From the Kingdome to the Scrapyard, with a Stop at TCC
February 22, 2017
When Minnitti Field was remodeled a few years ago, new bleachers weren't part of the deal. So fans have continued to watch the Titans from the uncompromising metal slabs that passed for spectator seating back in the day, and maybe fans won't miss the bleachers when they're gone. There's certainly something to be said for comfort. But before they're ripped out and carted off to the scrap heap - which will happen as soon as next week -- it's worth remembering that they do have quite a history.
Once upon a time, in the pre-Safeco, pre-Century Link era, the Kingdome was Seattle's all-purpose sports arena. The Seahawks played there, as did the Mariners, and the Sonics, may they rest in peace (or come roaring back). And before the Kingdome imploded on that heavily televised day of March 26, 2000, a section of Kingdome bleachers was loaded onto a flatbed truck and driven down to Minnitti Field. They'd spend the next 17 years providing seating for Titan Baseball fans.
Before being almost literally put out to pasture in Tacoma, the bleachers bore inanimate witness to decades of Seattle sports. They patiently endured most of the longest playoff victory drought in NFL history (1984 - 2005). They were there for "The Double," the 1995 Edgar Martinez hit credited with saving baseball in Seattle. They were there for the Sonics' one and only NBA Championship win in 1979. They probably saw the Kingdome's very first event (a 1976 soccer game between the Seattle Sounders and the New York Cosmos), and they managed to avoid getting crushed the day the ceiling tiles fell (July 19, 1994).
If the bleachers could speak, they could also tell us about some epic concerts. They sat through Pink Floyd and Paul McCartney, Guns N' Roses and Metallica, The Who, The Clash, The Rolling Stones and Madonna. Of course, they can't. They're just bleachers. But we can still take a moment to appreciate how they provided TCC with an unnoticed link to some epic moments in Washington history.
Wholly unsubstantiated legend has it that Edgar Martinez's favorite batting cage was also on the truck that took the bleachers to Minnitti Field. Naturally, the team will be keeping that.
Once upon a time, in the pre-Safeco, pre-Century Link era, the Kingdome was Seattle's all-purpose sports arena. The Seahawks played there, as did the Mariners, and the Sonics, may they rest in peace (or come roaring back). And before the Kingdome imploded on that heavily televised day of March 26, 2000, a section of Kingdome bleachers was loaded onto a flatbed truck and driven down to Minnitti Field. They'd spend the next 17 years providing seating for Titan Baseball fans.
Before being almost literally put out to pasture in Tacoma, the bleachers bore inanimate witness to decades of Seattle sports. They patiently endured most of the longest playoff victory drought in NFL history (1984 - 2005). They were there for "The Double," the 1995 Edgar Martinez hit credited with saving baseball in Seattle. They were there for the Sonics' one and only NBA Championship win in 1979. They probably saw the Kingdome's very first event (a 1976 soccer game between the Seattle Sounders and the New York Cosmos), and they managed to avoid getting crushed the day the ceiling tiles fell (July 19, 1994).
If the bleachers could speak, they could also tell us about some epic concerts. They sat through Pink Floyd and Paul McCartney, Guns N' Roses and Metallica, The Who, The Clash, The Rolling Stones and Madonna. Of course, they can't. They're just bleachers. But we can still take a moment to appreciate how they provided TCC with an unnoticed link to some epic moments in Washington history.
Wholly unsubstantiated legend has it that Edgar Martinez's favorite batting cage was also on the truck that took the bleachers to Minnitti Field. Naturally, the team will be keeping that.