I am in the Metrodome with La Velle and our intern Melissa Rosenberg, and this is a surreal feeling, watching a sporting event at a time when the rest of the country is watching news footage of a tragedy about one mile from this stadium.

I am writing this post for selfish reasons. My cell phone isn’t working very well, and I want our friends and family members to know that we’re safe. My wife, Julie, is home safe. My sister, Katelyn, a U of M junior, is home safe. From what La Velle and I can tell, our friends and loved ones are all safe and accounted for. Writing this feels very selfish knowing there were probably people on that bridge en route to this game, and somewhere there are family members wondering about their well-being.

I spoke with Twins president Dave St. Peter, and he said the decision to play tonight’s 7:10 game as scheduled was made after speaking with department of transportation officials. The theory was that sending 20,000-25,000 people back into traffic would only make it more congested for the emergency crews.

It sounds like tomorrow’s game will be postponed. The team is working on a statement, and an announcement is coming soon. At 7:08, the team made an announcement over the PA alerting the fans of the collapsed bridge, asking for their prayers and reminding people if they needed to leave to do so calmly. Also, people were asked to only use cell phones if necessary.

La Velle and I keep commenting on how hard it is to focus on the game. “What just happened? How did Alex Gordon just reach base?” It all feels so trivial right now.

Update: Thursday’s game has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later time. Tomorrow’s groundbreaking also has been postponed indefinitely.