All-you-can-eat baseball stuffs two sections of the Dome

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The line to chow down spread over five sections Monday.Some fans came up with creative strategies to get around the rule of two items per person for each visit to the concession stand. The promotion continues tonight.

By LORA PABST, Star Tribune

Last update: May 20, 2008 - 11:45 AM

f there is a heaven for Minnesota Twins fans, it surely includes an open concession stand.

On Monday night, the line for the Twins all-you-can-eat game stretched across five upper-level sections, as fans lined up to get their money's worth of concession treats. They paid $33 to consume as many hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, soft pretzels, fountain soda and water as they wanted. The deal continues at tonight's 7:10 game against the Texas Rangers.

Fans came up with some creative strategies to get around the rule of two items per person for each visit to the concession stand.

Nick Cook of Lakeville had been planning for days to wear cargo shorts so he could stuff hot dogs in the many pockets. When he learned that it might be a little chilly for shorts Monday, he didn't let it upset his game plan.

"We took the train in from the Mall of America, so I was already at the mall," he said, admiring the brand-new cargo pants he had purchased for the occasion.

Cook and friend Kevin Dahle of Shakopee e-mailed each other right away when they heard about the all-you-can-eat night. Their companions, Jamie Pawelk and Caroline Bibeault, were decoys for the guys, who stuffed hot dogs into the girls' purses as they ran through the line.

"He [Dahle] said on the way over that he wants to eat his weight in pretzels," Bibeault said. "But I don't know if that's going to happen."

"Gluttony is what I'm going for," Dahle said.

After arriving about 6 p.m., the two couples made it through the line three times before it began to stretch almost five sections away. But not without a little controversy.

Dahle was told by a staff member that he had to finish his nachos before he could get more. So what did he do?

"I lived with my one pretzel and the two hot dogs I had in my pockets," he said.

By the start of the game, the two couples had already consumed more than 15 hot dogs, nachos and drinks.

Roger and Denise Olson of Grant, Minn., brought their kids Aubrey and Matt to the game for a dinner of hot dogs, nachos and popcorn, but Mom didn't let that get in the way of nutrition.

"We're going to eat hot dogs first because we have to get the protein," Denise Olson said. "We're trying to keep it as balanced as possible."

The $33 ticket includes a seat in upper club sections 232 or 233, along the left field line, plus access to the special concession stand serving food through the top half of the eighth inning. Beer and other concession items are not included.

Tickets are limited to the first 1,000 fans. Groups of 25 or more can purchase the tickets for $29 a seat.

Lora Pabst • 612-673-4628

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