Fox Sports North was hosting its monthly Twins viewing party on Tuesday night at Station 280, a sports-heavy bar on Como Avenue in St. Paul. The sign out front made no mention of FSN's presence, sticking with "Pull Tabs Here" and "Happy Hour 3-to-6 PM" as the extra incentives for customers to make a stop.
Miguel Cabrera's single in the bottom of the first inning drove in a run for the Tigers, cutting the Twins' lead to 2-1. There was no groan of disappointment — no reaction at all — from the 80 or so people at tables, in booths or at Station 280's long bar.
A woman named Caroline, maybe 40, was sitting in a booth with a friend. "Are you here for the Twins viewing party?" she was asked.
Caroline smiled and said: "I must be. I'm here."
So why aren't you watching the game?
"I have a sore neck; I can't turn my head to look at a TV," said Caroline, laughing at the spontaneity of the excuse she came up with for not monitoring the Twins' action.
Many of the TVs in the bar were turned to the Twins and Tigers; the others were showing an exhibition game between the United States and Finland in advance of hockey's World Cup.
There was an equal lack of attention being given to both. What there were among the customers were more hats and garments devoted to the Wild than the Twins, by a margin of several to zero.