Fare-thee-well O Metrodome

It was delayed by a week. We had bought tickets for the "last game" back in April. We were there the week before when we closed out the dome with a win over Kansas City. But there was more to come. A win on Tuesday over Detroit pushed us into the post-season. So here we were, October 11, for another visit under the Teflon Sky.


It was a beautiful day, but chilly. The downtown skyline and the crowds were just what you would expect.






This was the American League Division Series...

and we were down two games to none against the Yankees. Even if before the game we celebrated that Joe was the 2009 batting champ with an incredible .365 avg., we were not going to have much to celebrate.




It It would not be a pretty night. There was no final Metrodome Magic. It was all gone. We used it up. All that was left was to try.




We could enjoy Jeter being thrown out at first



Pavano pitching.



Delmon Young still safe at second between Jeter and Rodriguez.



The Yankees were the winners.

As we took our time leaving for the last time we saw home plate and the pitching rubber be removed.






We left slowly, heading out under the seats...








Toward Kirby Puckett Place to be "blown out the door" one last time by the air pressure differential that kept the dome inflated.


We touched the doorway one last time and were out in the chilly October night.



The scene as I arrived back home, 75 miles south of the dome, was as clear a sign as any that the season was over.



Final observations:
>>> This was the fourth post-season game I have attended in my life, not counting Little League World Series games. I was at the

• World Series in Philadelphia in 1980- Phillies v. Kansas City (we won.)
• National League Championship in Philadelphia in 1983- Phillies v. Dodgers (we won.)
• American League Division in Minneapolis in 2004- Twins v. Yankees (we lost.)
• American League Division in Minneapolis in 2009- Twins v. Yankees (we lost.)

This was my daughter's first and she was excited. It is really neat to be able to share with an adult daughter one of the joys of my life and see her make it her own!

>>> The Metrodome sure has had its moments. There were a lot of things wrong with it for baseball- the color of the Teflon sky, the seating that was better for football than baseball. But we did go 28 seasons without a rainout and won many games, including two World Series. While it may not have been a "dear friend" at least it was friendly.

>>> I look forward to outdoor basball- from May through September. I do not look forward to games in April or October. Yes, I am a wimp. I have sat through "cooler near the lake" games and mid-September games at the old Milwaukee County Stadium and looked for warmth. Several inches of snow on the day after the last game reminded us that this could happen next year. But if they can do it in Denver and New York, why can't we?

After all this IS Minnesota!