All photos of Champions Club @ Target Field available on Flickr.
As any avid reader may remember, there were some dark years of my life when I was holed up in Waterloo, Iowa for a job. I made the best out of that unfortunate situation and ended up making a really good group of friends, and I am very blessed that we still get together a couple times a year. This past weekend we met up in Minneapolis where my friend Kyle lives now, and the weekend culminated with seats in probably the coolest place I've ever been in a ballpark, in what was already one of my favorite ballparks - the Champions Club at Target Field. My friend Justin scored these seats through his company, and we took full advantage in every way of living like "the one-percenters" for an afternoon for free.
The Champions Club is not unlike the Gehl Club at Miller Park, the 755 Club at Turner Field, or any other private all-inclusive area, but what sets the club level apart here is that it is right behind home plate on the ground level. It combines the experience of a ballgame and a Las Vegas casino buffet. For those who are more interested in the game, there are comfortable high-back chairs and a waitstaff with 12 rows of seats directly behind home plate, and for those who just want to indulge and be pampered, the club room is only a short walk down a flight of stairs. I tried to take in a little of both - it was hard to pass up watching as much of the game as I could from seats that good, but at the same time, there was a table with giant bowls of steak and bacon about 200 feet away. Had I not had to drive 5 hours home after the game, I probably would have been pounding beers two at a time as well. Everything was included and unlimited, and I also got the impression that if by the off-chance they didn't have something on the regular menu that you wanted, they would have made it for you for a price.
What we did watch of the game got out of hand pretty quickly for the Twins, who have actually been playing surprisingly well under first-year manager Paul Molitor. They were going for the sweep against the Rays and ended up losing 11-3. Staff ace Chris Archer got the ball for Tampa Bay and gave up only 4 hits and 1 run over 6 innings. It started to rain in the 8th so we left, but by that time the outcome was pretty much already decided. Joe Mauer had his customary RBI single and it was really great to see ol' T-Nutts back in uniform for Minnesota where he belongs. He doesn't run well anymore but that guy looks like he could still play at least another 3 years. I will be making a return trip to Target Field in about 3 weeks as part of a Twin Cities doubleheader, and plan on being first in line for the Torii Hunter giveaway jersey.
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.18:
Brewers 14-25, -11.5 (3 @ Tigers, 4 @ Braves)
Reds 18-20, -7.0 (2 @ Royals, 3 @ Indians)
Twins 21-17, -3.0 (2 @ Pirates, 3 @ White Sox)
2015 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 3 (+5 worked)
Peter - 12
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
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