THE METRODOME

The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was opened in 1982 to house the Minnesota Vikings and prevent the harsh winters from freezing football fan fannies. The Minnesota Twins were also allowed to be tenants during the summer, and thus began the tale of one of the worst ballparks in the majors.

The Metrodome may have been considered an engineering marvel 20 years ago, but now it is obsolete. With the new retro-classic parks in vogue, the Metrodome looks even more ancient than it actually is. A multi-purpose facility with artificial turf, lots of empty seats, a plastic fence, and a roof that makes every fly ball an adventure, the Metrodome is a place where baseball should neither be played nor watched.

Having said that, there are some good things about the Metrodome - tickets are reasonably priced, with the best seats costing only $25. The Twins have eliminated a large number of upper deck outfield seats by installing a white plastic wall and hanging posters commemorating Twins' heroes such as Killebrew, Hrbek, and Puckett - adding some class to the proceedings. 

The Metrodome is located on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, between 4th and 5th Sts and Chicago and 11th Aves. There is plenty of parking around the area, and for Twins games you can get relatively cheap spots close to the stadium. Walking to the stadium, you will notice that there are 8 entrances, 4 are lower level entrances and 4 are for the upper level. Once inside, however, you can move between levels with no problems. 

The view from outside

There are ticket kiosks close to each entrance although they don't open until 1.5 hours before the game. Lower Club seats are $25 and lie between the bases; one section away on each baseline is the Diamond View at $23. One problem with the lower seats behind the plate is that they are above the field, so you are not as close to the players as you would be in other parks. Also, the first row in these sections is row 7. Lower Reserved Seats are in the lower outfield deck and go for $15. There are $10 General Admission seats in the lower outfield, but I would avoid them, their distance from the action make it a good place to have a conversation but not to enjoy the game. (Of course, if you want to throw things at opposing players, as some Twins' fans did last month, you need to sit there).  Even the upper deck seats have reasonable views, if you are in the first few rows. Known as Upper Club seats, they also run $10. Finally, there are $5 Upper General Admission, but I would fork over the extra $5 and sit closer to the infield. 

The concessions are typical and boring, although if you go on a Wednesday you can get $1 hot dogs, and there is not much in the way of souvenirs. Tours are offered Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 11:00 am and is actually worth the $3 because you can go out on the field and experience the artificial turf as well as touch the unique plastic fence.

It is probably not fair to judge the Dome so harshly after seeing so many new parks, but I think that it is clear that the Twins will be clamoring for a new ballpark for the next little while as the Metrodome is not up to new MLB stadium standards.