Metrodome Collapse

As much as mother nature tried to give Minnesota Vikings fans their first outdoor home game in over three decades the NFL had other plans.

Early this morning, due to significant snow accumulation in excess of 1.5 feet in the Twin Cities, the roof atop of the Metrodome collapsed.

The incident put a wrench in today's planned meeting between the NY Giants and the Vikings. Originally scheduled for a noon CST kickoff, event planners in the NFL scrambled to find an alternative solution so the two teams could play.

League officials contemplated hosting the game at TCF Bank stadium, the new home to the University of Minnesota Gold Gophers football team, which would have made for a chilly matchup with subzero temperatures. But school officials said the stadium had been shut down for too long already this year and would take nearly a week to prepare for an NFL game.

Without a local option, the NFL announced the game would be moved to Detroit tomorrow night at 7:20pm EST. The rescheduling provides a unique two-game slate for a Monday, which is traditionally reserved for just one game per week.

The thought of lost revenue was too great to overcome, however, setting the stage for a unique 'home' game for the Vikings in Detroit.

Vikings officials said that ticket holders who wish to travel to the game would immediately be upgraded to the best available 50 yard-line seats at Ford Field in Detroit tomorrow night.

While nice in theory I find it hard to believe many fans, if any at all, will make the voyage on a work day. Last minute flights are not cheap and the 12 hour drive is far too much to handle. Throw in the thought of having to stay overnight in a hotel and list of potential travelers to the game dwindles to slim and none.

At least the ticket holders to the original game scheduled today will be issued refunds.

To help fill the seats, the NFL decided to release free general admission tickets to the public beginning at 9am EST tomorrow morning.

Anyone in Detroit want to see an NFL game for free? Now's your chance. This ploy will surely draw at least a few fans who would otherwise watch from the confines of their homes or not watch at all.

Even though I'm not a Vikings fan despite my close proximity to the dome (about a mile) I will certainly tune into this unique sporting event. My main reason for watching will be to see how full, or empty, the crowd is.

Tomorrow's matchup makes me wonder: If two teams play a game in an unaffiliated city and nobody shows up to watch it, did it actually occur?

Only viewers in New York City, Minneapolis, Rochester, and Mankato, Minnesota markets in addition to DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers will know for certain.

Minnesota Baseball

Last night, on a whim, I went to my first ever baseball game in the Metrodome. I went in not expecting much - because how much excitement could really come from a Twins game? - but I came away with a much better appreciation for baseball in the Twin Cities.

The Metrodome is truly a unique experience. If you've never seen a game in a dome before it is definitely something worth experiencing at least once (if not more) in you life. While not an ideal setting for America's pastime, it is certainly an interesting twist to an American classic.

If you've never been to an event in a dome it might catch you a little off-guard: first of all, domes are pressurized so as you enter you get sucked in by the pressure of the air. Secondly, just like the air, the noise is trapped in and bounces all over the place, which can create a deafening sound from an otherwise dull cadence. 

I've had the pleasure of watching games in three domes, including the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, the Superdome in New Orleans, and now the Metrodome in Minneapolis. None stick out as being more impressive than the others but they are all equally intriguing and worth the price of admission (although some may contend the only sport worth the price of admission in the Carrier Dome is basketball since the football team... well, when was the last time you heard news about Syracuse football?).

Now to the game. The Twins were finishing up the fourth and final game of a series against their Central Division rival Chicago White Sox. After dropping the first game in the series the Twins rallied for two wins to take a 2-1 series lead. Early on it looked like the Sox were going to even up the series, as a second inning home run by Jim Thome put the Sox ahead 2-0. The Sox added to their lead in the fifth inning by adding two more runs to take a 4-0 lead. The Twins fought back, however, with a 3-run homer by Justin Morneau to cut the lead to 4-3 by the end of the fifth. 

Things got interesting in the seventh inning as Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and third base umpire Marty Foster didn't see eye-to-eye on a very controversial call (not that I could tell from my general admission seats 500+ ft away from home plate, but I saw the replay afterwards). Gardenhire wound up getting thrown out and proceeded to kick his hat as he exited the field. Fans decided to show their support of Gardenhire by throwing their hats onto the field. See for yourself in this video we captured.

After the nearly 15 minute delay and a separate, mini-tirade by White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen (he was trying to get his payers off of the field but did so by frantically waving his arms) the game resumed with the raucous crowd on its feet filling the dome with incessant booing.

Gardenhire's antics seemed to energize the Twins as a Joe Mauer single scored Denard Span to tie the game at 4-4. Moments later, Jason Kubel hit a 3-run homer to put the Twins up for good. The White Sox came within one run in the top of the eighth, but that is as close as they would get. The Twins scored three more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, resulting in the final score of 10-6.

Overall I will admit that I came away more impressed with Twins baseball than I had anticipated. The atmosphere was energetic and exciting (thanks in part to Gardenhire's ejection, although it was also rockin' after Morneau's homer) and was enough to will the Twins to victory. 

Minnesota baseball: not as bad as you might think it is.