Metropolitan Stadium - the Twins home from 1961 through 1981
courtesy of ballparksofbaseball.com courtesy of ballparksofbaseball.com
courtesy of ballparksofbaseball.com courtesy of ballparksofbaseball.com
courtesy of ballparksofbaseball.com
Metropolitan Stadium
801 Cedar avenue
Bloomington, MN 55420
Some very cool photos of an abandoned Met Stadium, just click here.
Location - Bloomngton, a suburb about 15 miles south of downtown Minneapolis near the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
Architect - Osborn Engineering, officially Osborn Architects & Engineers, is an architectural and engineering firm noted mostly for designing sports stadiums. More than 100 stadiums have been designed by Osborn, including such famous parks as Fenway Park in Boston, Yankee Stadium in New York, Tiger Stadium in Detroit and numerous minor league, collegiate, and major league sports facilities in all sports.
Cost - $8.5 million
Capacity - 18,200 in 1956, 30,637 in 1961, 40,000 in 1964, 45,919 in 1975
Construction started - June 1955
Opened - The first game at the Met was played on April 24, 1956 when the AAA Minneapolis Milers (who called the Met home) took on the Wichita Braves in front of over 18,000 fans in 45 degree temperatures to see the new ball park.
Surface - Grass
Twins dugout was on the first base side
First Twins game - April 21, 1961
Last Twins game - September 30, 1981
Demolished - 1985 to make way for the Mall of America
Dimensions | | | | | |
Year | LF | LC | C | RC | RF |
1961 | 329 | 402 | 412 | 402 | 329 |
1962 | 330 | 402 | 412 | 402 | 330 |
1965 | 344 | 435 | 430 | 435 | 330 |
1968 | 346 | 430 | 425 | 430 | 330 |
1975 | 330 | 410 | 410 | 430 | 330 |
1977 | 343 | 406 | 402 | 410 | 330 |
Metropolitan Stadium was built on a farm in 1956 for the AAA American Association Minneapolis Millers who at that time were playing at old Nicollet Park. It originally consisted of a curved triple-decker grandstand that ran from first base to third base, but there were only temporary bleachers down the third-base line and only fences in the outfield. Metropolitan Stadium was unique in having been the only triple-deck stadium in the minor leagues, and it was only the second such major league stadium -- the first being Yankee Stadium. The owner of the New York Giants (the parent team of the Millers) was quote as saying that the Met "is the finest minor league park in the country, and there are not two in the majors that are better." In 1961, when the Washington Senators moved in and became the Twins, permanent bleachers were added along the left field line, a temporary bleacher was installed in left field and the first and second decks were extended down the right field line. The Vikings replaced the temporary left feild bleacher with a double-decked left field pavilion in 1965. At the time, its cantilever design was considered revolutionary, with no poles, or pillars to obstruct any views. The NFL Minnesota Vikings shared the stadium with the Twins until both teams moved into the Metrodome for the 1982 seasons.
There are some wonderful pictures and stories about Met Stadium on some of the links provided below, I hope you take the time to enjoy them. If you have other pictures of the stadiums or other links, please let me know so we can add them to the list. This is some fun reading, enjoy!
My first ever trip to see a baseball game at Met Stadium was the 1965 All-Star game and it was incredible. We had just graduated from high school and I had already signed up to join the US Navy in August and a couple of us decided we wanted to see the All-Star game, not even thinking about ticket availability. It turned out we were able to get standing room tickets under the left field bleachers. The AL lost 6-5 but we got to see five home runs including one by Harmon Killebrew. Hall of Famers abounded in that game but that is a whole different story. I ended up attending a number of games at the Met and I can remember some really cold and wet days with small crowds as well as those warm and sunny days when you thought that the stands were coming down as the kids pounded the bats they had gotten on bat day against the steel stands, the noise was deafening.
Metropolitan stadium was demolished in 1985 and the Mall of America now stands where Harmon, Tony, Rod, Kitty, Zoilo, Camilo and many other Twins greats once played.
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome - the Twins home from 1982 through 2009
HHH Metrodome
34 Kirby Puckett Place
Minneapolis, MN 55415
The HHH Metrodome replaced Metropolitan Stadium (1961-1981), which was located in the suburb of Bloomington, 15 miles south of the Metrodome. The Metrodome was a stadium that was hated by many and was originally built as a football and not a baseball stadium has , never-the-less, it served as the Minnesota Twins home from 1982 through 2009. The Metrodome was the third domed facility to be used by a baseball team. The Metrodome is the only stadium in the world to have hosted all of the following: the NFL Super Bowl (1992), Major League Baseball's All-Star Game (1985), two World Series (1987, 1991), and the Final Four of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship (1992, 2001). Although the stadium certainly was not a great place to see a baseball games due to the seat orientation, I think many Twins fans will miss the dry and comfortable 70 degrees days in the dome when they sit outside at Target Field on some of those cold wet days that are inevitable in Minnesota in the early spring and late fall. The final Twins game played at the Metrodome was on October 11, 2009, when they lost to the New York Yankees, 4-1, resulting in a 3 games to 0 sweep in the 2009 American League Division Series. The game was the highest attended MLB game in Metrodome history at 54,735 or 117.4% above regular season capacity. The attendance mark smashed the 54,088 figure set on Monday's AL Central tiebreaker against the Tigers.The Twins' appearance in this series gave the Metrodome the distinction of being the first American League stadium to end its major league baseball history with post-season play.
The Metrodome is a state resource and provided a home for the Minnesota Vikings (1982 - Present), Minnesota Twins (1982 - 2009) and University of Minnesota Gophers football between 1982 and 2008. Since 1982, the combined attendance at Metrodome events exceeds 55 million people, making it the most versatile and heavily used stadium in the nation. Out of more than 300 event days per year at the Metrodome, less than 100 feature professional or major college sports. The rest of the event days are used by high schools and colleges, concerts, community activities and other events. The Metrodome hosts boys' and girls' high schools from throughout Minnesota for athletic and other events. The Dome is the only major facility in Minnesota big enough to host major motorsports events and also draws more than 4,000 runners and 30,000 inline skaters per year. Co-ed volleyball and touch football leagues bring in 2,000 people per week to the Metrodome between October and February. Other events hosted at the Metrodome include the International Special Olympics, many cultural festivals, religious events and charitable fundraisers. The dome hosts trade shows, police canine training and fire-fighting recruitment tests. The dome has even hosted its’ share of weddings and birthday parties. More than half a million people have come to the Metrodome to see concerts by major performers such as Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Guns N' Roses, Faith No More, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, George Strait, Tom Petty and The Grateful Dead.
The Dome is infamous for its fan noise level. Baseball fans around the country will remember the moment during the late innings of Game 6 of the 1987 Minnesota Twins-St. Louis Cardinals World Series when ABC-TV's decibel meter broke because of the mind-numbing fan roar. Unique in design and legendary for noise level, the Metrodome stands proudly as part of the Minneapolis skyline. The stadium was renamed the Mall of America Field in October 2009 when the Twins wrapped up play and the Minnesota Vikings became the stadiums sole tennants.
Metrodome Facts & Figures
Architect - Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Located on a 20 acre site in downtown Minneapolis.
Construction began on December 20, 1979
Construction cost: $68 million
Named after Hubert Horatio Humphrey. Humphrey was a former Minneapolis Mayor, U.S. Senator and Vice President of the United States from 1965-69.
Surface - SporTurf (1982 to 1986), Astroturf (1987 to 2003), FieldTurf (2004 through 2009)
Twins dugout was on the third base side
Bullpens were down the left and right field lines
Seating capacity - The arena has 64,000 seats and 98 suites.
Covered by 10 acres of Teflon coated fiberglass (1/16" thick) that requires 250,000 cubic feet of air pressure per minute to keep the roof inflated. The liner is made of 1/32" thick woven fiberglass. The roof is supported by 20 electric fans running at 90 horsepower each. It was the only air-supported dome used in baseball.
Height is 195 feet (about 16 stories)
The right-field wall is 23 feet tall and covered with plastic. Called "the Baggy" and "Hefty Bag" by players, the plastic-coated fence hides 7,600 retractable seats that are used when the stadium is in its football configuration.
The first Twins game was an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 3, 1982.
The first Twins regular season game at the Metrodome was April 6, 1982 versus the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners beat the Twins 11-7. Final Twins game - The final Twins game played at the Metrodome was on October 11, 2009, when they lost to the New York Yankees, 4-1, resulting in a 3 games to 0 sweep in the 2009 American League Division Series. The Twins' appearance in this series gave the Metrodome the distinction of being the first American League stadium to end its major league baseball history with post-season play.
Field dimensions are 343' down the leftfield line, 385' to the leftfield power alley, 408' to dead centerfield, 367' to the rightfield power alley and 327' down the line in right. The fence in leftfield and centerfield is 7' high and the one in rightfield is 23' high, including 16' of plastic tarp installed in 1983. Leftfield had a 6' plexiglas extension from 1983-93, but it was removed prior to the '94 season.
The pitcher’s mound, weighing 23,000 pounds, was powered by an electric motor and could be raised and lowered at the push of a button.
There are some wonderful pictures and stories about the HHH Metrodome on some of the links provided below, I hope you take the time to enjoy them. If you have other pictures of the stadiums or other links, please let me know so we can add them to the list. This is some fun reading, enjoy!
Twins say Bye-Bye to the Dome - http://odeo.com/episodes/25227503-Twins-Say-Bye-Bye-to-the-Dome
A very cool Metrodome time lapse: baseball to football to baseball - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRCxwe08X_4
Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission - http://www.msfc.com/about.cfm
Twinsbaseball.com - http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/ballpark/min_ballpark_history.jsp
Clem's Baseball - http://www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/Metrodome.html
Ballparks of Baseball - http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/al/Metrodome.htm
Ballparks.com - http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/metrod.htm
Wikipedia.com - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_H._Humphrey_Metrodome
Coffeyville - http://coffeyvillewhirlwind.wordpress.com/2005/11/19/hhh-metrodome-a-ballpark-review/
Find Target images - http://search.findtarget.com/imagesearch.php?q=metrodome&_s=1&_p=16&qid=E91D3FC61E1CFFB1338B6B535BC3A73F
Hollywood Sports Book - http://www.hollywoodsportsbook.com/nflstadiums/metrodomestadium.cfm
ESPN.com - http://espn.go.com/page2/s/ballparks/metrodome.html
Baseballroadtrip.net - http://www.baseballroadtrip.net/Major/American/Minnesota/Minnesota.html
Waymarking.com - http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM3FWE
SI.com - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/09/11/fvi.twins/index.html
Columbia.edu - http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsapp/BT/DOMES/METRODM/m-fabric.html
USAToday.com - http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/baseball/2008-03-27-Metrodome_N.htm
Baseballpilgrimages.com - http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/american/minnesota.html
Cool of the Evening - http://www.cooloftheevening.com/metrodome.htm
Stadium Hotel Network - http://humphrymetrodome.stadiumhotelnetwork.com/information.html
MLB-teams.com - http://www.mlb-teams.com/stadiums/twinsStadium.php
Findballparks.com - http://www.findballparks.com/ballparks/minnesota_twins/
MN Legislaive Resources Library - http://www.leg.state.mn.us/LRL/Issues/Baseball.asp
Baseball-reference.com - http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Metrodome
SI.com - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125435/1/index.htm
Target Field - the Twins new home that is set to open April 2010
Click on the MBA logo to see their latest video of Target Field Click on the Target Field logo to see the live webcam
Target Field Seating and Pricing - click here
Fall 2009
January 2010
Target Field
1 Twins Way
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Twins Ticket Offices - 290 7th Street North
Twins Executive Offices - 353 5th Street North
Architect - Populous (previosly known as HOK Sports). The firm is responsible for for other stadiums like Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, NC Park in Pittsburgh, and AT&T Park in San Francisco.
Construction Manager - Mortenson Construction
Construction time - 28 months (August 2007 - December 2009)
Official Owner - Minnesota Ballpark Authority
Cost - Current estimate is about $390 million but infrastructure and financing costs bring the total to about $522 million. Under the 2006 legislation, the public contribution is $350 million, $90 million for infrastructure, and $260 million for ballpark construction. The Minnesota Twins contribution is $130 million for ballpark construction costs plus any ballpark cost overruns. Since the legislation was adopted, the team has also committed to contributing an additional $15 million for non-land infrastructure expenses and $22.4 million for construction costs. The Twins report the cost as $425 million.
Some of the materials used - 55,000 cubic yards of concrete, 4,600 tons of structural steel, 5,000 tons of rebar, 51 miles of piles, and 100,000 square feet, or 100 semi-truck loads, of limestone
Ballpark size - just over 1,000,000 square feet (10.5 acres) built on an 8-acre site
Surface - Natural grass provided by Graff's Turf Farm near Fort Morgan, Colorado. The specially-grown sod is a blend of Kentucky Bluegrass seed, chosen for its dark green color, ability to withstand wear, and tolerance to Minnesota's harsh winters and warm summers.
Capacity - 39,504
Suites - 95
Twins dugout is on the first base side
Field Dimensions - are 339' to Left; 377' to LF Power Alley; 404' to Center; 367' to RF Power Alley; and 328' to Right. The outfield walls are 8' from the left field foul pole to right center field and 23' from right center field to right field foul pole.
How to get to Target Field - http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/ballpark/transportation/index.jsp
Ballparksofbaseball.com - http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/future/TargetField.htm
MN Ballpark Authority - http://www.ballparkauthority.com/index.asp?SEC=%7BDCB023A1-5808-45F5-B18A-D8E8DA72C5A5%7D&Type=B_BASIC
Twins Ball Park Blog - http://twinsballpark.mlblogs.com/
SI.com Target Field construction photo's - http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0908/mlb.target.field.construction/content.1.html
Baseball Digest - http://ballparkdigest.com/visits/?article_id=2024
Twins spring training home since 1991 - Hammond Stadium
For a great panoramic view of Hammond Stadium please click here
Hammond Stadium
14100 Six Miles Cypress Parkway
Ft. Myers, Florida 33912
Architect - Lescher and Mahoney
Cost - $14 million
Year Opened - 1991
Surface - Natural grass
Capacity - About 8,100
Named in honor of Bill Hammond, the county commissioner who was instrumental in getting the Lee County Sports Complex built.
Twins dugout is on the third base side
Lease - The MInnesota Twins have a lease to train there through 2020.
Hammond Stadium, the center piece of the 80 acre Lee County Sport Complex may be best known as the spring home of the Minnesota Twins but it's a facility that's designed for the entire organization, with five full fields and two half fields, as well as a stadium that also serves as the home of the Ft. Myers Miracle (Class A; Florida State League) and the Gulf Coast League Twins. It's an interesting stadium in that it features an outside facade that's supposed to invoke the feeling of Churchill Downs. There are only two levels of seats for spring training: box and reserved bleachers. Jimmy Buffett and Bill Murray are part owners of the F. Myers Miracle, which was known as the Miami Miracle prior to relocating to Fort Myers in 1992.The complex has evolved over the years and has had new lights, a weight room, a grass berm, and some dugout seats added. This was all done between 2006 and 2009.
Springtrainingonline.com - http://www.springtrainingonline.com/teams/minnesota-twins.htm
Baseballpilgrimages.com - http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/spring/leecounty.html
Ballparkreviews.com - http://www.ballparkreviews.com/fmyers/hammond.htm
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_Stadium