Some of you might have heard it on SportsCenter this morning, like I did. As fans were leaving the St. Louis Blues' (NHL) game at the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis, one of the escalators carrying fans malfunctioned and several were injured in the accident.
No one was killed, thankfully. Thirteen people were injured, according to the story at http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/958726.html . Things do happen, even at the sports arena. Several years ago, Wayne Gretzky's wife was struck in the head by a piece of plexiglass that had come loose after a hockey player slammed an opponent into it. About 12 years ago, a section of bleachers, loaded with fans collapsed at a San Jose Sharks home game. And in 2002, a 13-year-old girl was killed by an errant hockey puck that flew over the plexiglass, and hit her in the head.
These incidents have just happened in the National Hockey League (NHL). Other professional sports have had similar incidents at their games in various arenas.
A gentleman from Belleville, IL, Shayne Hill, was seriously hurt in the accident. His foot got caught at the bottom of the escalator where two of the stairs collapsed into each other. His shoe had to be cut off to get him free. If being caught at the bottom of an escalator, "with nowhere to go" as he put it wasn't bad enough, other fans on the escalator had started falling on top of him.
Another fan had pushed the emergency stop on the escalator to prevent further injuries. If that hadn't happened, Hill said, "It could have been a lot worse." The Blues, while seemingly not issuing much in the news release category (at least that I saw) did spring into action. Dave Checketts, an executive with the team visited injured persons in the hospital. “He apologized for the incident in person, which I thought was a very nice gesture," Hill said.
Hill also said that he had tickets for this Saturday's (Oct. 10) game in the 300 level of the arena. With an injured foot, it's all but an impossibility to get up there. "[The Blues] graciously offered to upgrade my seats to be (team President) John Davidson's personal guest in his suite," Hill said.
I did not see a written statement or a news release on the Saint Louis Blues website. This surprised me; just because so many people were involved, and if nothing else, to reassure fans attending future Blues games at the Scottrade Center, that it is safe to attend events there.
"The safety of our fans is always our first and foremost concern. We are hopeful that they are well and being taken care of and we have already begun to investigate the cause of the accident," was the only 'statement' I could find regarding the incident (quoted in the article link above). It was made by Eric Gelfand, a spokesman for SCP Worldwide - the group that manages the Scottrade Center.
However, FOX2 in Saint Louis, reports that Peter McLoughlin, CEO of Blues Enterprises did make a statement saying, "The safety of our fans and customers is always first and most in our minds." That is almost identical to what Gelfand said.
Actions do speak louder than words-or a press release even. The Blues organization did visit injured fans in the hospital. The Blues president did make a very nice gesture to Hill by allowing him to sit in the owner's suite as a replacement for his Saturday game tickets. But, what about someone like Kim Muren, also of Belleville and injured in the accident, who said in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she, "never plans to ride an escalator again after this."
So, given Muren's comment, it seems that a little damage control is in order for the Saint Louis Blues. Which leads me back to my statement earlier, that a press release or a written statement by the organization posted on the website would have gone a long way for fans like Muren, who now, will think twice when deciding where to buy seats for events at the Scottrade Center.
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Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Memories of the Metrodome
Or what we thought was the final game at the Dome. Final regular-season game it turned out to be.
I am a collector of sports stuff from inaugural games, final games, etc. Back in April, I perused eBay for a ticket from the "Final Dome Opener," and am still on my quest to find one, even though I wasn't there. But one fellow eBayer emailed me and said "I'd be willing to sell you tickets to the last game, and you can keep the tickets as souvenirs."
So, he did. We settled on a fair price, which he informed me was about the cheapest I'd find them. So, I was one of 51,400 fans present at the Dome on October 4, 2009.
It truly was a great game. Even though it wasn't the "final" game, it was still exciting and felt very much like 1987. Here are just some of my thoughts on the final regular-season game at the Dome.
Being amongst that many fans is a Twins experience I've had maybe once. I was at the Dome in 1987 awaiting the team's arrival with 55,000 fans. This was after the Twins beat Detroit and was on their way home for the World Series.
The crowd was electric. I was up in Section 232 Row 19 with my brother. We'd been planning this outing for months. It dawned on me in the bottom of the 3rd inning, that my dad and I sat in Section 232 for the first Twins game I ever went to back in 1986.
I don't know how the Vikings cope with sellout crowds in the claustrophobic concourses at the Dome. And the Vikes draw 15,000 more than the Twins did on Sunday. It took quite some time to get to the concession stands; and if you wanted to go to the restroom...forget it.
We had a gentleman in our section who really made it a fun night. He bought out two vendors' supply. Early on in the game, he bought one vendor's supply of cotton candy, and just threw bags of whipped sugar to folks in Sec. 232, and even one in Sec. 233. Later on, he did the same to the Cracker Jack vendor, and distributed Cracker Jack in the same manner. One comment that came from a fan above us, "When's the beer coming?"
You couldn't ask for a more fitting regular-season finale. Twins 13 Royals 4. Incidentally, the final game at Met Stadium in 1981 was also against the Royals. Apparently, only 16,000 showed up for that game. And, a tie-breaker playoff game to boot. Considering the Twins lost their inaugural home opener at the Dome in 1982, and went on to have an abysmal 60-102 record, it only seemed fitting to close the place out with a playoff appearance.
Surprisingly, only about 30,000 stayed for the post-game ceremony. My brother and I were going to stay until the very end. The ceremony was terrific. Seeing all the old "Dome-era" players on the field was really something. Emotions started to rise, goosebumps and lumps in the throat formed when radio announcer John Gordon, who was the ceremony's emcee announced, "There is only one member of the All Metrodome Team who is not with us." That of course being Kirby Puckett, who died in 2006. They even played an old tape of the Twins' original PA announcer Bob Casey (who also passed away several years ago) calling out the infamous announcement, "Batting third, center-fielder, number 34, Kirbeeeeeee Puckett!"
And, the number one moment in the Top 100 Metrodome Moments countdown, which they've done live at the games all season, was the now infamous home run by Puckett in game six, with Jack Buck's call, "and we'll see ya, tomorrow night." Also, beginning last season, a countdown placard over in left field counted down from 162 (2 home seasons of 81 games each, also a full Major League season). I went to TwinsFest this year, when the placard was at 81. And, seeing the final number come off the sign was exciting. The sign reads "Countdown to Outdoor Baseball." Under the number one, was a bulls-eye, the logo for the Twins' new ballpark naming sponsor, Target.
There was also a video presentation live from Target Field where other Twins greats, Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva raised Twins flags at the ballpark site.
Kent Hrbek made some comments about the game - including the fact that it was not going to be the last of the last games at the Dome. "You guys screwed up my whole speech," he said. But, even with the "stupid roof" as he called it, there were great memories at the Metrodome. In preparing the crowd for the tie-breaker game, Hrbek said, "It gives us a chance to drink some more beer!"
Who knows how much longer the Dome will last for the Twins. Already, the Vikings are re-doing signage outside the stadium, with large pictures of Vikings players above the gates, and all across the top of the stadium, purple banners; some of which bear the stadium's new moniker: Mall of America Field. There is very little evidence remaining outside of the stadium that a baseball team ever played there.
The only negative of the day, on my way out, the tickets I used to get inside the stadium, fell out of my program as I went through the revolving door.
I am a collector of sports stuff from inaugural games, final games, etc. Back in April, I perused eBay for a ticket from the "Final Dome Opener," and am still on my quest to find one, even though I wasn't there. But one fellow eBayer emailed me and said "I'd be willing to sell you tickets to the last game, and you can keep the tickets as souvenirs."
So, he did. We settled on a fair price, which he informed me was about the cheapest I'd find them. So, I was one of 51,400 fans present at the Dome on October 4, 2009.
It truly was a great game. Even though it wasn't the "final" game, it was still exciting and felt very much like 1987. Here are just some of my thoughts on the final regular-season game at the Dome.
Being amongst that many fans is a Twins experience I've had maybe once. I was at the Dome in 1987 awaiting the team's arrival with 55,000 fans. This was after the Twins beat Detroit and was on their way home for the World Series.
The crowd was electric. I was up in Section 232 Row 19 with my brother. We'd been planning this outing for months. It dawned on me in the bottom of the 3rd inning, that my dad and I sat in Section 232 for the first Twins game I ever went to back in 1986.
I don't know how the Vikings cope with sellout crowds in the claustrophobic concourses at the Dome. And the Vikes draw 15,000 more than the Twins did on Sunday. It took quite some time to get to the concession stands; and if you wanted to go to the restroom...forget it.
We had a gentleman in our section who really made it a fun night. He bought out two vendors' supply. Early on in the game, he bought one vendor's supply of cotton candy, and just threw bags of whipped sugar to folks in Sec. 232, and even one in Sec. 233. Later on, he did the same to the Cracker Jack vendor, and distributed Cracker Jack in the same manner. One comment that came from a fan above us, "When's the beer coming?"
You couldn't ask for a more fitting regular-season finale. Twins 13 Royals 4. Incidentally, the final game at Met Stadium in 1981 was also against the Royals. Apparently, only 16,000 showed up for that game. And, a tie-breaker playoff game to boot. Considering the Twins lost their inaugural home opener at the Dome in 1982, and went on to have an abysmal 60-102 record, it only seemed fitting to close the place out with a playoff appearance.
Surprisingly, only about 30,000 stayed for the post-game ceremony. My brother and I were going to stay until the very end. The ceremony was terrific. Seeing all the old "Dome-era" players on the field was really something. Emotions started to rise, goosebumps and lumps in the throat formed when radio announcer John Gordon, who was the ceremony's emcee announced, "There is only one member of the All Metrodome Team who is not with us." That of course being Kirby Puckett, who died in 2006. They even played an old tape of the Twins' original PA announcer Bob Casey (who also passed away several years ago) calling out the infamous announcement, "Batting third, center-fielder, number 34, Kirbeeeeeee Puckett!"
And, the number one moment in the Top 100 Metrodome Moments countdown, which they've done live at the games all season, was the now infamous home run by Puckett in game six, with Jack Buck's call, "and we'll see ya, tomorrow night." Also, beginning last season, a countdown placard over in left field counted down from 162 (2 home seasons of 81 games each, also a full Major League season). I went to TwinsFest this year, when the placard was at 81. And, seeing the final number come off the sign was exciting. The sign reads "Countdown to Outdoor Baseball." Under the number one, was a bulls-eye, the logo for the Twins' new ballpark naming sponsor, Target.
There was also a video presentation live from Target Field where other Twins greats, Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva raised Twins flags at the ballpark site.
Kent Hrbek made some comments about the game - including the fact that it was not going to be the last of the last games at the Dome. "You guys screwed up my whole speech," he said. But, even with the "stupid roof" as he called it, there were great memories at the Metrodome. In preparing the crowd for the tie-breaker game, Hrbek said, "It gives us a chance to drink some more beer!"
Who knows how much longer the Dome will last for the Twins. Already, the Vikings are re-doing signage outside the stadium, with large pictures of Vikings players above the gates, and all across the top of the stadium, purple banners; some of which bear the stadium's new moniker: Mall of America Field. There is very little evidence remaining outside of the stadium that a baseball team ever played there.
The only negative of the day, on my way out, the tickets I used to get inside the stadium, fell out of my program as I went through the revolving door.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Metrodome Gets a New Name
Imagine my shock today, when I looked at my daily email from the Twin Cities Business Journal saying that the Vikings have sold the field naming rights to the Mall of America.(http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/09/28/daily47.html?ed=2009-10-01&ana=e_du_pub)
Call it what you want, the Hump, the Dump, the Humpty Dumpty...this one does take me by surprise. I know why they named the place the way they did back in 1982: after Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. But, the Dome seems to be a mediocre tribute to a famous Minnesota politician.
The article cites reasons why the Vikings did it: they are the only tenant left in the Dome as of next Monday (Oct. 5). The Gophers are gone, and the Twins will be moving into their new Target Field next April; however, the transition of the Twins offices to the new ballpark will probably take place much sooner. This deal is at least one means of making some extra revenue for the Vikings - now that they don't have 81 guaranteed nights of revenue from concessions, tickets, advertising and so forth.
The article begs the question, why would the Vikings ink a deal like this, with only a year-and-a-half left on their lease? They've been telling us for years, at the end of the 2011 season, their time is up. So, will a naming rights deal with the Mall of America really make that much of a difference?
There seems to be a catch, however. The naming deal does not expire until February 2012. According to the article, "the [Vikings] described the arrangements as a short-term rebranding effort." The fact that it is a "rebranding effort" piques my curiosity. I know that there has been some light talk as of late about a renovated Metrodome which the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (the group that operates the Dome) touts as "Metrodome Next."
So, is this to suggest that the wheels are spinning for "Metrodome Next" to come to fruition; and the naming deal with the Mall of America is an inroad to the future of the Vikings and the Metrodome? I'm not entirely sure what is meant by a "short-term rebranding effort," usually, if you re-brand something, it's should stick for more than three years. Are the Vikings suggesting that a much larger re-branding effort is in the works somewhere?
The new naming rights deal will be unveiled on Monday Oct. 5 (the day after the Twins' final home game) during the Monday Night Football (R) matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
Call it what you want, the Hump, the Dump, the Humpty Dumpty...this one does take me by surprise. I know why they named the place the way they did back in 1982: after Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. But, the Dome seems to be a mediocre tribute to a famous Minnesota politician.
The article cites reasons why the Vikings did it: they are the only tenant left in the Dome as of next Monday (Oct. 5). The Gophers are gone, and the Twins will be moving into their new Target Field next April; however, the transition of the Twins offices to the new ballpark will probably take place much sooner. This deal is at least one means of making some extra revenue for the Vikings - now that they don't have 81 guaranteed nights of revenue from concessions, tickets, advertising and so forth.
The article begs the question, why would the Vikings ink a deal like this, with only a year-and-a-half left on their lease? They've been telling us for years, at the end of the 2011 season, their time is up. So, will a naming rights deal with the Mall of America really make that much of a difference?
There seems to be a catch, however. The naming deal does not expire until February 2012. According to the article, "the [Vikings] described the arrangements as a short-term rebranding effort." The fact that it is a "rebranding effort" piques my curiosity. I know that there has been some light talk as of late about a renovated Metrodome which the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (the group that operates the Dome) touts as "Metrodome Next."
So, is this to suggest that the wheels are spinning for "Metrodome Next" to come to fruition; and the naming deal with the Mall of America is an inroad to the future of the Vikings and the Metrodome? I'm not entirely sure what is meant by a "short-term rebranding effort," usually, if you re-brand something, it's should stick for more than three years. Are the Vikings suggesting that a much larger re-branding effort is in the works somewhere?
The new naming rights deal will be unveiled on Monday Oct. 5 (the day after the Twins' final home game) during the Monday Night Football (R) matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
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