For many people, enjoying America's favorite pastime usually involves indulging in another time-honored tradition -- drinking. And fans have good reason to drown their sorrows this season, thanks to the Twins' abysmal play two months in. Even though you're unlikely to see a Twins victory these days when you head to Target Field, the game-day bar scene is still well worth the trip.
Two hours before first pitch one evening, Kieran's Irish Pub was bustling with patrons and nimble servers, spinning through the crowd with trays of mini-burgers raised above their heads. Despite stiff competition inside -- the patio was largely empty due to the imminent threat of rain -- finagling drinks was easy and cheap, as Kieran's happy hour runs until 6 p.m. daily.
Next up, finding a table among the backward-capped bros at Sneaky Pete's, with its legendary beer-slinger Wally the Beer Man and $3 well drinks and domestic bottles, was a cinch: After all, the bro remains standing in order to pounce on unwitting females with haste. Unfortunately, any hopes for intelligible conversation was dashed by a deafening "Don't Stop Believin,'" a song obnoxious at any volume. "I haven't even had dinner yet and I'm already yelling!" my sensibly crotchety friend bemoaned.
After the Twins were outscored 4-to-21 in a Thursday doubleheader against Tampa Bay a week later, most fans were eager to drink their woes away. The only ones who seemed to enjoy themselves at Target Field that night were two guys dressed in furry bear costumes, shown on the Jumbotron hoisting beers in honor of their three-second celebrity.
A medicinal pint at O'Donovan's Irish Pub was met with plenty of familiar faces -- this place is like Cheers, with names obfuscated by Irish whiskey. With the Deftones playing First Avenue that night, the crowd was a mix of Twins fans and radio rockers -- equal parts Twins jerseys and colorful hairdos.
A few blocks north on 1st Avenue, a gaggle of young guys, hats fashionably cocked, were seemingly experiencing downtown Minneapolis' nightlife for the first time. The group attentively listened to advice on how to pick up girls from a 50-ish man who wasn't exactly dressed to impress and desperately needed a shower. Then the conversation took a solicitous turn. "I want to, but I don't need that shit," one of the men told the downtown sage. Not wanting to see how this exchange was going to play out, I ducked into Brothers Bar & Grill to see what the college crowd was up to.
The place was littered with fake tans, Affliction T-shirts and the pervasive smell of Axe and domestic beer. But for pragmatic Augsburg students Kori Osina and Shannon Twifore, Brothers is a regular stop -- post-game or otherwise -- for its all-you-can-drink beer specials. Perched at a high-top, the two were enjoying the large crowd brought by a Twins home game. "If you were to come here on a normal [night] you'd be the only one here," Osina said.
Making one last lap through the Warehouse District, I stumbled upon the bear-suited duo of Jumbotron fame, sitting on a curb by the light-rail station. Flanked by a group of girls hoping to snap a picture with the cuddly Twins fans, the two appeared disinterested -- this had been happening all night, they said. Pat Hermes and Zach Schlichting came to the game in costume in accordance with a family tradition, and after a long night they found themselves at a crossroads in front of Dream Girls.
