April 7, 2009 - MPR’s Brandt Williams attends the last home opener at the Metronome for the Minnesota Twins. While many fans and Twins officials are excited to play in the new ballpark starting in 2010, some are appreciative of the quirky venue that has been home to two Major League Baseball World Series championship teams.
July 17, 2009 - Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with sports commentator Howard Sinker about the Minnesota Twins season thus far, as the second half of 2009 Major League Baseball season begins. Sinker sees a team with much more potential than their American League standing.
July 31, 2009 - MPR’s Brandt Williams visits the Metrodome for Minnesota Twins batting practice to get a closer look at the bat…or more specifically, the wood of the bat. Traditionally, Major League Baseball bats have been made from white ash, but increasingly organizations are using maple as well. Use of white ash bats are at risk with the spread of emerald ash borer, a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on ash species.
August 3, 2009 - A leader in both football and teaching, former Vikings offensive guard Randall McDaniel joins Midday to talk about his upcoming induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and about being an educator in Minnesota. McDaniel also answers listener questions.
August 25, 2009 - MPR’s Brandt Williams is on hand at Target Field for the arrival of bluegrass grown at Graff's Turf Farm near Fort Morgan Colorado. The field will become one of the most tended grass in the state.
October 2, 2009 - While many baseball fans are happy to leave the sterile Dome behind...it was the site of many memorable moments. MPR asked folks to share what they'll remember most about baseball in the Metrodome, and those memories weren't always about what happened on the field. Some of the best stories actually took place up in the stands.
October 2, 2009 - The Minnesota Twins will play their last regular season home game at the Metrodome on October 4th, 2009. Over the last 28 years, the dome has been the setting for some of the most memorable games in Twins history…and the site of some strange plays.
October 2, 2009 - If they don't advance to the 2009 playoffs, it will be the last time the Minnesota Twins play baseball under the inflatable roof of the Metrodome. Next season they get to play under the sky in their fancy new outdoor ballpark...It's progress, perhaps, but but the still dome holds a lot of nostalgia for Twins fans, including Minnesota playwright Kevin Kling.
October 5, 2009 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that with the Minnesota Twins winning last regular season game in the Metrodome, they have one more now…a one-game playoff with the Detroit Tigers.
October 7, 2009 - The last chapter of the Twins tenure at the Metrodome has yet to be written, but so far the book is pretty dramatic. The team's final regular season game at the dome ended in a tie in American League Central standings with Detroit Tigers, so a tie-breaker game to decide the winner of the division proceeded. The result…an extra innings 6-5 Twins victory to take the AL Central title.