No Place Like Dome

This Friday, The Crimson travel to Minnesota to play in the Minneapolis Metrodome, a stadium renowned as a difficult place to play in light of the astroturf, the high speakers, and the Teflon on the roof of the Dome. Just this year, the Metrodome changed the ground rules for fly balls that go off speakers...

DEAD BALL: The ground rules at the Metrodome have been changed slightly for this season. The speakers that hang from the ceiling over foul territory are now considered dead, even if a batted ball bounces off of one of them and back into play. In the past, balls caught off those ricochets have been outs. Now they won't count as such.

"That eliminates me sitting me up there for 15 minutes with each new umpiring crew that comes in," manager Ron Gardenhire said, "explaining it to them and have them having a heart attack when a ball does hit up there." [Associated Press, 3/7/05]

Apparently, the hometown Minneapolis Golden Gophers have problems playing in the Metrodome as well. This is what was reported by the University of Minnesota college newspaper about a recent game in the Dome:

With the score 3-1 and one out in the top of the second, South Carolina's Neil Giesler hit a routine pop fly to straightaway center that got lost in the Teflon.

Shrugging his arms to signal that he lost the ball, center fielder Tony Leseman turned to see left fielder Luke MacLean just miss making a sliding grab. The play scored one run, and Giesler advanced to third on the play, only to score later on a bunt single to tie the game 3-3.

Senior pitcher Josh Krogman said he had to come to terms with the unfriendly conditions of the Dome but doesn't expect to see Saturday's result again.

"When Tony is out there, he makes that play 99 times out of 100," Krogman said. "It's one of those things that the Dome presents that no other place does, and you just have to try to deal with it."

I guess my only recommendation is don't be hungover when you play in the Metrodome.