The decision to place juniper plants in center field came after consulting with players and coaches, and MLBTWINS
The center-field backdrop at Target Field is "getting yet another makeover, this time with thousands of sea green juniper plants that Twins management says will offer batters an ideal contrast for tracking fastballs," according to Paul Walsh of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The team has been searching for "just right look for the 'batter’s eye' area above the center-field wall since it removed 14 black spruce trees that were in place" when the ballpark opened in '10. The junipers -- totaling roughly 5,700 -- will "take the space currently filled by a large black rectangle." The grass berm immediately below "will remain." Twins Senior VP/Operations Matt Hoy said that the decision to go with the juniper plants came after "consulting with players and coaches, and after sign-off" from MLB. The living wall system will measure 95 feet wide and cover 2,280 square feet. The junipers will be "irrigated by the stadium’s current rainwater recycling system." At season’s end, they will be "stored locally in a nursery for winter care." The wall will be "made by Green Living Technologies International, of Rochester, N.Y., and installed by Boston-based CityScapes" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/8).
NO ORDINARY JOE: Walsh reports the Twins "will retire Joe Mauer's No. 7 on June 15 during a pregame ceremony." The first 20,000 fans to enter the gates for the game against the Royals "will receive a special, No. 7 baseball cap." There also will be a "series of four giveaway bobbleheads commemorating Mauer" during the course of the season. Mauer retired in November after playing 15 years with the Twins (STARTRIBUNE.com, 1/8).
