The Twins opener is less than a week away -- complete with Opening Day at home for only the second time since they moved into Target Field in 2010. So it feels like the right time to mull over an assortment of things, on and off the field. And stick around until the end because we've posed a question for Twins fans about the opener.
Tickets: On the Twins website, there are about 100 seats available in the 300 level for $25 each plus fees. There are also a couple of hundred standing-room seats on sale at $20 each. (And, as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, there was a single seat in Section 103 down the right field line.) Keep in mind that more seats could be added as the game draws nearer and...
The secondary ticket market: There were about 4,400 tickets available on StubHub on Tuesday morning. You can...
... get into the park for $17.43 and sit at the top of Section 304 down the right-field line. With fees, two tickets in that row would be $48.58.
... sit in a front row Dugout Box for $175.
... treat yourself to two in the Champions Club for $559 each (including food and drink) Of course, you can sit right by the Kramarczuk's sausage stand in Section 210 for $37.75 per ticket.
... At Minneapolis-based Ticket King, you can buy two in the upper deck for $19 each or two Dugout Box seats for $85 each, without fees if you pick them up.
The weather: The forecast currently (an important word) calls for a high of 54, a 40 percent chance pf rain and winds of 5 to 10 miles per hour. It has rained 15 times on the last 30 April 3's and there was .35 inch of snow on that day three years ago. Opening Day veterans know the temperature isn't as important as the wind -- or lack of it.
The food: The Twins are planning their annual reveal of new Target Field foods on Thursday. But we do know, according to Twitter, that there will be cheesecake.
The national anthem: Our favorite Opening Day anthem at Target Field was from the first opener, in 2010 by the Sounds of Blackness. We'll see if that remains the case after Dessa sings the Star Spangled Banner on Monday. Here's the 2010 anthem and flyover.
More music: The Twins will honor their first employee, Tom Mee, who was the Twins public relations director for about 30 years, by having his four sons sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame.
Odds: Want to bet on the Twins to win the World Series? Your $100 bet can get you anywhere from $12,500 to $20,000, if you do ... and it happens. Here's a chart. (We absolutely don't recommend this.) The scary thing we found out while looking up those odds is that you can bet on spring training games. Today, the Twins are ... (No, we're not going there.)
Betting on Joe Mauer: Yes, you can bet on Mauer's 2017 batting average. The betting website Bovada has set .270 as the over/under. You can bet $115 to win $100, regardless of whether you choose over or under. Brian Dozier's home runs? The over/under is 29.5. Here's the full list of MLB prop bets. Again, linkage does not imply endorsement, OK?
You're saying there's a chance? The Twins won their first two home openers (against Boston in 2010 and Oakland in 2011) and have lost all five since by a combined score of 31-12.
Pro tip: Public transportation is a good way to get to Target Field. Metro Transit has ended the 679 express route from Minnetonka to the ballpark, but there are other options.(h/t to commenter dirleton.)
A question for you: Is Opening Day exciting for you, even when you're not excited about the prospects for your favorite team? Answer that one in the comments below, if you want.
