I’m semi-glued this afternoon to the Minnesota-Detroit game. It’s a pretty

Photo credit: Bobak Ha'Eri via Wikipedia

Photo credit: Bobak Ha’Eri via Wikipedia

meaningless game being played by two teams who, for the most part, look like they’d just like to get on with their off-seasons.

Today’s versions of the Vikings and the Lions are pretty much playing out the string. Calvin Johnson and Adrian Peterson are sitting while Matt Asiata and … Kris Durham? … attempt to replicate their results while playing for coaches who are likely to be fired tomorrow.

This is a pretty dull affair, bringing with it a similar amount of emotion that seems to be felt among the citizenry, who don’t seem terribly broken up that this domed stadium will soon be a part of the state’s ancient history.

I’ve been a Vikings fan since 1981, though at six-years-old, my understanding back in the early days was at a bit of a lower level. Still, as I prepare to see the Vikings close down a second stadium in my lifetime, I’m surprised at how little emotion I feel about this. I actually vaguely remember being more bummed that old Metropolitan Stadium, where my Dad took me at least a couple times, was closing than I am that the Metrodome’s days are coming to an end. I have vague recollections of a Vikings/Bucs game at the Met in 1981 and even more vague memories of a Packers game that I think was a year earlier. And I remember watching the last game – a 10-6 loss to Kansas City that sent the team and the stadium out on a whimper – on television in our living room.

That said, I have been present for a number of memorable moments at the Dome. This list is not meant to be a top five all-time list – it’s just a few of my own personal favorites.

  • 1993: Gophers vs Badgers – Both Minnesota and Wisconsin pretty much sucked at football through the bulk of the 1970s and 80s, but in 1993 the Badgers came to Minneapolis with visions of the Rose Bowl and a possible national championship run dancing in their heads. There were few great moments during the Jim Wacker years, but this was definitely the highlight of his regime – and of my first season watching the team as a student at the U of M. The Gophers jumped out to a nice lead early and held on for a 28-21 win, probably one of the three or four biggest my alma mater has had in my lifetime.
  • 1992: Vikings vs Bears – My parents worked with a woman whose family had season tickets going back to the origin of the Vikings in 1961. Occasionally we would buy a set or two, so I had second row seats for this classic. The Bears were dominating the Vikings for nearly three quarters when Jim Harbaugh audibled from a run to a pass – and promptly threw an interception that Todd Scott brought back 35 yards for a score. The jolt lifted the Vikes, who came back for a 21-20 win. The rant Ditka went on after (go to about the 1 minute mark of the video) Harbaugh tossed the pick six remains an oft-played highlight.
  • 1995: Vikings vs Packers – Can’t have this list without at least one Minnesota-Green Bay memory. For a brief time in the early and mid-90s, before Red McCombs jacked up season ticket prices out of my college student budget, I owned season tickets. One memorable game had a mediocre Vikings team tied with Green Bay late when both Bret Favre and his backup, Ty Detmer, were too hurt to continue. Enter the forgettable T.J. Rubley. Rubley started the Packers on a drive toward a game-winning field goal when, on third-and-short, he inexplicably audibled from a run to a pass … and promptly threw an interception. The Vikings ended up winning the game on a last second field goal, cementing Rubley in the hearts of Minnesota fans for … well, at least a few hours.
  • 1998: Entire Season – This was one of the greatest seasons in Vikings history, at least up until the NFC Championship game, and I had tickets to many of the games. There weren’t any specific moments that stand out … or perhaps there were just too many … mostly I remember a lot of Randy Moss and Cris Carter and Randall Cunningham and a lot of big, high-scoring wins.
  • 2007: Vikings vs Chargers – On November 4, a mediocre 2-5 Minnesota squad was supposed to get steamrolled by a pretty solid San Diego team. But then Adrian Peterson happened. He went for 30 carries and 296 yards, scoring three times in the process. He might have had more, but Chester Taylor got nine carries for 60 that day as well. This game also was known for another record, Antonio Cromartie’s 109 yard return of a missed field goal before half. But Peterson stole the show that day.

These are just some of the games I will remember being present for. Others include the 34-3 whitewashing of Dallas in the 2009 playoff run and the 1983 Cincinnati game which is notable mainly for being my first ever game at the Dome. There also were countless Twins games – though I never attended any of the World Series home games and the team struggled dramatically through most of my college years.

Yes, I attended many fun games and events at the Metrodome. But the older I get, the less I enjoy being around crowds. And in this building’s ridiculously tight concourses, there are inevitably a lot of crowds. It can take forever to get out of the building after a Vikings game because nobody can move. Then there’s the $7-$8 beers and expensive, blasé food. And then there’s the roof – call me whatever name you want, but I still believe football should be played in the snow, rain, mud and cold. Opportunities to visit stadiums in Chicago, Green Bay, Cincinnati, Iowa City and other cities have done nothing to change my mind. The Metrodome is better for watching football than baseball, but it’s still not the real experience, at least to me.

So in recent years I’ve been more apt to watch the games on my couch, surrounded by my laptop, NFL Sunday Ticket and the remote control so I can monitor other games at the same time.

That’s why it’s with very little emotion that I watch this relatively meaningless game. The state got its money’s worth out of the building, but it’s time to move on. I’m not going to get my open air stadium with the new venue that will open in a couple years, but hopefully the new building’s designers will find a way to at least enhance the relatively sterile environment, make more normal the reverberations from the pumped in noise and find a better topper than the marshmallow-like Teflon roof.

To the Dome I won’t go as far as saying good riddance. I’ve had too much fun there to be that crass. But I also will not shed any tears as we bid this dated and somewhat odd building adieu.