Time to put on the consumer hat here.

We've been pounded by media reports of Twins tickets selling out quickly -- for the exhibition games against St. Louis this weekend, for the Boston series, for this and for that. And, in some cases, that's really the case.

But...

Tickets are reappearing on the Twins web site for games that were originally billed as being sold out. And some of 'em are good ones.

For example, as of this morning, you could get Dugout Box tickets (the $82 seats) for both the Wednesday and Thursday games against the Red Sox during Opening Week, as well as tickets in an assortment of other categories. To their credit, the Twins have tweaked their web site so that a "check for limited inventory" link comes up for games that had previously been listed as sellouts. Same thing for the weekend exhibitions, when much was made about them selling out quickly after going on sale.

Sometimes, the "check for limited inventory" link tells you the games are really a sellout -- Opening Day, the first weekend series against the Royals and the Brewers-and-Yankees stretch in late May, for example. But keep checking back. It's pretty much a first cousin of what happens during the postseason when season-ticket holders don't but their allotted tickets and they're released for single-game sale. That's how a friend ended up sitting near Kate Hudson during the ALDS game at the Dome last October.

Tickets get returned, for whatever reason, so think twice before resigning yourself to the premium-price resellers or watching a game you want to see in person from your baseball cave.

You may also want to refer to the Twins' guide to restricted view tickets as you look. Don't buy the "not a bad seat in the house" hype that's being spewed in some excitable places. Like this one from a local TV report: "Take your pick of regular field seats, authentic wood-backed seats or bleacher seating -- it doesn't matter. There's not a bad seat in the entire place."

Twins officials have been open about that issue, talking about it earlier this year with Joe Christensen in this story. Don't hesitate to share your Target Field experiences here (and with the Twins) as the season goes on.

And if you're going on a road trip, ballparksavvy.com offers a park-by-park guide to the places you'll be visiting.

Less than a week 'til the games are for real. Start working on your West Coast sleep schedule for the Angels series.