End Dome

Hey, not only is it another chapter of the Iowa-Minnesota clash, but believe it or not, the curtain sets on 'Kinnick North' this weekend as well! (Yes, that's right Gopher Fans. I said it. AGAIN.) It's the Last Gopher game in the Metrodome- and here: a retrospective. Color me crazy, but I did not know that the Lou Holtz was a Coach at Minnesota and I didn't know how woeful Minnesota has been since signing the long-term lease at the Dome. (Holtz kind of sold them on it and promptly bolted for Notre Dame.)

And Minnesota's worse loss in the dome: 84-13 to Nebraska back in the '83. 84? Wow.

Next season, the Gophers move over to the clunkily named TCF Bank Stadium and football 'comes back to campus.' Old School Gopher fans are already thinking of it 'The New Memorial Stadium' and frankly, I'm more inclined to think of it as 'Bank Stadium' because that at least sounds like a name someone could put on a stadium. Stadium names to me should mean something, be named after someone or at least add to the ambiance of the place. I really don't like this whole trend of corporate naming of stadiums. Memorial Stadium, to me, sounds a heckuva lot better than 'TCF Bank Stadium.' And I think maybe Killibrew Field- or heck, even Puckett Park would be better than 'Target Field' which is what the new Twins Park is going to be named when it opens. (Why do we need a 'Target Field?' We have a 'Target Center' and the Timberwolves have consistently, oh, what's the word... sucked. Maybe we should put the kybosh on Target getting to name things.)

Now that the Gophers are safely on their way to a new home, next up, we get to see Zygi Wilf and the Vikings Ownership try and sell the state legislature on the need for gobs of cash for a new stadium. That should be fun.