My wife and I went to a baseball game today. The Minnesota Twins took on the Pittsburgh Pirates, and surprisingly, the Twins lost. I expected them to win. But that wasn’t my only expectation that was shattered this afternoon.

Sunday afternoon baseball games are supposed to be great. Blue sky, green grass, sun burnt knees. That’s what baseball is all about. Grass stains and over priced concessions. The pretzel man. The guy selling peanuts on the corner outside the stadium. Wearing your favorite baseball cap to shield your eyes from the afternoon sun. Losing the ball in the sky. This is what I remember of baseball.

But in Minnesota, they do baseball a little different. First of all, they play under a dome. The Metrodome. Goodbye blue sky. Goodbye sunshine. Secondly, they play on Astroturf. Goodbye green grass. Goodbye grass stains. The combination is kind of upsetting. Rather than losing the ball in the sky, you lose the ball in the white dome and lights. It’s just not the way I remember baseball.

Sure the jumbotron screen lets you see instant replays, but it’s nothing like the black and yellow light bulb driven signs that featured great Batman-esque slogans like “Crash,” “Score,” “Homerun,” and “Roar!” Instead we get to see Coca-Cola commercials between innings. The one thing they did manage to hang on to is the organ. I never understood why you’d play an organ at a baseball game, but oh well.

Where I grew up we watched baseball in the afternoon sun. At Tiger Stadium, that’s how things were done. None of this pansy dome. None of this wussy Astroturf. When it rained, it rained.

Oh well, at least we got to go out on the field after the game.