That is a strange detail to leave out. Also, while it was certainly built on the outskirts of development at that time in the Twin Cities, it was still only a couple of miles from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, so it's not like there was miles and miles of nothing on all sides. There wasn't much on three sides, but those photos would look different if they were looking North rather than South.
That is true, though it is also amazing to see the stadium surrounded by fields, knowing what that site has looked like since the time of the opening of the Mall of America.
Other errors include: 1. Calling the original tenants "The Minnesota Millers." No, they were the Minneapolis Millers. Both Minneapolis and St. Paul had American Association teams, and both built ballparks hoping to attract a MLB team. 2. Calling the Millers a Double A team. They were not. They were Triple-A.
Fun fact, In the Mall of America, if you’re in Nickelodeon universe they have three original chairs from the Met on the wall of the building. And they have a plaque where home plate stood
Not only that, on the wall where the original chairs are is a marker where the longest homerun every hit was slammed by Harmon Killebrew. Stand at home plate and check it out towards "left field".
I went to several Twins and Vikings games at the old Met, in the 70's. Took plenty of photos and silent home movies. Many can say they were at the infamous "Hail Mary" game between the Vikings and Cowboys but I know for a fact that I was there, along with some friends. We were sitting at the opposite end of the catch (3rd base seating for baseball). Also, in August 1965, The Beatles performed at the Met. One of only a few places they played that did not sell out and I believe tickets were $3, $4, $5 or so. The Vikings went to 4 Super Bowls while playing at the Met.......zero since playing indoors.
I watched a lot of baseball games at Met Stadium and thought it was a great place to watch baseball. It was very strange that the Vikings had all their success at Metropolitan Stadium which was a stadium built for baseball and the Twins had all their success at the Metrodome which was really a football stadium.
I AM not from Minnesota, but I have many fond memories of Metropolitan Stadium! it is the first mlb stadium in which I retrieved A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!!! it is the first major league stadium I sat in front row box seats!!! good times!
@@josephambrose2852 I was sitting next to Butch Wyneger's brother and my lady. Don McMahon, the Twins pitching coach was tossing balls near the stands to get three first basemen used to them catching balls near dugout and the warning track in front of the stands. one throw went a little too deep, my lady told me, as Butch's brother was trying to catch it, the ball hit him on the thumb. I saw it after it hit the playing field in front of me and reached over the railing to get it! MY FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL! Butch's brother told me to have Butch sign it. I never thought of it! as Butch walked by, I hollered out, "Mr Wyneger! Would you sign my ball, please?" Butch's brother whispered to me, "He likes to be called 'Butch'." Butch seemed really shy and embarrassed that someone would be wanting his autograph as he signed it (are you kidding me, he was going to be the ALL-STAR GAME's catcher). I saw Tony 'O' walk down the rightfield foul line to sign autographs. I waited in line and had this great man autograph my MLB baseball!
@@josephambrose2852 yeah, I was happy to 'reply'. I sent you a 'reply'! did you get it!!?! I had front row tickets and Don McMahon, the Twins pitching coach, was tossing balls near the stands so first basemen could get a feel for catching a 'pop up' near the stands, close to the dugout, using the warning track. I was sitting next to Butch Wyneger's brother and my lady. one toss carried too far. my lady told me it hit Butch's brother's thumb when he tried to catch it. I only saw the ball in front of me on the field! I reached over the railing and got it! Butch's brother suggested I have Butch autograph it. GREAT IDEA! I hollered out to Butch, "Mr Wyneger, would you sign my ball, please?" Butch's brother whispered, "He likes to be called 'Butch'." Butch seemed a little surprised and even embarrassed someone would ask for an autograph. after he signed the ball, I saw Tony '0' signing autographs down the rightfield line! I stood in line and waited for him to sign my MLB baseball! GOOD TIMES!!! I cheered and hoped Tony would make it some day to the HALL OF FAME.
@@josephambrose2852 this is the 3rd time I have responded to your reply. did you get any of them!!?! in 1976 I had front row tickets for a Twins game. I sat next to Butch Wyneger's brother and my lady. Don McMahon, the Twins pitching coach, was tossing balls to first basemen to help them get a feel for catching 'pop ups' near the stands, by the dugout, on the warning track. one toss carried too far. my lady told me the ball hit Butch's brother on the thumb as he tried to catch it! I only saw the ball on the ground in front of me and I grabbed it! MY FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL! Butch's brother suggested I have Butch autograph it! GREAT IDEA! I hollered out, "Mr Wyneger, would you sign my ball, please?" Butch's brother whispered, "He likes to be called 'Butch'." after he signed the ball, I saw Tony '0' signing autographs down the rightfield line. I stood and waited for him to sign my ball! I always hoped that great man would make it to the HALL OF FAME!!!
@@josephambrose2852 GOOD NIGHT! this is the 4th time I tried to reach you after your reply to me (hope this one reaches you). in 1976 I was at a Twins game. with front row tickets I was seated with Butch Wyneger's brother and my lady. Don McMahon, pitching coach for Minnesota, was tossing balls to first basemen near the stands, close to the dugout, on the warning track for them to get a feel for catching 'pop ups'. one toss carried too far. my lady told me it hit Butch's brother's thumb when he tried to catch it. I only saw it on the ground in front of me and I reached over the railing and grabbed it! MY FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!!! Butch's brother suggested I have Butch autograph it. GREAT IDEA! I hollered out, "Mr Wyneger, would you sign my ball, please?" Butch's brother whispered, "He likes to be called 'Butch'." after he signed it, I saw Tony '0' signing autographs down the rightfield line. I stood and waited and Tony signed my MLB baseball! I always hoped Tony would make it to the HALL OF FAME!
Thanks so much for the video!! As a Vikings fan since ‘68 the Met will always have a place in my heart!! It wasn’t great but it was special!! I still think about the Met today!! I hated the change to the Metrodome!! Today we have a beautiful stadium but this old man misses Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington!! 😢
In addition to the Twins & Vikings, Metropolitan Stadium was also home of the Kicks of the NASL from 1976-81. During their time in the NASL, the Kicks had some of the highest per game attendance in the league & made the playoffs every season. However like many NASL teams in the early 80's (and would kill the league as a whole in 1984) the Kicks lost a ton of money and folded after the 1981 season. It wasn't until Minnesota United joined MLS in 2017 that top flight pro soccer would return to Minnesota.
Exactly. Soccer not intense enough for Amurica. They need to make Scoring easier. Like in Hockey when one team plays shorthanded because of penalties, the same for Soccer. To invest three hours in a game for a lousy low -scoring tie is brutal on the brain.
Green Bay is 275 miles due east of Minneapolis. Chicago is 400 miles southeast. Both have NFL (and other) teams that play in open stadiums. There is no reason why the Vikings couldn't play in an open stadium, and indeed, their best years as a franchise occurred while doing so. The home field advantage of a late December or early January game in open air Minneapolis could be upwards of 10 points. Why would the Vikings give that up? Now, any for team that has to go play there in the playoffs, to them, its just another road game -- like going to Atlanta.
I completely agree with everything you have posted, The Vikings had one of nastiest home field advantages in football, I can remember bitter bitter cold, snow, ice, rain and mud, I never saw the Vikings as the same team after 1981, You mentioned Atlanta, The 1998 NFC championship game was at the Metrodome and the Falcons being a dome team themselves kept it close and won, Back in the day the Falcons would have hated Bloomington.
Amazing how much the area has changed. I went to the Mall of America this summer. The area is all built up. My cousins lived in Burnsville. Target Field is great. They have taken me their many times.
My mom's side of the family is from the twin cities. I was born in 81 so I never got to see it. But plenty of trips to the "Homer" dome. Lots of good memories back then, the Kirby Puckett days. 😊 And the announcer, the way he said "Chuuuuuuuuck Knoblooooock. Good times. 😊
About the only part of the old Metropolitan Stadium that still exists is the overflow parking to the east of the Mall of America. The old yellow foul poles were used on a baseball field for Normandale Community College, but they were knocked down about twenty years ago.
One of the foul poles from Normandale was so big that it was cut in half and is now both foul poles of a local baseball field next to the Bloomington public pool.
I, along with 3 buddies from Henry H.S. in Minneapolis, ushered for the Twins & Vikings at the Met. In 1963, 64, & 65. In the winter months for the Vike's games, the Met was the coldest place on earth.
@@jonstefanik9400 It’s a common setup for football games held at baseball stadiums where the field runs parallel with one of the foul lines. Since the seating in foul territory usually extends to field level, the first few rows would otherwise have their views obstructed by players standing on the sidelines. The Northwestern-Iowa game at Wrigley Field last weekend had both benches on the side that’s usually left field.
Correct. They did this because several rows of seats on the other side were at field level, built for baseball, so they didn't want players to block the view of the field.
I love the old Met. Saw so many events all the way from the Twins Vikings and Minnesota Kicks games as well as the Eagles , Steve Miller band & Pablo Cruz concert . Hate to even guess how many times I entered the Old Met .
This was not a bad stadium, it had more character than anything I ever visited with great sightlines. Oh, and I used to work there as security, met a ton of pro athletes.
Met Stadium was a great place for baseball, especially night games. It felt like the box seats went down closer to the field than many stadiums. It's simplicity and lack of center field seats and a huge scoreboard was a cool background if you were fortunate enough be sitting in the the vicinity behind home plate. Maybe I'm old fashioned but it was also nice not to have all of the extraneous lighting, endless music and endless commercials on the big screen. Between innings was organ music of all things!
Interesting this stadium was one of the early cantilever designs from that era that didn't have I beams supporting the upper deck partially blocking some lower bowl views.
What the Met did offer the Vikings was the best late season and post-season home advantage ever. Imagine being from the West Coast, south, or southeast, and stepping off a plane into the brutal cold knowing you had to play in that tomorrow. 🤣😁
Minnesota can't play outdoors in the winter because it's too cold and harsh......but the Packers can at Lambeau Field? The Minnesota Vikings have NEVER been to a Super Bowl since leaving Metropolitan Stadium, that is a fact. You could say the karma and curse are real for Minnesota intentionally abandoning and destroying the Old Met to make a shopping mall.
This place sat dormant for about 3 years. My brother and I would sneak into the stadium, climb the scoreboard, unscrew lightbulbs and toss them on to the warning track. Gen X stuff.
I remember watching Twins games from the Met on TV. Must've been the angle of the grandstand because on TV the bases always looked closer than 90' apart. The whole field just seemed small.
The Minnesota Kicks pro soccer team also played at Met stadium I remember sitting high up on wooden bleachers with my soccer team cheering for my favorite player Ace probably 1979.
I was just curious about the area behind home plate. There is a light blue colored semi-circle behind it with the writing of "TWINS" in it and paths that go to the dugouts. Does anyone know what kind of material that surface was made of? I've never seen any other field with that kind of design.
Sadly, aesthetics of the stadium back then were secondary to pack the seats in.. function over form… of course as time has gone on and teams have learned how to demand more (and more and more) from their home cities… they now have to build these megastructures starting with the Skydome in Toronto. I still think we need to go back to the old days.. where if you don’t like the City owned venue.. you are welcome to build your own…. and for many years.. they did. Which is why Fenway, Wrigley, original Yankee Stadium.. Ebbets, The Polo Grounds (among others) lasted for so long. Teams built them and maintained them… now, teams don’t own shit and with that they hold their communities hostage.. look at what’s happening in Oakland.. they fought hard for something in Oakland (and the city has been fighting for them too).. and just as it’s ready to bear fruit.. they take a lesser deal in Vegas.. who still has to fight the fights that Oakland has already done… The Met may not have been much.. but it served it’s purpose… may not have been pretty.. but pretty was NOT part of the EQ back then.
Nice to hear your opinion - I have my opinion, too! Cookie-Cutter Riverfront Stadium was PERFECT for the Cincinnati Reds, especially from 1970-78 and the Big Red Machine. Helpful to the Bengals, too. BRM fans were more focused on Winning and Championships in the 70s. All that color with the bunting back then made Riverfront Stadium beautiful! Perhaps being a poor-to-fair franchise would have made a difference, but Riverfront Stadium was great for that time. Keep the pretty parks and the losing! 😎
You are judging this stadium by todays standards. A logic flaw. When this was built in the 50's, it was state of the art. First ever cantilever design so the upper decks didn't need support beams underneath, blocking the view of the field.
i spent many a day watching twins and vikings games at this place as a kid. we could bike there and would meet players in the parking lot after games to get autographs.
You mention the Minneapolis Millers were members of the American Association, this was a AAA league, not AA as you stated. Otherwise, thanks for creating the video. As an admirer of Minnesota Twins history, they had an outstanding brodcasting team that consisted of Ray Scott, Herb Carneal, and Halsey Hall. All three are upper Midwest legends.
This was a baseball stadium, not a multipurpose stadium. Yes, they played football here, but that doesn't make it multipurpose anymore than wrigley or fenway, both of which hosted football games.
How does one not mention the met center home of the north stars was built next to it and the mall of america where home plate is located on the amusement park
I’m surprised the Vikings survived 20 years in that stadium. Even I knew as a kid It was small and a terrible place to watch football especially the last years of the stadium when it was falling apart
The Met was supposed to have the grandstand run along the 3rd base side but that was never done. Also you forgot to mention that the Met was the first stadium not to have posts running upwards in the seats.
Correct comment next below in that the Minneapolis Millers (Not Minnesota Millers) were the original baseball tenants at the brand new Metropolitan Stadium. The Millers were the Triple A farm team of the Boston Red Sox starting in late 1950's. Carl Yastrzemski played for the Millers in 1960. The Millers had been Triple A farm team of NY Giants (American Association) for decades before that time and had played at Nicollet Park in downtown Minneapolis (short right field wall and epicenter of George Floyd riots many decades later). Millers had been the Triple A team of Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda and Bill White (both Cepeda and White played at Metropolitan Stadium, not Nicollet Park), Clint Hartung, Rance Pless, Ziggy Jazinski, Boyd Gail Harris, Ray Katt and other notable players during that time. Metropolitan Stadium opened in late March with an exhibition game between the Millers and the Milwaukee Braves, who were on their way north at the end of spring training. On that cold March day my 11 year old brother and I, a 13 year-old, braved the cold to see our first major league team in person, the very good Braves team. Carlos Paula of the Millers hit a home run that day -- very exciting event for a Millers fan like me. Metropolitan Stadium was really state of the art since it did not have the many structural sight impediments that the typical stadiums of the time (eg. Wrigley Field) had. It was a very good place to see baseball and football games. Your report was very good and your site is very enjoyable. Keep up the good work.
Metropolitan stadium was lousy for football - sightlines were for baseball, capacity was under 50K, teams were on the same sideline among other problems. And for all those praising the weather - well they can sit in it.
Symmetrical is not bland. It's orderly. Baseball in the 80s was great bc the focus in on the game and it was affordable. It's clear the nwo it's type owners are not interested in low prices tickets families can afford.
At least The Minnesota Vikings went on to 4 Super Bowls and passed the NFC Championsshup Games at that time. Unfortunately, they did not win The Super Bowl 4 times.
It reminds me of a minor league ballpark up the street. McCoy Stadium went abandoned after 2019. Due to the pandemic the Pawtucket Red Sox couldn't have their final season at McCoy. So sad to see it abandoned.
@@jonstefanik9400that's really sad. I always liked that team. I worked for our Triple-A team for four years the New Orleans Zephyrs than Baby Cakes and that stadium is not a Abandoned but they use it for high school football and soccer now. So sad. Different situation because they moved the team
@@TheRaginCajun6 I worked for the Paw Sox for 6 years They did a massive renovation to McCoy Stadium in 1999 and I thought it would be good for another 30 years. However attendance issues were the problem. The owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox died in 2010 and he left the Paw Sox to his wife. His widow had no interest in the team so she sold them to the Red Sox and they immediately started making plans for a new stadium or relocation. The funds would come from tax payers to which the City of Pawtucket said no. They were looking at other cities nearby and they settled on Worcester, Ma. A brand new ballpark was built named Polar Park, home of the Worcester Red Sox "Woo Sox".
Before TV started paying huge amounts to the pro leagues, they had to make everything off ticket sales. That is why they built very cheap, multipurpose stadiums that look lousy to us today. In the 60's it was unclear whether many cities could really support a major league team. Plus, everyone would have to drive all the way out in the sticks in Bloomington to see the game. Would they? Nobody was willing to pay huge amounts for a stadium for an unproven thing. After TV sports audiences grew, and TV started paying astronomical sums to show the games, things changed a lot.
It was a great baseball stadium. The sight lines were good. No pillars to obscure viewing. The creator of this video is just guessing with his conclusions
Your representation of ‘cookie cutter’ stadiums holding at least 65k capacity for attendance is off. Only the Vet in Philadelphia, at 65k, had football capacity over 60k.
Most annoying voice in the history of annoying voices. I’d rather hear- well, nothing…. Talk about trying wayyyyy tooo hard. A ten min video- and nothing about the current site? Somewhere a Hostess delivery truck is missing its driver- this guy.
