Baseball tours and detours, 2009
Posted on June 30th, 2009 – 1:12 PMBy Joe Christensen
As the Great Midwestern Road Trip nears an end for the Twins, I thought it’d be fun to open a thread for fans to share their impressions from the road, from the parking lots, or from the ballparks themselves.
Earlier this month, we put together a package previewing Twins trips to Wrigley Field, Miller Park, Busch Stadium and Kauffman Stadium. The idea was to give fans a user’s guide for each stop.
We received a lot of feedback and encouraged people to e-mail us with pictures. (Photo insert is Dave Wenthold, of Bloomington, who made each stop with his wife, including this one at Busch Stadium.)
La Velle and I get to split these trips for the Star Tribune. And what’s a ballwriter to do when he’s not covering a game? Go to other ballparks, of course. I expanded my own Midwestern Road Trip with a stop at the College World Series in Omaha, and took in a Madison Mallards (Northwoods League) game on Saturday. Some quick thoughts:
Rosenblatt Stadium
On Father’s Day Weekend, my dad and I made the easy drive to Omaha — six hours from my house, 4 1/2 from his place in Mankato — for the Friday night showdown between Arizona State and Texas. I’ve been a huge fan of the CWS since my Little League days and have been back many times. It really bums me out that next year will be the final year in Rosenblatt Stadium, with the 2011 event scheduled for a new facility in downtown Omaha.
Sitting in the grandstand on the third-base side this time, we were treated to a very memorable game. A tight pitcher’s duel, it was tied 2-2 heading into ninth, when ASU scored the go-ahead run. But Texas hit two home runs in the bottom of the ninth to win it, advancing to the championship series.
If you love baseball and can get past the ping of the aluminum bats, you owe it to yourself to make a Rosenblatt pilgrimage next year. I get tired of the sensory overload in most big league ballparks these days (screaming announcers, blaring music, meaningless mascots, bush-league promotions), but the Omaha folks get it. They know this is a big stage, and they let the game sell itself. Between innings at a big league game, someone is usually screaming at you to BUY THIS! Or WATCH THAT! Between innings in Omaha, they play organ music — sweet organ music — as the players go through their warm-ups. On nights like that, I find joy in the subtleties. Following the players’ mannerisms, for example, as the ball is thrown around the horn. (Does the shortstop give a nonchalant flip to the second baseman? Or is he all-business, with a snappy throw and a “We’ll-show-you” point of his glove?)
Warner Park (a.k.a. “The Duck Pond”)
OK, I’m not always a purist. Baseball makes for a good social event, too. We threw my cousin, Brian, a bachelor party on Saturday in Madison, Wis., and took in a Mallards game from one of the Duck Blinds. We had two picnic tables directly behind the right-field wall, almost touching the foul pole. It’s all-you-can-eat — brats, burgers, pulled-pork. And all-you-can-drink — beer, beer, beer, beer and (rumor had it) soda.
I must confess I had little interest in the baseball subtleties on this night. Instead of watching warm-ups, I watched the Mallards mascot prepare to zip-line from right field with the game ball. I missed an inning to buy a goofy yellow, 10-gallon hat that we forced onto the groom’s head for pictures. As for the actual game, I wasn’t even sure who won until checking the box score later on the computer. (Madison 19, Brainerd 8.)
But the Northwoods League is no joke. Alumni include Pat Neshek (Wisconsin 2000), Curtis Granderson (Mankato 2001), Juan Pierre (Manitowoc 1996), George Sherrill (Kenosha 1997-98), Ryan Spilborghs (Madison 2001) and Andre Ethier (Rochester 2002). The league is growing to rival the Cape Cod League, as another stop for collegiate players to swing wood bats in the summer, tuning up for pro careers. Madison announced an average attendance of more than 6,000 per game last season, with St. Cloud at 1,794, Duluth 1,378, Rochester 1,358, Mankato 1,205 and Alexandria 1,119.
Indeed, you don’t have to wait for Target Field to see baseball thrive outside the Metrodome. Whether it’s another big league park, the Midwest League, the Northern League, the Northwoods League or local amateur ball (I could go on and on about the delightful little park in Osceola, Wis., where my wife and I used to watch our nephew play) the Great Midwestern Road Trip continues.
Got a favorite story from the road? Share it below.
49 Responses to "Baseball tours and detours, 2009"
No story. Just a thank you. Baseball is as much a part of midwestern culture as hockey is part of Minnesota culture.
Joe C….I hope you soon get to experience a game at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo for a Fargo/Moorhead Redhawks game. In and of itself is a lot of fun. Come on up and check it out. The most fun was when the St.Paul Saints came here.
Joe C. Check their website:
Joe’s nephew’s park reminded me of my favorite small town baseball park. In Jamestown, North Dakota, there is a wonderful little ballpark that is a miniature Fenway Park. It’s claim to fame is being the park where the Houston Astro’s Darren Erstad played and grew up at. Darren donated money to upgrade the park as well, and my boys loved playing there. It was exciting to crash into the same dark green wooden outfield walls that a Major League All-Star used to. One son hit a homer over the right field “green monster” and I left my seat to go retrieve it. Maybe we will see Darren Erstad someday and have him sign it! As I left the outfield beyond the fences I discovered the mighty James River flowed just beyond the right field fence and swallowed up the ball and every other homer hit over that green monster for decades. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful park with an all-wooden grandstand with wooden outfield walls. I much prefer that to the chain link and aluminum bleachers in most small towns. My only regret is that Darren grew up a Twins fan, idolized Rod Carew, and never got the honor of playing for his Twins.
Just as the slogan goes… “Baseball like it ought to be.”
Nice to get a little celebrity status with Joe C in attendance.
I was able to take in the Nationals/Red Sox game at Nationals Park last Tuesday while on vacaction in D.C.
I had seen that the Nats average about 15,000 for a park that can hold well over 41,000.
So, it was nice to see Sox fans literally take over the place to help set an attendance record of about 41,500.
The stadium itself is absolutely gorgeous. It’s got beautiful architecture and there doesn’t appear to be a bad seat in the house.
The food prices are steep ($7.50 for a beer), but they put local businesses in as some of the vendors (Ben’s Chili Bowl, a well-known eatery in D.C., has a vendor stand for example.)
On Rosenblatt Stadium: About 2 years ago, I went on road trip with 2 friends to Omaha and we were able to get over to Rosenblatt.
Nothing was going on at the time (it was April). Imagine our surprise when we walked around the stadium to find an open gate leading to the field.
We didn’t press our luck and didn’t harm anything, just took a few shots from an entryway leading to the field and left.
By far one of the closest things I’ve ever had happen.
If anyone is out in Connecticut, check out a New Britain game. It’s a great place to watch a game. The fare is well, Connecticut, alot of foofoo items, but still hot dogs, plus good beers.
Shawn: Do they have grinders? If so, I’m coming,
Joe, your first stint was in Appleton Wisconsin wasn’t it? Ever been back there?
I like the Fort Myers ballpark atmosphere where the Twins train. It’s always in excellent shape - and great fan access to the players.
Favorite Pro parks beyond the Midwest ones Joe wrote about include Seattle (where the train goes through the outfield) and Boston (where the fans razz of the opposing players is so hilarious).
Keep writing about the panorama of baseball Joe - there’s more to the game than the box score.
I took in my first trip to Wrigley field as an early Father’s Day gift from my son. Aside from being crapped on by a pigeon, it was a great experience. The simplicity of it all was hard to get used to at first, but was great fun.
To see a highlight of Babe Ruth the next day on tv at that same field gave me chills.
Can’t wait for outdoor baseball…even the pigeons.
I won’t have a story until I hit the Big A in a couple of weeks when the Twins are in town.
My wife and I did make a very impromptu trip to St. Louis for the Friday and Saturday games. (I didn’t call her to suggest it until 11 am Friday.)
I had never been to the new Busch Stadium and you never know when you’ll get your next chance, so I figured “why not?” I admit I didn’t try too hard to come up with a good answer to that question… I was too busy on priceline.com and stubhub.com before hitting the road about 1pm.
I think they “did it right” in St. Louis. It’s a beautiful stadium with good sightlines and with a full stadium, it’s a very good time. The food choices were above average, I thought. If I had any complaints, it would be (a)limited beer options (all Bud products… go figure), and (b)almost no replays shown on their big screen in CF.
JoeC,
Have you been to St. Cloud to watch the RiverBats play at Putz field. A very fun time with lots of audience participation and promotions between the innings. We got to see Toby Gardenhire play one time with the visiting team (can’t remember who they were) but he reminded me alot of LNP - he really got after it and worked his tail off.
cmathewson,
i bet they did have grinders, i just remember them selling salads and tofu and whatnot, they also had local pale ale’s which i always like.
Shawn???? You said….”"”they also had local pale ale’s which i always like.”"”
You were nurtured in Fosston MN and drink???? I find that hard to believe!!!!!!!!!! 
MINNE-CAT:
Just out of curiosity, how did Toby slide?
Just curious.
Shaun,
I don’t think he got on base to attempt a slide into 2nd or 3rd, but I know he didn’t slide head first into 1st base since I know I wouldn’t have forgotten that. I think that dubious distinction will forever be a Puntoism - one that will most likely end his career. Idiot.
went to st. louis and milwaukee. I thought Busch stadium was really nice with a good view of the skyline. I liked miller park but not as much as busch because I tend to like the skyline view a little bit more. THe atmosphere at miller park was awsome though with many tailgaters. Busch staduim was a little less intense. They only cheer when Pujols comes up to bat! If anyone is thinking about going to busch staduim I would recommend scalping tickets. There are a ton of scalpers around and they sell the tickets for way under face value!
yeah DrDon, really hard to believe that someone from Fosston would be a drinker…. what the hell else did we have to do?
Shawn, based on my experiences in Fosston, had it not been for the liquor store, there would have been no social activity at all. Agree?????
Went through StL and KC, after hitting Milwaukee last year. It’s great seeing so many Twins fans and enjoying outdoor baseball.
The only thing about it I didn’t like is all the idiots in Twins jerseys holding up ‘Circle Me Bert’ signs.
Will people please give this thing a rest? You’re there to watch the game. Sit down.
Chazz, that is like telling fans to quiet down and quit having so much fun. 
Lenby lake in the summer, but most activities were alcohol involved too.
Did you know the old truck stop on the west end, best eating around, burned down????
Flew to Chicago for the day to see the Twins and Cubs. Started the day at Lou Mitchell’s with the heart attack waiting to happen breakfast at the counter. Took the “el” from the airport to downtown to Wrigley and back to the airport. I recognized lots of faces on the return trip so I was not the only one who went for the day game.
yeah, i am back there 1 or 2 times a year.
Why would anyone sit in plastic seats, unshaded, for 4 hours, in 99 degree heat? My reason was to watch the Twins in a newish outdoor Busch Stadium. I don’t know how I did it. Because of the heat, I was easily able to leave my $5.50 “first pitch” tickets (a fantastic fan-friendly idea)in the upper deck for a 6th row seat off the 3rd baseline (don’t turn me in). I think my body went into some kind of shock, allowing me to survive the heat. I was dripping from every pore on my body, perhaps the pool of sweat on the seat saved me.
The park made me want to time travel to 2010, moreso on Sunday when the temperature was (a still sweltering) 86 degrees. I don’t really want to go back to the ‘dome now, but with the self-predicted future Twins win streak, I will gladly do it. I love banding together as Twins fans on the street, hotel, restaurants, stadium. It was a super fun trip to St. Louis, I think the guys on the field could have looked like they were having a little more fun. It’s a game after all, and one for which it is worth traveling.
The River Bats field leaves a lot to be desired
After finishing grad school last August, I postponed my job search to do a Midwest road trip of baseball. I hit up a mixture of Northwoods League, Minor, and Major League (as well as a Vikes pre-season game!). I either camped or couch surfed at friends’ houses at each stop. Twice I saw two games in one day! My trip took me to:
Detroit Tigers, Lansing Lugnuts, West Michigan Whitecaps, Battle Creek Bombers, Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Bullfrogs, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Beloit Snappers, La Crosse Loggers, Rochester Honkers, Mankato MoonDogs, Minnesota Twins (and Vikes), and St. Cloud River Bats.
Advice to all college grads: delay getting a job and do a great summer baseball tour–best decision of my life!
B-Dub:
That is dam good advice. I have always put that dream of mine off and studied and worked. Now decades later I regret it. I just found out today that Pluto is no longer a planet! ! ! So much for a college degree!
Went to Miller Park last summer for the Twins series. Of course, I94 through the Dells was flooded out for miles. By the time the bus got off the highway and onto secondary roads heading straight, we’d been stuck in traffic for six hours. A total of 10 hours later, we had made the trip from South Saint Paul to our hotel near the ballpark. The Twins won the great series, Morneau broke their scoreboard, and the trip home took less than six hours.
We took a Southwest Airlines flight, so technically not a ‘road trip,’ to Chicago to see the Twins play the cubbies at Wrigley Field. I have been to Wrigley Field multiple times before, but never when the Twins have been playing. I have seen the Twins play at US Cellular. Sorry Ozzie, it doesn’t compare.. not even close, and I only had two beers in the bleachers.
My girlfriend and I went down there with my good buddy and his wife. We toured other parts of the City while we were not at Wrigley and Chicago has quite a bit to offer. I found out I love Gino’s East pizza. We only went to one game and it just so happened to be the game when Milton Bradley threw the baseball into the stands with two outs. He also lost a ball in the sun, got thrown out at third on a base running blunder and made a pretty poor diving attempt at a fly ball. The best part was later in the game though. All the Twins fans in the RF bleachers (and there were tons) were cheering like crazy for all the things going right for the team. Then Milton Bradley throws the warm up ball into the stands before the inning starts, I believe it was the eighth. Well, a skirmish ensues and a Twins fan gets the ball and about 6 beers on a his shirt. All of a sudden all the fans starting chanting, throw it back.. throw it back. So he succumbs to the pressure and throws it back, because it’s from Milton Bradley and he was doing terrible. THEN HE GETS KICKED OUT!!! Funniest thing I’ve ever seen. Poor guy fights for the ball, gets beer all over him. Hears throw it back at Wrigley Field so he does and gets booted. Poor guy.
Well I’ve taken many baseball road trips and I just got back from a trip put together by Jay Buckley’s baseball tours out of LaCrosse. We took in games in Milwaukee, Wrigley (Twins), Cleveland, Baltimore, new Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC. I’ve been to 42 different major league parks and it’s may favorite activity. Last year my wife and I took a road trip visiting minor league parks in Beloit WI (Twins), Memphis, Huntsville AL, Birmingham AL, Mobile, AL, New Orleans, Jackson MS, Little Rock AR and Springfield MO. I love the great seats you can afford at a minor league park and its funs talking to the local fans.
Can’t wait for Target Field next year. Go Twins!
Pittsburgh has the most underrated stadium in MLB
Well I’ve taken many baseball road trips and I just got back from a trip put together by Jay Buckley’s baseball tours out of LaCrosse. We took in games in Milwaukee, Wrigley (Twins), Cleveland, Baltimore, new Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC. I’ve been to 42 different major league parks and it’s may favorite activity. Last year my wife and I took a road trip visiting minor league parks in Beloit WI (Twins), Memphis, Huntsville AL, Birmingham AL, Mobile, AL, New Orleans, Jackson MS, Little Rock AR and Springfield MO. I love the great seats you can afford at a minor league park and its funs talking to the local fans.
Can’t wait for Target Field next year. Go Twins!
I am trying to see games in all 180 minor league parks. (In my bucket list). I sure wish we had minor league baseball here in Minnesota. If you have never seen a game outside of the Metrodome you are really missing something.
My wife and I live in the Chicago area, and have tried to go to a new stadium every year or two. We have been to Fenway, Jacobs Field, Comerica, Kansas City, St. Louis (this past weekend), Miller Park and the Old County Stadium, US Smellular and Wrigley. Every time they have played the Twins, which is great. I buy a fitted hat from each stadium for a souvenier (except a White Sucks hat - can’t stand the team). Here is the order in how I rank them from coolest to a dump. 1. Fenway 2. Wrigley 3. Kauffman 4. Miller Park (the Twins should have retractable on Target Field) 5. Jacobs Field 6.Busch 7. Comerica 8. US Smellular Hope to get to Target Field next year. Go Twins!!
Moderation test.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit 30 MLB parks (24 active). Fenway, Wrigley, AT&T, PNC are the best of the ones I’ve been to. I’ve also been to 24 minor league parks. If you ever find yourself in Alabama, go to a Montgomery Biscuits game, that park is awesome! Elizabethton is a fun place to watch a game due to the small-time feel of it all. In the Midwest League, check out Fort Wayne’s new ballpark, Clinton’s old ballpark, or the great view in the Quad Cities.
I went on the road trip to Milwaukee, St. Louis, and KC. It was my first trip to Miller Park and the new Busch Stadium and here are my impressions of each ballpark. At Miller Park, I enjoyed the openness of the concourses but felt the ballpark was a bit enclosed even though the roof was open the two days (Wed. & Thurs.) I was there. The tailgating at Miller Park was also really enjoyable even as a visiting (enemy) fan. At St. Louis, I think the ballpark was wonderful once you were in your seat. I enjoyed the sight lines and the Arch in the background (from the thirdbase side anyway). The concourses seemed a bit enclosed, but overall, it was a very nice ballpark. This was also my first trip the to the refurbished Kaufman Stadium. I always enjoyed my prior trips to KC and was skeptical about any changes they would be making to the ballpark. However, the improvements that they made to the ballpark were very nice. The large scoreboard was impressive and I like how they have added the access to the fountain areas of the ballpark. They turned a nice ballpark into one that was even more fan friendly. Kudos to KC for what they have done to their ballpark. I hope the Twins can incorporate the openness of the concourses in Miller Park and the in your seat feel that the new Busch Stadium has. I am really looking forward to the new Twins Ballpark.
I took my family to St. Louis to see the Twins. It was my 1 yr. old daughters first Twins game. She will be the first person in my family, parents, brothers and sisters included to not see the Twins live in the Metrodome. Kinda weird.
I’ve been to 13 MLB parks, but I’m young and hope that number continues to grow. I still hope to make it to Denver this year. I mad it to Miller this year to see the Twins and was really impressed - perhaps because I had low expectations.
Virtually all of the new stadiums are pretty nice so you start to nitpick when you compare them. For instance, Citizens Bank Park and Nationals Park are both great, but in poor locations.
But at the top of my list for the new generation of ballparks are PNC and Progressive Field (Jacobs Field).
Hey Matt, I’ve also been fortunate enough to visit 30 MLB parks, including 11 (soon to be 12) that no longer exist! In 1988, after just moving back to MN from Boston, I had a couple buddies from there come out here for the start of a 9 game in 10 days road trip. We did it all on our own. Didn’t have tickets for any games ahead of time and just did walk up. Wrigley was the toughest, but we got in. Some great memories, including standing on the field at the old HUGE Indians ballpark. Joe Carter was taking BP in the beautiful afternoon sun. We asked Johnny Goryl if we could shag fly balls, but due to MLB restrictions, we couldn’t. There were only five of us in the whole park at the time! We had planned to go to Shea, but we all hated the Mets, so blew it off. Never did get there. I could write a book about some great pre-9/11 stories, including standing in the batters box in Aneheim, before getting kicked out. Also got to wander around the old Met all by myself, before they tore it down. Just went through a move and found my souvenier from that day - a hunk of the “Win Twins” mat from behind the home plate area.
I/we usually make at least one trip a year to watch the Twins somewhere. Been to both Milwaukee parks several times, but I’ve also seen the Twins play in Boston (lived there in 80’s), Yankee, Wrigley, both WSox (lived there in 90’s) Seattle, Colorado, Aneheim, STL and KC multiple times. Went to the Twins series @Wrigley a couple weeks back and it was about 40% Twins fans. I also saw them play there in ‘97, while still living down there. I remember about 1/4 the fans being for the Twins then. Both teams were last place at the time, but we had fun. I remember being there real early out in the bleachers and my buddy (who’s been to 46 parks!) got a signed ball from Sammy Sosa. This was prior to the roided up HR chase of ‘98, of course. The other thing about that game (the Twins won 6-5) was that afterwards, they played “We’re Going to Win Twins” over the Wrigley speakers!! Andy MacPhail was the Cubs President at the time, so maybe he had something to do with it. Anyway, all the Twins fans gathered together and sang real loud, which pissed off the Cubs fans. :*)
Cool memories and more to come!
I’m surprised that there’s been no mention of the Miesville MudHens ballpark or the one in Chaska.
Improptu detour in college in the 80s en route to Chicago, stopped at County Stadium in Milwaukee to see Twins play that night — Mike Smithson was pitching for the Twins. Very fun.
Also seen games in Fenway (my favorite), Wrigley, old Comisky, Olympic (Montreal), Shea (a pit), old Yankee (saw one-handed Jim Abbott throw no-hitter), Memorial (Baltimore), Tiger, Dodger, Fulton County and Turner, RFK.
Joe, you left out the American Association, the league the Saints, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, and Lincoln help form after departing the Northern League, but I’m being too much a stickler for detail. I get finnicky after sitting through 16 innings to see another Twins losing effort at the Dome.
Upper Midwest Baseball trips synopsis coming tomorrow after I get some sleep, my toothpicks holding my eyes open are bending and ready to break.
OK, got some sleep, so here I go. Firstly, the Northwoods League has been a success. They did a good job of getting established in markets that the Northern League and Midwest League abandoned such as Rochester, Duluth, Thunder Bay, Madison, Waterloo, and Battle Creek. The all you can eat/drink decks have been a great source of revenue and it’s easier for an owner to make it with average crowds in the 1000’s when there is no player payroll.
Trips- I’ve done the Buckley trips on a couple of occasions. They are true pros and it’s a great way to see some ballparks without having to do alot of legwork.
I’ve done my own trips too.
Fargo- Did a couple of trips up there. A very nice ballpark on the NDSU Campus with very loyal and friendly fans. Through a connection, I had BP on Field access. How cool to hang out by the cage during BP even if it was the Northern League. Through the same connection I wound up having beer with Manager Doug Simunic and Pitching Coach Former Twin Jeff Bittiger. It was a great time enjoying brews with a couple of great baseball minds.
Sioux Falls- Another ballpark and city that has great fans, A Pole Gang, and a creative mind behind the team operations and one of the good baseball people, John Kuhn. They renovated a basic park in 2000 to make it a modern park with quirks such as a mini golf course and fences proportioned towards HR hitters. It was a blast sitting above the Saints dugout and being the only one cheering when they clinched the 2nd half title in 2007.
Sioux City- been there once. This ballpark was done right before the boom of minor league ballparks was done so unfortunately it lacks some amenities that parks only a year or two older have. I remember it was 4th of July weekend and they had a local sing God Bless the USA. I was the only one cheering when they sang from the Lakes of Minnesota.
Des Moines- Nice ballpark on the outskirts of downtown Des Moines. Plenty of parking with a restaurant row walking distance away. Johnny’s Hall of Fame is a must for baseball fans for pregame brews and food. They don’t do much promotion wise compared to the Indy/Northwoods league ballparks. Pretty much open up the doors and sell baseball. I went there to see Edmonton play when they were the Twins AAA affiliate. Blake, LeCroy, Restovich, Frederick, Nakamura were among future Twins I got to see that night.
Cedar Rapids- great ballpark in a smaller market that really supports their team. I’ll never forget having a beer at a Ma and Pa beer joint across the street and striking up a conversation with The Chicken’s personal driver. What a gig, driving the famous Chicken from ballpark to ballpark. Saw the Twins Class A Quad Cities team play Cedar Rapids. Blackburn pitched that night for the River Bandits.
As far as Northwoods League parks, I’ve been to Duluth, Rochester, Mankato, St. Cloud (Dick Putz Field, not the new park yet), and La Crosse (nice park with a great view of the river from the 1st base bleachers).
My goal this summer will be to get down to Beloit to see the Snappers. I’ve visited the stadium but have never been to a game there.
Anyone looking to go to any Northern League or American Association parks may want to check my friends website out. aabfan.com or nlfan.com. He has travel guides for all the parks past and present.
As a baseball fan and coach, going to the college world series is like being a kid in a candy store. Baseball in a spectacular venue. I have been attending the CWS for 38 years and have memories such as Dave Winfield pitching 8 great innings before melting down in the ninth as a Gopher pitcher against mighty USC and ASU’s Barry Bonds playing without the use of steroids. The venue, event and fans represent baseball in its purest form.
While I was in Milwaukee with my dad and my friend, we stopped by Rock Bottom Brewery. It was the afternoon of the Wednesday game, around 2:00. After we were there for about 5 minutes the waitress came up to us and told us there was a Twins pitcher in the restaurant when we got there, and he had just left. She said it was the Twins closer and he was with 2 other guys. They are not allowed to bring attention to athletes, so she couldn’t tell us until he left.
We were obviously very disappointed because we just missed seeing Joe Nathan, we even went outside to see if we could see him walking back to his hotel. We didn’t see him and walked back in. About 2 minutes later, the waitress came up to us and said “If it’s any consolation, he left this at his table.” So she handed me his newspaper that he had been working on. He had done the sudoku, the crossword, and some other games and puzzles. When he left he had autographed it and left it at his table. Pretty cool experience.
