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Hangin' Out with Bob (Metrodome Memories with Jon Lawrence) · Hangin' Out with Bob

0:07
All right, hello and welcome to Hanging Out with
0:10
Bob, podcast hosted by me, Bob Edholm. Thanks
0:17
for joining us and let's get started. This will
0:23
be a special edition of Hanging Out with Bob
0:25
podcast today because my guest will be someone
0:28
we've already heard before. He's John Lawrence,
0:30
my friend from Northeast Minneapolis. Morning.
0:37
In fact, John was a guest on my third podcast.
0:40
John and I met six or seven years ago when we
0:42
were both working at Voya Financial in downtown
0:44
Minneapolis. We both share a love for Minnesota
0:47
sports teams, such as the Vikings, the Gophers,
0:49
the Twins, just to name a few. So John, welcome
0:52
back. It's good to have you back and hanging
0:53
out with Bob. Thank you. And what makes this
0:56
podcast episode special is that John and I are
0:58
going to do what we might call a deep dive. on
1:01
the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, or just Metrodome,
1:05
or the dome for short, that was in downtown Minneapolis.
1:11
Just some quick background on the Metrodome.
1:14
It opened in 1982 as a replacement for two venues,
1:18
Metropolitan Stadium and Suburban Bloomington,
1:21
which was a former home of the Minnesota Twins
1:24
and the Minnesota Vikings, and Memorial Stadium.
1:27
That was a former home of the University of Minnesota's
1:31
Golden Gophers football team. The Metrodome was
1:34
the twins' home from 1982 to 2009. 28 seasons
1:38
of indoor Major League Baseball. John, why don't
1:42
you start by telling us about the first time
1:44
that you saw a Twins game at the Metrodome and
1:46
then kind of go from there. Like how often did
1:48
you go to Twins games and your just impressions
1:51
of the place for baseball? Well, actually my
1:54
memories of the Metrodome started even before
1:56
that. I was taking care of my grandfather who
2:01
was terminally ill at the time and his hospital
2:04
room overlooked the construction of the Metrodome.
2:07
So I watched the progress of the construction.
2:11
I was able to attend the very first game ever
2:14
played at the Metrodome, which was an exhibition
2:17
game against the Phillies. Watched Pete Rose
2:22
get the first ever base hit in the Metrodome.
2:26
And what was remarkable to me was how fast the
2:30
turf was at the time. I watched Kent Herbeck
2:34
hit a ground ball between first and second base.
2:39
And it picked up speed and rolled right between
2:42
the outfield. There's all the way to the fence
2:44
on a ground ball. And I mean, I don't mean a
2:47
hopper. I mean a ground ball. And I was like,
2:49
Holy cow, what is going on here? They had a couple
2:54
versions of turf too, over the years. And I mean,
2:56
that first one, especially was like, what I remember
2:58
is it was very hard. Yes. And the ball just.
3:01
really took off. And it bounced too. It was like
3:04
a super ball sometimes with just weird effect.
3:07
Right. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, teams hated playing there,
3:10
especially in the early days with that first
3:12
turf, because it was not real baseball. You know,
3:16
it was, it was like baseball instead of a pinball
3:19
machine. That's a good, that's a good analogy.
3:22
So, um, And then did you go to the Dome a lot
3:27
over the years and maybe one or two games every
3:29
year? Yeah, so probably early years, especially
3:32
about two to four games a year. I kind of had
3:35
a tradition of going to the first series, never
3:38
the opener, but always the first series. So usually
3:42
maybe a weeknight, Tuesday or Wednesday or something.
3:47
And, you know, a few, you know, two, three, four
3:50
games during the year, each year. How would you
3:54
get to the game? Would you park there? Would
3:55
you take a bus? How did you get there? I'd say
3:59
it was about 50 -50. There used to be a lot of
4:03
parking lots back then along like Washington.
4:06
Right. Kind of over by the depot. Well, the depot
4:12
had closed as a train station, but it hadn't
4:14
reopened as something else So there was lots
4:17
of parking over there and it was relatively inexpensive.
4:21
So Sometimes I would Drive and park over there
4:25
sometimes take the bus because it was very convenient
4:27
for me as well So it kind of depended on on the
4:32
situation. Yep. Yep. Two part question for you.
4:34
What did you like about seeing games at the Metrodome
4:38
and what did you not like about seeing games
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at the Metrodome? Well, you know, it wasn't the
4:42
real ballpark and I'm a baseball fan more than
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a football fan. And so it wasn't a real ballpark.
4:50
I had grown up watching games at Met Stadium
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and it was certainly very different than that.
4:56
Um, obviously weather wasn't a concern, you know,
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so it was no rain outs. Right. Exactly. And it
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was always the same exact conditions. Um, uh,
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you know, you had a roof that guys would lose
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pop -ups in the roof and, you know, um, you know,
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the, the super ball turf, uh, you know, bouncing
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and, and hard turf. Um, in football, there was
5:21
a fair number of injuries that happened because
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of that hard turf. Uh, you know, some really
5:26
good careers ended down that turf. Yeah, we're
5:29
going to talk about the Vikings in a little bit,
5:31
but yeah, it, it was a, it was an artificial
5:33
setting for, for sport. That was traditionally.
5:36
Meant to be played outdoors, I guess. So definitely.
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And then they added the, the, you know, after
5:41
the first season, they didn't have the baggie
5:43
and in right field. It was a, uh, eight foot
5:46
fence and they had the vampire seats. Behind
5:50
but first, yes, you know, that's a good description
5:53
the fold -out seats football football, right?
5:56
Yeah, but but they were hanging upside down for
5:59
For baseball and so, you know those were You
6:05
know peppered by her back in that in that first
6:08
season Amazing thinking about that now playing
6:11
baseball there So but really even adding the
6:14
baggie even made it feel more artificial because
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it wasn't a real fence. It was I don't know.
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And Plexiglas, they didn't have the Plexiglas
6:24
up the first season either. Right. So it was...
6:27
Now the Plexiglas, that was up there when Kirby
6:29
Puckett made that great catch in the World Series,
6:31
because I seem to remember seeing that Plexiglas
6:34
was there. Yeah, it was up there for his whole
6:36
career. It was not there in 82, but it was there
6:39
in 83. Okay. Thanks for clarifying. We'll see.
6:43
Those 28 seasons of indoor baseball, the twins
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had... 12 winning seasons with a winning record,
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including seven division titles and two World
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Series championships, of course. But 15 seasons
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that were losing seasons including that hundred
7:02
two loss in 1982 their first year there there
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And then they had one season where they finished
7:07
500. It was 1984. I had to look it up Oh, yeah,
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81 and 81. Yeah, and they were really a much
7:13
better team than a 500 team that year They contended
7:16
all the way up until Ron Davis Is that the year
7:19
Detroit the dream team 84 when they won the whole
7:22
thing with Jack Morris? Yep, that's right Gibson
7:24
all those guys. Okay, that's right. Okay, and
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after the final season At the Metrodome in 2009,
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the twins moved to Target Field in an area known
7:32
here as the historic warehouse district of downtown
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Minneapolis. Kind of on the other side of downtown.
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Now known as the North Loop. Yes, yes, yes, yes,
7:42
yes. From 1982 to 2013, the Metrodome was home
7:50
to the Vikings. 32 seasons of National Football
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League games played indoors under a Teflon roof.
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Full disclosure here, John. While I did go to
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some Viking games at the Metrodome, I think I
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can count that number without using all 10 of
8:05
my fingers. Right. Same here. Not a lot. Not
8:07
a lot. And that's because, well, frankly, because
8:09
most of the games, the home games were televised
8:11
locally. I think I looked it up. The last televised
8:15
blackout for Viking games was in 1997. which
8:19
happened to be the year before Randy Moss came
8:21
here. But they were having trouble selling tickets.
8:23
I can remember that. So sometimes you think,
8:25
is this game going to be on this week or not?
8:27
We're quite sure. So through through the 70s
8:31
and 80s, definitely local blackouts were a thing
8:36
in the NFL. I don't think in this century, I
8:40
don't think it exists anymore. But they had a
8:42
you know, Pete Rosell had a rule or something
8:44
that. A very high percentage of the tickets had
8:49
to be sold in order to televise the game locally
8:52
on television You know in hopes that people would
8:56
buy tickets Instead of counting on watching the
8:59
game on TV, and you know I think even before
9:01
then when I was when I was a teenager Even if
9:05
the games were sold out, they still wouldn't
9:06
show them here, the games. No kidding. We used
9:09
to take, I remember going with my dad, my brother
9:11
and I would go with my dad and one of my uncles,
9:13
we'd drive to Menominee, Wisconsin to get the
9:16
Eau Claire CBS station so we could watch like
9:19
a Viking Packers game at Met Stadium. But because
9:22
we couldn't see it, we'd drive to Wisconsin and
9:25
watch it in the bowling alley bar to see games
9:29
because it was literally blacked out. You couldn't
9:31
do it. Okay, um Getting back to the Vikings and
9:36
football at the dome. Did you see many games
9:39
there yourself? No, actually I was never a big
9:43
fan of watching NFL games live The crowd tended
9:50
to be lubricated. Oh, yeah, and After about my
9:55
second game where I got spilled upon that was
10:00
You know, occasionally I take a free ticket from
10:03
somebody, but I wasn't going to spend my money
10:06
to get, you know, beer poured on me. Right. Right.
10:09
And the other thing too is if people have never
10:11
been to an NFL game or major college football
10:14
game, if you're at that game, there is not one
10:17
moment of silence. Yes. Correct. I mean, even
10:19
when they go to TV commercials, there's music
10:22
just blaring and it just. I don't know, some
10:25
people love that, but I think I'm at the point
10:27
now where I'd rather not have to. Right. Let
10:30
me ponder for a minute. When there's a time out
10:33
in the game, I'll get up and do something here
10:34
in the house and come back. For sure. I understand
10:38
why it's popular and fun, but I really didn't
10:41
miss it that much, which is why I didn't go that
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many times a game. Right. Going back to the Metrodome,
10:48
it was ear -splitting in that place. The music
10:50
and the bombardment of noise was pretty incredible.
10:58
Yeah, and it's the same with US Bank, too. I
11:00
had a brother that went to a fighting game. He
11:02
noticed it, too, and he used to be in a band.
11:04
But he said, you know, it's so loud because I
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don't enjoy it as much. You can touch, you touch
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on it briefly, but, uh, again, playing football
11:16
in the dome, advantages and disadvantages, you
11:18
know, the weather, you never had to worry about
11:20
that. Right. But like you said, with the, with
11:22
the lousy turf they had in this, I mean, there
11:24
were some, several players that get really got
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hurt. I mean, career ending injuries sometimes
11:28
on, they, you know, cut on a seam, uh, you know,
11:32
maybe where they replaced the base, the bases
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where the dirt was for baseball, you know, they
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put seams there or the base coaches, first base
11:40
coach, you know, so. It raised havoc. Right.
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And in the second half, I'd say of the of the
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dome era, they put in a different type of turf,
11:51
which was a little more forgiving. Right. You
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know, it was a little little spongier. It was
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trying to replicate real grass. You know, obviously
12:02
they couldn't, but it got much closer. And so
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instead of playing on, you know. Carpet covered
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concrete. They were actually playing on us. I
12:13
used to say it was like playing on a welcome
12:15
mat on top of the driveway, right? I mean it
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was very not very forgiving if you fell hard,
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you know shoulders, you know, he's it was tough
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on your whole body. So, okay Okay About the Vikings
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now after their last game at the Metrodome, which
12:32
was 2013 As you recall, they played two seasons
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at the University of Minnesota's new stadium,
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T .C .F. Banks, now Huntington Bank Stadium.
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But they did that for two years because while
12:43
that was going on, they had torn down the dome
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and they were building what is now their current
12:48
home, U .S. Bank Stadium. So for two years they
12:50
had to play outdoors again. But then they've
12:53
been back ever since. Do you have any idea what
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their Vikings home record was those years they
12:59
played the Dome? It was like 28 seasons, but
13:02
what would you guess their regular season record
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was? I had to look it up, but what would you
13:07
guess? So let's see, 28 seasons, almost 30, so
13:10
they would have played about 220 games total.
13:14
I bet they're like 130 and 90, I'll guess. Okay,
13:19
well actually the the record was 162 wins. Okay.
13:23
88 losses. All right, no ties. Yeah, I mean ties
13:26
are possible. They never tied a game there So
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that's a winning percentage of 648. It's about
13:31
500 well above it And then they played 10 playoff
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games and that time and they went six and four
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Okay, and the one that none of us will ever forget
13:39
was that overtime lost to Atlanta in the championship
13:42
game Okay, now let's talk about the other football
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team that played its home games at the Metrodome
13:51
and that's the Minnesota Gophers They played
13:53
there from 1982 to 2008 or 27 seasons. I don't
13:59
know about you, John, but I actually did go to
14:01
more... gopher football games at the Metrodome
14:03
that did for Vikings. My brother and I and some
14:05
other people, we had season tickets for a few
14:08
years in the 80s. I remember when Lou Holtz took
14:10
over, there was some excitement about that. We
14:13
did that for the 80s for a while. And then in
14:15
the 90s, we did it a couple more times. But what
14:17
about you? Did you see many gopher games there?
14:19
Only a few. I actually saw more gopher games
14:22
at Memorial Stadium. Boy Scout Usher at Memorial
14:30
Stadium. My brother was one of those. The great
14:33
season, which wasn't great, but it was relatively
14:37
great in 1977. Oh, excuse me, when they beat
14:40
Michigan. When they beat Michigan, they had the
14:43
three linebackers that all got drafted that year.
14:48
One of those linebackers was dating my friend's
14:52
older sister. Who were those linebackers again?
14:55
Let's see. Mark Mark Merrill Steve Stewart was
15:00
the one that was dating the My friend's sister
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and he used to come down and play pickup hockey
15:06
with us even in that at that time Yeah, I don't
15:10
remember who the third was. I think they all
15:12
get drafted in the second round I actually met
15:15
Mark Merrill Long after he'd done playing and
15:18
I just met him. He knew some guys from Columbia
15:20
Heights Oh, wow. Interesting. And I suppose we
15:24
if we're going to talk about advantages and disadvantages,
15:26
that was another unique situation because, you
15:30
know, they're playing downtown in a climate controlled
15:32
area, but they're off campus. Right. And it didn't
15:37
really there was no school and that school spirit,
15:40
but someone just didn't feel quite right. It
15:43
wasn't they weren't home. Well, they were home.
15:45
And it was, you know, closer to the West Bank.
15:50
You know, I'd say They would have been better
15:55
if they were closer to the East bank. You know,
15:57
that's where, you know, the fraternities were
16:00
right. Exactly. So it was a little bit divorced,
16:02
even though it wasn't far from campus. It was
16:04
certainly walking distance for a college student,
16:07
uh, for sure. But, um, just, you know, there
16:11
was just that little division there that was
16:14
just, just far enough away from dinky town that
16:18
Um, just didn't capture the, uh, the imagination
16:21
of the student body. Good point. Yep. Nope. I
16:24
agree. Same thing. Okay. I did some more research
16:27
now about gopher football at the dome. Uh, they
16:29
played there for 27 seasons. Uh, their overall
16:32
record there was 87 wins, 80 losses and two ties.
16:38
Okay. And the two ties were in the same season.
16:40
I can't remember what year it was now, but it
16:42
happened in the same year. Um, In 2009, they
16:47
moved back to the campus, what is now Huntington
16:50
Bank. It was TCF Bank Stadium, like we mentioned
16:52
earlier, and that was because Huntington Bank
16:55
shares acquired TCF Financial Corporation, changed
16:58
the name. Okay, now another Minnesota team, the
17:05
Minnesota Timberwolves, played home games at
17:07
the Metrodome in their first NBA season. That
17:09
was the 1989 -90 season. I should quickly add
17:15
that the next year they moved to what is still
17:17
their current home target center. Now, did you
17:20
see any basketball games there? Do you remember?
17:22
I think I might have seen one. Boy, it's a little
17:26
hazy. I went to two of them and it was... Bizarre
17:31
because you're playing you're playing an NBA
17:33
game in a football stadium, right? And so the
17:38
the seating they had the home court as I recall
17:40
was basically Where the infield right? Yes, and
17:44
then it seats at the end at the one end But when
17:47
you're inside the place, it was just so small,
17:49
right? They used a scoreboard where you could
17:52
kind of see the action, but if you were sitting
17:54
way up in the second deck, it was like watching
17:56
ants play. It wasn't a great viewing experience.
18:03
They kind of did it to kill time, you know, until
18:05
the Target Center got built. Oh, and they had
18:08
record -breaking attendance, right? They set
18:10
a record. I don't think it'll ever be matched.
18:12
They averaged like 40 ,000 a game or something.
18:14
It was like a million fans in 40 games. Yeah,
18:18
yeah. It was just bizarre. That year, their record
18:23
was 22 and 60. Which isn't great, but they're
18:27
an expansion team, what do you expect? Well,
18:29
actually much to the chagrin of the ownership,
18:31
because Bill Musselman wouldn't tank. Right!
18:34
He tried to win every game and not develop his
18:37
rookies. Exactly, he would use every trick he
18:40
knew to remain competitive. He wasn't interested
18:45
in developing the franchise, he was interested
18:47
in winning games, which was... The muscle, that's
18:50
what he was. The way he was, yep, yep. But that
18:53
record, 22 -60, included two nine -game losing
18:56
streaks. And they finished sixth out of seven
19:02
teams in the Midwest Division. That's what they
19:04
called it. Charlotte actually had a worse record.
19:07
And at home, in the Metrodome, they actually
19:10
went 17 -24. They had only seven games with 0
19:12
-500. Which is okay, I guess, if you're going
19:15
just for the wins. But on the road... Five wins,
19:19
36 losses. Yeah. They struggled a little bit
19:22
there, so. So was, let's see, that was... That
19:27
was not Poo Richardson was it or was it? Yeah,
19:29
he's a rookie. Yeah. Oh, okay. All right Yeah,
19:32
and they had a play named Tony Campbell. Tony
19:34
Campbell was their star Yeah, he was the one
19:37
six seven guard with no athleticism, but he could
19:40
he could shoot the ball Yeah, yep. Yep. That'd
19:43
be fun trivia just to list the roster, you know
19:45
that team but yeah 22 and what did I say? You're
19:49
22 and 60. Yeah their first year There were two
19:56
other tenants of the Metrodome which I'm guessing
19:59
some local fans may not even be aware of like
20:01
this first one here I'll be impressed if you
20:03
remember this at all the Minnesota Strikers North
20:06
American Soccer League I think I saw a strikers
20:09
game Tina Lettari was their goalie Wow, was it
20:13
in the dome in the dome? Okay, you were there.
20:15
I'm impressed once That was the only season they
20:19
were there though. I looked it up. They actually
20:20
the next year the strikers and three other NASL
20:24
teams Joined what was called the major indoor
20:27
soccer, right? They played it moved to Met Center
20:29
Met Center. Yeah, they played on a hockey rink
20:32
That was a bizarre game too If anybody's ever
20:34
seen indoor soccer because they could kick the
20:36
ball off the boards of the glass right and ricochet
20:39
It was I think Pat Royce. He called it recess
20:42
ball Kind of a made -up game for sure Yeah, it
20:49
was a gym class kind of game. You think of these
20:52
European kids that grew up playing real football
20:54
soccer, and then they're inside playing in a
20:57
hockey rink, you know, on turf. Again, soccer
21:01
in a pinball machine. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And
21:04
then the other team that played, actually played
21:06
there for many seasons was the Gopher baseball
21:09
team. Yes. From 1985 to 2010. And they played
21:13
their games like in the early part of the schedule.
21:16
They could play games and even in February and
21:18
March. Right, right. Because it was simple. Well,
21:20
it was Minnesota. It's winter. Right. And it's
21:22
just too cold to play outside. did that for like
21:25
I said from 85 to 2010 and then in 2012 they
21:30
played their full schedule there because Seabird
21:32
Field over in the campus was being remodeled
21:35
so they played there but that was it for the
21:38
dome for the Gophers and the strikers. Yeah that
21:41
must have been the last tenant of the dome then.
21:44
Maybe the Vikings. Yep I'm coming to that actually
21:47
I got that list up here. Just a couple of fun
21:53
facts. You probably remember all this or just
21:56
what makes the dome unique because you know as
21:58
much as it was criticized and all the shortcomings
22:01
It's pretty unique in that It's the only venue
22:05
that hosted a major league baseball all -star
22:08
game, right? 1985 my dad went to that. I remember
22:11
he had to go the Super Bowl, right? to NCAA men's
22:17
basketball Final Four right right right 92 and
22:19
2001 and then two World Series. I was there in
22:26
1987 when they beat St. Louis and then again
22:28
in 1991 they beat Atlanta and both games were
22:31
decided at the Dome. They won game seven. And
22:34
you said you went to World Series? I was at game
22:37
six and seven of the 87 World Series. Because
22:41
my folks were at game seven. Yeah that was actually
22:44
kind of a boring game. In a good kind of way,
22:47
since they won. It was tense. I remember watching
22:50
my friends, but I kept thinking, are they going
22:51
to blow this? Because it was the last game. But
22:54
it was loud, wasn't it? I mean, I just remember
22:56
they made such a big deal about it on the ABC
22:59
that was televising the game. Game six was definitely
23:02
loud. That was the one with the Herbeck Grand
23:05
Slam. Yes. And didn't Baylor hit a home run,
23:07
too? Don Baylor hit one. Yeah, that was a very
23:12
fun game. And that was a come from behind. I
23:15
think they were losing 5 -2 in the early innings
23:18
before Herbert kept that home run. I was afraid
23:20
it was going to end that day. It was a Saturday
23:22
afternoon watching, I remember. I thought this
23:24
is it. So it was good they came back. And then
23:27
the other thing that I think is always cool about
23:29
the Dome was there was this six month period
23:32
from October of 91 to April of 92 because you
23:37
had the twins winning the World Series. The Superbowl
23:44
with the Washington and Buffalo right and then
23:47
the Blue Devils right, you know beat Michigan
23:51
Michigan, right? Wasn't that the I think Leighton
23:54
or hit the Miraculous shot in the semi -finals
23:58
against Kentucky or no. No, I guess that would
24:00
have been the regional finals It was against
24:02
Kentucky to get to the final. Yeah, I think yeah.
24:05
Yeah later that yeah Everybody remembers that
24:09
shot. It was it was pretty cool. So Another thing
24:15
too about the Metrodome is we've talked about
24:17
sports, but it was actually a venue for a lot
24:21
of things. I was surprised how many rock concerts
24:24
were out there over the years. I was at a couple
24:26
of those. Between 1984 and 2003. After 2003,
24:30
they just didn't have concerts anymore. They
24:31
probably figured, this is so crappy for concerts,
24:34
we ain't gonna do it. But you think of who was
24:37
there. They had the Rolling Stones there. three
24:39
different times. Oh, really? Pink Floyd was there
24:41
two different times and Paul McCartney. I mean,
24:45
so you're looking for rock, you know, icons,
24:47
you know, they they got them there to play in
24:49
the Target Center. I mean, but there were other
24:51
concerts, too. I remember reading about the Grateful
24:53
Dead playing there. I was at that one. Oh, you
24:56
were at that one. OK, OK. Bob Dylan, the Grateful,
24:58
the Grateful Dead. Was Tom Petty there, too?
25:01
Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. OK, that was that was
25:05
the. and the order that they played in, as a
25:08
matter of fact, and Tom Petty is the only...
25:12
Tom Petty band was the only music that I recognized
25:17
that day. Yeah. Like the acoustics were so terrible,
25:22
you didn't even know what song was playing. It
25:24
was, yeah. It was not good for a concert, so
25:27
yeah. Um, just a few other notable events that
25:31
took place there that some people might not remember,
25:33
even if you're from here. Um, in 1991, the world
25:38
special Olympics summer games, okay. They're
25:40
opening ceremonies there. I think what I remember
25:43
about that is I didn't go to it, but I remember
25:45
Arnold Schwarzenegger was there for some reason.
25:48
He was, I don't know, maybe he was an ambassador
25:49
or something. Probably, but he was there. Um,
25:52
the prep bowls were always held there. Right.
25:55
Yep. That was a good venue for, for the kids.
25:58
And it was a good kid for like outstate kids.
26:01
What a thrill to get to go to the metronome.
26:03
So that was fun for them. And then I went to
26:06
an event that not a lot of people went to, I
26:08
don't think, but do you remember the American
26:10
wrestling association, the AWA? Wrestling deal
26:14
right he had he hoped it would be like an equivalent
26:17
to WrestleMania, right? WB was called Wrestle
26:20
Rock 86. Wow, Wrestle Rock April 20th, 1986.
26:24
I went there. Okay But there were only 23 ,000
26:27
people when you think about the Metrodome. Yeah,
26:30
20 people No, it was bad, but all of Vern's stars
26:34
were there. I remember Curt Hanning was there
26:36
Scott Hall was there the Sheik Just about anybody
26:40
that was a famous wrestler that Wrestle for Vern
26:43
was there that day and it went on for hours.
26:46
It just, you know, they were like, so that must've
26:48
been after some of the defections though. Yeah,
26:50
it was because that's, that's why he tried to.
26:53
do something to counter WrestleMania. Right.
26:55
I'll show you. I'll do mine. But it, it was great
26:58
though, because in during the show, um, this
27:01
now we're really getting the deep wheeze and
27:03
wrestling, but Vern Gagne wrestled the Sheik.
27:06
Oh, no kidding. I think he put the sleeper hold
27:09
on him. It was great. The fans loved that. And
27:12
the dome was also used for a lot of conventions.
27:15
I think the Twins Fest was held there often,
27:17
but there were golf shows, their home and garden
27:20
expos, car shows, and let's not forget. Monster
27:23
Jam. Oh yeah. I went to a monster truck show
27:30
there and that was the opening act for Lamont
27:34
Cranston who played after the truck pole deal.
27:39
That had to be allowed too. Yeah, it was. Definitely.
27:45
Yes, Lamont Cranston was a welcome relief to
27:48
the eardrums. Lamont Cranston also opened one
27:53
of the Rolling Stones shows there. So it was
27:56
Lamont Cranston Steel Wheels Tour and then Living
28:01
Color. I think that was what it was called. It
28:04
was Very the loudest music I've ever heard. Yeah,
28:10
they had that song called to personality. Okay,
28:13
big hit at the time and they were so loud. So
28:18
that was and that that was at the time the song
28:21
was a hit. They were to listen to a new item.
28:25
Yeah, what's it called? Either living color or
28:28
in living color something like that. There was
28:30
a TV show also I remember that because Jim Carrey
28:33
was on that right right brothers and so I think
28:36
living color was the band I'll be darned and
28:39
so yeah, you know, they were Black guys that
28:43
played very loud rock music Wow, pretty good.
28:46
I'm gonna check that out. Okay All right, we
28:52
got a quiz for you John quiz question What was
28:55
the very last event to be held at the Metrodome?
29:00
I'll give you a date. December 29th, 2013. This
29:05
Sunday. December of 13th. Well, it must be a
29:08
Vikings game then. And if you know this, that'd
29:12
be amazing, but I can tell you if you can't.
29:15
It was a game against the Detroit Lions. That
29:18
was the last football game played at the Metrodome.
29:21
The Vikings won 14 to 13. And I'm trying to think
29:24
in 2013 who would have been the quarterback.
29:27
I'll have to look that up. But they won it. I
29:29
don't know what the record was in 2013. It was
29:32
before they moved over to the U. But I can't
29:35
remember how they even did that year. But the
29:39
2013 season. That would have been Childress.
29:41
So maybe it was Tee Jack. Could be. Could be.
29:45
I bet that's who it was. It was after Favre because
29:48
Favre played in 20... Yeah, no, no. TJAC was
29:52
before Farms. So yeah, who succeeded Farms? Oh,
29:56
trivia, trivia. Somebody did a podcast on that.
30:01
Oh, it would have been it would have been Christian
30:02
Ponder. Oh, no wonder I can't remember. That's
30:06
what it would have been. First round rep at Christian
30:10
Ponder. Yes, yes. Didn't work out too well for
30:14
anybody, did it? No. Okay. Now the day after
30:17
that last Vikings game, so it's December 2013.
30:20
A local company began removal of those blue seats
30:24
for sale to the public and the various charities
30:27
and nonprofits. And here's some fun facts. The
30:29
individual chairs went for $40 each to charities.
30:33
Okay. All right. $60 each to the public. Like
30:37
I said, you were not wanting to buy one. $60
30:39
bucks. Or $80 each for a specific seat request.
30:43
Like maybe you wanted to get some together or
30:45
something. I don't know. Do you know anybody
30:47
who bought a Metrodome seat? No, I know some
30:50
people that took home seats from that stadium,
30:53
but there was no company removing those. They
30:55
didn't pay for it either. The crowd at the last
30:58
game removed those seats and everything else.
31:05
Oh gosh. Okay. So on April 11th, 2014, that's
31:09
three and a half months after that last Viking
31:12
football game. And you said you weren't working
31:14
at Voya yet then? No, no, I didn't skirt until
31:17
16. Because I was there. But the final portion
31:21
of the interstadium concrete walls were reduced
31:24
to rubble. Like I said, it almost looked like
31:26
they were bombed. That was the official end of
31:30
the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Demolition
31:32
of the Metrodome was firmly declared complete
31:35
six days later, so April 17, a month ahead of
31:39
schedule. as the final truckload of rubble was
31:42
loaded up and removed from the site. Officials
31:45
from Mortenson Construction said the entire demolition
31:47
job required 4 ,910 truckloads and 16 ,000 labor
31:53
hours to complete the job. And so the metrodome,
31:58
the surface of the metrodome was below ground
32:02
level, like probably... 30 or 40 feet at least
32:07
something like that So yeah, so there must have
32:10
been quite a crater in the ground at the time
32:13
Yep Yeah, and like I said that That view that
32:19
I had you know when they were taking the dome
32:21
apart was was something to see from the office
32:23
where I was working at the time kind of sad actually
32:26
because I you know like said for as much as the
32:29
dome got criticized and You know lousy for baseball
32:32
lousy for sports I got a lot of good memories
32:36
of the place. I mean, I had a lot of fun going
32:37
to games and you know, you see friends and...
32:40
No, no doubt. And it did offer great utility.
32:45
It might not have been aesthetic, but it was,
32:49
you know, very great utility. They even used
32:52
that outdoor... Lobby area would you call that
32:55
the concourse that was like a roller dome? You
32:57
could go right and straight right right if you
32:59
wanted just to get exercise and then it's a good
33:01
use of the facility I guess I mean something
33:04
to do so Now just for the benefit of people that
33:11
maybe have seen photos and shots of the dome
33:14
But never went there for any for any event. They
33:16
just they don't live in Minnesota. They just
33:19
never went. Why don't you describe? How it felt
33:22
for you, like the first time you'd go into a
33:24
big place like that, like when you stepped inside
33:25
to see a baseball game, what, what, what were
33:28
the things that you really noticed? Well, the
33:31
biggest memory was getting sucked out of the
33:34
place when I left, um, as it would, uh, I don't
33:37
know what you'd call that air pressure, but,
33:40
uh, but it would. literally blow you right out
33:43
the door. Well, remember, they tried to patrol
33:46
it. They'd make you use those revolving doors.
33:48
Right. Right. Right. Well, these people are going
33:50
to be a huge bottleneck. And, you know, that
33:53
they open those doors. Right. And then, oh, the
33:56
air pressure was tremendous. And it's not exaggeration.
33:59
It almost felt like hurricane winds. I mean,
34:01
you could feel it hitting your back. Right. And
34:03
if you were wearing like a hat. I mean they could
34:05
blow that off. There were reports that sometimes
34:08
people would fall down. Like if they were older
34:10
or something, maybe they just went that good
34:11
on their feet. Or they just caught them off guard.
34:15
Right, that was the thing. The first couple of
34:18
times you were just not prepared for that wind
34:21
tunnel effect. Oh yeah, it was amazing. But alright,
34:26
so walking in the first time, very, it was...
34:30
Huge relative to the Met Stadium, right, you
34:34
know is probably at least double the size, you
34:37
know and An upper deck that went all the way
34:40
around so a second tier and the and the lower
34:44
tier was huge, too I mean it was like 40 rows
34:47
of seats or something, you know, so that started
34:50
ground level, you know in 40 rows down to the
34:53
field and then You know another 40 rows probably
34:59
up to the roof something like that for the second
35:02
deck and if you wanted to get up and go somewhere
35:04
you had a lot of climbing yeah if you were sitting
35:06
down by the dugouts and you said I'm gonna go
35:08
get something to eat right and At the metrodome
35:12
you didn't have to worry about finding a urinal
35:14
because there was none. It was a trough Right.
35:18
Yes. Yes, which was not the most comfortable,
35:22
you know Yeah. It's a guy thing, but it's, it's
35:26
a thing. Right. There is no doubt. Yeah. And
35:30
I'm glad you brought up the part about leaving
35:32
because of the air pressure. Right. It was, it
35:35
was bizarre. You would have to be there to know
35:37
what we're talking about. Right. It's funny too,
35:40
you know, um, so one thing I didn't mention is
35:43
the last three years of the metrodome, uh, season
35:46
tickets for the twins. Oh, you did. And I had.
35:49
My favorite seats ever anywhere. Um, I had the
35:53
front row of the second deck, third base, uh,
35:56
just inside of third base. Um, and, um, so I,
36:02
I, I was right next to the tunnel. Um, so, you
36:05
know, one, one step and I was in the, uh, uh,
36:08
you know, three steps and I was in the corridor.
36:11
Um, yeah. So I, you know, that was, uh, very
36:14
carefully curated, uh, season tickets. which
36:18
I really liked. And then we moved over to equivalent
36:23
seats at Target Field for three years. Same seat,
36:29
essentially. We're a little behind third base
36:34
initially the first year, but it was so much
36:40
farther from the field. The Metrodome, surprisingly,
36:44
Um, you know, the second deck stuck out and was
36:48
closer to the field, much closer to the field.
36:51
That was fall ball territory for sure. Right.
36:54
At the Dome at Target Field, a very occasional
36:58
fall ball intersection, but almost never was
37:00
too far away. Too far away. Yep. Yep. Well, it
37:03
was a it was built for football because the seats
37:05
as they went down. Right. You know, you were
37:07
getting further and further away. Well, like
37:09
my mom and dad, when they went to that seven
37:11
game of the World Series, my dad said we were
37:13
sitting on third base line between third base
37:15
and left field. But you literally had to turn,
37:18
you know, to see the action. Right. couldn't
37:21
just face it, you'd have to turn in your seat
37:23
to lay that one. Oh yes, that's right. The seats
37:26
did not face home plate. Right, right, right.
37:29
They were going straight across, you know, parallel
37:30
to the football field. Yeah, it had some interesting
37:34
quirks, no doubt about it. You have one kind
37:41
of laugh -out -loud memory of the place something
37:43
to happen it nothing to do with the game itself
37:45
but some something that went on that because
37:47
I'll share mine after if you've got one, but
37:50
I Or if you want to think about it, I'll share
37:52
with you Okay, it was the very first regular
37:55
season game they were playing Oakland and It
37:59
was April 6 1982. I remember because of my birthday,
38:03
but it sold out we had seats in the second deck
38:06
left field about 10 rows down from that black
38:09
and white scoreboard. I mean, we were very far
38:12
away. But the place was packed. There was not
38:14
an empty seat in the place. And some people had
38:17
probably been celebrating before the game, too.
38:19
Just, you know, people being people. And for
38:22
the very first home game, do you know who they
38:25
got to sing the national anthem? Tell me. OK,
38:32
it was Pearl Bailey. Naturally. Yeah, that was
38:37
the first thing I would have thought of. Who
38:39
would have played it for your first game? So,
38:41
okay, well, I guess she was a great singer in
38:44
her time and actress and all that stuff, but
38:46
the thing I remember most about Pearl Bailey
38:48
was Garrett Morris from Saturday Night Live used
38:52
to dress up like Pearl Bailey. So I think people
38:55
were just kind of laughing, thinking about that
38:57
when she's singing. So she's singing a cappella,
38:59
the national anthem, going just fine, you know,
39:01
and we're all standing there respectfully. And
39:04
somebody in our area... Probably, you know 20
39:07
yards away from us during the song suddenly yells
39:10
out. Is that Aretha? Franklin obviously it wasn't
39:16
right, but everybody might as well have been
39:18
right, but everybody just sort of laughs and
39:22
You felt disrespectful during the answer, but
39:24
you know that line from that guy. Is that Aretha?
39:27
We just lost it. So that's a memory that I always
39:31
remember of my first time there. So yeah Yeah,
39:35
no, I didn't nothing comes to mind like that
39:37
Not a not a moment that would rival all that
39:39
no streaker running across the baseball field
39:41
That probably was at some point, but wait my
39:45
favorite story I was at the game, uh, where they
39:50
played, uh, Oakland when they were the bash brothers
39:52
can say, go in McGuire and McGuire hit one almost,
39:57
I think it was the last role of the lower deck
40:00
and left field. So that's like 40, 50 rows, but
40:03
you know, it was way back and, uh, it was off
40:07
Frankie Rodriguez and, uh, pocket. uh, was still
40:12
around the team, but he had had the eye problem.
40:14
So he wasn't playing, but he was still around.
40:18
And the story was, um, the next day the team
40:23
is, uh, you know, I don't know, taking batting
40:26
practice or something and Puckett's way the hell
40:30
out in the stands somewhere. And all of a sudden
40:32
he yells down to the field. I found it, Frankie.
40:36
I found it. He holds up a baseball. Oh, that's
40:40
hilarious. That's Kirby Pocket, though. I mean,
40:45
he was that guy. He was that guy. Great story.
40:49
That's fun. That's fun. OK. Let me ask you this,
40:56
John. Some time down the road, you're going to
40:58
be somewhere talking to people, and some young
41:01
sports fan is going to come up to you and say,
41:04
you know... Did you ever see games at the Metrodome
41:06
when it was there? What was it like? How would
41:09
you describe that? I'm trying to figure out what
41:11
the Metrodome, what the experience was for somebody.
41:15
Yeah. I guess, you know, when it was full, it
41:19
was loud. It was a very loud place and it was
41:22
fun. Kind of because of that, you know, dynamic.
41:28
um you know so like the world series holy cow
41:31
that was ear splitting a little loud and fun
41:33
yeah that was that was this this fun a moment
41:37
You know, in my sports life ever, um, you know,
41:41
it was empty. It was pretty pathetic. Yeah. Yeah.
41:44
You know, I can't imagine watching the gopher
41:47
baseball game in there, uh, you know, especially
41:50
if they're getting drummed by somebody, you know,
41:54
that's good. And, you know, here's USC in here
41:57
to beat the Cofors three straight by 10 runs
42:01
or whatever. I think the thing I would tell if
42:04
my granddaughter ever asked me what it was like
42:06
in a dome stadium, I would just say it was climate
42:11
controlled. You never have to worry about getting
42:13
rained on or getting too cold or too hot or anything
42:15
like that. Oh wait, I got a quick aside. Remember
42:18
the first year or two they did not have air conditioning?
42:21
Oh yes. They said we won't need it. It's below
42:23
ground. It was like a sweat box. It was. That
42:26
first year was really, really bad. video clips
42:29
on the news as part of the people with programs
42:31
fanning themselves because it was hot and they
42:34
were sweating. It was like a sweat box in there.
42:36
But I think what I'd say is it was a very unique
42:40
and historic place in that a lot of historic
42:44
things happen there. Like I said, World Series,
42:48
Super Bowls, NBA basketball for a year, Final
42:51
Four. So many things happen there as much as
42:55
people criticize it. And the other thing people
42:57
have to remember is obviously you have to adjust
43:00
for inflation. But I believe they built that
43:01
thing for $55 million. Came in under budget.
43:05
Yeah, under budget. I think that was the budget.
43:06
And I think they built it for $39. Yeah. Yeah.
43:09
You know, I mean, so they definitely got their
43:11
money's worth on it. And like I said, the events
43:14
that were held there, it's just amazing. Not
43:17
too many places can say that they did all those
43:20
different sporting events. So give it its props.
43:25
It served its purpose for a long, long time.
43:27
Although I do like US Bank Stadium. Even though
43:30
I've never set foot in there, it's a really nice
43:31
football stadium. And Target Field is a great
43:34
baseball park. And Gophers at Huntington Bank,
43:37
that's a great college football stadium. So we
43:40
get good stadiums after all that. But I just
43:43
don't want to forget about the dome. Right, right.
43:46
I'd say the closest we have now as far as like
43:49
aesthetic quality is probably Target Center.
43:53
It's kind of feels like it was built on a budget
43:56
and, you know, it doesn't have all the amenities.
44:00
And the dome kind of felt that way in a lot of
44:02
ways. Um, but yeah, it served its purpose very
44:06
well. And like you said, under budget, um, it
44:09
was a very good investment for the state of Minnesota
44:13
for the, uh, for the, you know, uh, I, I. Wholeheartedly
44:17
agree with that and it made us appreciate the
44:21
newer modern place that we have now I think I
44:24
would argue that all three of those venues the
44:26
target field and US Bank Stadium in Huntington
44:28
or Top top drawer. Yeah, very nice. Yeah, I totally
44:33
agree keep complaining so Well, this has been
44:38
fun Yeah, it was almost kind of therapeutic talk
44:41
about sometimes I feel bad about I think about
44:43
all the memories of the dome, right? And people
44:46
don't talk about it that much anymore. So it's
44:48
fun just to bring that up. So I hope the listeners
44:50
that remember the dome can appreciate maybe the
44:53
times they had there as well. So, but John, thanks
44:56
so much. It's good to get together with you again.
44:58
We'll have to do another podcast. I know you
45:00
and I both love music. Maybe we can do a deep
45:02
dive on Right. I'm living color after you. Yeah,
45:06
I'm going to YouTube after that and listen to
45:09
that as well. So thanks again, John. Appreciate
45:11
it. And to our listeners, thanks again for hanging
45:18
out with me, Bob Edholm, and John Lawrence, my
45:21
friend from Northeast Minneapolis. We hope you'll
45:23
join us for the next episode of Hanging Out with
45:25
Bob wherever you listen to your podcast. And
45:28
until then, bye. you