#19: The Metrodome

RANK: #19 of 22, #13 of 15 current ballparks
NAME: The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
A/K/A: The Homerdome
MLB TEAM: Minnesota Twins
YEARS IN OPERATION: 1982-Present
CAPACITY: 56,144

• TRADITION: 3 - The Metrodome has seen two World Series victories for the Twins (1987, 1991). The 1991 Series featured one of the best endings ever, as Jack Morris led the twins to a 1-0 victory by hurling a ten-inning complete game. The most notable player to toil here is undoubtedly Kirby Puckett, whose life and career were cut far too short. While the Twins have featured a number of good teams over the years, the players have often been transient, given the club's small-market pocketbook. The ballpark itself lacks anything historic or traditional outside of the "Homer Hankies" waved by fans.
  
• AMENITIES: 3 - The Metrodome features no on-site parking, but (from my recollection of my long-ago visit), a number of lots offer a decent rate in exchange for a few blocks' walk. As it is a football stadium as well, the venue has ample concessions and shops. Perhaps it has improved over time, but I recall the team shop / kiosks to be particularly unimpressive in both selection and price. The restrooms and concourses seemed old and drab, and considering that I visited when the place was barely ten years old, that's not so good.
  
• COMFORT: 4 - In terms of comfort, nothing beats a roof over your head in Minnesota. If you attend a game on one of the roughly ten warm summer days per year, you'll feel cheated, but climate control in early April is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, the sight lines and proximity of the seats are hampered by the dual-purpose nature of the Dome. When Target Field opens in Minneapolis in 2010, one of the last baseball/football facilities will be lost, and that's a wonderful thought for purists.
  
• FANS: 6 - Given the penny-pinching ways of the ballclub and the lack of a true baseball venue, the fans deserve ample credit for their passion and dedication. Attendance has hovered in the 28,000 per game range over the last few seasons (roughly 20th among MLB teams), but the fans make more noise than some crowds double that size.
  
• TEAM: 6- Again despite the inability to hold star players in the face of free agency, the Twins have been primarily an above-average team, especially during this decade. The ballclub racked up six consecutive winning seasons from 2001 to 2006 and narrowly missed a division crown in 2008.
  
• FUN: 2 - The Jumbotron at the Metrodome is a nice feature, but nothing else was memorable about the non-baseball aspects of catching a game here.
  
• FOOD: 3 - The food at this venue is just about as anonymous as a majority of the team's players over the year. The typical array of hot dogs, pizza, and the like were somewhere between "microwave" and "somewhat clean gas station" in quality.
  
• PRICES: 7 - Ticket prices are a bit cheaper than at most MLB venues, and the parking is reasonable as well. One of the few benefits of seeing a "small market" team is that it often doesn't charge you enough to afford Johan Santana for the next eight years.
  
• OVERALL FEEL: 2 - Unfortunately, nothing here but the vociferous fans makes this feel like a true ballpark. The great Mike Ditka once famously referred to it as "The Rollerdome," and the artificial turf and giant hefty bag in right field do it no favors. At least Twins fans can look forward to an end to their suffering in 2010, as the Metrodome fades into their past.
  

TOTAL SCORE: 38