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1989: Dome Sweet Dome
For better or for worse, domes were all the rage in the 1980's. On April 6th, 1989, the Northgate Knights became the latest team to join the dome craze, christening the newly-built JJ Fritz Dome against the Seaside Pirates. Apparently the trade of Whiskey Flowers was a harbinger of the future for Northgate as it dove headfirst into a new era.
But the more things changed in the SBL, the more they remained the same. The Fort Dodge Federals, once a proud and storied franchise, hadn't been to the Sim Series since 1968. That all changed in the fall of '89, when they trounced the Emerald Bay Tritons in the Pioneer League playoffs, and cooled off the Tropico Firebirds in the Sim Series. It was Fort Dodge's 9th championship in franchise history.
As the 1980's drew to a close, baseball was as strong as ever. The game was pure. The numbers were true. And fans were flocking to see games in record numbers. But that was all about to change in the decade that lay ahead.
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