The End

Last night was the official last baseball game at the Metrodome. The Twins going out with a wimper against the Yankees, losing a 4-1 game that didn't seem fitting for the stadium.

I wasn't there, but it was obvious on TV that the fans wanted something to cheer about. They were looking for any reason to call out to the ghosts of Metrodome past for some help. And oddly, it may have been that overexuberance that lead to the game's turning point, where Nick Punto got thrown out running through a stop sign at third after Span's infield single. Punto said after the game that the crowd's reaction tricked him into thinking the ball had gone through, so he didn't bother to look for the third-base coach.

That play, though, seems to personify the Twins' problems against the Yankees. The Twins have gotten it in their heads that they have to play a perfect game to beat the Yankees, so they end up playing tight and nervous because they're afraid of making a mistake. You could see it in the eighth inning last night, when Punto was so desperate to score on a single that he didn't consider the fact that Jeter might have cut off the ball. You could see it in game 2 in New York, when both Young and Gomez swung at the first pitch with the bases loaded, almost as if they were afraid that if they let a good pitch go by, they wouldn't get another one. And you could really see it in the expressions of the teams' closers. Given a two-run lead in Yankee Stadium, Nathan was visibly nervous on the mound, despite nobody being on base. Meanwhile, when Rivera came in, he made it look like a spring training game, trusting his stuff rather than thinking about the magnitude of the moment.

No matter how good the Twins are, they will never be able to advance far in the playoffs unless they stop worrying about playing perfectly and start relaxing a little bit. After the way they ended the regular season, they should have been the loosest team in the playoffs, the team with truly no expectations. Instead they clammed up.

And so the Metrodome goes quietly into the night, home now only to the Vikings, who probably only have two more years there, for better or for worse.

I'll miss the Dome for the great memories the Twins had there, but I won't miss it for the experience of going there. Every outdoor stadium I've been to has made me think "I wish the the Twins had something like this." And now they do, and I'm happy, even if it means a few snow-outs.

Despite this, I was still a little sad to see the picture on the front of the Star Tribune's sports page today. It wasn't a picture of the Twins sadly reflecting on their season and the Yankees' sweep. It was a picture of the hole where home plate used to sit. Seeing that picture nailed home the finality of the day, making it official that the Twins were done in there. I was surprised at how much that picture hit me. It's really over.