valentin and was headed for my nachos.

On the radio, its sounds like a homerun and a deflated announcer.  On TV, it looks straight as an arrow and depressing as heck.  In person, it was exhilerating and potentially life-ending :)

The Twins lost 10-1.  17,225 people (40% capacity) witnessed it live, and I was one of them.  I was in love with a team that was en route to the playoffs, and had welcomed me into a foreign land and a new chapter in my life with a rousing, flaming, bag of poo of a game.  But they were there.  My home had met me away.  And I was grateful.

The Twins would return to my new “home” exactly a month later, and a few of my closest friends (Alex, Derek, and Tim) would make the journey from Rapid City, SD as well to take in the sights and sounds of the big city with me.  Friday night, Saturday afternoon…two more absolute jokes of competitive baseball ?.  My first ever live rain delay ruined Rick Reed's roll in Friday's game and we fell 10-2.  Saturday brought sunnier skies, a few more runs, and my second near-death experience at Comiskey Park in 2002.

We were right behind the Twins bullpen, and the players were so friendly and welcoming.  Then I hocked a loogie on JC Romero by accident.  He chose not to end my life, and I will forever be a fan of JC because of it.  I can’t even imagine how he must have felt, losing like that, rough stadium, rough trip, away from home…and the idiot in the Twins jersey forgets that he is leaning on a rail that drops straight into the bullpen.  The look on his face when he leaped up from his seat went from anger to confusion to plain disappointment in a matter of seconds.  But he accepted my apology.  The box score will not record the save that JC gave me that day, but I always will.

I’m not condoning ever spitting onto the ground in a public place, most people would argue that it is absolutely disgusting.  But this farm kid had seasonal allergies, experienced the green pollinating grass and lake effect wind, and forgot his immediate surroundings.  The score was 14-4, but I could care less.  My friends reminded me I wasn't forgotten now matter how far away I was, the Twins reminded me that I can still be me in this new place, and JC Romero reminded me that somehow, someway, it was all going to be ok.  

So how about you?  What was your first "away" game experience?  Can you track down the highlights?  Does the box score summarize your experience?  When I'm asked "Why would you go to all of the away games in 2023?" my answer necessarily needs to start here, at Comiskey Park in 2002, where it all began for me.  Bonus shout out an amazing 2002 Twins cast of characters, and their arch-nemesis White Sox for providing me the three whoopings that started me on my path towards "All 81."

I look forward to hearing about your first "away" experiences!  How did you get to the game?  What was the atmosphere like?  Attendance?  Food?  Near-death experiences? :)

Grace and peace,

Steve

Here's my plan of attack for keeping everyone in the loop during planning season:

1.  Monday blogs will focus on the 16 trips involved in the 2023 Twins season.  I'm going to be focusing on stadium highlights, attributes, Twins history, and community amenities.  Potential pitfalls and road blocks get considered, and travel considerations get mentioned.  My handy-dandy Baseball Road Trips by Timothy Malcolm and Moon travel guides will be a go-to for this conversation.

2.  Friday blogs will focus on the "Why the heck are you doing this?" aspects of the trip.  Stories and connection to Twins baseball, and the journey from growing up in the middle of South Dakota on a small farm to navigating a cross-country road trip for the ages.  Also, the nature of the trip, the partnerships that get established in order to make it happen, and the last-minute excitements of the planning phase will be shared.

3.  Starting March 30th, 2023 - Game-day blogs.  Lots of them.   I'll read the room and see if anyone cares about my thoughts on being back in Mitchell for watching "home" games.  I'm guessing a "While I was home" summary blog before I head out on each trip will suffice.

The only way to begin such a journey is by starting, so here we go...

March 30, April 1 & 2 - @ Kansas City Royals (3 games)

Kauffman Stadium - capacity 37,903 - 2022 attendance was 1,277,686 (ranked 13th out of 15 AL teams)

It's 1st Season of use was 1973 (Royals Stadium) with artificial turf, renamed Kauffman Stadium in 1994 after the team's first owner.  Kentucky bluegrass replaced the turf in 1995.  Folks hoping to check this one off your bucket list better hurry up, as they are proposing a Target Field-style move to downtown!

Open bowl format, southeast of Kansas City in a complex with the Chiefs stadium.  I've been to one game there, and the Twins did well!  We sat way up in the top of the left field foul bowl, but batting practice was sparse and we got some good interactions with the players.  This was the 2018 Fernando Rodney era, and he was hilarious and generous with batting practice balls for my kids.  Beautiful outfield, reminded me of Fort Myers actually with its lack of seating and open boardwalk vibe.   Folks told me it reminded them of Dodger Stadium as far as geometric alignment of field and seating.  I can't wait to compare them both in the first few months of the year!  For some reason, I suspect that LA in May will require less jackets and scarves than KC in March?  

Kauffman resides outside of the pace of Kansas City, so tour guides send a journeyer into town for BBQ and night life.  My go-to hotel (Drury Inn across the interstate) no longer exists, and it looks like it took its free dinner buffet with it...so that's going to impact potential costs for the trip.  I'm hoping to get my family with me to this one.

Mitchell, SD to Kauffman Stadium gates is 441 miles.  The season will start in a car.  Which car?  TBD.  None of the current rigs will last this adventure, so I'm seeking options :)

April 3-5 - @ Miami Marlins (3 games)

LoanDepot Park - capacity 37,442 - 2022 attendance was 907,487 (ranked 15th out of 15 NL parks every year since 2013, excluding 2020 Covid season)

It's 1st season of use was 2012 (Marlins Park), renamed LoanDepot Park in 2021 after a company :)  I've been belly-aching about the Twins starting the season at Target Field in snow for years.  I said, "Why don't they start in Florida or Texas or California?"  MLB heard my cries, and then for some reason decided that Kansas City was on the way to Miami and gave me less than 24 hours to get there.

Retractable roof (start your Target Field regret comments below), night club (closed 2020?), beautiful outside and inside.  The best part?  I could get 30 dollar prime dugout seats today via their website.  I mean its all for sale...and no one's buying :)  This "communidad 305" thing looks interesting.  BYOInstruments?  Soccer atmosphere?  Count me in if the Twins are winning!  Bobblehead museum contains 400 of the old owner Loria's collection, but something tells me that might be a little creepy.  Me and doll museum vibes don't go together well.  Moon's lists it as the "most underrated ballpark there is."  

LoanDepot Park sits in the southern part of the city, just west of Biscayne Bay.  If the roof is open, sightlines from the back of the first-base line is the place to be.  If closed...go party and play instruments?  Part of me hopes for low crowd numbers and another chance to experience "Metrodome echo cheering," but its the first week of the season.  Hope probably will still exist in Marlin land there.  70 degrees and sunny, the beach will feel great to me and hopefully too chilly for the locals.

Mitchell, SD to LoanDepot Park gates is 1,893 miles.  Kauffman Stadium to LoanDepot Park gates is 1,455 miles.  21 hours by car...literally can't make it from game to game like that.  Omaha, NE looks like the airport of choice with more direct options.  The first "inter-series travel moment" logistically poses my best chance for having a cancelled flight wreck the whole trip.  

Now it's your turn to plan!

If you have been to either Kauffman Stadium or LoanDepot Park, please post your list of "best seats" and "must sees."  Anyone else planning on going to these series?

Grace and peace Twins Territory!  Thanks for the help!

Steve

Going to every Twins away game in 2023 started out similarly.  It began to sprout one February evening, while I celebrated an annual bro event with some of my closest friends JP and Steve Hain.  JP and I had been picking Oscar winners and then competing against one another "live" on Oscar night since we were in Jr. High.  I think we figured out that February 2022 marked our 28th Oscar-versary.  From rotary phone, to cordless, to cell phone, to skype, to zoom...we haven't missed a year.  I've won twice.

Hain joined the competition in college and quickly became a natural.  He's won once.

This past Oscar night I made a casual observation while trying to figure out my Target Field journeys for the season.  The Twins were finally headed to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks.  As Hain has been residing in the "warm state" for several years, the opportunities to see his native MN Twins live and up close have been few and far between.  I jokingly toss out the notion that he should clean out his guest room for June 17-19.  We are going to all 3 games.  He laughs and says: "Its on."  

Here's something you will discover about me over the course of this blog.  Impulse control isn't high on my list of acquired skills.

By the time the dust had settled on another JP Oscars victory, I had purchased a plane ticket for June 17 to Phoenix.  

Fast forward past the "You did what now?," "That doesn't actually work!," and "Arizona is where now?" moments through March and April...May turns into June, and the Twins are flying high.  Not as high as they were in May...but good enough for this guy.

I land in Phoenix: temperature on the ground is 108.  On the tarmac: 120.  My airport Snickers bar melts between the gift shop and Hain's car out front.  Chase Field, we are gonna test that AC today.  Hain and a fellow transplanted Twins fan Will Roche pick me up at the airport, and we get a move on towards downtown. 

Lesson #1 regarding going to away games...the airport is not next to the stadium, no matter how close they look on a map on your phone.

What do I notice?  With only the Metrodome to guide my indoor baseball expectations, Chase Field in and of itself worth the trip. 

Even with the sidewalk cooking at 120, by the time I'd gotten my first Pepsi and found our Covid-season loyalty reward seats behind home plate, I was cool, comfortable, and ready to watch a 3-game sweep.  Apparently we also attended during two amazing moments in Diamondbacks history: a 20th Anniversary Museum display that pointed out how this young franchise had won a world series against the Yankees during my lifetime, and Father's Day Hawaiian shirt day (as modeled by Hain here). 

Lesson #2 regarding going to away games...the road team usually doesn't win, but no-one told Byron that in the first at-bat.  Buck led off Game 1 with a cannon blast HR.   My baby blue Correa jersey was flapping on me like a flag as I bounced around the aisles with other scattered Twins fans.  

Lesson #3 regarding going to away games...wearing a Correa jersey in opposing ballparks allows the home fans to have a target for those other 2.75 hours that Carlos himself isn't up at the plate.  Each game.  All game long.  I don't know how he does it.  But I sure as heck hope I get to watch him try for another 7-9 seasons (Carlos, if you are reading this, sign already!).

We lost the first game 7-1, we drove to Tucson, we drove back the next day to the same parking spot (now chilled to 105 degrees thanks to a rare rain shower, which was good because I overate at a Rosa's local Mexican eatery), we won the second game 11-1, we drove back to Tucson, we drove back the next day to the same parking spot (holding steady at 103), we lost the final game of the series 7-2.

Lesson #4 regarding going to a full series of away games...it is possible to go 3 straight days to a MLB ballpark, witness 29 runs and experience absolutely no competitive baseball excitement.  More to come on that regard in future blogs...

Ok fellow travelers, this entry could easily stretch on for another 80 paragraphs or so.  I'm still workshopping how much to share as I envision weekly bursts of daily "away" games, followed by weekly breaks of "home" life.  That's what the Hot Stove "planning season" is for I guess, therefore I will cut to the Chase (Dad pun intended).

The Twins vs. Diamondbacks trip to Arizona was one of the best trips of my life.  That feeling of having an idea, seeing it through to completion, investing in a key friendship that Covid and distance had disrupted over time, seeing other Twins fans trying to operate outside of their normal habitat...priceless.  I want more of that.  I believe we all could use more of that.  I'm betting that 26 series and 38,000 miles should about do it :)   

I know already that Hain, founder of "Twinsmas," will be there with me at Coors Field (the closest stadium to Tucson) October 1, 2023, ready to close out this crazy ride.  Merry Twinsmas indeed, and to all a few more free agents!

Grace and peace,

Steve "All 81" Trefz

I spent most of the weekend drumming up the potential ramifications of my "all 81 away games" dream in an excel spreadsheet.  This led to some quality angst and vulnerability hangover, for both I and spouse :)

Upon entering mileage and dates, a few things are apparent:

1.  MLB was not considering my potential dream trip when they were organizing the Twins road schedule this year.  Beyond utilizing the LA trip as a back to back with the Dodgers and Angels in May, and the train ride between Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park in April (which could each be their own version of Twins fan H-E-DoubleWildSticks), the journeys between road cities often carry a closed eyes/dart throw vibe.

2.  Buying airline tickets right now should be paired with antidepressant usage.

3.  Getting accurate travel cost assessment can't happen until I get a better handle on who is joining me on each leg of the journey and how my lodging sets up.

4.  At the end of the day, I'm even more excited to take the trip than when I started :)

To kick off the blog this week I'm sharing my template for "Twins Home & Away Journey 2023."  I would invite you to waste some time this week switching out my hometown for yours, and calculating the distance between destinations, car travel estimates, plane company options, etc. 

What would it require of you to make the journey?  For me the season adds up to (at a minimum) 37,989 miles.  How about for you?

Are there any legs of the journey that can and need to happen for you and your crew this season now that you've laid it out there in grid form?

Let me know what parts of the journey stand out to you as uniquely "oofda" or amazingly "nice."  

Steve

2023 Twins Home and Away Trip Itinerary.xlsx

Steve Trefz, 42 yrs old, Twins fan by virtue of birthplace (farm in rural NorthCentral South Dakota), of influence (Herb and John every summer evening for 3.5 hrs), and of circumstance (first World Series that I remember watching was 1987, which was also the year of the first Metrodome trip and Twins game of my life).

I have more to share when it comes to "Why the Twins?," but for now I just want to introduce where this blog is headed...literally.

26 Series

22 Stadiums

81 Games

1 Idea that I just can't shake

What started out as a dream...a vision...is now actually happening.  The original vision for this journey emerged in the winter of 2019-20.  I had planned out the travel, the cost, the ramifications of attending all 162 Twins games in person  Needless to say, 2020 would not be the year that I attended all 162 games for my favorite squad.  The reasons are legion, and obvious to all of us who have lived through the past few years.  But in the meantime, and in the present, the dream continued.  An altered quest emerged.

As a resident of Mitchell, SD, I've discovered that while I've loved having a flex-plan season ticket package off and on for the past several years, getting to Minneapolis for home games has become less and less feasible.  In many ways, every pilgrimage to Target Field serves as a reminder that while I feel at "home" at Target Field, going to all 162 essentially "away" games was not going to happen with my current life circumstance (Husband of an awesome lady, and Father of two awesome teenage boys).  The dream, however, refuses to leave me.

Enter a negotiation, a truce, a window of grace...

"All 81."  

An epic, albeit difficult, journey to be with my team out on the road.  A pledge to be present and accounted for in a Twins jersey at each of the enemy stadiums.  A quest to rekindle a love for community, and my country, after a couple of years of being isolated.  A hope for the kind of experience that might shape me for years (if not generations) to come.

Plus it should be a blast!

Stay tuned please, I would love to share this journey with you.  I plan to post every few days during the "planning" phase of the season.  Let me know as we go how far into the weeds you want me to get.  I have spreadsheets, data points, mileage and cost estimates, qualitative community assessments for the various cities and neighborhoods, etc.   I'm prepared to nerd out.   I also look forward to sharing the stories, sights, emotions, and insights that emerge from the quest.  I'm prepared to get personal.  I also look forward to a freaking division championship and a World Series run that adds another dozen or so "away" games to my list :)  I'm prepared to get medication to help with that part.

I'm going to need your help in this.  I'm starting this quest with this community in mind.  The TwinsDaily family (aka you the reader) has helped me navigate through much of the nastiness of the past few years.  It's my prayer and hope that by me going to all 81, you will be right there with me.  

Grace and peace, and thanks for reading!  Until next time,

Steve