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Flag Pole - Part 2

June 5, 2006 1:51 PM

American Legion and Met flag pole

With the sun shining and my driving path taking me right by the place, I grabbed my camera today and took some pictures of the flag pole which stands in front of the American Legion in Richfield (just a few blocks south of the crosstown on Portland Avenue).

It's in amazingly good shape for its age, and because it is so tall, it can be seen for quite some distance.

Flag pole detail comparison

Though there was no plaque, just one look and it's easy to confirm that it is, in fact, the same one which flew over Met Stadium for all those years (see comparison at right).

The image on the left is a detailed enlargement from a photo I took on photo day, September 15, 1974 (the actual subject of the photo was, of course, Tony Oliva). The image on the right was taken today. There's no question that the detail at the top is an exact match.

While it is possible that such detail was common on large flag poles in 1955 (when it was presumably installed at the Met), I'm much more inclined to take B.W. McEvers and his story (see my original article) at face value.

So much of Met Stadium ended up at the bottom of a landfill in Eagan, that it's great to find a piece still being put to very good use.

Wouldn't it be amazing if this flag pole could overlook major league baseball again someday?

(By the way, I have been working on a long entry about the naming of the ballpark. Hopefully I can wrap that up and post it sometime later today or tonight. While there may not be much known about the Twins' thinking, there was a great deal of research involving branding and some of the potential companies. Thanks for your patience, and thanks for stopping by today! -- Rick)

The Met Stadium flag pole still stands!

Comments


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I think it would be somewhat neat to include the fonts of the previous ballparks. For instance in left field you'd have the 320' (or whatever it is) in the original font that Met stadium had.

For center I would like to have a 7' fence (or wall) as a subtle tribute to the metrodome--hey home run saving catches were a huge key to center field. I think the metrodome "408'" style writing could be in center as another tribute to the dome and all the game saving catches made in the dome.

Then in right have whatever the new stadium design warrants for the measurement mark.

This way we could include an element of the dome but not have to look at extreme ugliness

Posted on June 1, 2006 at 11:10 PM by Boof Highlight this comment 1

The met home plate is in the park of mall of america, and We already have a homeplate to be installed. If Pohlad sells naming rights to land o lakes, we could keep the milk carton!

Posted on June 3, 2006 at 5:53 PM by Jason Highlight this comment 2

Please, no Metrodome tributes whatsover! And please tell me someone can design an advertisement on something other than that god-awful shiny plastic junk that's hung all over the dome. If they do that at the new place, I'm not going.

Posted on June 12, 2006 at 4:31 PM by Bryan Highlight this comment 3

getbocorl

Posted on September 19, 2008 at 11:02 PM by bastaeltt Highlight this comment 4

I think it's great that they will use that flgpole!! Go Twins!!!

Posted on October 26, 2008 at 11:10 PM by Scott Highlight this comment 5

Hello! dcdfedc interesting dcdfedc site!

Posted on August 3, 2010 at 3:48 PM by Pharmd187 Highlight this comment 6

Very nice site!

Posted on August 3, 2010 at 3:48 PM by Pharmk235 Highlight this comment 7

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"You talk about the magic, the aura, but what really makes a stadium is the fans. Concrete doesn't talk back to you. Chairs don't talk back to you. It's the people who are there, day in, day out, that makes the place magic."

– Bernie Williams

Explore the Site

Here are 50 images chosen randomly from the 3004 found on this site. Click the image to be taken to the original post. A new list is created every 10 minutes.


The Fifth Street side is pretty busy. There's a small street entrance to the B ramp, then ticket booths and an entrance gate, a rare exterior section not covered in limestone, the wooden screen covering the circulation ramps, the administration building, and finally (just out of view) the interface with Northstar. All of that sits behind the LRT action. How pedestrians will interact with this side of the park is a great mystery to me. You know that Metro Transit won't be letting them cross the tracks anywhere but at either end of the block...



Met Stadium seat colors (click for the complete image)



LRT throngs after the game



Looking from the middle of the third base side back toward the entry door






Shibe Park



Click to enlarge greatly



The view from section 210



There must be millions of details needing tending



Gate 3 ticket window









Not from Moose's tour, but it's an image you need to see. (Click to enlarge greatly.)






The dessert carts came out earlier, and looked even better than last year.



Detail of the Puckett wall hanging






I never think of Ron Jackson at all.



Skyline to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the outfield with you... (click to enlarge)



This is where chain link is being replaced with fencing which matches the plaza



Ballpark elevation diagram, viewed from Fifth Street. (Click to enlarge.)






8:02 PM It's at peak, affecting mostly the upper deck.



Ben took this picture of me (carrying my mostly useless camera) and Twins rep Chris Iles down by the admin building



Sharing and Caring Hands, as viewed from the ballpark site about a block away. Note transaction in progress in the shadows.



Which way to the skyway? Really??



Love the red flowers -- just like the original concept drawings. That NEVER happens.



I still counted 11 flag poles...






Do you need to know the score?






This would be a beautiful streetscape if there were ANY people.



Stairs and escalator down to the platform



Pile driving in progress



Left field bench seating



Killebrew's mammoth shot on June 3, 1967 is currently memorialized on a wall at the Mall of America



A sampling of seats at Fenway Park









Photo by Tyler Wycoff



The reverse angle shows that the signage will only partially obscure views from the top of the ramp. The wall is pretty high up there, so you'll need something to stand on, but it appears that this is one of the so-called "knotholes".






This was from January 19, 2007, when it looked like wonderful things might never happen here.


















Town Ball Tavern balcony



Many people will approace the park from this direction and it's a pretty great first glimpse. It features all the design elements in modestly condensed form, and still manages to look like a ballpark (instead of something else).


doors are located near the escalators.



A mass of rebar and complicated cable runs ready for a pour.


Glossary

BPM - Ballpark Magic

BRT - Bus Rapid Transit

DSP - Dave St. Peter

FSE - Full Season Equivalent

FYS - Fake Yankee Stadium (see also: NYS)

HERC - Hennepin Energy Resource Company (aka the Garbage Burner)

HPB - Home Plate Box

HRP - Home Run Porch

LC - Legends Club

LRT - Light Rail Transit

MBA - Minnesota Ballpark Authority (will own Target Field)

MOA - Mall of America

MSFC - Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission (owns the Metrodome)

NYS - New Yankee Stadium

SRO - Standing Room Only

STH - Season Ticket Holder

TCFBS - TCF Bank Stadium

TF - Target Field

Selected Bibliography - Analysis
 


(1993)
 


First Edition (1992)
 


Second Edition (2006)
 


(2008)
 

Selected Bibliography - Surveys
 


(1975)
 


Second Edition (1987)
 


Not a "Third Edition" exactly,
but it replaced the above title
(2000)
 


(2000, large coffee table)
 


Original edition (2000, round)
 


Revised edition (2006, round)
 


(2001, medium coffee table)
 


(2002, small coffee table)
 


(2003, medium coffee table)
 


(2004, very large coffee table)
 


(2006, very large coffee table)
 


Combines the previous two titles
(2007, medium coffee table)
 

Selected Bibliography - Nostalgia
 


(1992)
 


Book and six ballpark miniatures
(2004)
 

Complete Bibliography

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