Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota

Minnesota Twins

Metropolitan Stadium
8001 Cedar Avenue
Bloomington, MN 55420

Home of the
Minnesota Twins
(1961-1981)

World Series
- 1965: Twins/Dodgers

All-Star Games
- 1965: NL 6, AL 5

Overview
- Opened: 1956
- Updates:
   1961: Grandstand to right
   1965: Left field pavilion
- Signature: Disrepair, rust
- Closed: 1981
- Demolished: 1985
- Remains: None
- Site: Mall of America

Site Memorials
- Home Plate Marker
- Killebrew Homerun Marker

Vital Stat Links
- Official History
- Map
- Ballparks.com

Article Links
- Andrew Clem
- Atlantic Monthly
- BallparksOfBaseball.com
- BallparkDigest.com
- BaseballLibrary.com
- Jim Caple (ESPN)
- James Thielman
- MSFC
- Vendiamo (buy restored Met Stadium seats)

Related Pages Here
- HHH Metrodome
- Nicollet Park
- Wishful Fields
- Target Field


IMAGE COLLECTIONS

Souvenior Book: The Met (1956-1981) (Source: LP)
Souvenior Book:
The Met (1956-1981)
(28 images)

Photo Day on September 15, 1974 (Source: LP)
Photo Day on
September 15, 1974
(20 images)

The Abandoned Met (Source: Robin Hanson)
The Abandoned Met
(33 images)

Ticket info across years (Source: LP)
Ticket info across years
(5 images)

Concession prices across years (Source: LP)
Concession prices
across years
(6 images)


EXHIBITS

Postcard with two favorite views (Source: MNHS)
Postcard with two favorite views

Postcard (Source: MNHS)
Postcard

Postcard (Source: Postcard)
Postcard

Postcard (Source: MNHS)
Postcard

Met Center has joined the complex (Source: MNHS)
Met Center has joined the complex

Postcard featuring the colored panels (Source: Postcard)
Postcard featuring the colored panels

Notice the multi-colored seating (Source: Scorecard, 1966)
Notice the multi-colored seating

Souvenir options (Source: Scorecard, 1966)
Souvenir options

Map of parking and traffic info (Source: Scorecard, 1966)
Map of parking and traffic info

Official line about the park (Source: Scorecard, 1966)
Official line about the park

Early hints of dissatisfaction (Source: Scorecard, 1972)
Early hints of dissatisfaction

The Twins sponsored the tailgating! (Source: Scorecard, 1973)
The Twins sponsored the tailgating!

Ad with some park highlights (Source: Scorecard, 1973)
Ad with some park highlights

Bus to the park? Innovative, but doomed (Source: Scorecard, 1974)
Bus to the park? Innovative, but doomed

The legendary Frosty Malt (Source: Scorecard, 1974)
The legendary Frosty Malt

An amazing yearbook photo (Source: Twins Yearbook, 1974)
An amazing yearbook photo

Some Twins and Met firsts (Source: Scorecard, 1974)
Some Twins and Met firsts

Seating chart circa 1961 (Source: Unknown)
Seating chart circa 1961


HISTORIC PHOTOS

One very early view (Source: Unknown)
One very early view

At night in the early days (Source: Unknown)
At night in the early days

From near the right field foul pole (Source: Unknown)
From near the right field foul pole

The 1965 World Series (Source: MNHS)
The 1965 World Series

The 1965 All-Star Game (Source: MNHS)
The 1965 All-Star Game

A great overview shot (Source: Unknown)
A great overview shot

From the third deck (Source: Unknown)
From the third deck

An early view from beyond center (Source: Postcard)
An early view from beyond center

Looks positively modern (Source: Unknown)
Looks positively modern

Such sunshine (Source: MNHS)
Such sunshine

The later-condemned third deck (Source: MNHS)
The later-condemned third deck

The home team dugout (first base side) during construction (Source: MNHS)
The home team dugout (first base side) during construction

A sample of the concourses in the main grandstand (very plain) (Source: MNHS)
A sample of the concourses in the main grandstand (very plain)

April 1963 (Source: MNHS)
April 1963

The scoreboard -- complete with bullpen cart! (Source: LP, 1975)
The scoreboard -- complete with bullpen cart!

A hi-res view just after a Twins 3-run homer (Source: LP, 1975)
A hi-res view just after a Twins 3-run homer

The home run king was in town that day (Source: LP, 1975)
The home run king was in town that day

A hazy afternoon game (Source: Printed backwards in the Metrodome souvenir book, © 1982 MSP Publications, Inc.)
A hazy afternoon game

Rod Carew swings (Source: Metrodome souvenir book, © 1982 MSP Publications, Inc.)
Rod Carew swings

Dome the Met? It was considered... (Source: Metrodome souvenir book, © 1982 MSP Publications, Inc.)
Dome the Met? It was considered...

Killebrew swings (Source: Metrodome souvenir book, © 1982 MSP Publications, Inc.)
Killebrew swings

Winter at the Met (Source: Metrodome souvenir book, © 1982 MSP Publications, Inc.)
Winter at the Met

The shot memorialized at Camp Snoopy (Source: Metrodome souvenir book, © 1982 MSP Publications, Inc.)
The shot memorialized at Camp Snoopy


CURRENT PHOTOS

Aerial view of the Mall of America (Source: Mapquest)
Aerial view of the
Mall of America

The well-worn plaque at Camp Snoopy (Source: LP, 2001)
The well-worn plaque at Camp Snoopy

The former third base line (Source: LP, 2001)
The former third base line

Area surrounding the plaque (Source: LP, 2001)
Area surrounding the plaque

The former first base line (Source: LP, 2001)
The former first base line

The red chair (Source: LP, 2001)
The red chair

Another view of the chair (Source: LP, 2001)
Another view of the chair

The chair viewed through fake foliage (Source: LP, 2001)
The chair viewed through fake foliage

From about where the scoreboard used to be, toward the former infield (Source: LP, 2001)
From about where the scoreboard used to be, toward the former infield

Baseball Oasis (Source: MN Historical Society)

Metropolitan Stadium: No Place Like Home

By Rick Prescott
Summer 2001

We all know what happens when you build a baseball park out of a field of corn: it has magical properties. But what about an onion patch? Not as romantic, perhaps, but every bit as magical.

Brief History

Metropolitan Stadium sprang out of nearly nowhere in 1955 as the Twin Cities tried mightily to become a Major League destination. Its site was miles from either of the area's downtowns, surrounded by farmland sprinkled with hints of the suburban metropolis it would become (a housing development had already been completed directly to the west).
The Met's ultimate configuration (Source: Postcard)

The Met's ultimate configuration (Source: Postcard)

Nonetheless, on this parcel of land, one summer there was a crop of vegetables (onions, radishes, melons, and even some of that magical sweet corn), the next summer it was grass and baseball. Ten short summers later, the game's top players would meet there in the mid-summer classic, and later that same year the two top teams would battle for a World Championship.
1966 program cover (Source: LP)

1966 program cover (Source: LP)

That's a pretty short span between Nowhere and Somewhere. (The span which followed -- from Somewhere to Nowhere again -- would be nearly as brief.)

By 1965, the park had reached what would be its final configuration. The original triple-decked infield grandstand was augmented down the first base line by a permanent double-decked extension. In left field a very large double-decked bleacher section provided thousands of extremely cheap -- and pretty bad -- baseball seats (which actually were built to be rather expensive -- but still pretty bad -- football seats). The rest of the park was made up of temporary seating that simply would never go away. Had the permanent grandstand extended fully down the third base line, Twins owner Calvin Griffith later grumbled, the Twins would never have left the Met for the Metrodome.

Patchwork Glory

But it's a mistake to dwell on what might have been. One can easily imagine what a Met with more permanent seating might have looked like (think Dodger Stadium). In fact, it's even easy to imagine what a rebuilt Met with more modern amenities might be like (Angel Stadium in Anaheim).
First Bank ad caricature (Source: 1971 Scorecard)

First Bank ad caricature (Source: 1971 Scorecard)

But the image we will always have is of the patchwork glory that we actually knew. One of the Twins' regular program advertisers featured a caricature of the park which captured its somewhat schizophrenic qualities (with marginal accuracy). This profile is the one seared into my memory.

I'm sure a lot of Twins fans remember the experience of approaching the park before a game and catching the first glimpse of those uniquely huge light standards looming over what seemed like miles and miles of parking lot. They jutted out of the top of a multi-colored heap of rusty iron and chain link fence, and looked so huge that they might come down at any second. But as those lights got larger, so would our eyes.

Our game was in there, and its heroes: Carew, Oliva, Battey, Kaat, Blyleven, Perry, Grant, Allison, and Killebrew.
A Killebrew walk-off homer in 1965 (Source: MNHS)

A Killebrew walk-off homer in 1965 (Source: MNHS)

Herb Carneal (also a hero) was in there ready to describe the action for all the unlucky fans who couldn't be there -- but wished they could. As you walked the miles of cracked asphalt from the car, the heap got bigger and bigger with every step until it loomed almost incomprehensibly large. Met Stadium was a very big place. It was tall and wide, its stature emphasized by the vast flatness surrounding it. It seemed, in some ways, like an oasis in the middle of a blacktop desert. It was a genuine Destination, with a very big personality all its own.

The Met was the first major league park I ever visited, and it was my home park for my entire childhood. In fact, there are still times when I listen to Carneal's voice and instinctively picture the game out in that massive, creaky, beautiful place. (Alas, the image doesn't last too long before a ball hits a speaker or that damnable baggie.) What I wouldn't give to see just one more game there.

Composite view from the bleachers (Source: LP, 1975)

The View From the Cheap Seats

The left field stands were the cheap seats, of course. To get there you entered not so much through a gate as through an opening in the fence
North entry to bleacher area (Source: MNHS)

North entry to bleacher area (Source: MNHS)

which surrounded the park (visible on the right edge of this postcard). Then there was a little path leading to the entry for the grandstand. Talk about low-tech!

Underneath the pavilion was a complete jumble. I remember that the rest rooms were there, but I do not recall any fixed concession stands (the park is said to have contained a total of 24). What I remember most is one of the greatest amenities I have ever experienced at a major league park: a standing room, field-level view of the action. The left field fence was made of chain link all the way from the foul pole to nearly straight-away center, and you could stand there just a few yards behind the outfielders and watch the game.

Many people did this, and it was always crowded. To the best of my knowledge, no major league park today has anything quite like this
Fans watch through the fence during the 1965 World Series (Source: World Series Video)

Fans watch through the fence during the 1965 World Series (Source: World Series Video)

(I do not count the obscenely expensive modern version which sits right behind home plate). Of course, padded outfield fences prevent this to a certain extent. But there's something special about watching the action from the vantage point of an outfielder. That's how I saw a lot of action when I played the game as a kid, so it always felt familiar.

Up above, there were lots of vendors, and great food that was cheap. My favorite treat was always the Frosty Malt. Our family had a pattern which I still follow today. Hot dogs are for the early innings, and Frosty Malts are for the late innings. The best part of this strategy was that by the 7th inning, the Frosty Malts were all just a little bit melted, so it was like a really thick chocolate shake which you had to eat with a flat wooden spoon. (These days, modern technology ensures that all ice cream treats stay frozen solid throughout the game. * Sigh *)

A Special Night

Ticket stubs from August 10, 1971 (Source: LP)

Ticket stubs from August 10, 1971 (Source: LP)

The Met saw its share of baseball history, including the night of August 10, 1971, when Harmon Killebrew became the 10th major leaguer in history to hit 500 home runs.

My grandfather, a Twins fan since the beginning, came into town from Sioux Falls to visit and had wanted to go to the previous day's game because of its potential historic significance. Luckily, it didn't work out for us to go, and since Killebrew hadn't delivered yet, we got a second chance.

Because he was going, Grandpa insisted on buying good seats for everyone, and so for the first and only time (that I can remember) we sat in the main grandstand. I remember lots of people, and an electric atmosphere, but at first I didn't quite understand why the game was special.

When Killebrew came to the plate in the first inning, the electricity in the air increased noticeably. And when Baltimore's Mike Cuellar threw up a fat pitch, Killebrew swung and the whole place erupted like I've never heard before or since. The shot landed out in the left field pavilion -- our usual seats.

Detail from Mom's scorecard (Source: LP)

My mom kept a scorecard which shows that, with the pressure relieved,
Harmon with two historic souvenirs (Source: Minnesota Twins)
Harmon hit his 501st homer a couple of innings later. It was not enough to beat the Orioles, who won 4-3 (Killebrew getting all three of the Twins RBIs), but it was enough to make a memory that will be with me for life.

Killebrew hits number 500 (Source: Mounted Memories)

Killebrew hits number 500 (Source: Mounted Memories)

Even though we were far away from the infield, there was a distinct thrill just being in the presence of big-leaguers, and I didn't want to miss a second of the action. But I remember one time leaving about half way through the second game of a double-header. The Twins were trailing the White Sox 3-0 after losing the first game 2-1. After a long, hot day of baseball, we were not the only people who decided to leave early, and we faced a long line of cars trying to exit. Listening to the game on the radio as we waited, we heard the Twins, only a few hundred yards away but now completely out of our sight, rally to win the game 4-3. Since then I've never left a major league game early -- a lesson learned directly from the extremely bad traffic conditions around the Met. I don't remember exactly how it was set up, but it always seemed like 15,000 cars and one exit.

Such Great Days

But my greatest memories of the Met have to be of bat day and photo day. On bat day, every single kid got a bat -- and plenty of adults too. These weren't cheap bats, and they weren't kid-sized, and with the help of a little tape on the handle, I used mine well into my teenage years.

But photo day may have been the most magical of all. Unlike today's more formal and controlled version, in 1974 the fans gathered on the warning track all around the field, and the players wandered around on the grass.
Photo day on September 15, 1974 (Source: LP, 1974)

Photo day on September 15, 1974 (Source: LP, 1974)

Fans could stand with players if invited, and everyone could take as many pictures of as many players as they wanted. It was leisurely and extremely informal, and probably went on for 45 minutes or so. The day we went I got to see Tony Oliva and Bert Blyleven up close (and get great shots of each), and take my brother's picture with Harmon Killebrew. (My mom tried to convince me to get my picture taken with him, but I was not interested. I was learning to be a photographer and had no interest in being a subject. Oh yeah, I was also pretty nervous about being in the presence of such greatness.)

My clumsy photos did capture nicely the casual spirit of the event, and the gloriously sunny nature of this day at the park. I also got a shot of some of the seating in the left field grandstand.
Photos in front of the left field pavilion (Source: LP, 1974)

Photos in front of the left field pavilion (Source: LP, 1974)

The photo shows that it was not individual seats out there like in the main grandstand, but bleacher seats with backs. It only matters because on June 3, 1967, Killebrew launched a home run that landed in the upper deck of the bleachers some 530 feet from the plate! The mammoth shot is memorialized on the wall of Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America -- except they used a seat from the main grandstand to stand in for the bleachers that were actually hit. (They certainly get points for getting the spirit of the event, if not quite the detail.)

Memory vs. Reality

Nothing in my memory can explain why they abandoned Metropolitan Stadium. Of course, I remember it being very hot -- and very cold. But, hey, this is Minnesota! I remember being a long way from the action -- but I always thought it was just because the cheap seats were all we could consider. Come to think of it, I do remember that the third deck of the main grandstand was closed because it was too dangerous.

Abandoning the Met: My Fault?

Cal's response (Source: LP, 1977)

Cal's response (Source: LP, 1977)

I just wanted to come in from the heat. I just wanted to be closer to the action. I just wanted to have one of those cool new domed stadiums. You know, like the Astrodome!

So I wrote a letter to Twins president Calvin Griffith. It was short and sweet, and pleaded for him to support a new domed stadium. At age 13, I knew nothing of stadium politics or financing. I just had visions of something new and fancy.

Apparently, so did Calvin:

"I also support having a domed stadium. True, there's nothing like a bright, warm summer day at the ball park with a gentle breeze blowing. It's a pleasant thought. But there are those days during the season when it's 45 degrees or raining. Such conditions are anything but pleasant for someone wanting to see a baseball game. Under a dome, you can make the weather predictable."

I had found a kindred spirit! My letter had made a difference! We'd get our magical domed stadium! (Read the entire response letter by clicking on the image above.)

But I should have realized -- as should Calvin -- that predictable weather gets old pretty fast. I should have realized -- as should Calvin -- that the Twins would be moving into a football stadium. I should have realized -- as should Calvin -- that Minnesota frugality would result in always making the most practical and sensible choice in design and construction rather than the most exciting. If the Astrodome was financed with Texas Bravado, the Metrodome was built with Minnesota Nice.

My heart sank the first time I stepped into the new place. I immediately wanted to be back out in the sun, watching grounders bounce off real grass, and fly balls soar across real sky. It was an early lesson in being careful what you wish for.

And everything was pretty rusty. And it took forever to get out of the parking lot after games. And there were only a handful of concession stands, and not very many rest rooms. Hmm, it's starting to come back to me now...

The final word, however, should probably come from a player. Killebrew, speaking at TwinsFest 2004, said this when asked about his reaction when he heard the Met was coming down: "It was time," he said. "It was a good park for a while, but we played under some pretty bad conditions there... There were times when it was more like a test of endurance than a baseball game." He went on to describe how winds sometimes helped or hurt him as a hitter, but said that the cold was the real problem. He clearly thinks that indoor baseball is a must in the Minnesota climate.

I must admit that I was deeply in favor of replacing the Met and wrote to Calvin to express my views (see sidebar). It seems a bit sacrilegious in hindsight, but I really loved the idea of a new stadium, especially a domed one. Because of my letter, I've always felt just a tiny bit responsible for the Met's demise and its replacement by the accursed concrete oval...

But let's be realistic: the Met probably wouldn't have lasted much longer without some major structural repair. It probably would have had to be torn

The Song

We're gonna win Twins, we're gonna score!
We're gonna win Twins, watch that baseball soar!
Knock out a homerun, shout a hip-hooray!
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!

We're gonna win Twins, give it our all!
We've got the guys who'll knock the cover off the ball!
Let's hear it now for the team that came to play!
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!

down and reconstructed section by section over a decade or more. Better maintenance would have helped, but the place was put up hastily and it wasn't exactly built to last forever. And protecting it from the elements was simply not an option (though it was proposed). That park was built to lure a team. In that sense at least Met Stadium was a complete success. And compared to what we've had ever since, it looks in my memory like a baseball Taj Mahal.

Ballpark Magic

When I recall those afternoons baking in the sun out in left field, I realize how the experience shaped my love of the game, and some significant portions of my life. For that I'm grateful to that place and to the men who played there.

Exploring the Abandoned Met

The Abandoned Met (Source: Robin Hanson)

The Abandoned Met (33 images)

The Met was officially abandoned after the Vikings finished their season in early 1982, but not torn down for several years. The site was a source of great controversy and litigation before it was finally selected as the location for the new Mall of America.

While the litigation was in progress the park simply sat there and aged. It was unused, not maintained, not very well-protected, and highly vandalized. Many people got in and took tours, souvenirs and even photographs.

One of those people was Robin Hanson of suburban Minneapolis. He contacted me after reading this article and offered to add his photos of the forlorn ballpark to my collection. I jumped at the chance, and happily scanned his negatives while we chatted about our memories of the park.

For those who loved this place, the photos are pretty hard to look at. Evidence of the park's final moments is everywhere. After the final Vikings game, fans began tearing the place apart and left almost nothing untouched. Large hunks of the turf were harvested, as was one of the goal posts -- twisted until it broke off at the base! Seats were broken and scattered about the field. It was a most unpleasant end to a park which suffered its share of indignities during its lifetime.

Be sure to browse the collection by clicking on the image above. The park seen here is a rusty mess, left to whither back into the bean field from which it sprang. But the memories are palpable: the original bat racks remain; benches on which World Series teams once sat are still brightly painted and right where they were in the dugouts and bullpens; the rubber ring around home plate is still there; even the famous clock hovers over this now-vacant lot. The temporary stands were all gone, as were home plate and the pitching rubber. But the park's greatest asset was still right there: the sky was blue the day Robin took his tour, and the sun shone down brightly -- a perfect day for outdoor baseball.

Our family only went to games once or twice a season, so it was a big deal. I was always excited, and just a little bit nervous. Of course, I always had my glove! (Nope, never caught a single thing.)

Since the bleachers faced due west, we got an amazing treat during midsummer night games. As we watched the sun set over the more expensive seats, there would be that great moment when a pop-up would go high enough to take my eyes into a sky which suddenly contained stars. Twilight over the Met was an awesome experience (see the photo at the top of this page).

This was the place where I grew to love the arc of a baseball in flight -- that perfect shape which sums up the laws of physics and represents so many truths of nature. In later years I would learn that the same shape fills all great and good works of art, and pervades our lives (if we let it). But I first saw it at the Met, and it was simply a pure and beautiful sight, especially when set against a new night sky.

From an early greeting card (Source: Unknown)

From an early greeting card (Source: Unknown)

Occasionally I go out to the Mall of America, and every so often I seek out the plaque which marks the spot where home plate used to be. Then I peer through the foliage of Camp Snoopy to get a glimpse of the red seat mounted high up on the far wall. Then I meander down what used to be the third base line and think about that day I strolled up and down that line taking pictures of my favorite players.

Sure, the Twins have played some great ball since leaving the Met. But when I remember some of my greatest baseball moments, I'm back there: seven years old, glove on one hand, Frosty Malt in the other. Dad is explaining the game, Mom is keeping score. Blyleven and Kaat are the pitchers. Killebrew, Carew and Oliva are the hitters. And the place is -- and always will be -- Metropolitan Stadium.

Ballpark Magic (Source: MN Historical Society)

Other visitor comments about this page

VERY VERY impressive sight! I have not been lucky enough to see the Old Met before it was demolished; but I am very fond of the old place. My dad has not only gone to a few Twins games back then, but also the 1975 NFC Championship game featuring the infamous "push-off" with Drew Pearson.

Renee, St Paul, MN, 10/10/02 23:48:26

Very nice site, brought back memories of when I was a kid and went to knot hole games there. I'm looking to purchase a nice B&W or color photo similar to the one at the top of this site. Does anyone know where I could purchase one? If you do, please e-mail me at drnascar@hotmail.com.

Bill Fredericks, Lakeville, MN, 10/12/02 16:32:49

Nice site, right down memory lane. I remember the 1961 Twins fondly. Many good players came from that team, but the most overlooked was Earl Batty...what a fine catcher.

Larry, Puget Sound, Washington, 10/14/02 13:53:15

wow , that was great, i wish i was able to go to the met.... i only have been in the dome. i am looking for more pic's and possably a video on the old met!!! rick.rector@attws.com

rick rector, st paul, 01/08/03 16:30:21

I bought two marvelously detailed lithgraphs at TwinsFest this year of Met Stadium. How I wish I went to a few games in my youth.

Eric, St Paul, MN, 02/19/03 08:02:04

I can hear Bob Casey saying "Thank you, and good evening."

Maj, Boone, IA, 02/24/03 19:45:18

Reading your column brought back a lot of memories.Freezing my keister off at Vikings games, cheering on the Kicks etc. When the Met was shuttered, some friends and I got in, climbed the old scoreboard and roamed the lockerrooms. Wish now I would have grabbed a souvenir.

mike T, Michigan, 02/25/03 19:40:11

I never had a chance to actually see a game there, but I do remember the exterior from a concert I went to once at the Met Center, with Metropolitan Stadium in the background. I remember the thrill I had just seing the place and those infamous, God-awful colored panels. I remember being more excited to see the place where the Twins and Vikings played than I was for the Todd Rundgren and Utopia concert. I get to several Twins games a year and my son thinks the Dome is cool. I beg to differ. I guess that's the mark of a great old ballpark. Even people who never saw a game there miss it.

Mark Spangler, Mankato, Minnesota, 06/09/03 23:02:31

Thank You

Patrick Molitor, Saint Paul, 07/31/03 02:24:51

got to see the twins beat the a's back in '76...remember getting yelled at as my sister and me tried to get pictures from right behind home plate...been to the dome and still miss the met!!

mark koch, sioux falls, sd, 08/27/03 01:46:22

went to the old met a few times as a kid. remember one time there was "fans in the stands" or something where the players were at various points around the stadium giving out pictures and signing autographs. got craig kusek, and mike cubbage. also remember one time when they twins played the red sox, seeing jim rice walk into the stadium. also stayed at the marriott hotel next door, and got an autograph and picture taken with tony olivia. then in 1983, after it had closed, i was going to brown institute, and one night me and some friends went out to the met to try and get a souvineer. it was dark, and they climbed the wall, and then we found out in the light, that they had covered places where you could climb over with a green ink like substance to keep people out. i think all they ended up with was a metal light thing.

scott pearson, sioux falls sd, 08/27/03 12:03:29

A very great website. Goes into the life of the Twins old home. Well done.

Gavin McAllister, Ireland, 09/05/03 17:53:11

This is great! I grew up going to the Twins games at the Met. I have fantastic memories of Danny Thompson speeding home to win in extra innings, Rod Carew placing an opposite field hit with a full count and bases loaded, Henry Aaron hitting a home run while with the Brewers, just when my Mom went to the stand for a brat (missing it, of course), and just being there with friends and family either having been given tickets or skipping school to go to opening day. I once endured a double header with my brother, both games went long and we were there for about 12 hours. The only memory there was Oscar Gambles helmet falling off with each swing because of his enormous "fro". The Met was what it was, idiosyncratic, asymmetrical, and pieced together, but it was our park, and we had baseball outdoors and on grass, the way it is suppose to be.

Paul Buckles, Westcliffe, Colorado, 11/12/03 20:51:25

I was lucky enough to have grown up less than a mile from Met Stadium, and it was the hangout for every kid in our neighborhood. My mom worked in concessions when the Millers played there, and I could buy a ticket for 50 cents. I remember one of my favorite players being Pumpsie Green! I saw the second Twins game ever played there, and the first regular season Vikings game, when they upset the Chicago Bears. I have so many great memories of the Met, that I could write several pages easily. Does anyone remember the megaphone shaped popcorn containers? Besides baseball, I saw Vern Gagne wrestle the Crusher in a cage match at the Met, and saw the Beatles perform there. It was a great place to watch a ballgame, and every once in a while when I'm at an outdoor stadium, I'll catch a "wiff" of popcorn or a hot dog, and I'm transported back to the days of Jim Lemon, Bob Allison, Pedro Ramos, Camillo Pascual.....how about Elmer Valo!?!

Les Prestegard, Alpharetta, GA, 12/24/03 10:14:01

I have a blow up of your 3rd picture down on my office wall. Bought it at the MN State Fair some years ago. It's a pic of the 1965 All-Star game. I bought it because both my brother and I worked at the Met for over 5 years, selling souveniors back then. So my brother (Gari) and I are in that photo somewhere. My memories go back to seeing a night game with the Mpls. Millers, the Beatles, of course and some awfully frozen Vikings games. We would trade off watching the booth and sitting in the Mens Room where the heaters were!! Before they closed her down they even had an all day concert there with the Eagles and Steve Miller. Great place - Great website!

Greg Perrine, Conway, AR, 02/09/04 16:25:08

I have never been able to see a game at the met, or any outdoor ballpark in that matter. Reading this has made me miss the met, even though i havn't acually been there. The dome is good, but gets old after awhile, and I am in great support of the plans for a new stadium in Minnesota, and hopefully it can be as of a memorable place to be as the Met.

Jason, Forest Lake, Minnesota, 03/21/04+15:00:17

Thanks again, Rick, for the use of your pictures and the opportunity to link my site to yours.
As a small token of appreciation, I have scanned the backside of two separate 1965 Twins schedules. One has the directions (to both albatrossed Met and Grain Belt Brewert). You'll be sure to note the all too obvious lack of any St Paul area freeways that go strictly East/West (494, and 694 are years from being completed). Another is a seating chart and prices for the Met prior to the massive double decker in left field.

Thanks again

Eric Christensen, St Paul, 04/05/04 14:15:40

Great memories and a great site. I also grew up watching the Twins at the Met and I also miss it dearly. We usually sat up in the third deck either behind first or third base. I lived in fear during the games that one of those cantilevered light standards would come crashing down on us poor fans. I also got worried when the stands would sway and creak during "bat day" when the rolling sound of thundering bats pounding on the decks could be felt after every Twins hit. Who could ever forget the "Twins-O-Gram" messages and the organ out there on the low-tech scoreboard? Never did see anyone hit the Midwest Federal tree with a homer. When Bill Rigney was manager, they played "A String of Pearls" over the PA between innings and I think of the Met whenever I hear it now. The left field bleachers always held a bit of mystery for me because we never sat out there. Sure, the Met was a pretty hokey stadium by today's standards but I know a lot of people, myself included, wish it were still around. Oh sure, I Saw a few games at the Dome, but I grew disenchanted with it very quickly. It's just not the same without screaming airliners overhead, the smell of cigars and hot dogs, Herb Carneal and Halsey Hall on the radio and the sensations of a ball game in the outdoors. Hopefully we'll get something to bring the atmosphere back soon.

Doug, St. Louis Park, 04/07/04 05:05:05

Thank you for the wonderful history in this site. I went to hundreds of ballgames at the Met and have thousands of great memories. Rod, The killer, Tony O, Mudcat, Old Blue, the colorful years of the origional Billy Ball, all while listening to Halsey. My memories include Vic Power's smile, Earl Battey staring down base runners, Burt's curveball, Harmon's monster high homeruns, Lenny Green's hit streak, wondering if we would beat the rain front coming in from the west, and of course, Calvin.
I have been searching high and low for a frameable print of the Met. I hope to find one someday so I can show my son.

Jim Blumberg, Southern California, 04/12/04 21:45:21

My memories of the Met are playing "three blind mice" at a Kicks game on kazoo night, attending my first baseball game with my oldest brother and the many "knothole game days" with my friends to watch the hometown Twins do battle, and seeing the cold breath of visiting football players while the stoic Vikings maintained their calm.

...Booo, the Stars just lost its playoff series to the Avalanche seconds ago. Moving on...

That parking lot was so vast it held not only Met Stadium but also Met(ropolitan Sports) Center where the North Stars played and the Carlton Room (was it?) where Vegas has-beens played. Remember that dump?! It was like a poor man's casino's lounge but without the casino, demonstrating just how poor this man was.

DTFC visitor, Pacific Northwest, 04/17/04 15:48:02

I just found your website. VERY NICE! I am currently doing research on the old baseball scoreboards and thought that you might be able to help me. Please let me know if you might have any info or photos that you would like to share.
Thank you very much,
Scott Hannig
Pastimes Scoreboards

Scott Hannig, Miamisburg, OH, 04/26/04 07:03:58

This is really great. Thank You for the memories. May I make a suggestion? With computers today, you should really make these available to save as wallpaper. That would be nice for us older folks who treasure these pictures. Is there a way you can make that available?
Thanks for considering,

Curt

Curt Pedro, Chicago, 05/02/04 00:43:25

My Dad used to park cars at the old Met. Sometimes I would go with him and he would get us into the games at about the 4th inning. I also remember going to the Beatles concert at the old met. Wow. . . I'm really dating myself now! Great old structure. I was sad to see it go. Thank you for this website.

Pattie "Barthol" Hanson, Prior Lake, MN, 06/03/04 12:29:19

Great website! + Great memories! I saw my first game at the Met on Aug 25, 1962. I missed Jack Kralick's no hiter by one day. Many great memories of that old ballpark. How about the wind blown grand slam that Mike Cuellar hit in the 1970 playoffs ? I can still see the ball going way foul down the right field line, then hooking fair around the foul pole as Tony O. watched in disbelief. I was also there for the first game Rod Carew played at first base, and the long home run that Reggie Jackson hit off the scoreboard. I remember one Sunday in May when Hank Aaron was finishing his career with the Brewers & I drove up from Iowa to see him play. Game was snowed out ! That is the ONLY good thing about the Metrodome...no postponements.

dan sullivan, cedar rapids, iowa, 09/11/04+22:44:20

A+, Even though I'm not a big Twins fan(Go Tribe) but a huge Vikings fan. I did love it though when Kirby ruined the Braves in '91, and when they won the division in '02 and just a few months earlier the league wanted to scrap them. This is the best site I've found on the ugliest, but at the same time, the most captivating stadium I've ever seen. The Met just has a hold on me. A certain mystique I haven't gotten from any other venue. Maybe it's because the Vikings were so good there. It always seemed like the colder it got the Vikes just got hotter. Let's face it, there has only been one dome team to ever win the Super Bowl(Rams, a team we owned in the 70's) and that year the Super Bowl just happened to be played in a dome. Now there is talk of two new stadiums and both looking like they will have a retractable roof. The new Vikings stadium looks like it will be open on both ends and I can't understand why, while it would be better than a dome. Why accomidate Miami, Tampa, or Atlanta coming to Minnesota in November or December. The facts tell it all, 11 division titles in 13 years and what do you think is responsible for that? THE MET OF COURSE. For the Twins I can see the roof but for the Vikings there is no better home-field advantage than not having one at all. If it wasn't for the Metrodome the Vikes would have buried Atlanta in '98 and might have actually scored against New York in 2000. The Vikings are worse in the cold now than Tampa Bay and that is just sad. I'm all for new stadiums for both teams but as for the Vikes, NO DOME!!!

JJ

JJ, VA, 11/03/04+22:31:49

I was nearly in tears after the last Vikings game at the met. I was never able to go to a game there, but the original home to tailgating and football in the conditions is truly missed. We need to build a stadium (no roof) & return our home field advantage back to the best football fans in the NFL.

Joe R., Rockford, MN, 11/22/04+22:51:25

I grew up 2 blocks from the greatest fun of my life. The weekend polka festivals, camping weekends, watching Steve miller when I was older. I think my next door neighbor Scott Martin had even more fun than I. Thank You for the memories.

Greg Schommer, Maplewood, 12/17/04+08:00:04

I was never able to see a game at The Old Met but when they tore down the Met Center, the local news station caught me on TV balling my eyes out. I can only imagine I would have done the same thing had I been around to see this place. I still think the two dumbest things ever to happen are the tearing down of the Old Met and then Met Center. I definetley would love to have a new outdoor stadium, eventhough it could never have the nostalgia that the Met did, it would still be fun. Also, if anyone has any old pictures of the Met I would love to see them. Love this website!!!!

Jeff Skogland, eden prairie, 12/21/04+12:08:41

Looking for anything I can get my hands on. Game tapes, videos, photos, Please help!!! Very very interested. Great site Lots of memories!!!!

Pete Hoffman, Minneapolis, 12/27/04+14:04:58

I grew up on 86th and Oakland, the STADIUM was a big part of my life. Bob Allison lived next door, Tony Oliva lived on Portland Ave. a few blocks away. Our sandlot was under the power lines on 86th and Park, one block over.

Jim Belbeck, San Francisco, 01/06/05+11:12:21

I have been a Twins fan since 1971 when I saw my first game at the Met with my Dad against the Cleveland Indians. I saw many games at the Met after that and when the Twins moved to the Dome in 1982 it just wasn't the same ballpark atmosphere that I enjoyed at the Met. My most enjoyable moments included the camper's weekends when families would park their campers around the Met and attend the games that weekend. They would show a movie on the outside wall of the stadium and you could attend church services inside the Met on Sunday. Meeting some of my favorite Twins and taking pictures of them was pretty cool also. Please pattern the new ballpark with some features of the old Met so the memories can flood back again. I recently finished a complete program and scorecard run of the Met years(1961-1981) and that is also very nostalgic for me.

Corey Cano, Thunder Bay,Ontario,Canada, 01/19/05+08:50:34

Loved the Met. I saw many of Harmon's HR's and was fortunate enought to be there when Harm hit the HR off of an aging Lew Burdette into the upper deck in left field. Also was at game 7 of the 1965 World Series. I still have the standing room ticket stub from that game. I did get a brick from the 1st base side after the demolition had begun. Shame on anyone who was responsible for the destruction of the Met and the insuing introduction of the Dome. Still love the TWins and always will but the Dome is JUNK.

Jim Berreth, Hudson Wi, 01/27/05+12:30:29

Wow! What a wonderful site! Brought some great memories back for me. My 1st ever Twins game with my dad, uncle and cousin. One of only two times I got to sit in the main grandstand (2nd deck, even with 1st base), the other was the very last ballgame there (1st deck near hame plate). The left field bleachers were our usual seats, and you were right, the sun sets and starry skies were awesome! Went to a couple of Bat Days, the last one we had to leave early as my mom was pregnant and the noise of the bats pounding on the upper deck in left feild gave my an awful headache! I also remember the first game I got to see without my dad, School Patrol Day (3-2 loss to the White Sox, 3rd base cheap seats). Closest I ever game to a souvenier was a Harmon homer that landed two rows in front of us in left, was disappointed, but it was awesome still! Hot dogs, Frosty Malts, popcorn, cold cokes, my dad and uncles with thier brats and beers, man what memories! There was also a couple of Vikes games and a bunch of drunken' teen age Kicks games, most memorable when they beat Pele and the New York Cosmos by som ungodly soccer score of 9-1.
Thanks for the great memories!!!

Brian Winter, Saint Paul Minnesota, 02/05/05+17:34:08

When the stadium was standing idle before it was torn down a girlfriend and I made an intimate visit to home plate. It is a nice memory and I get a chuckle when I see the plate in the middle of camp Snoopy. It was also nice living next to Bob Allison and meeting Killebrew, etc., while growing up.

Bob Belbeck, Minneapolis, MN, 02/07/05+15:21:20

I grew up in Minnesota and have always been a Vikings fan.I remember in December 1978 I got to go to a game. Vikings vs the Eagles. Vikings trailed most of the game but rallied back win.I`ll bet Dick Vermiel had tears of sorrow in his eyes...hehe. It snowed hard that day.It was great to get to see Fran Tarkenton play in person before he retired.Ahhh...the good old days.CBS covered the NFC games..Remember the gang...Brent Musberger,Irv Cross,Jimmy the Greek, and who could forget Phyllis George??

Kris Nauman, Washington Illinois, 03/17/05+22:06:19

Great job !!! I really enjoyed your site. I have collected over 7,000 Twins item over the years, but it would number another 7,000 times 100 if I could list all of my memories of the Met. You really brought the 'ol Met back to life again. Trivia fact: they had "artifical" turf at the Met ( the coaching boxes down both 1st and 3rd were artifical turf). Best of everything. Clyde Doepner

Clyde Doepner, St. Paul, MN, 04/04/05+18:54:41

I grew up a Chicago Cubs Fan...but was able to attend several games at the old Met. I attended one of the last baseball games there while attending college at the U of MN.

The MET has been missed sorely !

This WEB-SITE is the best on the MET that I have ever seen.
OUTSTANDING JOB !

THANKS FOR THE WALK BACK IN TIME...TO WHEN BASEBALL WAS KING !

GO TWINS ! GO CUBBIES !

Vlad

Vlad Arntsonov, Portage, MI, 05/12/05+07:47:44

I've been going to twins games for as long as I can remember. My family has season tickets to see one of the greatest teams in baseball inside. I've never seen an outdoor baseball game and I think that it would be great not to have to gon a trip to do so. I hope that the new stadium gets built before I graduate high school in 2008. Either way though I hope it gets built. This website is unbelievabe, the pictures are wonderful, and the information is extraordinary. Good job on the site.

Go Twins!

Connor Johnson, Minneapolis, MN, 05/12/05+15:32:14

How about including a recording of the old "Twins Rouser"

We're going to win Twins, We're going to score.
We're going to win Twins, Watch that baseball soar.
Knock out a home-run shout a Hip-Hooray!
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today.

Hey, Who wrote that song?

Ken F, Pittsburgh, PA, 06/27/05+15:06:15

Met Stadium was a huge part of my childhood. Everything you mention rings equally true for me as it did for you. Twilight at the Met was magical. In addition to Twins and Vikings games I remember attending many Minnesota Kicks soccer games. Great, great fun! I also remember the nightmare of trying to get out of the parking lot after game. Most visits ended before the game was over because we had to "beat the traffic" or be stuck in the parking lot for what seemed to be hours. I remember it seemed like a huge game of chicken as cars darted in and out of lines trying to find a line of cars that was actually moving.

Jim Sturm, Watervliet, NY (Grew up in St. Paul and Burnsville), 07/05/05+09:18:11

Thank you for this wonderful site. I grew up in the Twin Cities in the 60's and early 70's and have many fond memories of the Met. Like sitting out in the left field bleachers, eating a frosty malt, and almost getting hit by a ball during batting practice. I also remember sitting with my grandfather and uncle down the third base line and watching the likes of Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Cesar Tovar, Ted Uhlaender, Jim Kaat, Jim Perry, and Rich Rollins to name a few. I also remember arriving at the Met, and seeing the colored panels, thinking how big it was. Or the smell of the fresh cut grass.

Now, I'm passing on those traditions to my son, but only in Arizona. He loves the frosty malts!

Ron Hiller, Tempe, AZ, 08/03/05+20:02:09

What a beautiful site.

I have the mug they gave out with Harmon Killebrew's picture in anticipation of his 500th homerun (he didn't hit it during that particular game). I stored crayons in it.

I saw the Twins come back with two outs in the ninth with three runs and witnessed people in the parking lot who had left early stepping on their portable radios in frustration. I remember those picture days and have pictures. Ohh, if they'd only been in focus.....

I saw Bert Blyleven pitch to the Royals from right behind home plate - my dad got tickets from a lawyer friend - seeing the ball appear on the other side of the batter, then whip across for a strike. Tied at 1 in the bottom of the ninth, Joe Lis hit a worm burner right over the mound and right over second base, and I remember seeing Bobby Darwin streak around, helmet flying off, and scoring the winning run right in front of me. Frosty-malt heaven that day.

I saw Fran Tarkenton's last game at the Met(I think it was against the Eagles in the snow) and watched him draw plays in the dirt and complete all of these fourth-down passes to (I believe) Joe Senser to win the game, and I saw Ahmad Rashad's miracle catch against Cleveland (I was right off of that corner of the endzone - all I could see was the ball come down, some kind of commotion, two white official's gloves going up signalling "touchdown" and the remaining crowd starting to cheer on the other side - we couldn't see what happened! The Vikings ran around holding their helmets up to the crowd and pointing, and their heads were steaming in the cold, and everybody was hugging in parkas and the whole stadium rocked). I remember the Browns in their white jerseys standing there stunned. The Vikes had gone 80+ yards in 13 seconds with no timeouts - anyone remember the play beforehand? Joe Senser catching a toss over the middle, then with a linebacker pulling him down, pitching back to Ted Brown? The Vikings scored touchdowns that day with 4:51 left, 1:57 left, and 0:00 to win. The only game I ever bought a ticket to.

I lived off of 86th also. When the Twins or Vikings did something good, you could run outside, count to five, and hear the crowd cheer. No TV back then.

Great memories. Thank you.

PS does anyone remember the Eagles / Pablo Cruise concert there? (I think there was another band too but I forget) You could feel the music in the ground at my house....

Bruce Hutchins, Ontario, CA, 08/19/05+20:45:53

Your site is a great substitute for a book, a book which I believe has never been written! Oh, I know Joe Soucheray wrote a book once about the old Met, but this was an imperfect work, too brief for one thing. It was not a definitive history. It was also a bit preachy, constantly hitting us over the head about weather conditions on any particular day. Yes, we all know that the Met was an outdoor stadium, and we were about to move indoors at that time. I really think that a good, definitive book on the history of the Met would be a good project for someone. Patrick Reusse?
One other point: The thing I remember most fondly about the Met was the ability to “roam” with a general admission ticket. Looking back I’m surprised this was allowed. I’d get a ticket for those bleacher seats behind third base, but then I could roam pretty unrestricted, up and down those “ramps,” getting a vantage point behind home plate if I wanted it. Obviously I couldn’t take a seat in any of the decks (at least not legally), but I could stand at the rear of each deck and get super views. A lot of fans did this. No one shooed us away. I’d walk from one deck to the other, getting a variety of views and meeting interesting people. You can’t do anything like this at the Metrodome. You have to park your rear end in a fixed spot and just stay there. I once sent an e-mail to Reusse suggesting he write about this, but I never heard back.
Great site!

Brian Williams, Morris, Minnesota, 08/27/05+11:23:39

Great site!
My father, Robert J. Webster, was Director of Community Development for Bloomington in the 1970's. He worked very hard to keep the Twins, Vikings, and North Stars in Bloomington. He had great plans for wonderful arenas, restaurants, and shops for the area. Somewhere, I have the plans he drew up for his purposed new stadiums and shops. I remember how wonderful it would have been had he won his battle.
Sadly, my dad died in 1980. He never saw the dreaded dome, and I am thankful for that.

JoAnne I Webster Sees, Gilbert, Arizona, 09/09/05+11:07:15

The best Met Stadium sight I have seen. I went to about 10 Twins games with my Mom and Dad. If I had 1 million dollars I would pay it to see 1 more Twins game at the Met. I was at the 1979 home opener for Rod Carew day when he was with the Angels. Dr. Strange Glove was in left field{Willie Norwood}. A couple of summer's after the Met closed, a couple of us went into the Met. The grass on the field was 6 feet high. It was one of the saddest day's of my life. I miss the Met. Mark Dressen Lakeville Mn.

Mark Dressen, Lakeville Mn, 11/06/05+00:14:10

Best Met Stadium sight I have seen. If I had 1 million dollars I would pay it to see 1 more Twin's game at the Met. My Mom and Dad took me to about 10 Twin's games at the Met. I was at the 1979 home opener for Rod Carew day. Dr. Strange Glove{Willie Norwood} was in left field. About 2 summer's after the Met closed, a couple of us went into Met Stadium. The grass on the field was 6 feet high and the stadium was trashed. It was one of the saddest day's of my life. Mark Dressen Lakeville, Mn.

Mark Dressen, Lakeville Mn., 11/06/05+00:14:10

Thanks for a great site! It brings back many wonderful memories - Vikes, Twins. I'm 42 but I still recall group outings to the Twins games - With my grade school class, a group of Mankato Free Press paperboys. And of course, going to games with my family.

I remember when we went from Mankato to family in MSP I'd always want to know if we were going to drive by The Met. It was great to see the colored panels!

I'd love to get some pix of the stadium (football and baseball)!

Blessed be it's memory!

Jon Natvig, Madison, WI, 11/07/05+22:02:18

Just wanted to give a great remark on an excellent website. Its hard to come across a lot of photo's of the old met and you have some great ones. Job well done.

Thomas Bucher, Troy, Ohio, 11/22/05+00:48:09

Thanks so much for setting such a great website on the old Met. Although, I have never been to the old Met, I truly miss the old park. I saw the Met once in December of 1984 just before it was torn down. It was truly such a large place sitting dark, abandoned and decaying on a very cold December night. Everytime I go to a ballgame at the Metrodome, I truly miss and dream the fun times of tailgating, Killebrew's homeruns, cheap Frosty Malts and seeing outdoor baseball. Also many thanks for getting pictures of the abandoned Met. It breaks my heart to see those picture on what was a sad and unpleasant end to such a great ballpark. And thanks so much for bringig memories back to the hearts of millions of Twins fans.

Dan Kennedy, Maplewood, MN, 11/30/05+21:01:14

Thanks.

I miss the knotwhole games. My dad would take me and my brother to them along with kids from Bloomington whose families may have never been able to afford going without the promotion. That was another era.

Hopefully we have learned from our mistakes. The Dome should stay (last of the 'great' domes) but they should build the Gopher outdoor football stadium...the U of M will never leave town, while pro teams seem to always play with our civic pride.

Thanks again.

James Pieper, London, England (orignally from Bloomington), 12/06/05+18:12:15

Very excellent site. I was raised in Eagan and even though I could ride my bike to the stadium (sure it took a while but it could be done), I only saw acouple of games at the met. But anytime my family went to Lk. Nakomis park, we would drive past it. The met is as much a part of my memory as if I had seen a thousand games there. For general information, you can find the tune to the "Win Twins" fight song if you go to MLB and go to "shop for ringtones". Just select the Twins, and you'll find two versions. One is an electronic version that sounds like a real fight song. The other, is a funky sounding 60's version w/ singers. Have fun listening.

Glen

Glen Ottman, Ramona, CA, 01/06/06+11:11:49

I happened across your site while surfing through various other ballparks sites. As an afficionado (some have said fanatic) of all things "ballpark" (especially old and/or defunct ones), I can't say enough in praise of what you done with, and for, the Met. A wonderfully nostalgic, haunting, informative and unfailingly moving tribute to the place. As you probably know, many of us in the Metro Detroit area are still grieving the loss of the park of our heredity, Tiger Stadium. After each game my kids and I attend at Comerica Park, we conscientiously make a semi-religious one-mile pilgrimage south down I-75 to visit her. Solemn and still, as quiet and lonely as a tomb, it still stands, a mute memorial to a better time, and greater a city, we all are too rapidly losing. I was touched by your feelings for the Met. To be honest, having been born and raised in New England, and having visited both Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, as well as Wrigley Field, in addition to "The Corner", The Met had never impressed me as being anything more than just another of those cold, soulless, multi-purpose mid-20th century hybrids, lacking charm, color and character. Thanks for proving me wrong, for showing me that the heart and soul, the charm and character of a park is a function of the people who go there, the common joy and sorrow, the communal elation and heartbreak they share there, and not solely dependent on the age, or the configuration of the brick, concrete and steel shell in which they unfold. My only hope is that someone in this area will do something half as exhaustive, and respectful, for our stadium. Again, congratulations on a job very well, excellently, done. And, as a fan of the game and its venues, my most heartfelt thanks for allowing me to visit, to experience, a place that would have been forever lost to me otherwise.

John Edwards, Clinton Twp, MI, 01/10/06+04:08:39

What a last hour or so I've had discovering your site and thus revisiting this special place from my youth now gone. Thanks is all I can say. There used to be ballpark.. indeed..

Bob Gronewold, Gulfport, Florida, 01/13/06+17:57:54

Great stuff. One thing the site needs, though is some of the wit and wisdom (and cigars and onions) of Halsey Hall. Excellent stuff!

Karl Kelsey, Boston, 02/06/06+15:38:16

This site is absolutely spectacular. I have been a Minnesota Viking fan since 1969, when I was only 6 years old. It was the Ram game in the '69 playoffs that got me hooked for good. I was probably their biggest fan as a kid growing up in southern New Jersey. I can remember all the greats like Joe Kapp, Fran Tarkenton, Alan Page, Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, etc. It was heartbreaking to have never gotten the chance to see them play in person, especially at the old Met during their glory days. It would have meant so much to me as a young boy to have been able to see them at home in Bloomington. I was a bit fortunate in that when I was 22 years old in 1985 that a very nice woman that I knew in Minneapolis actually took me to the former site of the old stadium when I was visiting her back in December of 1985. Unfortunately, the stadium was completely gone and the field and parking lot were covered with snow. At least the new mall wasn't there yet. I took a lot of pictures that day, even though the wind chill factor was minus 40 degrees. Even still, the memories that came back to me that afternoon were amazing. I am still a Viking fan to this day, although my age and the fact that the team plays indoors have certainly eroded my love for the team and its significance in my life. I really hope that the Vikings move back outdoors, and soon. But even if they do, nothing will compete with the Met and the teams that played back in the sixties and seventies when football was a sport and not a business, and when players stayed with one team their entire career. I loved the frozen field and the long shadows and the frozen breath coming out of the players mouths, and the light poles swaying in the wind. It was really sad to see the old Met in the shape that it was in looking at your photos, but this is the only site I have ever found with such photos. Please keep this link active and perhaps other readers can even add to the photo collection. Hopefully there are others with some old Viking photos as well. Your pics are great. I think I know where the "Hail Mary" took place in the photos you show on this site. Perhaps you could add one showing where it would be today inside the mall. Many of us fans would like to see the approximate spot in the mall. It was one of the saddest days of my life! I was lucky to come across this site and will save it to my favorites. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR PHOTOS WITH US !

-Blair Sulak
Gilbertsville, PA
"thesulaks@yahoo"


Blair Sulak, Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania (western suburb of Philadelphia), 02/07/06+19:21:23

Blair Sulak, Gilbertsville, PA (western suburb of Philadelphia), 02/08/06+10:55:03

Simply terrific! I loved going to The Met as a kid watching the Twins and the Vikings! I still hate the fact that they play in the Dome now. You've covered everything and then some with this site - don't ever take it down! The photos of the abandoned Met are really something. I've got a couple of seats from the Met in my basement and I cherish the memories of sunny days with my family and friends, the colored patchwork exterior, being able to see the huge light standards behind the plate for a couple of miles before the ballpark actually came into site, the old scoreboard with the "Hit Me" money tree, the frosty malts, the smells and sounds, the lively organ music, and coziness of the The Met! Thanks for the site and the wonderful memories!!!

Kyle Greening, Des Moines, Iowa, 04/14/06+12:56:30

I loved that ballpark. Twins and Viking games were always great at the Met. The old scoreboard, the big clock, and the benches in right field, will for always stay in my mind. Standing under the left field stands, looking through the fench, almost standing next to the left fielder. Those times in my young life at the ballpark were without question, the best times of my life.

Buddy Keefer, So. St. Paul , Minnesota. 4/15/06, 04/15/06+12:43:27

Thank you for the great memories. One of my saddest was in 84 when I took my wife to Minnesota to visit relatives. We were approaching the Met from the south and could see the light standards. I was telling her about the stadium and the fun I had there in my few trips. When we crested a little hill and could see the Met it was a pile of rubble with the light standards still erect....I was crushed.

I hope you good folks in Minnesota can find a way to get a new stadium done.

Steve Hamel, Chester, MT, 04/15/06+12:48:41

Growing up in Los Angeles Calif., I loved Dodger Stadium, But moving to Minnesota in 1964, Met Stadium filled the void I missed when I left Los Angeles, And the players were great, Oliva ,Killebrew, Battey, Allison,Rollins,Versalles,Mele, And Met Stadium, And the chance to watch two games on Sat. afternoon, out doors, nothing wiil take that away, , It was a great time at Met Stadium always, Ill never forget, neil keefer.

neil keefer, cottage grove minn., 04/15/06+21:55:37

As a kid,the Met was the place to be.My dad and I would go whenever we could.Loved sitting in the LF bleachers and coming home with a great sunburn.As a young adult,tailgating was a blast in the parking lot.Many memories of tailgating at Viking and Kicks games.(Remember soccer was played there too.)Great web site and here's hoping that Minnesota and soon return to "Major League" status as far as having a place to watch major league sports.

Bill Tholkes, Long Beach Ca, 04/16/06+13:50:27

Watching a Twins game at the old stadium was like being in heaven compared to today's stadium. The sounds , the food, the game itself with players who played for the love of the game and not just the $$.
A great place to watch a baseball game at. I'll never forget it.

Bernie Biebighauser, St. Paul , Minnesota, 04/18/06+14:58:39

Talk about bringing back memories.Excellent site.I went to many games there and miss it very much. Every time I go to the megemall I ALWAYS look at it and remember what it used to look like coming down Ceder ave. headed to a ball game. I just went to a Twins game at the dome and realized just how uncomfortable it is. The Met used to have the box seats with only 4 seats in a row if I remember right.It wouldn't be the Met but I wish that if they build a new stadium they would build a replica of it. Thanks for the memories.

Jim Kath, Coon Rapids, MN., 04/30/06+18:56:03

I remember heckling Carlton Fisk on a Saturday afternoon game at the old Met, It must have been around the Spring of 72’ or 73’ because I was about 7 or 8. We somehow got good seats right behind home plate. They must have been free because my dad always parked us in the outfield. I was so excited to see Carew even though my dad thought Killebrew was the star. I’m sure I had a malt cup with a wooden spoon and remember how great it was to watch baseball in the sunshine! Good times….

tom breems, Sioux Falls, 05/06/06+23:11:52

Thank you for this web site. I grew up at the ol Met. Seeing tose old photos brought me alot of joy. Thank you
John Sorkness
Escondido California

John Sorkness, Escondido California/ formily of Anoka Minnesota, 05/22/06+20:25:22

I like all the pics and info! Really nice job!

Josh, Monticello, MN, 05/29/06+16:07:51

Thanks for this site - brings back great memories, especially the abandoned Met photos. Spent many a summer day at the Met in the cheap seats eating dogs and Frosty Malts myself. Watched some amazing baseball, football and even soccer games out there (remember the Minnesota Kicks?? Saw Pele play on that grass ...). I was at that Ram playoff game mentioned above ... I was upset when they tore it down. I still remember how cool it was as a kid in the 60's and 70's to go out there and see Killebrew, Oliva, Kaat, Tovar, Allison, Carew and all the rest. One of the best games ever played there was a Vikings comeback over the Niners - down 24-0 in the 3d quarter, Tommy Kramer comes in to lead the Vikes to a 28-27 win on a bitterly cold day. The weather was what made the Purple People Eaters, in my judgment ...

Never liked the Metrodome. But the Met definitely needed work, and old Cal was never known as a big spender ... :)

"We're gonna win Twins, we're gonna score. We're gonna win Twins, watch that baseball soar! Crack out a home run, shout a 'hip, hooray!' Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!"

Still a die-hard Twins and Vikes fan, after all these years and miles...

Cheers, all. Thanks again for the site.

Joel, San Diego, CA, 06/05/06+17:44:13

I remeber going out to the met with my family as A kid to watch baseball sat right along the first base line in the box seats as the planes went flying overhead during the great night baseball games there. Only thing I had got from the old baseball days was a foul ball that ended up in my hands unfortunatly lost it over the years. First football game I went to didnt listen to my parents as to how cold it was out and wore sneakers to the game big mistake still it was fun anyways. Last football game I saw there was in 78 vikings against miami sat out in the double deck section in left field only time we ever sat in that area for a game still have the game program from the game too. Love the site with all the pictures it brings back memories of how it used to be damn I miss that the metrodome just dont cut it for me anymore wish the met could be brought back oh well it still nice to see the old pictures on here anyway thanks.

CWA, Metro Area MN, 06/14/06+20:10:29

I went to the met many times over the years for Twins, Vikings, Kicks games as well as concerts, etc. It was a special place, deliciously dumpy, funky, a hodge podge place with incredible sightlines for baseball. I remember my parents would send my brother and I on a bus from a northside bar as 9 and 10 year olds to a Viking game. Ah, 9 and 10 year old boys, 5 hours, a bus with drunken adults, and a Vikings game.

Ted Arbeiter, Minneapolis, MN, 08/07/06+15:03:43

My first memory of Met Stadium goes back to August 1968.On a gloriously beautiful afternoon I will never forget my dad taking me in his 1957 station wagon to see the Twins and Washington Senators play! I almost lost my breath to see how green the grass was,the smell of hotdogs and cigars,but even more exciting was to catch batting practice:Killebrew,Oliva,Allison,Carew,Tovar,all right there in front of me!! even the sight of a guy named Frank Howard of the Senators was awesome.Dad is gone now sadly to say.I feel so blessed that I had an experience that most kids today will never have.God bless my pop,the Twins,and may the old Met and it's memories never fade!!!

Jimmy Shannon, Edina,MN, 08/13/06+18:51:06

What an outstanding website you have! You are to be commended for the work and effort you've put into your fine pictorial history of the Met. Being an aficionado of stadiums (especially those that are no longer with us), I hadn't seen too much about the Met on-line until I found your site, and I am VERY impressed!

I live in the late Bob Allison's home town of Raytown, MO, which is just a stone's throw from Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums. I love our current stadiums, but I also have very fond memories of old Municipal Stadium, which, not unlike the Met, was a bit of a patchwork ballpark. Oddly enough, the main scoreboards in both parks were nearly identical in layout--you had the linescore at the top and out-of-town scores below, and each one had a low-tech message board to the right ("Twins-O-Gram" at the Met, "Fan-R-Gram" in K.C.). Both stadiums looked like big Erector Sets--hardly the prettiest ballparks in the world--but as you noted in your text, places like the Met and Municipal (warts and all) are the stuff great memories are made of!

I never saw the Met in person (only a huge pile of rubble on the site in August, 1985 as they were nearly finished demolishing the place), but I can remember watching numerous Royals games on TV back in the '70s from the Met (with Rod Carew seemingly ALWAYS leading off with a base hit--ARRGH!), as well as many a Vikings game on Fall Sundays. In fact, and one of my biggest regrets is missing the final Met game ever on TV in 1981 when the Chiefs beat the Vikings and the fans ramaged afterward--I had to work that day and it was the pre-VCR era! Ironically, both the Vikings and the Twins lost to Kansas City in their Met Stadium finales.

I'm excited to hear that the Twins will finally get their new ballpark in a couple years--it's an absolute crime to be playing baseball indoors on such beautiful summer nights! I hope they try to incorporate a little bit of The Met into the design of it, and perhaps include a scale model of Met Stadium in the Twins Hall Of Fame, similiar to what St. Louis and Cincinnati have done.

Again, kudos to your terrific website!

Brian Holland, Raytown, MO, 09/02/06+13:59:45

thanks 4 the memories simply priceless

r ferrell, banner ky, 10/27/06+20:49:21

What a fantastic web site. I just came across it and I have to tell you scanning the pictures made me very sad. It is ashame to see what happened to a place that as a child it was unlike anything I had ever experienced and that was going to a Twins game at the old Met. I remember as a kid driving down Cedar Ave and the excitement of seeing the lights even during the day. I won't get into anymore I just wanted to say thank you for bringing back the memories. We will never have another Met.

Jeff Dinsmore, Minneapolis MN, 10/29/06+20:32:13

What a great site!!! I went to almost every Kicks game played there and many Twins games. Can't guess how many times did we drove over the two rickety bridges on Cedar Avenue to get to the Met. Saddest day in my life (up to then) when I could no longer get a Frosty Malt or walk up the gangways to the 3rd deck.

Most memorable visit was on Bat-Day when Glenn Adams hit a grand slam and some guy climbed the left field foul pole.

I wanted to go to the Pablo Cruise-Steve Miller Band-Eagles concert, but was a little too young at the time. But I remember what a big deal it was.

TB, Virginia now, formerly Apple Valley, 11/15/06+21:06:09

What a great site. I have spent the last three hours...ok four, perusing and remembering all the great times being there. You have really done a great job. The anandoned photos were hard to look at. I do have a question -- In the souvenior book, it stated there was three books written on the history of the Met Stadium. Any idea what the books are, ie where I could find copies of all three? I'm sure they are out of print, but maybe could run them down if I knew the titles and publishers, etc. Thanks so much for your time and effort. I'm sure it was a labor of love.

Eric Sandberg, Naples, FLA, 12/07/06+23:49:54

sorry, forgot my email

Eric Sandberg, 12/07/06+23:59:33

Please tell me you have some kind of shop to purchase pictures or something like that. This is a great site, and I have been looking for pictures of the Old Met.....this is great!!! Thank you for setting this up! Once again, please let me know if you have any items for sale!!!!

Ryan Clinton, Austin, Texas - Originally Lakeville, MN, 12/08/06+07:28:26