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The American League All-Stars beat the National League last night 5-3 at Target Field with a little help from Twins Glen Perkins and Kurt Suzuki.  


The game ends the nearly week long celebration of baseball.  And officials with the city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Twins say there will be lasting impact from the game for years to come.

MLB: Sorry for early morning All-Star fireworks


On Tuesday, it was hard to find anywhere within a several block radius of Target Field that wasn't full of people or signs of the event.  


Bright green lines painted on downtown sidewalks pointed visitors toward the Minneapolis Convention Center for FanFest and to Target Field.


And between Hennepin Avenue and 1st Ave N. on 6th Street, Chevrolet set up a showroom for its pickup trucks in the middle of the street. 


Thousands of people strolled near Target Field, or perched at tables in sidewalk cafes.  


Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges spent part of the All-Star game in one of the many bars along First Avenue.  She said the out of town visitors she talked with were enjoying their stay.   


"They're seeing the best of Minneapolis, they're seeing what we have to offer and they're seeing people happy to be here and having a good time," the mayor said.


The All-Star Game also shows that Minneapolis can handle big events, like the 2018 Super Bowl to be held in the new Vikings stadium under construction in the eastern part of downtown, she added.


Some of those out of town visitors watched the All-Star Game from just outside Target Field.  Gayle Wilmot  and her husband drove from Toronto even though they didn't have tickets to the game. They took the light rail from near the University of Minnesota and wound up at Target Field Station. That's where a big screen beamed the game to a crowd seated on the station's large grassy lawn.


"We found this seat on the lawn with the politest bunch of people I've ever seen. They could have been in church. I've never seen anything so calm outside of a major sporting event. This is beautiful," Gayle Wilmot said.


Unlike the rain soaked Home Run Derby, the All-Star Game started on time -- right after a fly-over by a squadron of six F-16 jets known as the Thunderbirds, and as singer Idina Menzel sang the last notes of the national anthem. 

USAF Thunderbirds fly over the All Star Game


The crowd of fans from teams around the league were especially gracious to retiring New York Yankee Derek Jeter.  A 14-time All Star, Jeter received a standing ovation as he left the field in the fourth inning and Frank Sinatra's rendition of "New York, New York" played over the public address system.


The sold out crowd of more than 41,000 people also cheered wildly for Twins pitcher Glen Perkins who worked in the 9th inning to save the game.  Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki was called in to catch for his teammate.


Perkins says 20 years from now, he'll remember how loud the crowd was as he entered the game. 


"I wasn't fighting back tears, but it was an overwhelming moment to hear kind of the build up as I walked out of the pen.  And then it got louder and louder and then when I was jogging in." 


Twins team officials say the All-Star Game and the activities surrounding it will leave an impression on the area that will last for years. Spokesman Kevin Smith says not only did visitors spend in his estimation tens of millions of dollars, but foundations have already pledged a record $8 million to local charities.


"From the Ronald McDonald House to the Boys and Girls Club to the Nature Brook Trout Farm.  A number of other -- 11 locations got field rebuilds and replacements.  So baseball and youth athletics and things for kids to do are available for years to come."


During the highly-produced events that made up the four days of the All-Star festivities, there were a few unscripted moments.  


A person dressed in a black cape draped a sign over part of the right field video screen that said "Love water, not oil." The Twins' Kevin Smith says the person jumped from the top of a parking ramp about seven feet from the back of the screen. The person apparently hung the sign,  jumped back to the parking ramp, and then eluded police for the rest of the game.

Sports

Brandt Williams

Author

Peter Cox

he game ends the nearly week long celebration of baseball.  And officials with the city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Twins say there will be lasting impact from the game for years to come.

Twins Perkins and Suzuki close a busy All-Star week with an AL win

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