Twins to trade baggie for a piece of the rock

Last update: August 16, 2008 - 12:43 AM

The Cubs have the ivy at Wrigley, the Red Sox have the Green Monster at Fenway and, if all goes according to plan, the Twins will have the Stone Zone at their new ballpark.

The team said Friday it has decided to add stone accents to the interior of the new stadium, including on the facade of a planned right field porch.

The porch, with several rows of seating, will hang out over the field. The facade bearing the rough-cut stone, about 90 feet long and several feet high, will be in play. So the result could be some crazy bounces once the stadium opens in 2010.

"They should call it the Limestone Monster instead of the Green Monster," said John Wood, senior vice president of Mortenson Construction, which is building the stadium.

Stone accents also will be added to the dugouts behind the benches and on the wall behind home plate, said Jerry Bell, president Twins Sports Inc. The Minnesota limestone is quarried in Mankato.

Bell also announced that the color of the 40,000 seats inside the stadium will be a dark, or forest, green. He said the seats, regardless of stadium level, will be of the same color.

The additional stone was requested by the Pohlad family recently to add to the character of the stadium. The result will be a distinctly Minnesota feel to the ballpark, especially when combined with the canopy that will cap the stadium.

"When the lights come on at ESPN and you see this, you will immediately know it is Minneapolis," said Bell, who gave an update on the $517 million stadium construction project to members of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority on Friday.

HERÓN MÁRQUEZ ESTRADA