With the Major League Baseball All-Star Game now in the books (another American League victory!!!!), I wanted to take a moment to address the possibility of Minnesota hosting the Midsummer Classic while also sharing some thoughts on this year?s All-Star Game venue ? Pittsburgh?s PNC Park.

Much has been written and said in recent weeks about the prospect of the MLB awarding Minnesota a future All-Star Game. While no formal discussions have taken place on the subject, the approval of the Twins-Hennepin County ballpark should give Upper Midwest baseball fans cause for optimism. The Twins have hosted the game twice ? at Metropolitan Stadium in 1965 and at the HHH Metrodome in 1985.

As the Twins-Hennepin County ballpark plan moved through the legislative process, the team did commence informal dialogue with MLB about the feasibility of securing a future game for Minnesota. While no commitments have been made, the Twins received every indication that Minnesota is well positioned to bring the All-Star Game back to our community. To that end, it?s our intention to begin formal discussions with MLB in the near future with hopes of bringing the Midsummer Classic to the new Hennepin County ballpark sometime following the 2010 season. Stay tuned for further updates on this exciting opportunity for Minnesota baseball fans.

Speaking of the All-Star Game, I wanted to share a few thoughts on the host venue for this year?s contest ? PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA.  First and foremost, I thought the Pirates organization and City of Pittsburgh did a fantastic job in hosting the All-Star Week festivities. That task is made easier when you have a wonderful facility such as PNC Park. Opened in the spring of 2001, PNC Park is the most intimate of all the new ballparks in America with total seating capacity of roughly 37,000. The sightlines within PNC Park are outstanding, as are the views of the Pittsburgh skyline. I couldn?t help but think how PNC?s orientation to downtown Pittsburgh is similar to the opportunity we have with our site in relation to downtown Minneapolis. The major difference is the Allegheny River sits between PNC Park and downtown Pittsburgh, while Interstate 394 stands between the Twins-Hennepin County ballpark site and downtown Minneapolis.

Beyond the sightlines and downtown views, other signature elements of PNC Park include:

• Kasota stone is the featured material on the building?s exterior (along with exposed deep navy blue steel), giving the ballpark a truly Pittsburgh feel.
• The Roberto Clemente Bridge spans the Allegheny River and is highly visible in virtually all seating areas. This bridge serves as inspiration to Minnesota ballpark designers as we consider options surrounding the construction of a pedestrian bridge aimed at connecting downtown Minneapolis to the Twins-Hennepin County ballpark site.
• Pittsburgh?s very-own Primanti Brothers Sandwiches are the signature food item at PNC Park. These are so good, we may have to find a way to bring Primanti Brothers to Minnesota.

All in all, PNC Park is among the best of America?s new ballparks. We can learn a lot about what they did right in Pittsburgh.

Next week, our ballpark tour continues with visits to Citizen?s Bank Park in Philadelphia and Jacob?s Field in Cleveland.

Thanks again for your support.

Win Twins!!!!

Dave St. Peter

President, Minnesota Twins

One of my favorite movie moments of all-time is the famed City Slickers scene in which Billy Crystal?s character describes in vivid detail his memory of walking into Yankee Stadium for the very first time. He waxes poetically about the anticipation of attending the game, walking into the ballpark and seeing the spectacular fields of green.

That is precisely the same feeling I get every single time I walk into an open-air ballpark. No matter what the time of year, no matter what is going on in my life, that single moment of catching the first glimpse of the ballpark ? the natural grass playing field ? the scoreboard ? is simply magical.

I had that experience again this week when I joined several members of the Twins organization in visiting Busch Stadium in St. Louis as part of a series of visits to recently built open-air ballparks. The tour group, which included Twins Sports Inc. President Jerry Bell, our CFO Kip Elliott, our VP/Assistant GM Bill Smith, our VP Operations Matt Hoy, our VP Corporate Partnerships Eric Curry, our VP Ticket Sales and Service Steve Smith, our Director of Ticket Sales Scott O?Connell along with assorted team advisors, is visiting the ballparks in order to gain fresh perspective on the latest trends in sports facility construction and general fan amenities. Understanding the Twins will drive much of the ballpark?s final design, it?s truly important that we involve a variety of folks throughout our organization to offer input and specific expertise in their respective area?s of emphasis.

The St. Louis trip proved to be time well spent on a variety of fronts.

First, the ballpark itself was fantastic. The Cardinals organization deserves a lot of credit for building a facility that St. Louis baseball fans ? some of the best fans in all of sports ? can be proud of. Located immediately adjacent the site of the previous Busch Stadium, new Busch seats approximately 44,000 fans and opened in April of this year. Signature elements of Busch Stadium include the Cardinal red brick; wonderful views of downtown St. Louis and ? of course ? the Arch; a variety of tributes to the great Cardinal teams and players of the past; more group Party Rooms (40-plus) than any ballpark in America; and a split upper deck (which is the same design we would like to implement in Minnesota?s new ballpark).

Secondly, our team had a wonderful opportunity to spend the day with a variety of Cardinal officials headlined by team president Mark Lamping and owner?s representative John Loyd. Their hospitality was incredible and while the tour is important, it?s the one-on-one dialogue with folks like this that is absolutely critical. You learn so much over a few hours. Not only what they did right, but perhaps more importantly, what they would do differently if they could do it again.

Over the next month, Twins officials will visit Pittsburgh?s PNC Park (for the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game) in addition to Cleveland?s Jacobs Field, Philadelphia?s Citizen?s Bank Park, San Diego?s PETCO Park and San Francisco?s AT&T Park. We will report back following each of those trips.

WIN TWINS!!!

Dave St. Peter

President, Minnesota Twins

P.S. Keep the New Ballpark Suggestions coming. Thanks to everyone who has already sent in their thoughts. To date we have received 1,000+ plus ideas ? all of which are reviewed by our internal new ballpark team. Who knows? Perhaps your idea will be incorporated into the new facility.

The month of June has been exciting on a variety of fronts for the Minnesota Twins and baseball fans across the Upper Midwest. On the field, the Twins have won games at a torrid pace creeping their way back into contention for a spot in postseason play. Off the field, Twins fans have rallied around their hometown team as huge crowds have packed the Dome for matchups versus the Red Sox, Cubs and Dodgers.

As the 2006 season progresses, so do plans for the construction of the Twins-Hennepin County ballpark. Over the past week we?ve seen a variety of developments:

Formation of Minnesota Ballpark Authority ?- As required in the Twins-Hennepin County ballpark legislation, this five-member group will provide oversight to the ballpark design and construction process. Scheduled to meet for the first time Friday, July 7, the MBA is made up of the following individuals:

• Steve Cramer, Chair — Former Minneapolis City Council Member (appointed by Hennepin County)
• Joan Campbell ? Former Minneapolis City Council Member (appointed by City of Minneapolis)
• Barb Sykora ? Retiring State Representative from Excelsior (appointed by Hennepin County)
• Mike Vekich ? Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (appointed by Governor Pawlenty)
• John Wade ? Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce (appointed by Governor Pawlenty)

The Twins are quite pleased with the respective appointments and look forward to working closely with this thoughtful, well-rounded group of people. In the weeks to come look for this group to establish bylaws, appoint an executive director and develop an organizational structure.

Hennepin County OKs Spending Plan ?- The Hennepin County Commission has approved the allocation of $5 million in order to allow ballpark-related work to progress on a variety of fronts including land acquisition, environmental studies and a development agreement with the baseball team.

Public Hearings Set for Week of August 21 ?- The Hennepin County Commission voted to approve plans to hold three public hearings associated with the ballpark. Plans call for the hearings to be held during the week of August 21 in advance of a final vote later this year to levy the 0.15 percent county-wide sales tax. Rest assured, more details on the hearings (specific dates, times and locations) will be communicated in this space in the near future. As always, it?s important for ballpark advocates to demonstrate their support at every opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Twins continue to organize and prepare for the fast-approaching ballpark design process. Please keep the ballpark ideas rolling in! In the coming weeks a group from our organization will visit a variety of recently built ballparks including Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Citizen?s Bank Park in Philadelphia, Petco Park in San Diego and AT&T Park in San Francisco.

More on those trips ? and more importantly those ballparks ? to come in the near future.

Win Twins!

Dave St. Peter
President, Minnesota Twins

As I sit down to write this initial blog entry, I can?t help but think what an exciting time this is for the Minnesota Twins organization and millions of baseball fans across the region.

Think about it. Over the past 30 days, the Minnesota State Legislature passed the Twins-Hennepin County ballpark bill, ending a decade of debate and helping preserve the franchise for future generations. If the historic passage of the ballpark legislation wasn?t enough, on the field a nucleus of young, up-and-coming players has emerged, helping bring the Twins back to the .500 mark and hopefully back into contention in the American League Central. Yes, it?s a great time to be a Twins fan.

The excitement of the past month is nothing compared with the anticipation for the return of outdoor baseball in April 2010. Our organization is already deeply immersed in the planning process, which will result in the construction and opening of one of America?s best baseball venues.

As the Twins begin to focus on the new ballpark, fans across the Upper Midwest will be front and center. In fact, this blog is designed to take fans along -? every step of the way — from the design process to the groundbreaking to the first pitch. The next 3 1/2 years promise to be jam-packed with new ballpark developments as the facility emerges in the Minneapolis warehouse district. We intend to utilize this space to provide fans with ?insider? perspective on the latest timelines, ballpark news, ticket options and much, much more.

So check back soon as the ballpark process begins to ramp up.

Win Twins!!!!!

Dave St. Peter
President, Minnesota Twins