Al Shaver's Genius

I've been enjoying a long stretch of calm the last little while, but I have fallen out of touch with some friends and for that I will make amends. I used to think you made amens not amends, perhaps I should do that as well. My mom bought us TiVo for Christmas. Once you use TiVo, watching television is never quite the same. The novelty hasn't worn off, so we are watching a lot of it lately. I am thrilled that I can watch Minnesota Gopher hockey in southern California where I can pause the game and walk to the store in my shorts for some snacks. My allegiances to sports teams have tended to follow the wind and my current zip code. Gopher hockey, however, sticks with me. I like the fact that a strong majority of the team is from Minnesota, where I even watched some of them play in high school. There is only one non-Minnesotan on the team this year, but I can let that slip because he is one of the best goaltenders in the nation. This seems like a unique situation in sports--when a team actually represents their state. I wouldn't be surprised to see the gophers in the Frozen Four. They are having a great season, but have just hit some bumps.

As a kid I used to stay up late listening to Al Shaver call the Minnesota North Stars games. This I am realizing was a unique and formative experience.

Here is an example of Al Shaver's genius.