Target Field Scheduling Quirk

Even though the 2009 season just started, Major League Baseball is already putting together next years schedule. It won't be released until September, but many fans and media are wondering how the schedule-makers will work around the weather at the Twins new outdoor stadium, Target Field. Many have suggested the Twins won't play a home game until mid-April, and they will probably only host day games until the nights become warmer.

We got a clue to the intentions of the schedule-gods in form of a Twins commercial. It's a song touting the attributes of outdoor baseball, to the tune of home on the range.

It concludes:

Breathing fresh air,
Kicking White Sox Derriere
And getting mooned by the moon every night

How will the Twins get mooned by the moon every time they play at Target Field? It's tricky, because the moon isn't always visible. To achieve this, it will take careful planning in an attempt to avoid the New Moon. Luckily, we know the moon cycle years in advance. Here are the new moon dates for 2010:

Apr 14
May 14
Jun 12
Jul 11
Aug 10
Sep 8
Oct 7

Like many things in baseball, the motivation for the quirk is probably superstitious. Here's what some guy wrote on some site once:

The Moon is positive for those who are born in the ascending Moon cycle and difficult for those who are born in the descending lunar cycle. For persons whose Moon is not rightly placed in their horoscopes or is ill-aspected with other planets, success becomes very illusive or difficult to obtain.

Christening the 2010 season, and more importantly, the new stadium correctly is important. It's clear that the Twins are very aware of the connections between success and the moon cycle.

The Moon is positive for those who are born in the ascending Moon cycle and difficult for those who are born in the descending lunar cycle.

So if we look back at our 2010 calendar of the New Moons, we find that the ascending cycle occurs in the 10 days after the new moon. The Twins will almost certainly try to open after April 14th, probably as soon as the moon appears. They'll have some lobbying to do, but if they pull it off, it will help align "emotional motivation of [their] personality in fulfilling [their] soul's purpose in this lifetime on Earth." Namely, winning baseball games.

In other news, HOK Sport architects for Target Field have announced plans to include a full size replica of Stonehenge on the plaza.