News
Pohlad honored, remembered
Twins begin final Metrodome season without beloved owner
The Metrodome, during the day before the nighttime opener. (Scott A. Schneider/Getty Images)
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
04/06/09 10:09 PM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- For nearly as long as the Twins have played in the Metrodome, Carl R. Pohlad was the owner of the team. Pohlad purchased the Twins in 1984, just two years after the club moved into the building. And Monday night, when the Twins celebrated their final home opener inside the Metrodome before moving to Target Field in 2010, the club also paid tribute to its longtime owner, who passed away back in January at the age of 93. A pregame ceremony to honor Pohlad featured his three sons -- Jim, Bob, and Bill -- throwing out ceremonial first pitches. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, former manager Tom Kelly and Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew were behind the plate to catch the balls. "To be on the mound, well first off, is a bit intimidating, and just being here tonight there is truly an emptiness as you'd expect," Bob Pohlad said. "For so many years, my dad was a part of this. Either on the field or up in the suite he would be there, and today, he's not. He is but he's not." Before the first pitch was thrown, a video celebrating the life of Pohlad ran and was narrated by longtime Twins radio broadcaster John Gordon. While the video played, a group a people, carrying signs with the names of various charities, stretched from first base to third base. It was just a small sample of charities that have benefited from the Carl and Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation. Since 1994, the foundation has donated more than $73 million to 2,200 different organizations. The 2009 season will be dedicated in honor of Pohlad with the team wearing patches reading "Carl" on the uniforms throughout the year. For the Pohlads, Monday was an emotional day as it marked the first game that the three sons and their families have watched without Carl being there with them. "I think that anybody that has lost a parent knows you feel it often when you associate the loss with some events that were important in people's lives, and Opening Day was always important in Dad's life," Jim Pohlad said. "These types of things really make you remember him. It was special to him and it's special to us today." In addition to paying tribute to Pohlad, the Twins also spent Monday celebrating the start to what will be their final season inside the Dome. To kick off their sendoff season, the Twins donned throwback uniforms from the Dome's first season -- 1982. The uniforms will be worn during every Saturday home contest this year. The day also began with some annual Twins traditions such as the Breakfast on the Plaza and the club's annual Opening Day Rally at noon in the IDS Crystal court in downtown Minneapolis. Fans who drove down Kirby Puckett Place in front of the Metrodome between 6 and 9 a.m. received free hot dogs, chips, coffee, and scones. Cars began lining up for the event at 5:30 and more than 4,000 Dome Dogs were given away over the three-hour event. The crowds then headed downtown at noon for the pep rally, which featured Twins pitchers Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey and Nick Blackburn along with Gardenhire and Killebrew. In honor of the final year in the Dome, the Twins are featuring a video countdown called "Metrodome Memories," which will unveil the 100 greatest Twins-related moments inside the building. Moments 100-92 were revealed on Monday and the rest will be announced throughout the season as the Twins count down to the final game in the Metrodome on Oct. 3.Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
