St Paul Saints

With the addition of the brand new stadium, comes new food and beers and the St. Paul Saints didn’t leave anything out. They have an amazing selection of local craft brews to enjoy and I just found a new brew to enjoy — North Lake Brewing’s Honey Brown Lager.
But it’s the food that made the Gnaw infamous! :) The St. Paul Saints have a Philly booth near the section, 112 that is serving up some amazing Philly’s and they’re ranked #5 on my list of local Philly’s. For the ENTIRE game, there was a line 12 + deep and the chef was pumping out Philly’s the entire game.
The next time you get to a Saints game at their all new and beautiful stadium, make your way to the Philly hut and get yourself something delicious to eat!
Note: If you’re wondering about my Philly Ranking’s, feel free to message me and I will send you a link to the rankings. :)

The entire experience at a St. Paul Saints game is more indicative of a traveling carnival sideshow than a sporting event. From the between inning banter, to the overall vibe of the crowd I would think twice about suggesting this as an activity for anyone interested in anything beyond an odd brand of societal voyeurism.
Thankfully they are building a new stadium because the current place is a dump. The facilities are run down and fairly dirty. The concession options are much more expensive than one would expect considering the overall environment and the offerings are not particularly special or appetizing.
The entire experience outside of the game is an unusual display of entertainment. The announcing is horrible. Whoever is on the microphone throughout the game tries overly hard to be funny and often fails miserably. In addition to the continual verbal gaffs spewing from the speakers during the between innings hijinks included a mix of embarrassing antics that made me laugh not because of their content but because someone actually sanctioned this type of behavior. The entire experience makes you question if you are on a hidden camera show.
On a side note, despite being a regional baseball team, I found the baseball game occurring around this train wreck to be entertaining. However the overall environment was so distracting in a negative way that it made it difficult to concentrate on anything happening on the field.

Minor league ball at its best, right? Small ballpark, lots of fun, good food and beer, decent parking situation. But I have to say I was pretty appalled by the between-​inning entertainment here. I’ve been to lots of minor league games. They all have crazy mascots, contests for prizes, races around the bases, etc. But the fact that the Saints choose to include «Karaōke with a Real Japanese guy» and an Asian guy dressed up in a sumo suit really had me flummoxed. I realize it’s all supposed to be light-​hearted and fun, but as an Asian American, I was deeply offended. In what universe is having an Asian man sing karaōke with a really bad Asian accent considered entertainment? I can’t imagine that I am the only one who has felt this way given this area’s large Asian population. No other ethic group was targeted in this way.
I wrote an email to this effect and sent it to several of the people listed as contacts on the Saints website. It has now been several weeks and I have yet to hear back from anyone. Not one of the half dozen people who received my email even took the time to reply. I take this to mean that they really don’t see what’s wrong with this type of «entertainment.» I work for one of this area’s many large international companies, and I can only imagine what would have happened if I had visitors from one of our Asian offices in town and we chose to come to the Saints game. I would really urge the Saints to remove these bits from their lineup and replace them with entertainment that is not racist or offensive. In the meantime, I’ll be taking in my games at Target Field, where they run a class-​act operation that does not make fun of people because of their ethnicity.

Who wants to bother with professional baseball when you can have so much easy-​going, cheap fun with the Saints? A mini pig on the field, trainspotting, Beer Dabbler Bullpen… So much goodness!

The other day me and my Gal went to a St Paul Saints Game. It had been at least 10 years for both of us. I had forgotten how much fun it is. Fun and Cheap. We went on Buck Night. There is ample parking and there was plenty of Tailgaters. After a couple $ 1 beers and a tasty gyro on the patio next to 1^st bass we tried our hand at a bean bag toss. The patio is like a mini adult playground. Kate only needed one toss to win a free Beer. And with a mini crowd watching I also only needed 1 bag to win a free beer. So no one thinks the game was rigged the groups before and after were unable to win. We made our way to our seats right behind home plate. It was a gorgeous evening. It wasn’t looking good for the Saints as they were losing 5 to 6 in the ninth. We decided to walk out to one of the empty Porches that looked out on the outfield. 2 outs and one man on 1^st base. A crack of a bat and the ball is heading right at us. It hits the Pig Out Porch and drops in for a 2 run homer to win the game. I could have reached out and grabbed the ball if I wasn’t so surprised. Best 3D effect!
I give the whole night 5 stars.

$ 1 beer night! Fun games. Very friendly people working and watching the game. Super affordable. Great stadium. I am not sure why I don’t go to more games.

Good, Affordable, Home-​town Baseball… a hoot to go to a game… so much laughter and fun… I love love love the pig that comes out with the ball…
The people there are all so happy…
make sure you get to a game sometime and check it out…

A Saint Paul Saints game is practically the definition of «good, clean fun».
It’s a small outdoor stadium, so all the seats are good seats. The food is cheap & served in generous portions. Also, there is a train.
The amount of effort put in to entertaining the crowd is simply amazing. Besides an official mascot, there are numerous other costumed characters constantly engaging with the crowd. Mascots and spectators regularly storm the field to compete in ridiculous contests, & old-​fashioned plugs/​promotions for local business occupy much of the announcers’ patter.
My first Saints game was (I believe) the last one of that season, & was capped off by one of the single best fireworks displays I’ve ever seen.
I haven’t produced any replicas, but I would guess that there are few places in the Cities that offer such a fantastic price-​to-​value ratio when it comes to entertaining children. Or adults, for that matter.
Apparently, the game of «baseball» is also played here.

You know, I’m not a huge baseball fan but I gotta say, spending a Saturday summer evening relaxing with friends and/​or family at the ballpark is always such a fun time… Yes, it’s not a pro game, doesn’t mean it’s not awesome!
The Saints Game is a great ballgame with pure entertainment which is what makes it such a fun outing! Love the real lil’ piggies that come out inbetween innings~ so cute~ and who doesn’t love The Saints mascot, the bright pink MUDONNA in her baseball blue Saints minidress the pig ~a guy or girl dressed up in a stuffed animal costume who knows how to work a crowd!
I was here the second time yesterday night and it was another perfect night. Last time I was here I came with a bunch of friends, which was such a hoot, as we watched and cheered on the Saints. Tonight was even more special cuz I brought my mother from Japan, and needless to say, she had an AWESOME time!
Impromptu entertainment tonight included a «Real Japanese guy singing karaōke», who sang Bruce Springsteen with great enthusiasm — quite good too, in his cowboy hat and poncho — my mom and I just toppled over. How lucky could we get!
The «Stupid Tricks» and Contests included people taken out of the audience and one that we couldn’t stop laughing was… the Cow and the Chicken race, when a couple of people were brought out from the audience to be dressed up as one cow and one chicken and had to race to become the first taco, was hilarious — — first they were made dizzy by doing «dizzy bat» first when the participants had to spin 10 times with their forehead placed on the end of the bat and then proceeded to run to their taco tortilla laid out before them, and come back rolling in the taco! Wow! These fun side-​shows are done during inbetween innings, so it’s well organized and quick, such a fun fime.
The food here is typical ballpark food here, at a good, reasonable prices (what a difference from the Twins and Viking games)!. So are the tickets, too… I’ve come here for general admission for $ 8 a ticket and also for $ 12 a ticket for reserved seats… do yourself and get the reserved seats… I did that for tonight’s game and had great seats with the best view. It does make a big difference.
The stadium is very nice too, fun atmosphere, with an old fashioned stadium feel and good easy parking, and easy to get to.
Yes, I like going to a professional game and the Twins Game and Target Field is fantastic. But if you want to have an inexpensive entertaining awesome time, come to the Saints Game! You won’t be disappointed!
I plan to make going to a Saints game a ritual summer outing from now on, with friend or with family, as now that I call myself a Minnesotan!
«TRAIN»!

Went to our first Saints game last night and had a blast! There are a ton of activities to keep you entertained between innings and the tickets are very affordable. Be sure to get there early to tailgate and make sure you say hi to Mudonna.

The Saints are as good as it gets for American Association baseball in the Cities, because they’re the only game in town! The Saints are fun. One of their slogans is ‘fun is good’ and they are very committed to having it. They do goofy things between innings and while it can come across as being a bit trite at times, it’s really more of an animated and enthusiastic, homemade version of stuff you see at MLB games, like the stupid kiss camera and stuff.
One time at a game my friends and I were actually drafted into performing in one of these crazy skits! A Saints employee asked us as we were walking by if we could play the kazoo, and next thing you know we’re banging out something that may or may not have been ‘Chariots of Fire’ on our kazoos. It was a weird experience being on the field blowing on a kazoo, but a unique and memorable one!
The Saints are also generous with giveaways. Unlike the Twins who really cheat their fans out of quality giveaways (seriously, many MLB teams do more giveaways over the course of the season, and for a larger volume per game; the Twins are just cheap), the Saints are happy to give stuff away, and bizarre stuff at that. We’ve gotten Darryl Strawberry and Bill Murray bobbles, Bud Selig statues, hats and other trinkets. That is fun. That is cool.
The Saints are a very welcoming bunch. It’s not uncommon to see many different baseball hats and gear around Midway because people come to enjoy baseball at a sublime level without all of the seriousness and animosity that sometimes accompanies the major leagues. Concessions and beers are cheaper with the Saints, as are souvenirs. The Saints play a level of baseball that is high quality, despite the fact that it’s part of an independent league, not affiliated with MLB in any way. You may, however, get to see players who later get signed by major league teams, or veterans who are out of MLB at the moment, doing a tour of duty with St. Paul. The Saints offer a great baseball experience, and while the game itself is not the only attraction, the Saints know how to have a good time.

I like going to the Saints games because for awhile it was the only option for outdoor baseball. Now with the Twins outdoors as well, going to Saints game is even better, because its easier to get tickets and much more affordable. I like the gimicks and games they have on the field in between innings. Makes it fun. I love the Sumo guy that cleans off home plate. Not sure about the pig coming out in between innings… but it makes for coversation. My kids are older now, but we still get a kick out of the big furry pink mascot MUDONNA the pig. Ive caught myself watching her interacting with the crowd rather that watching the game, lol.
Things I don’t like is the bleacher seating… but thats baseball. And the «smoking» sections. Yes, we are outside, but the wind carries the stinky smoke and I really don’t wanna smell someone else’s bad habit. Other than that… I LOVE GOING TO THE SAINTS GAMES.

My first Saints game was this past Sunday, and it was «dog day», so we brought our beagle, Haley. For $ 15 you got a left field ticket for you and your dog, a Saints baseball cap, a hot dog and a can of pop – can’t really beat that!
The common theme of the day seemed to be FREE STUFF :) Besides the ticket deal, we got free curly fries from Arby’s, two free sliders from White Castle, and a free Chalupa from Taco Bell. One deal was for a home run, one was for the Saints’ win, and I can’t remember the third. Somethin else many of us got for free… a sunburn: P
The concession prices are certainly cheaper than those at Twins games. $ 2-​$ 3 for a hot dog, $ 2.50 for a huge pretzel, and only $ 7 for a large beer (about 32 oz. filled to the brim)! They had a decent selection of beer on tap too, including Shock Top, which was nice to see. The food was nothing spectacular – the salted pretzel was literally covered in salt, and the regular hot dogs tasted like they were cooked in dishwater (the extra $ 1 for the all beef hot dog is definitely worth it, but the regular one at least made a good dog treat). The most irritating part of the day was the 15 minutes spent waiting for those damn hot dogs! Apparently they underestimated the demand and had to pull some more from the freezer.
All in all, it was a great day. The dogs were well-​behaved, and it was just so cool that they were allowed. Haley had tons of fun, so we’re already planning on attending again next year!
«TRAIN!»

The Saint Paul Saints. A fascinating team, not a minor league squad nor associated in any way with the Twins. Yet here they are, battling it out against some of the nation’s unknown cities (Sioux Falls South Dakota anyone?).
The best part about SPS is their food. Super cheap compared to MLB and their fans love them for that. Where else can you get an angus choice steak sandwich for $ 6.00?
The game was quite entertaining as well, complete with a high scoring Saints offense and an almost brawl between the teams.
I think I’ll go back if I want to get drunk and have a good time.

ummm i’m just a little (and by a little i mean alot) perplexed as to why ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would give the saints less than five stars.
i’m no mathematician but i can do simple addition — please see below.
central st. paul location easily accessible from all locations in the metro + cheese curds + baseball OUTDOORS + zany mascots + activities in between every inning, which may or may not include «the real japanese karaōke guy» + $ 4 blue moons + really excited kids = a good time.
plus…they throw bags of peanuts at you during take me out to the ball game. sweet.

Husband, friend and I went to the Saints on a Friday night because its summer. Its a bonus that its cheap. For $ 12 we got tickets behind home plate (well, off to the side just a bit.) Another $ 13.50 for food & drink. Less than $ 25 for two, talk about value! And on top of that, it was German Night, so there was great low-​budget entertainment, that was, well, great!
Here’s the breakdown:
FOOD/​DRINK: I got a $ 1.50 Miller Light outside the ball park and was told I could bring it inside. Thinking the man was lying, but that it was a $ 1.50 beer I could dump if needed, I went for it. The man was not lying, we walked right in, me with my beer in hand. Nice. The food hawkers cover the bases and more; they sell beer, peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, plus mini donuts and iced mochas. Again, Nice. There’s a food stand right as you enter the stadium, but you’ll want to head to either side of the bleacher seats for better options (like turkey legs and cheese curds.) Nice.
THE GAME: Well, we don’t actually come for the game. But if you care, they play American League rules. Since its a small stadium you can see everything, like when the ball touches the base line. Makes it more fun to see what your watching (unlike the nose bleed seats at the Dome.) Every so often a train drives past and usually the engineer will blow the horn. Nice.
ENTERTAINMENT: The Saints pay alot of people to entertain the crowd. We went on German Night, so we had a German looking lumberjack in our section getting us riled up. A woman in pig tails wearing a very busty hofbrau dress was doing the same in another section. Impromptu entertainment included a Japanese man singing karaōke choosing the German band Scorpion’s «Rock You Like a Hurricane» to keep on theme. On the jumbotron the Saints produced a video of a puppet David Hasselhoff recreating his drunken hamburger in a bathroom incident. On the field, visitors competed in games including who can toss the most cottage cheese quarts into a giant inflatable tub (the loser gets doused with real cottage cheese, disgusting!). All good fun. And my total cost was less than $ 25. Nice.

The Saints are not a major league team. They are not a minor league team. They are a regional league sideshow.
They are also pretty fun.
There is some kind of fun activity planned into every inning break. The announcer will talk smack about you if you stand out. No one is safe.
Have a Summit Pale Ale and a brat and watch the game.