Farewell to the Dome, Swastikas and all

With the Twins playing their last three games at the Dome this weekend (most likely), I wanted to give the Homerdome a little love.  Make no mistake, the Twins will be losing a MAJOR home field advantage when they move into Target Field.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very much look forward to it, but the sheer mental advantage they had any time the Tigers or White Sox game to town will be missed, and in a lot of ways so will the dome

This isn't a best games ever list or a most meaningful list.  If you want there, check here or here.  This is a list of the first 10 memories I thought of when I decided to write this post nearly ten minutes ago, not all of them positive.  A good amount of my list overlaps with the two I linked, but this is merely a personal list.  Your mileage may vary.  Whatever that means.

10.  Some Random Royals game, 2000.  It wasn't an especially meaningful game, since the Twins sucked and I actually have no memory of who won or lost, but I remember this one because I had my first job after college, I called in sick, and The Egyptian and I went to this 12:05 game, bought two $30 tickets for just $30 total, and got hammered all afternoon.  It was great.

9.  First time I saw my boy Mussina pitch, late 90s.  I loved this guy from day 1, as I detailed in the post I wrote after his retirement, so getting to see him pitch for the first time was a treat.  I think he had a no-no for about five innings and ending up tossing a really nice outing - which I think he did everytime he faced the Twins. 

8.  Knoblauch returns, fans revolt, 1998.  Another game I was very fortunate to be at, it was quite the black eye for Minnesota fans who, let's be honest here, are mostly homer morons anyway.  If you recall, the brilliant tards in left field threw hotdogs, beer bottles, and whatever they could find at his stupid traitor head, causing Metrodome announcer guy to say, "Now cut that out."  It was pretty memorable.

7.  My first game ever, early 80s.  I remember they played the Orioles and I asked my dad why the team was named after a cookie, and I remember the final out coming when a Twin hit a foul pop that ended up hitting a speaker and coming back into play and was caught.

6.  That Eric Fox guy hit that home run, 1992.  I'm sure you remember this one - extremely light-hitting outfielder takes Aguilera deep to win a game for the A's in a pivotal series against the Twins, franchise takes a tumble.  Seriously it was nine years before they had a winning record again.  I wasn't at this game, but it still sticks with me. 

5.  Cal Ripken Jr.'s 3,000th hit, 2000.  This one is memorable not only because of the milestone, but because I was in attendance with Dawger and a couple of other people I don't remember, and he threw such a tantrum when everybody stood up and applauded and ripped his ticket in half after the game was over rather than keep it as a souvenir.  This night has spawned uncountable arguments about how "overrated" Ripken was an how he was basically "the same as a Cuddyer", and the world's greatest cartoon.

4.  Game 6, 1991 World Series.  It was starting to feel all over, but the much overhyped Puckett statement of "jump on back" was real enough based on his performance.  Both that catch against the plexiglass and the game winning home run in the 11th and are burned into my brain.      

3.  Game 7, 1991 World Series.  Another memory of a game I didn't attend in person, but not having this game on here would be criminal.  Pretty much universally cited as one of the greatest World Series Games in history, I remember watching it in my parent's basement.  Interestingly, it doesn't stick out to me as much as the other two games on this list despite being a better game.  But really, it's amazing if you think about it.  Jack Morris coming out for that 10th inning and shutting down Atlanta once again is really one of the last truly studly acts by a starting pitcher.  Other than Jim Leyland, name a manager who would send his starter out for a tenth inning of a world series?  There isn't one.  

2.  Game 7, 1987 World Series.  I actually don't remember a damn thing about this game other than the groundball to Gaetti to end the game, but that I remember very, very well.  I remember running out to the garage and honking the horn on my parents' car over and over again in celebration (come on, I was eleven years old), and feeling the sheer joy that can only come from a child seeing his team win a championship.  Incredible.  I really, really, really hope that someday in my lifetime they can win another one, but I know it won't be as special as this.

1.  Twins Sweep Sox for Miracle Comeback, 2008.  Probably seems weird ranking this as a better memory than the two World Series wins, but I was actually here for this game, it happened recent enough that it is still fresh, and I was old enough to really appreciate it.  This is the only entry I had the blog for, and I wrote about it immediately after I got home here.  Re-reading that post, I'm fairly certain that is the most emotion I have ever put into a post (not counting hate as an emotion.  or rage), and I know it's the most positive sounding I have ever been.  I still get giddy remembering it.  People high-fiving in the parking lot and in the streets after the game, spontaneous chants continually breaking out, and just a feeling of absolute euphoria.  this is just a taste of what it was like (skip to 2:40 and turn the volume up):

Seriously, I'm a bit terrified of how I'm going to react if the Twins win another series in my lifetime.  I'd be like a Mr. Burns in that episode where he gets shot full of drugs and Homer thinks he's an alien.

So farewell Metrodome, you get a pretty bad rap, and in a lot of ways you sucked big time, but I'm going to miss you quite a bit.  Since I'd rather shank myself in the eyeball than attend a Vikings game, I'm guessing I'll never be at the dome again after Sunday's game.  Well, at least until the next Monster Truck Rally. 

(as I post this the Tigers just lost and the Twins are up 9-0 in the fourth, things are getting interesting).