Target Field Looked Great During All-Star Game — Except For These Things

I watched most of the MLB All-Star Game last night, and was once again impressed with how good Target Field looks -- it didn't win that 'Best Ballpark In The Major Leagues' honor for nothin', you know -- but there was ONE area I think needed a little work.

The normal Target Field backstop (the area behind home plate that's usually visible from the standard center-field shot on FS North) is made of the same native Minnesota sandstone that's featured throughout the rest of the stadium. The Target Field logo is located just to the right of home plate and the changeable logo box is to the left. It looks neat and clean.

But last night, in what I can only believe is their quest to 'improve' the telecast, somebody (Fox?) placed two portable parabolic dish microphones, I'm guessing to capture the intrinsic sound of the game, on either side of the shot of home plate. You can see one of them in the picture above, in back of Derek Jeter's left leg. There was another brown box place just to the right of the Target Field logo (you can see the shadow on the Target Field logo).

Now, the mysterious dishes were covered with what looked like a tan seat cushion you might have on your pontoon boat up at the lake. The result, though, made the Target Field backstop look junked up and messy.  Now, I don't KNOW that's what those boxes contained or that it was Fox who put them there, but I DO know those dishes aren't normally there on the FS North telecasts (which, come to think of it, is also a division of Fox). Of course, there's a very good chance I might just be over-analyzing this whole thing...