The "Walk Around"

It rained tonight… then it poured tonight and the grounds crew pulled the tarp out and sent us waiting for 90 minutes.

Funny thing happens in a rain delay. About 35,000 people head to the concourse with the same idea. The conversation goes something like this:

Fan #1: “Hey buddy, what do you want to do now that there is a delay?”

Fan #2: “Oh I don’t know, but we don’t want to stay here and get soaked.”

Fan #1: “Well why don’t we head up to the concourse and walk around…”

Two dreaded words spoken by too many people… “Walk Around”

This starts a scene that is vaguely similar to how many college students will fit in this Volkswagen? In a matter of minutes there are 25,000 fans in an area made to hold about 5,000. Some going left and some going right. (Halftime at a football game is exactly the same way.)

This “walk around” is completely unproductive and creates something more like cattle being herded into a stockyard for slaughter. There are many wide open spaces at Target Field, but eventually people are channeled through several narrow hallways in certain areas. And it can get ugly.

A Beerman can see it firsthand. Some people get in line for food, some get in line for the bathroom, some keep moving, and there are even a few that decide they must stop their group right in the middle of this zoo to have a conversation. Each one of these lines and mobs creates more congestion, which leads to less “walking around” and more “being stuck in one spot”.

My advice… Instead of a “walk around” on the next rain delay, find a nice beer vendor to stand next to and chat with until you need your next beer. At least you won’t be stuck in the crowd without that Bud Light.