Who was with me in the Dome 34 years ago tonight?

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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I'll never forget being in the Dome 34 years ago tonight along with 55,000 screaming fans waiting HOURS for the Twins to arrive home after we beat the Tigers in the ALDS. They were so heavily favored in that series and Gaetti put us on his back. There was never a guarantee the Twins would actually come in the Dome that night, they announced that to the crowd a few times because it was an impromptu gathering. The 55,000 fans didn't care. We were there to share a moment, to celebrate our Twins and to come together as a community. There were another 10,000 fans outside the Dome that didn't get in. When the Twins bus arrived, the players, wives, staff, etc. thought the celebration was the fans outside, but the bus kept driving through the tunnel on to the field and what welcomed the team was not just the 55K fans in attendance, but the euphoria of a tri-state region. The players were blown away by the reception, you can see their faces and reactions in this video. Years later, many players have said that that night was the most memorable of their careers, more so than some of the WS clinching games.

I was 10 and I remember my parents drove me and a few friends down and it was was past our bedtimes and my Dad said there was no way we were leaving before the team got there. Absolutely one of the most memorable nights of my childhood.

Who else was in the Dome that night, and what do you remember about the evening?

Incidentally, in 1997 I was at the Gopher first and second round games and at the Final Four....I didn't make the trip to San Antonio, and as a result, I did get to be at the Welcome Home Celebration at The Barn after we beat UCLA. That evening was similar to the 87 evening, and may have been the most memorable part of that entire run for me. That and the pre-game pep rally in Indy when our fans absolutely took over the area and then marched together into the RCA Dome.


Win Twins!!
 

Unfortunately, I was not (had to serve as pallbearer at a funeral earlier that day). But I was at the last regular season home game when we clinched a tie for the division championship. We went into a weekend series with second-place KC with a magic number of three and lost the first two games (I believe Steve Carlton got knocked around in one of the games). A Strib sportswriter (Doug Grow, maybe?) had a column in Sunday’s paper telling Twins fans they should be worried. But at the game that day, the crowd gave the team a spontaneous standing ovation well before they took the field to start the game. Then Al Newman turned an incredible double play to get us out of a first inning jam, and the place was a madhouse the rest of the game. I felt like that was the day when Twins fans realized they could be a large factor in the games. We won in a rout that day, then clinched the division the next night in Texas.
 
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I was there, just arrived on UofM campus freshman year. A buddy and I planned to take the MTC Route 16 bus over there at the Oak and Washington stop. 1st bus packed, no room. 2nd bus, ditto. Just decided to walk over there through the West Bank.

Had a blast at the Dome and then tried to get in line at Dayton's for World Series tix, Games 1 & 2. Upon arriving and seeing the line go on forever, gave up and went back to campus.

Fortunately, I was able to get tix via phone for Games 6 & 7. Dead center field upper deck about 15 rows up in Sec 207, about the worst seats in the house but a great view of Baylor's 3 run bomb.

Sat in pretty much the exact same seat in 2009 for Game 163 vs Detroit.
 

I was there. It was without a doubt the most memorable spontaneous event I have ever attended. Everyone was just so happy. I remember Bob Casey (the "noooo smoking" stadium announcer) trying unsuccessfully to fill time by engaging the fans. At one point he was trying to get a call and response cheer going having one side yell "Giants" and the other respond "Cardinals," the two possible World Series opponents for the Twins. No one really cared who they played and certainly didn't want to chant the names of other teams. I have no recall of how long we were there, except that they announced the Twins were "20 minutes away" about five times over 90 minutes.

The stunned looks on the players faces still stick with me, but my favorite was Juan Berenguer, wearing a trench-coat, carrying a briefcase and looking like he was returning home from a business trip.
 

Shit, I think I was there at the same time for the 1991 WS playoffs but not 1987. Hard to believe it's been so long since MSP has tasted a championship. Ugghhh
 


I wasn't at the '87 Welcome Home but I was in the left field stands for Game 7 of the '91 WS. It was easily the most electric sporting event I've ever attended. I can still see Gene Larkin's fly ball coming towards me with a sense of ecstatic disbelief. And then the building exploded.
The other thing I remember about that night was how relatively orderly the celebration was in downtown Mpls after the game. People were climbing light poles and running around but I don't remember cars getting flipped and fires starting. I think I got home in 60-90 minutes which is pretty amazing in retrospect. Then I stayed up most of the night watching and rewatching highlights and interviews.
If you had told me I'd be sitting here 30 years later without a championship (sorry, Lynx, I like you, but you aren't one of the big six), I wouldn't have believed it.
 

I was a Senior in HS. We wore jean jackets. My buddy picked me up in his Mom's Audi 4000. We were there.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
I was a Senior in HS. We wore jean jackets. My buddy picked me up in his Mom's Audi 4000. We were there.
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Come on Costa, you also wore a jean jacket last weekend. This being in 1987 doesn't date your jean jacket wearing.
 






Stan said:
Come on Costa, you also wore a jean jacket last weekend. This being in 1987 doesn't date your jean jacket wearing.
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Yes but I wore a jean jacket that night, which was the exact same shade of acid wash, as the jeans I was wearing. Today, I'd go with normal denim, and a pair with khakis.
 

I was not there but we did go to game two of that series and game six of the World Series. Hrbeks grand slam landed near our section. I work at the airport and the only understandable description of when that happened is being out near the runway when a fighter takes off. Painfully loud. Great times.
 





Ope3 said:
I was there, just arrived on UofM campus freshman year. A buddy and I planned to take the MTC Route 16 bus over there at the Oak and Washington stop. 1st bus packed, no room. 2nd bus, ditto. Just decided to walk over there through the West Bank.

Had a blast at the Dome and then tried to get in line at Dayton's for World Series tix, Games 1 & 2. Upon arriving and seeing the line go on forever, gave up and went back to campus.

Fortunately, I was able to get tix via phone for Games 6 & 7. Dead center field upper deck about 15 rows up in Sec 207, about the worst seats in the house but a great view of Baylor's 3 run bomb.

Sat in pretty much the exact same seat in 2009 for Game 163 vs Detroit.
Click to expand...
The 16!!!!!!
 


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