"There is NOOOO smoking... in Target Field?"

[woolhouse]

http://www.startribune.com/local/146156485.html

 

Careful if you only have 30 free articles to read... but Target Field is now smoke free. All of Target Field. The plaza, the sidewalks surrounding it, everywhere. I don't smoke- and don't enjoy the smell- but I think this is ridiculous. Especially when chewing tobacco will still be allowed on the field. The only positive: if they bring back the recording of Bob Casey's famous call before every Metrodome home game.

[Parker Hageman]

If Jim Leyland can smoke there, everyone should be able to smoke there.

[LimestoneBaggy]

I certainly respect countering opinions on this issue, but from my perspective, kudos to the Twins organization for this one. I respect someone's right to smoke, but I don't want to smell it, breathe it, or otherwise have to deal with it. Personally, I don't want to have to avoid an area of Target Field to allow smokers (plus its likely very difficult to create an area to specifically house them). I think they have bent to the popular will on this. Nothing worse than enjoying the outdoor air, only to have it poluted by something smelling worse than the Metrodome's bathrooms.

[spideyo]

I wonder what all the employees at Target Field are gonna do now that they're losing their smoking spot on 7th.

[Cychotic]

I certainly respect countering opinions on this issue, but from my perspective, kudos to the Twins organization for this one. I respect someone's right to smoke, but I don't want to smell it, breathe it, or otherwise have to deal with it. Personally, I don't want to have to avoid an area of Target Field to allow smokers (plus its likely very difficult to create an area to specifically house them). I think they have bent to the popular will on this. Nothing worse than enjoying the outdoor air, only to have it poluted by something smelling worse than the Metrodome's bathrooms.

The smoking area was outside of the stadium. You could easily avoid the smell by not going out there.

[Steve Lein]

The area was OUTSIDE the stadium, you're only going to be exposed to it if you join those out there or walk by. It also was located by a very low-traffic gate as it's only accessible from the streets surrounding Target Field in one direction. I understand the smell part as I myself do smoke and hate it as well, but this is America. And why is there not some room for compromise, such as making those who wish to smoke leave the property, but allowing re-entry into the stadium? Is this not reasonable? Other stadiums do this, and in fact, Target Field is now one of only 6 MLB stadiums with absolutely ZERO provisions for smokers that aren't required to be fully non-smoking due to state or city laws (4 are because of this) -> http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/majorleaguebaseballstadiumpoliices.pdf

[Steve Lein]

But I guess this just means I'll be exposing all my neighbors in the stands to my Grizzly Straight Chewing Tobacco and spitter bottle. Bet they'll enjoy that far less than they do my smoking in the designated smoking area... [Edit: been told Chewing Tobacco non-use is also enforced, though I see it all the time there]

[minn55441]

The area was OUTSIDE the stadium, you're only going to be exposed to it if you join those out there or walk by. It also was located by a very low-traffic gate as it's only accessible from the streets surrounding Target Field in one direction. -> http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/majorleaguebaseballstadiumpoliices.pdf

This is not a low traffic gate. Everyone coming in gate 6 and heading up the escalators on the 3rd basline passed by that gate. With the wind blowing from the west, it would get awful smokey in that area of the park. Also after the game, everyone would be forced to walk along the smoking area as they waited for the light rail. I'm surprised that they allowed smoking there for the past two years.

[Steve Lein]

I still would say it's a low-traffic gate, I've gone to plenty of games there and it's always one of the least crowded areas of the park (I'm talking during games when the smokers would be taking their smoke break there).

[Guest USAFChief]

What possible harm comes from allowing smoking customers to make their way OUTSIDE the stadium to have a cigarette?

[Thrylos]

Kind of a funny story: We all know the quintessential "No Smoking Allowed in the Metrodome", right? Well, that was only as far as paid customers were concerned. The clubhouses, the club offices and the managers' offices were not smoke-free. As a matter of fact, Hrbie and Gaetti used to "celebrate" Twins' victories with "heaters"... It's all PR...

[diehardtwinsfan]

What possible harm comes from allowing smoking customers to make their way OUTSIDE the stadium to have a cigarette?

None, but it's politically incorrect these days, so that's what you get...

 

I don't smoke, though I think this is dumb. I don't live up in Minny anymore, so I don't know if smokers paid for the stadium with a sin tax... if they did, they should be livid.

[Parker Hageman]

In addition to the clubhouses, etc, the Metrodome also allowed patrons to smoke in the Rally Room - a bar in CF which also had 2-for-1 beer specials in the 3rd and 5th innings. Great place to be if the game slipped out of hand.

[spideyo]

Leaving the actual stadium and re-entering for any reason is considered a HUGE security risk, regardless of if it's just for a smoke or whatever. Even the smoker's pen was a potential security hazard as it wouldn't be terribly hard for a passerby to slip something to someone that's already been cleared by security.

 

The no re-entry policy is pretty standard at virtually all major sporting and entertainment venues, and is unrelated to any smoking ban.

 

I would guess part of the reason this is being pushed now is a combination of continually mounting public pressure and laws to limit public smoking, as well as the push by MLB to get Tobacco of any kind out of the game. While it didn't outright ban it, the new CBA has specific language aimed at restricting public use of tobacco of any kind by players.

 

And diehardtwinsfan, I don't believe any money from cigarette taxes went to the stadium, I think it's all coming from the general sales tax hike.

[Gernzy]

This is not a low traffic gate. Everyone coming in gate 6 and heading up the escalators on the 3rd basline passed by that gate. With the wind blowing from the west, it would get awful smokey in that area of the park. Also after the game, everyone would be forced to walk along the smoking area as they waited for the light rail. I'm surprised that they allowed smoking there for the past two years.

This. Certain days smoke was blowing back into the stadium and that affects everyone. And as for chewing tobacco, as digusting as that is, it doesn't affect anyone else so there is nothing wrong with it.

 

This is a great move by the Twins. Yes it will piss some people off, but what policy change doesn't piss someone off?

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

In principle, I think this is a great move by the Twins, but I think my dad won't come to another Twins game with me (He typically has 3-4 Cigarettes per Baseball game as far back as I can remember).

[Harrison Greeley III]

If someone doesn't want to go to a Twins game with me because they can't smoke, I'm more annoyed with their misguided, unhealthy, expensive addiction, not the Twins.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

If I had a dollar for every time I tried to get my dad to quit smoking, we'd have season tickets.

[Harrison Greeley III]

I share in your frustration. But when people I love whine about things like this, my annoyance gets aimed at the whiner, not the policy.

[Steve Lein]

 

The no re-entry policy is pretty standard at virtually all major sporting and entertainment venues, and is unrelated to any smoking ban.

 

 

Read the link I provided above, this statement is flat-out not true.

[StormJH1]

I certainly respect countering opinions on this issue, but from my perspective, kudos to the Twins organization for this one. I respect someone's right to smoke, but I don't want to smell it, breathe it, or otherwise have to deal with it. Personally, I don't want to have to avoid an area of Target Field to allow smokers (plus its likely very difficult to create an area to specifically house them). I think they have bent to the popular will on this. Nothing worse than enjoying the outdoor air, only to have it poluted by something smelling worse than the Metrodome's bathrooms.

Right. It probably isn't a true "health hazard" in an outdoor environment (unless you're right on top of a concentrated area with all the smokers), but that isn't the ONLY justification for this. Public opinion (as well as the laws governing bars and restaurants in Minneapolis, NYC, and many other cities) has shifted on this opinion. This isn't "Mad Men", we set rules to accommodate the greater good, not to appease a declining minority of the customer base who threaten to remove their sales if they can't make it through a 2-3 hr baseball game without a cigarette.

 

It's funny that one of the biggest argument against the location of Target Field were the supposed fumes from the nearby trash incinerator, which I haven't heard anyone even mention in the last two years. Well, to a lot of people (not me, necessarily), cigarette smoke is the equivalent of smelling burning or rotting trash. It's a good move by the Twins and I don't even view it as particularly controversial, given the greater population at large.

[Guest USAFChief]

Glad to see the holier-than-thou anti-smoking zealots are happy.

 

I object to your drinking a beer. It alters your mental state and thereby makes life more dangerous for me. I think we should ban beer drinking at TF too. I assume you agree. If not, draw your own conclusions.

[WJ]

They should also ban smokers from having a cigarette anywhere, including their own home or cars, at least 4 hours prior to arriving at the ballpark to ensure no smoke smell remains in their hair or clothing that might be noticed by other ballpark goers.

[jtrinaldi]

Wow, this is interesting, just last night in between innings Barbaro Garbey would take Smoke Breaks beneath the bleachers downe 1st base side, he's been doing that for years....funny to see this thread brought up.

[Highabove]

The Tribune reported that Nishioka was the only Twins Player who smokes. He may be subject to the no reentry policy but for other reasons.