Baseball notebook: Finally, fresh air for Twins

Frank Viola stood in the home dugout at brand new Target Field and looked out at the downtown Minneapolis skyline just beyond the right-field wall. He could only chuckle as he remembered his playing days for the Minnesota Twins in the shabby Metrodome.

“Am I going to miss the Dome? Absolutely not,” Viola said on Monday at the grand opening of the Twins’ new ballpark. “My history with this franchise ended when the Dome closed. It’s time for these boys to make their own history. I’m going to enjoy watching it happen.”

The historic day started with the unveiling of a statue of Kirby Puckett at the ballpark’s main entrance, featured a fighter jet flyover before the first pitch and ended with the home crowd roaring as the Twins won their first real game in their new home.

“Everything about today worked out great,” said designated hitter Jason Kubel, who hit the first home run in the new park to help the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2.

Kirby Puckett Jr. was on hand to unveil the statue of his late father – a bronze likeness of Puckett’s famous fist pump as he rounded the bases on his game-winning home run from Game 6 of the 1991 World Series – that still serves as this franchise’s enduring image.

Past Twins from Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew to Viola and Kent Hrbek attended the game to marvel at the new facility and fans cheered wildly as their team took the field for the first time.

Selig concerned about pace of games

Commissioner Bud Selig says he is concerned about the slow pace of ball games.

Selig says he is not necessarily worried about the overall length of baseball games, but he says the pace of some of them drags on when pitchers take too long between pitches and hitters constantly step out of the batter’s box.

The commissioner was asked about umpire Joe West’s recent comments to the Record of New Jersey in which he called the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox “pathetic and embarrassing” for dragging out games during their season-opening series.

Selig declined to comment directly on West. But he did say baseball is looking at ways to keep the game moving.

Clearing the bases

Baltimore placed second baseman Brian Roberts on the 15-day disabled list with a strained abdominal muscle that will also enable him to receive further treatment on his ailing back. … Toronto has put second baseman Aaron Hill on the 15-day disabled list with a hamstring injury. John McDonald and Mike McCoy will share duties at second until Hill returns.