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I don't take kindly to columnist Patrick Reusse's endless trashing of the Metrodome ("One last opener at this sorry dump," April 5). It's too obvious to bear repeating that the Dome has always been inadequate for baseball. Reusse finds it again necessary to rehash that fact as if he were Joe Morgan stumbling onto a thought. Dome-bashing is so unseemly, like noting only the shabbiness of the rented hall when recalling your best friend's wedding; it is best left to out-of-town reporters. Completed in 1982 at a cost of $68 million, the Dome was one of the last of the multi-use facilities. Innovative and cost competitive, it came in ahead of schedule and under budget. The Dome is the only sports facility in the world to host the World Series (twice), the All-Star Game, the Super Bowl, and the NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament (twice), and the annual Twinsfest. It served as the first temporary home for the Timberwolves, and, lest we forget, admirably served its major purpose -- keeping the Vikings in Minnesota. But more to the point, the Dome is home to some incredible baseball memories. The plastic pastures of the Dome played host to the talents and exploits of Bruno, The Terminator, The Rat, Sweet Music Frankie, Lombo, Aggie, Dan Gladden, and the second coming of Bert. The first base area will always be Herbie's turf, with echoes of the quick-pick of the one-hoppers, the incredible stretch, the wide-receiver patrolling of foul territory and the endless, low-percentage hidden ball tricks. Unheralded, Johnny Castino put on many a fielding clinic at third, and absent a road trip, you could only see it at the Dome. Centerfield always was and always will be Puckett's Place. And who doesn't still get chills at the thought of the spontaneous packed house that October night when the boys returned from Detroit with the Holy Grail? There is only one Homer-Hanky-ville. The Dome, with all of its pimples, is a storied part of the lore of the Twins. When we arrive at Target Park nirvana in 2010, we will be leaving behind something special. Piece of crap ballpark? It is our piece of crap, and Mr. Reusse, that is the point. TRACY MITCHELL, ELBOW LAKE, MINN.