Boo Birds?

On Monday, Saint Paul had a post on politics and first pitches that closed with him wondering:

On the local front, I've not seen any reports about politicians making appearances at the Twins opener in Target Field. I can only image the reception an Al Franken, Betty McCollum, or Jim Oberstar might get. It might be worth them trying to horn in on the limelight, just to hear the reaction. I doubt they will be there though. Not a good fit and they know better than to openly subject themselves to public opinion like that. For them, the people may have to save their boos for the next time they encounter them on a ballot.

Since both Saint Paul and I will be attending tomorrow's exhibition game against the Cardinals, I was curious about who might be tossing the opening ball at Target Field before the tilt:

1:02 p.m.--Ceremonial first pitches by legislators who contributed to the creation of Target Field

Ah yes, those brave legislators who helped make it all happen. Usually those folks are so humble and retiring that it's difficult to get them to come forward and take credit for anything so it's nice to see them get a chance to be recognized for all their hard work. They are the real heroes.

Of course as a taxpayer in Hennepin County who happens to be, you know, ACTUALLY PAYING for the stadium I might have chosen a different crew for opening pitch duty. Such as a randomly selected group of residents of Hennepin County who have and will continue to, PAY FOR the beautiful little ballpark that all Twins fans will surely enjoy.

As to our noble and wise legislators, maybe instead of basking in the glory and getting kudos for the role they played in making Target Field happen, they could spend a little time on the other side of the equation for a change. Instead of throwing out the first pitch at Target Field, how about standing next to a cash register at one of the many Target stores in Hennepin County and explaining to shoppers why they should be happy to pay more sales tax to fund Target Field? Don't think we'll see that happening any time soon.

One final question: would it hypocritical to boo the legislators who contributed to the creation of Target Field while personally enjoying the ambience and atmosphere of the ballpark at the same time? I have a hunch that tomorrow we may just find the answer.