Metrodome goes boom! Ford Field hosts first Monday night game
Click to viewUSA Today: How Fox got shots of Metrodome roof collapse
-- Michael Hiestand
Fox, preparing Saturday for a Sunday NFL game at Minneapolis Metrodome, did something different: It left a camera on specifically pointed at the roof. "We knew what we were looking for," says Fox lead NFL game producer Richie Zyontz. "This was specifically for the roof collapsing."
...
When Fox's crew arrived at 7:30 a.m. CT Sunday, they saw what they had -- a shot of a collapse that looked like it was out of a disaster movie. Although, says Zyontz, "it was nice to see a disaster where no one got hurt."
I was planning on blogging about the game being moved from Minneapolis to Detroit anyway, but viewing the above video on theferrett's LJ was enough to make me completely change what I would feature in my post. That footage is so spectacular that I not only couldn't pass it up, but had to put it up top. Besides, it fit right in with the "this winter storm is a big one" angle I had in my last weather post.
Here's what I originally had in mind.
Agence France Presse via Google News: Vikings move game as snow brings roof down
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota - Minnesota's home game against the New York Giants, already postponed, will be played in Detroit after heavy snowfall caused the inflatable roof of the Vikings' Metrodome stadium to collapse.
After 17 inches of snow fell in Minneapolis, the indoor facility's Teflon-coated fiberglass roof deflated and a section ripped.
Wasn't watching the video and reading how Fox Sports got the footage more entertaining and informative, in a picture is worth 1000 words sense, than just reading that one sentence? That's why I completely changed the post and put this part behind the cut.
The game between the Vikings and Giants had already been postponed from Sunday to Monday night after Saturday's storm prevented the Giants from arriving in Minneapolis on time.
My wife kaligreeneyes and I were watching the Weather Channel yesterday and saw footage of the N.Y. Giants stranded in Kansas City because of the snow closing the airport in Minneapolis. The Weather Channel interviewed the marketing director of the Metrodome and he assured the reporters that the game would go on as scheduled. The Weather Channel reporters were sceptical and thought it would be a bad idea to try, given what they knew about the weather conditions. They were right, although they had no idea how right they'd be.
The NFL on Sunday decided to shift the contest to Detroit's Ford Field.
This is big news for the NFL; I can think of only one time they've moved a game for a natural disaster. Back in 2003, Qualcomm Stadium was unavailable for a Monday Night game between San Diego and Miami because it was being used as an evacuation center during the Cedar Fire, so the NFL moved the game to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. It was the first Monday Night game broadcast from Arizona, and the NFL gave out free tickets to the locals to fill out the stadium. I watched that game. I recall Al Michaels being disgusted at the poor behavior of the fans who showed up. He'd rather have broadcast the game from an empty stadium than deal with that crowd.
For those of who who don't live in either the New York or Minneapolis television markets, another article on USA Today has bad news for you.
Fox will carry the postponed Vikings game, which will be played in Detroit Monday starting at 7 p.m. ET. For contractual reasons meant to protect ESPN's Monday Night Football, the Giants-Vikings games will only be shown in the teams' home markets. To replace the postponed Viking game at 1 p.m. ET today, the New York and Twin Cities will get Green Bay-Detroit on Fox.
Oh, good, Fox inflicted the Lions on NYC. We didn't have to suffer alone.
So, what's the good news for Detroit? As the Herald Sun of Brisbane, Australia reports:
The Vikings are refunding the cost of the tickets for any fans who can't make it to Detroit and will distribute free general admission tickets on the morning of the game.
"There are still a lot of logistics up in the air, but we will do everything we can to make this a quality NFL game for the Vikings and Giants," Lions President Tom Lewand said.
It will be the first Monday night game at Ford Field and first in Michigan since the Pontiac Silverdome hosted one in 2001.
W00t! The first Monday night NFL game at Ford Field! So it isn't the Lions; so what?
Also, it may not be the last. The Monday night game scheduled between the Vikings and Chicago Bears for next Monday the 20th might have to be moved to Detroit as well if the dome isn't repaired in time. I'm tempted to take kaligreeneyes with me, as she's originally from Chicago.
UPDATE: aiela informs me that if the Monday night game next week can't be held at the Metrodome, it will likely be held at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota, not in Detroit. Oh, well.
Finally, Mercury retrograde, anyone? (ETA: Since Mercury influences communication as well as transportation, it should come as no surprise that I didn't get my facts correct in that last paragraph. At least I can blame it on the planet!)