When Target Field opened in '10, Twins Owner Jim Pohlad knew it "would be a big draw," but he "also was aware that continued interest in the team in the years to follow would have less to do with the ballpark than with winning," according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Pohlad was asked if he is "worried about attendance going into this season," after the team drew 2.2 million fans in '14, ranking eighth among 15 AL squads. Pohlad: "That is our own fault. We’ve hurt our brand by four years of losing. We’re still relatively happy about the season ticket sales, considering the fact that we’ve had four straight losing years. ... Yes, the shiny new stadium tends to go away after a few years, but when you lose too, that really hurts.” He added, "We expect a lot from the team every year, and the last four years it hasn’t delivered at all. But we’re optimistic, and I think little by little building a really good, solid foundation." Pohlad was asked if it would be "more disappointing to post another bad year after increasing the payroll" to $101M. He said, "We have been disappointed for four years; I don’t equate it to payroll. There is a lot of disappointment. But this year if we don’t improve and aren’t significantly better, yes I’ll be disappointed" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 3/8).
