Twins needed a retractable roof stadium (Minneapolis, Dakota: home, live, airplane)

[PullMyFinger]

Next week+ weather is terrible for baseball.

Why do we get everything wrong in Minnesota these days? The Vikings should be playing outdoors and the Twins should have an all weather, flexible venue.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Next week+ weather is terrible for baseball.

Why do we get everything wrong in Minnesota these days? The Vikings should be playing outdoors and the Twins should have an all weather, flexible venue.

Disagree on both. I don't know what the Twins could have done to make a more beautiful and functional ballpark. As long as we don't have to be concerned about the World Series (30 years and counting) outdoor baseball in Minneapolis is very doable. The World Series in November most of the time can be reasonably comfortable in Minneapolis most years.

As to the Vikings? The NFL REGULAR season stretches into January. NO ONE, players or fans, wants to be outside involved in a football game in Minneapolis during this time of year.

[PullMyFinger]

Originally Posted by jmgg

Disagree on both. I don't know what the Twins could have done to make a more beautiful and functional ballpark. As long as we don't have to be concerned about the World Series (30 years and counting) outdoor baseball in Minneapolis is very doable. The World Series in November most of the time can be reasonably comfortable in Minneapolis most years.

As to the Vikings? The NFL REGULAR season stretches into January. NO ONE, players or fans, wants to be outside involved in a football game in Minneapolis during this time of year.

Ask a Packers fan if they would ever see the Pack play inside. That’s exactly how I feel. If you can’t understand that I can’t help you.

The Twins venue is a problem for a lot of the fans, especially the out state fans who need to travel and make arraignments. As bad as the Dome was for baseball we had a huge out state following including the Dakotas. We are losing those fans.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Ask a Packers fan if they would ever see the Pack play inside. That’s exactly how I feel. If you can’t understand that I can’t help you.

The Twins venue is a problem for a lot of the fans, especially the out state fans who need to travel and make arraignments. As bad as the Dome was for baseball we had a huge out state following including the Dakotas. We are losing those fans.

The Pack fans are a very strange bunch. I'm surrounded by them. They don't even care that much if GB wins as long as the Vikings lose. No, I can't understand them in a lot of ways. I DO kind of understand their affinity for Lambeau Field. It's like their one prideful showing of how courageous and dedicated they are. You can compare it to those religious zeolites who whip their own backs to prove their commitment to God. Heck, when they do their pilgrimage to Lambeau Field they probably even walk around it several times chanting as if they're Muslims in Mecca.

I AM one of those out of state fans as I'm from the Sioux Falls area. If weather is the litmus test on whether a stadium should be indoors or outdoors, then EVERY baseball stadium should be indoors. Last I looked, other parts of the U.S. incur rainstorms and bad weather too.

You're not losing fans from the Dakotas because of the stadium. This is solid Twins territory and should have the minor league Class A team that's weirdly in Cedar Rapids. Target Field is an enormous upgrade from the Metrodome and it increased interest from here. You ARE losing fans from here because of the crime, policies and insanity that the Minneapolis city leaders have created. I used to go up to the Twin Cities at least once every year and almost always a Twins game was involved. I haven't been there in what is now 3 years. If I want to take in a Twins game, which I did last year (2 games actually), I'll drive down to Kansas City. A very nice ballpark and a MUCH safer venue to bring my family.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by jmgg

The Pack fans are a very strange bunch. I'm surrounded by them. They don't even care that much if GB wins as long as the Vikings lose. No, I can't understand them in a lot of ways. I DO kind of understand their affinity for Lambeau Field. It's like their one prideful showing of how courageous and dedicated they are. You can compare it to those religious zeolites who whip their own backs to prove their commitment to God. Heck, when they do their pilgrimage to Lambeau Field they probably even walk around it several times chanting as if they're Muslims in Mecca.

I AM one of those out of state fans as I'm from the Sioux Falls area. If weather is the litmus test on whether a stadium should be indoors or outdoors, then EVERY baseball stadium should be indoors. Last I looked, other parts of the U.S. incur rainstorms and bad weather too.

You're not losing fans from the Dakotas because of the stadium. This is solid Twins territory and should have the minor league Class A team that's weirdly in Cedar Rapids. Target Field is an enormous upgrade from the Metrodome and it increased interest from here. You ARE losing fans from here because of the crime, policies and insanity that the Minneapolis city leaders have created. I used to go up to the Twin Cities at least once every year and almost always a Twins game was involved. I haven't been there in what is now 3 years. If I want to take in a Twins game, which I did last year (2 games actually), I'll drive down to Kansas City. A very nice ballpark and a MUCH safer venue to bring my family.

Yes, it is.

I've never lived in Minnesota (only in CA, NV, and TX), but I'm a huge baseball fan and I've seen MLB games in person at both venues. The Metrodome was terrible.

[Tyryztoll]

Until someone can devise an indoor baseball stadium that actually adds to the experience and doesn’t resemble an airplane hangar I will never support building such a structure. Even the newest indoor venues (Rangers) are souless caves, completely void of character and baseball atmosphere. The Rangers had a chance to set a new standard - to be revolutionary in correlation….and instead all they did was copy the Astros venue while adding some basic upgrades. Why are they still using the same designs for these indoor parks that they were 25 years ago? Are there no visionary architectural minds left in this world? Until one steps forward I’m happy to continue absorbing bad weather baseball for a tiny portion of the season.

[Hemlock140]

Though the Mariners 1st game will be delayed and they may freeze to death over the weekend there, I don't know if a roof is really needed, for the number of early home games being played there, and the tremendous cost. We have a retractable roof, because we can get rain pretty much all year (though less likely in July and August). The latest figures show that the roof was closed only 22% of the time, some years as little as 10 times all season. It looks like your average low in May is 49F, so not a lot of home games in April. It would make more sense if the scheduling was done to have the early and late season games against opponents in warmer, drier or roofed stadium cities.

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Though the Mariners 1st game will be delayed and they may freeze to death over the weekend there, I don't know if a roof is really needed, for the number of early home games being played there, and the tremendous cost. We have a retractable roof, because we can get rain pretty much all year (though less likely in July and August). The latest figures show that the roof was closed only 22% of the time, some years as little as 10 times all season. It looks like your average low in May is 49F, so not a lot of home games in April. It would make more sense if the scheduling was done to have the early and late season games against opponents in warmer, drier or roofed stadium cities.

They did this most of the time since stadium opened, but seemed to have went away from it in the last few seasons. I'm going to the game tomorrow, be interesting to see how cold it is and what to actually wear. Then again I almost went to the outdoor Wild game this winter when it was below zero, but I was glad I didn't after talking to some who did.

[Drew Hagl]

No one was stopping the Pohlads from building a convertible stadium.

Instead, the state of Minnesota faced a choice:

1) Spend a quarter billion dollars more so any home stand in early April could definitely be played snow-free.
2) Accept the possibility that the occasional game will have to be played at a later-than-originally-planned date.

It seems to me that tolerating the minor, "Oh noez, I'll have to adjust my plans for the evening!" first world problem now and then is better than forking over an additional $250,000,000 for a roof that moves.

But, hey, maybe that's just me.

[Marv95]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Ask a Packers fan if they would ever see the Pack play inside. That’s exactly how I feel. If you can’t understand that I can’t help you.

The Twins venue is a problem for a lot of the fans, especially the out state fans who need to travel and make arraignments. As bad as the Dome was for baseball we had a huge out state following including the Dakotas. We are losing those fans.

It can get much milder in GB than it is in the Twin Cities during the winter.

Also the Dome attracted Dakota folks because the team under it wasn't a complete disgrace as it is today.