Changes May Be Needed To Reduce Shadows, Glare At Target Field

Twins Looking At Ways To Reduce Glare, Shadows At Target Field

Hitters at times have had "real trouble seeing through the combination of shadows and glare" at Target Field, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra said, "There's a lot of light that reflects off that wall (beyond center field), maybe because of all the glass. It has been borderline dangerous at some points. You can see some of the catchers having trouble catching the ball, and if the catcher can't catch it, I don't think you're going to be able to hit it." Twins President Dave St. Peter "has asked the players to list any and all suggestions" about the ballpark, "just as the front office has asked every other department." Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said that one suggestion to reduce the glare is to "paint some of the ballpark's silver railings green." Meanwhile, the 46-foot sign with the original Twins logo above the center-field wall is mostly white, and Vavra said, "When the light reflects off that sign, it looks like the sun." The sign is "one of the ballpark's signature elements," but Gardenhire said that there is "hope that it can be tilted or perhaps covered with transparent, glare-reducing netting" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/8).