I coaxed my parents into taking us to a Mariners game on a family vacation in 1998, which happened to be the inaugural Turn Ahead the Clock night (it went leaguewide the next year). The uniforms and scoreboard alterations as well as the weirdness of being in a dome made me think that aliens had visited Earth, watched a baseball game, and tried to recreate the experience on their home planet. The Kingdome was a dump though, I remember awful food, dark dirty concourses, bleacher seating in the upper deck (my sister went up to the top and said there was trash everywhere where no one was sitting, so it probably was left over from Opening Day or some other big crowd), and walking inside felt like walking into a prison.
I went to the Metrodome as well for football once. It served that sport well but I could see how it would not be ideal for baseball. I disagree with you on the need for a retractable roof in KC, as to me, the ones I have been in (Milwaukee, Houston, Arizona, and Seattle) still feel like domes even when open.
Thank you for reading, Brian! And you make a really good point I hadn't really stopped to consider. I went to a game in Milwaukee this summer, and you're right about it still feeling like a dome even when the roof is open. I still think my argument for it makes sense for practical purposes, but it might be worth having to put up with rainouts in order to not sacrifice the overall look of the ballpark. Coming from a beautiful stadium like the K, it will be hard enough for a new park to reach that bar, and a retractable roof certainly wouldn't do it any favors. So you have me reconsidering my position.
Your Kingdome experience sounds pretty memorable, and it definitely matches the reviews I've heard from others about it being a dump. Probably one of those places best experienced on TV instead of in person, though it sounds like yours was unique enough to make it stand out and worthwhile.
Darryl Turd will live on in infamy! That was, and is, one of my favorite sports memories from childhood, and I wasn't even watching or playing any sports! And from that day on, Daryl Turner/Turd was engrained in our hearts & minds forever!
Great stuff, didn't know that about the scoreboard at Astrodome. I learned recently that the 1986 NLCS, which was supposed to be home field advantage for the Mets (it alternated east/west in those years), was moved to accommodate an Oilers game. Agree about the Oilers uniforms too, the Titans wore them this year as a throwback.
I've been to two domes, Metrodome and Olympic Stadium, and they were both dumps. Have you ever heard of the allegations that the Twins cheated in those days by manipulating the fans when they were batting? '87 Twins had a horrific record away from the dome.
Yeah, it's very weird whenever the Titans break those out. On the one hand, it's always cool to see the Oilers unis in action again, but strange to see them in Nashville. I know how it's not how these things usually work, but if feels like they should have left that stuff in Houston. In fact, let's just scrap the Texans altogether and bring back the Oilers!
I hadn't heard that about the Twins and the fans, but it's not surprising. Without looking it up, I believe the '87 Twins are the worst team (record-wise) to ever win the WS, so they probably needed any advantage they could get. Despite the record, they still had some big bats in the lineup though. I always liked Puckett, Hrbek, and Gaetti.
My only visit to the Astrodome was in 1991 or so. I'd been to a couple of stadiums besides Royals Stadium, but I remember thinking how weird it was to be at an indoor game. But it was August in Houston, so I was definitely grateful to be in the AC.
I bet. It used to kinda annoy me that the Astros always seem to have the roof closed on their new ballpark, since I'm generally of the belief that baseball should always be played in the great outdoors if the option is there and it's not below freezing or raining. Then I remembered that Houston (and most of Texas, for that matter) is gradually moving into Hell's climate zone, and I can't begrudge anyone for choosing the AC option in those circumstances.
Got to games at both the Astrodome & Kingdome, but not the Metrodome. Don't think I missed much there though. I can see where a domed stadium would be handy for early & late season games at Target Field though. Great article as usual!!! Agree with you on the stadium they will build in KC, they should put in a retractable roof for inclement weather. They originally planned on a roof to slide back and forth over Arrowhead & Kaufman stadiums. Always thought that would have been very cool. Royals seem to be making some progress with the hot stove trading this winter, at least with their bullpen. Braves need a dependable starter and they will be ready for Spring Training and then the season. Keep swinging for the fences.
Thanks for reading, Ed. I think a retractable roof makes a lot of practical sense, but as one reader pointed out, even when the roof is open it can still feel like you're in a dome. Having attended a game in Milwaukee this past summer, I can agree he has a point that is worth considering. If they're going to replace the K, a move I'm still not convinced is absolutely necessary, it has a high bar to live up to in terms of its overall look. So there's definitely a little give and take there.
And it is exciting that the Royals are actually doing something this offseason. They obviously have a lot of work to do to get back into contention, but the AL Central is so weak that it's probably a much more realistic goal than it would be for most teams coming off a 106-loss season. If you're interested, please feel free to read this short reaction piece to the Seth Lugo signing I wrote for Kings of Kauffman.
I coaxed my parents into taking us to a Mariners game on a family vacation in 1998, which happened to be the inaugural Turn Ahead the Clock night (it went leaguewide the next year). The uniforms and scoreboard alterations as well as the weirdness of being in a dome made me think that aliens had visited Earth, watched a baseball game, and tried to recreate the experience on their home planet. The Kingdome was a dump though, I remember awful food, dark dirty concourses, bleacher seating in the upper deck (my sister went up to the top and said there was trash everywhere where no one was sitting, so it probably was left over from Opening Day or some other big crowd), and walking inside felt like walking into a prison.
I went to the Metrodome as well for football once. It served that sport well but I could see how it would not be ideal for baseball. I disagree with you on the need for a retractable roof in KC, as to me, the ones I have been in (Milwaukee, Houston, Arizona, and Seattle) still feel like domes even when open.
Thanks for the cool read!
Thank you for reading, Brian! And you make a really good point I hadn't really stopped to consider. I went to a game in Milwaukee this summer, and you're right about it still feeling like a dome even when the roof is open. I still think my argument for it makes sense for practical purposes, but it might be worth having to put up with rainouts in order to not sacrifice the overall look of the ballpark. Coming from a beautiful stadium like the K, it will be hard enough for a new park to reach that bar, and a retractable roof certainly wouldn't do it any favors. So you have me reconsidering my position.
Your Kingdome experience sounds pretty memorable, and it definitely matches the reviews I've heard from others about it being a dump. Probably one of those places best experienced on TV instead of in person, though it sounds like yours was unique enough to make it stand out and worthwhile.
Darryl Turd will live on in infamy! That was, and is, one of my favorite sports memories from childhood, and I wasn't even watching or playing any sports! And from that day on, Daryl Turner/Turd was engrained in our hearts & minds forever!
Some day I hope to meet him and tell him that story. I wonder if he'll find it as amusing as I do.
Great stuff, didn't know that about the scoreboard at Astrodome. I learned recently that the 1986 NLCS, which was supposed to be home field advantage for the Mets (it alternated east/west in those years), was moved to accommodate an Oilers game. Agree about the Oilers uniforms too, the Titans wore them this year as a throwback.
I've been to two domes, Metrodome and Olympic Stadium, and they were both dumps. Have you ever heard of the allegations that the Twins cheated in those days by manipulating the fans when they were batting? '87 Twins had a horrific record away from the dome.
Yeah, it's very weird whenever the Titans break those out. On the one hand, it's always cool to see the Oilers unis in action again, but strange to see them in Nashville. I know how it's not how these things usually work, but if feels like they should have left that stuff in Houston. In fact, let's just scrap the Texans altogether and bring back the Oilers!
I hadn't heard that about the Twins and the fans, but it's not surprising. Without looking it up, I believe the '87 Twins are the worst team (record-wise) to ever win the WS, so they probably needed any advantage they could get. Despite the record, they still had some big bats in the lineup though. I always liked Puckett, Hrbek, and Gaetti.
My only visit to the Astrodome was in 1991 or so. I'd been to a couple of stadiums besides Royals Stadium, but I remember thinking how weird it was to be at an indoor game. But it was August in Houston, so I was definitely grateful to be in the AC.
I bet. It used to kinda annoy me that the Astros always seem to have the roof closed on their new ballpark, since I'm generally of the belief that baseball should always be played in the great outdoors if the option is there and it's not below freezing or raining. Then I remembered that Houston (and most of Texas, for that matter) is gradually moving into Hell's climate zone, and I can't begrudge anyone for choosing the AC option in those circumstances.
Biggest problem with Astrodome was fans were too far away from the field. Plus so much room in foul territory.
I definitely remember my Houston relatives commenting on that compared to a game at Kauffman Stadium.
Hey Patrick,
Got to games at both the Astrodome & Kingdome, but not the Metrodome. Don't think I missed much there though. I can see where a domed stadium would be handy for early & late season games at Target Field though. Great article as usual!!! Agree with you on the stadium they will build in KC, they should put in a retractable roof for inclement weather. They originally planned on a roof to slide back and forth over Arrowhead & Kaufman stadiums. Always thought that would have been very cool. Royals seem to be making some progress with the hot stove trading this winter, at least with their bullpen. Braves need a dependable starter and they will be ready for Spring Training and then the season. Keep swinging for the fences.
Thanks for reading, Ed. I think a retractable roof makes a lot of practical sense, but as one reader pointed out, even when the roof is open it can still feel like you're in a dome. Having attended a game in Milwaukee this past summer, I can agree he has a point that is worth considering. If they're going to replace the K, a move I'm still not convinced is absolutely necessary, it has a high bar to live up to in terms of its overall look. So there's definitely a little give and take there.
And it is exciting that the Royals are actually doing something this offseason. They obviously have a lot of work to do to get back into contention, but the AL Central is so weak that it's probably a much more realistic goal than it would be for most teams coming off a 106-loss season. If you're interested, please feel free to read this short reaction piece to the Seth Lugo signing I wrote for Kings of Kauffman.
https://kingsofkauffman.com/posts/fans-have-a-mixed-reaction-to-kc-royals-signing-seth-lugo