Raising a Twins fan

It's an exciting summer for Jack's first season as a Twins fan.

He didn't have a mobile for his crib, so I lucked upon this Twins mobile at a great secondhand store that exclusively sells kids junk. This item had never been out of the package. It plays 'Take me out to the ballgame' and features TC Bear(s) circling around a baseball.

Jack loves it. He coos and kicks and just stares at it. When the music stops, he cries for more and stops crying when he sees my arm go in to wind it back up.

Twins Territory has been cooing over their new stadium too, and for good reason.

To say the stadium has been highly anticipated is an understatement. I have coworkers who have salivated over the possibility of outdoor baseball for years. Stations did big stories on the GRASS that was being grown to go in Target Field and even flew out to Colorado to get video of it. The stations have a 'Twins forecast' now and it's routine conversation to ask about season tickets, games, etc.
The Stadium is beautiful, and it's been a media circus. Opening day was crazy. Everyone wants access... even a sports guy from Shreveport was up here. If there's a link to the new stadium, press people have been here with their angle. Dave hasn't even gotten a seat some games. So, he'll roam around doing his job from the concourses on his feet.

This hasn't come without advantages. On one such occasion, he happened upon a Food Network star and Minneapolis native, Andrew Zimmern. Zimmern travels around the world for his show, Bizarre Foods, eating bizarre foods in exotic locales. The show is entertaining and a favorite of Dave's, although I stopped watching when I saw him eat a beating snake heart. No joke.

Anyway, Dave saw him and went up to say hello.... but before he could get the 'I'm a fan' part out of his mouth....Zimmern trumped him by saying he knew who he was and appreciated his work! Talk about crazy. They spoke for a few minutes and went back to the game, but now they follow each other on Twitter.


With hometown boy Joe Mauer signed back with the team, (the sports writers call him 'baby Jesus') fans hope it could be an exciting year for the Twins.

And hopefully, we'll have our own little Twins fan in the stadium during his first summer to see TC Bear in person. We wonder if he'll be as enthralled as when TC is floating above his crib.