1 History

Construction on the Metrodome began on December 20, 1979 and was funded by the state of Minnesota. The dome is air-inflated and requires 250,000 ft³/min (120 m³/s) of air to keep it inflated. Three times in the stadium's history, heavy snows have caused a small puncture in the roof and caused it to deflate. Varying air pressure due to a severe storm also contributed to a dramatic deflation once during a game.

The field at the Metrodome was surfaced with Astroturf for its first 22 years. Before the 2004 baseball season, the Twins had a newer artificial surface, called FieldTurf, installed. FieldTurf is thought to be a closer approximation to natural grass than Astroturf in its softness, appearance, and feel.

The 1985 Baseball All-Star Game, games of the 1987 and the 1991 World Series, Super Bowl XXVI in 1992, and the 2001 NCAA Final Four were all held at the Metrodome.

The stadium is named after former mayor of Minneapolis, US Senator and US Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey.

The Metrodome is both beloved and reviled by Twins fans. The Twins have won both of their World Series championships in its friendly confines (and winning both Series by winning all four games held at the Dome), and the white roof, quick turf, and the right-field tarp (or "Baggie") wall can provide a substantial home-field advantage for the Twins. Because it was designed for football, the Metrodome has severe disadvantages as a baseball venue. The way many seats are situated forces some fans to crane their necks to see home plate. Neither the main nor the upper concourse has visibility to the field, meaning fans risk missing play whenever they leave for the concession stands. The Dome's sight lines tend to be poor, with nearly 1,400 seats having obscured or partial visibility to the playing field. Aside from Olympic Stadium in Montreal, the Metrodome is widely considered to be the worst venue in Major League Baseball.

1.1 The Baggie

The Metrodome's right-field wall is composed of the seven foot high fence around the whole outfield and a 16 foot high plastic tarp, known as the "Baggie" or the "Hefty Bag." The seats above and behind the baggie are considered home run territory, the baggie itself is part of the fence. Unlike Fenway Park's " Green Monster," a comparable feature, the Baggie is at normal right-field depth, so batters who hit short, high fly balls are not typically helped by it.

1.2 The Roof

The Metrodome's roof is made from off-white Teflon. Because it's unusually low to the playing field (172 feet), the air-inflated dome sometimes makes contact with the ball, altering play. Any ball which strikes the Dome roof remains in play; if it lands in foul territory it becomes a foul ball, if it lands in fair territory it becomes a fair ball. Any ball which becomes caught in the roof (which has only happened once) is a ground rule double.

2 Possible replacements

The Dome is thought to be an increasingly poor fit for all three of its major tenants (the Twins, the Vikings and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team). The Dome's sight lines tend to be poor, with nearly 1,400 seats having obscured or partial visibility to the playing field. Fans of all three of its major tenants note and revile the complete lack of natural lighting, the Dome's processed air and cramped seating arrangements. These tenants say the Metrodome is nearing the end of its useful lifespan. The Twins, the Vikings and the Gophers have all proposed replacements for the Metrodome, of which the proposed Twins ballpark is closest to fruition as of 2004. It is likely that one or more of these proposed replacements will open by 2010. None of the three tenants is willing to provide more than a large minority of the construction costs of any potential new stadium, seeking state and local taxpayer subsidies for the remaining portion.

The Twins wish to replace the Metrodome with a new ballpark in downtown Saint Paul or Minneapolis, within the next half decade. Twins management claims that the Metrodome generates too little revenue for the Twins to be competitive. In particular, the Twins receive no revenue from luxury suite leasing (as those are owned by the Vikings) and only a small percentage of concessions sales; also, the percentage of season-ticket-quality seats in the Metrodome is said to be very low compared to other stadiums.

The University of Minnesota is looking for a solution to build a on-campus stadium to replace their use of the Metrodome, which is a mile west of the edge of campus. Attendance at Gopher football games rarely fills the Metrodome to capacity, and it is thought that, in order to pep up its student base for increased ticket sales, an on-campus stadium is required.

The Minnesota Vikings are thought to be the least hampered by their current situation in the Metrodome, but they are also the only team likely to move after their current lease expires in 2011; a large market without an NFL team exist in Los Angeles. The fear of losing the Vikings to another state may pressure governments to finance a new, revenue-generating stadium for the Vikings. Downtown Minneapolis along with the suburb of Blaine have been mentioned as possible stadium sites.

3 Annual Events

• Prep Bowl (Minnesota State High School League; state high school football championships)

4 Getting there

The Metrodome is located near the junction of Interstate 94 and Interstate 35W, and many fans come by car. There is limited parking in surface lots throughout eastern downtown, ranging from $5 for a Twins game, to $50 for a close stall at a Vikings game. On-street meters provide the lowest parking rate. A new option as of 2004 is the Downtown East/Metrodome station on the light rail Hiawatha Line. Many people also come by bus, whether on a charter or on the regular regional bus system. A shuttle from the University of Minnesota is available when the Gophers play games at the dome.

Tailgating has often been a popular pre-game activity for football fans, and many nearby parking lots have been available in the past for people who want to start early. However, in recent years, new development in the downtown region of Minneapolis has meant that these parking lots have begun to disappear. In 2004, some new options had to be considered for fans. The eventual result was setting up a new tailgating site quite a distance away, but with shuttle bus service provided.

5 External links

• Minnesota Twins Web site

Baseball venues Football venues Minneapolis, MN Stadiums University of Minnesota Minnesota sports

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