They Paved Paradise To Put Up A Shopping Mall / Met Stadium Pictorial P. III

via GIPHY - via pkragthorpe / Reddit

Time-lapse photo of Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, as it looked in 1956, and later, the Mall of  America shopping center.  The Twins were the first major pro sports team to play there, beginning on April 21, 1961, before calling it a day on Sept. 30, 1981. Demolition of the ballpark took place in 1985. Ground was broken for the MOA on June 14, 1989, and and it officially opened on August 11, 1992.

While it's tempting for me to take stock video of the old Met's deconstruction, and soundtrack it with Joni Mitchell's  "Big Yellow Taxi," a song about  dubious "progress," the fact remains that Twins Prez Calvin Griffith had let the stadium become tired, aged by the time the park reached 20 years old. More importantly, business interests in Minneapolis wanted the Twins playing in a downtown stadium to open up revenue streams. It's fading away was inevitable.

photo via MNOpedia

Now, for people like me, refugees born in the 1960s, it seems odd that there is a whole generation, or really two, that have no personal memories of Metropolitan Stadium. That just tells me I'm a walking anachronism. But this little morphing scene, reminiscent of a "Back To The Future" scene, adds nice historical context.

"So long, everybody!" - Herb Carneal

Kent Hrbek Beats The Yankees In Debut, Aug. 24, 1981

It's Herbie's birthday today. And it seemed like a good time to look back on a happy memory.

The tall, gangly kid had quite an auspicious debut on August 24, 1981 (The Sporting News report), hitting one over Reggie Jackson's head into the Yankee's bullpen in the 12th inning. It was Kent Hrbek's first home run, hit while wearing number 26 in his first game up from A ball. Home run number one was a line drive off  future teammate George Frazier, whose reaction is like one who just stepped on a rattler.

This clip is also interesting for what doesn't happen...a silent treatment 
followed by the outbreak of hugs, backslaps, which you see today for
a rookie's first home run. Or the orgasm of joy for a walk-off.
Nope, other than Darrell Jackson giving Herbie a light tap on 
the shoulder, everyone's obeying the unwritten code, not
 displaying too much joy...there was still another half inning to play..

It was an unlikely 3-2 Twins win over the eventual American League champs. But better - it was a glimmer of better times to come for Minnesota. Kent Hrbek was just the start of the run of talented players that would compose the roster of the 1987 World Series Champions. It really held the air of promise, this night, of fun times to come. Of course, we had no idea how badly the Tigers would whip our guys' fannies for the next five years. But that adversity just made the future success that much sweeter.

So long, everybody! - Herb Carneal

Met Stadium: Pictorial, 1955 - 1970 Part 2

The 1970 Twins Yearbook provided a very nice photo essay of the early construction stages of Metropolitan Stadium. I've included it here, with minor color contrast enhancement, and photo borders.

"Hello! My name is 'Rod Carew,'
the '69 AL Batting Champ"

Rootin' out the soybean and alfalfa

THAT is one helluva big mound (right)

With miles to go before they slept

Could swear this is the same moonscape where Armstong landed

When it was just a game, when it all started!
No second deck in left - & NO  RF foul seating at all!

Little did we know...the habit of being in contention
was about to end!

At the time these photos were published, the Met was still a very lively, inviting place to attend an outdoor baseball game.  A vibrancy, an expectation of success hung in the air during those late 1960's and early '70s, like the omnipresent Schweigert hotdog aroma, Hamms Beer and cigar smoke. They were an integral part of the mix, as much as watching Bob Allison and Rich Reese loft shots into the bleachers in batting practice. It was a carryover from the giddy period of relocation from Washington, D.C. The park's atmosphere would degrade over the next few years, as the frugal Calvin Griffith (see MPR obit link) neglected to perform even basic upkeep of the ballpark. Sherry Robertson, the Twins Director of Minor Leagues, tragically died in 1970; with that, the team's farm system went into decline. The talent pool slowed to a trickle, and so, too, did the crowds that had flocked to the Met.  A shame. The stadium was only 25 years old at the time the Twins abandoned it after the 1981 season ('81 roster, results), and could have functioned much longer with some TLC. 

The best dogs on God's Green Earth

As our old friend at the mic, Herb Carneal, put it: "...and the count rides along." - TT