If you're in the market for a slightly used pitcher's mound, often visited by Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, you could be in luck. The first few items for sale from the Metrodome are up for auction.
If the mound — used from 2004 until the Twins moved to their new home at Target Field in 2010 — isn't for you, how about the famous "baggie" that hung in right field?
Or perhaps one of about a dozen items that were listed online Friday as the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which operates the stadium, continues to clear out the Dome before it's torn down in about two months to make way for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium.
"It's the first step in starting the demolition," said Michele Kelm-Helgen, the stadium authority chairwoman. "This is a way to have a public process. We've had a lot of interest."
Initial items for sale include flooring, outdoor benches, folding chairs and a John Deere tractor, which was going for nearly $10,000 as of Saturday. All are non-football-related items. The rest will go after the Vikings wrap up their season.
This week, the scoreboard that hung in the Dome during the NCAA Final Four basketball championship in 2001 will go up for auction, spokeswoman Jenn Hathaway said.
When the Vikings finish their season, she said, a demolition firm will be selected to determine how to get rid of two of the most requested souvenirs: the turf and the blue stadium seats.
It's not clear yet if the turf and all 65,000 stadium seats will be able to be sold, but Kelm-Helgen said they'll try to accommodate the hundreds of requests from fans, schools and youth groups.
