I know I should be working on higher-minded pursuits, but after MPR’s Bob Collins detected a whiff of hoax in Monday’s “red pepper bong” story, I am pleased to provide a named source who says the Target Field spliff-out did happen.

It’s all been mystery and pseudonym up until now, but John Butcher of south Minneapolis has stepped forward to provide eyewitness — and nosewitness — testimony.

Long-time Twins fans may raise an eyebrow, since John bears the same name as a former Twins pitcher. However, he was willing to provide his address, the names of some mutual friends in the restaurant business, and his place of employment. This may also be an eyebrow-raiser, but John says he worked part-time at McMahon’s Pub, which burned down about 12 hours before game time.

“It was very difficult to watch the game; it felt like I wasn’t really at the game,” Butcher acknowledges.

Still, his friend Lucille had her boss’s tickets, and the company and the diversion carried the day.

The CNN 'ireporter" photo of the red bell pepper bong

John says the incident went down in Section 1, which, from the photos, seems right. John and his three pals were in row 9, and the veggie bonger, he guesses, was in row 11. “We didn’t notice him at first, but about the 7^th inning, when he showed up, he was obviously the guy,” Butcher says. “I can verify he said he was going to be the first one to smoke pot at Target Field.”

John says he “definitely” smelled pot. He confirms the testimony of the fellow fan who filed CNN “iReport,” Butcher says, “Security didn’t do anything.”

The fan, likely CNN’s citizen correspondent, showed the usher the digital photos that later graced a lot of local and national websites.

Was John as outraged as the citizen correspondent? “I think the guy shoulda been thrown out,” he says. “You’re at the game, your kids are there - grow up! It’s not like going to a high school football game.”

Any idea why a red bell pepper? “I have no idea, though I was close enough to see that. My friends and I were joking he obviously didn’t like the vegetarian selection. Eventually, the guy wandered off.”