Finally, some good news

In what will surely be remembered as a lost season of false promises and disappointment, the Twins finally got a bit of good news this weekend, when their decade-long quest for an outdoor stadium was approved by the Minnesota Legislature.
At left is a premature artists rendering (for more illustrations from different angles visit twinsbaseball.com).
At the earliest, the Twins will be playing in 2010.
I have to admit that this is a pretty special day for me, because when contraction talk was hot a few years ago, I worried on a daily basis that the Twins might leave for good.
Now we at least know they'll be here.
I have to admit to feeling a little guilty that the stadium kind of got forced onto Hennepin County residents without a vote, but on the other hand, stadium opponents are largely just special interest groups looking for someone (preferrably an old white man like Carl Pohlad or a big corporation like MLB) to rail against.
I'm not saying those aren't deserving targets, but this park will benefit a sagging metro area - regardless of what some of the phony politicos blather on about on their soapboxes.
Still there are questions.
Will the Twins really increase their payroll now, and how much?
Will the Twins remain one of the most affordable tickets in pro sports? (I'd guess no fucking way)
Parking? Concessions? How much more $$$ am I gonna spend here?
How many fans will travel from outside the metro area? i.e. - fans in Sioux Falls, Fargo, etc. who dont want to risk driving all the way to the Cities only to have the game rained or snowed out.
Will they find a way to fuck it up? This is the Twins after all. The pictures all look nice - are we really going to get a park that compares favorably with the Camden Yards and Pac Bells of the baseball world?
How many rain/snow outs will there be in April and May?
Will they ever add a roof down the road?
How will it affect the team? Playing on grass means a lesser reliance on speed, I suppose, and could increase the effectiveness of groundball pitchers.
Should they pull the fences in to ensure lots of homers or move them back and build around pitching? (I'd favor the latter, but I doubt that's what they'll do)
Will I be able to get tickets when they host the All-Star game?
As happy as I am about the ballpark, I'm guessing it means fewer trips to Twins games for me.
Just a hunch, but I think tickets, beer, hot dogs, parking and souvenirs are all going to be priced obscenely high. To maximize my money I'll probly wait for a few rainouts then buy tix for a double-header.
**Naming rights
Rumor has it that TCF Bank is negotiating for naming rights.
Let's hear it for TCF Stadium!
Other candidates, I suppose, would've been Dodge, Ford, Dairy Queen and Michelob Golden Draft - which is inexplicably the most popular beer in Minnesota.
I'd prefer something like Killebrew Park or TK Field, but those days are long gone.
**The Boof is on fire
Boof Bonser had a terrific major league debut Sunday, holding an excellent Brewers offense to one run in six innings while striking out eight. He was in line for the win but Jesse Crain and Juan Rincon blew it for him. By now, however I'm at the point where I'm paying more attention to things like Boof's start than I am to the actual standings, so it was an encouraging day.
The first three batters of the game went single, double, walk, and it looked like Boof might be in for a long day.
But after the next guy got a sac fly he didn't allow another run. Very impressive.
**Not dead yet
Kyle Lohse has apparently decided to make the most of his demotion rather than pout, and he won his first start in Rochester.
In a 7-inning game (it was part of a doubleheader) he went the distance, allowing one run on four hits.