Dallas Mavericks at Minnesota Timberwolves

The post game tailgate at the Metrodome turned into a pre game tailgate for the Timbervolves game as we walked over to the Target Center for the Timberwolves game. We had thought about driving to the Xcel Energy Center for a college hockey doubleheader but with my flight scheduled to depart at 10:15 pm we would have had to leave the second hockey game too early to make it worthwhile.

Instead we were able to buy 100 level seats ($50 face value per ticket) for $10 each to the Timberwolves game (obviously legalized scalping is not helping the Timberwolves secondary market).

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry led the Mavericks to a 95-85 victory. The game only lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes so we were able to watch the 4th quarter while still making it to the airport on time to catch my flight.

CFB: Northwestern at Minnesota

We arrived at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome around 9:30 am. Just enough time to tailgate before the 11 am start. We paid $7 to park and walked a few blocks to Chicago Ave and 3rd St. S – one of the lots that allow fans to tailgate.

Obtaining Tickets
At 10:40 am, we decided to start looking for tickets. My plan was to pay about $10 each for tickets. The same price I would expect to pay for a non-sold out game at Ryan Field in Evanston, IL. What I did not realize was that Minnesota legalized ticket scalping on August 1, 2007. The scalpers were now able to hawk their tickets in plain site without worrying about repercussions. I believe this kept the secondary market price higher than I would have expected. In addition, a lot of fans buying tickets from scalpers since the seats were better than what the box office had available.

With the cheapest tickets at the window costing $30 each, we at least had some negotiating power. However, we looked for tickets for about 30 minutes before finally purchasing two ($45 face value) tickets for $25 each.

The Game
Northwestern defeated Minnesota 24-17 when Brendan Smith returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown with 12 seconds left in the game. Mike Kafka shattered Zak Kustok’s quarterback rushing record of 115 yards in 2001 with a 227 yard rushing performance.

Post Game Tailgate
After the game most Northwestern fans continued tailgating in the same lot where we pre game tailgated.

Doubleheader Day in Minneapolis

Tonight I am flying up to Minneapolis for a doubleheader day tomorrow. In the first game of the day, the Minnesota Golden Gophers host the Northwestern Wildcats at 11 am. Second, I am attending the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves game. Tip off is at 7 pm.

When I booked the ticket in August (and ever since) airfares from Chicago to Minneapolis have hovered between $400 and $450. Since that is an unreasonable amount of money to pay for a day trip to Minneapolis, I chose to book my ticket using the 25,000 miles I had on Northwest Airlines. I have had these miles for a few years and have never been able to use them because Northwest does not fly anywhere from Chicago except for Detroit and Minny. Thus, I can now say good riddance to NWA.

The Minnesota Lynx in between Dinner and Dessert

Two weeks ago, I wrote an article about if you were attending a baby shower that you should try to find a sporting event on route. These rules also apply for a wedding. This weekend Nicole and I are in Minneapolis, MN for one of our best friend’s weddings. In fact, I am in the wedding party. But that would not deter me from finding an event to attend.

We had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday night and the wedding Sunday evening – leaving Saturday night open for an event. I scoured the internet for events to attend, but the only event I found was the Minnesota Lynx game at the Target Center. Then the invitation came – Pre-Nuptial dinner was scheduled for Saturday night at 6 pm. What the hell! With the Lynx game starting at 7 pm, I figured there was no way to go to the game.

However, the dinner on Saturday night was scheduled for Palomino’s – a restaurant within two blocks of the Target Center. Knowing my rules of sporting event attendance, I figured I could eat dinner and make it in time for the second half of the game. Since I would not arrive until halftime (at that time the box office would be closed) I bought my ticket on Friday afternoon from the box office. I paid $10 for the cheapest seat in the arena.

I arrived at the Target Center during halftime. I walked up to the gate (thinking they may not even be checking tickets at this point) and saw fans were being checked by security and the ticket takers were scanning tickets. The security guard checked my bag and said, “Is that a video camera?” “Yes,” I said. He said that video cameras were not allowed in the arena. I told him, “You’re kidding, right? This is the WNBA!” I walked away and rather than heading back to the hotel to drop off the camera, I thought I would find a different gate. Next, I walked into the NBA City Restaurant and asked if there was an entrance to the arena. They pointed me to the entrance and instead of walking through the security entrance, I walked through the exit. No security scan. No checked ticket. Instead of a safe fan with a video camera entering the arena, I was a rogue fan entering the exit.

The Lynx beat the Houston Comets handily 85-71 and Seimone Augustus was by far the high scorer with 27 points. Although the Target Center does not have all the amenities of the newer arenas it is in a great location within downtown Minneapolis.

I made it back to the dinner within an hour and most people had no idea I had left. Some just thought I was in the bathroom for awhile! So as with all trips, there is always a way to make it to a game if you can plan creatively.