Sports musings

We are a bunch of fair weather fans, here in Minnesota. Minneapolis does have some very decent professional teams that fare from fair to middling - they always seem to take you to the edge, but never that leap into that other class of winners. There was such a string of success some 22 years ago and then again four years later. Ever since then, faithful fans hang on to hope that their team will again make a run for fame, fortune and community pride.

I bring this up because these past couple of days it has been everything sports around town. The Minnesota Twins (baseball) performed very well by sweeping another team in their division to tie the top team and forcing a play off game that will be played tomorrow to decide the division champs. Then, the Univ. of Minnesota played and lost to Wisconsin (in American football)in a close game that they could have won if the all the balls bounced their way. I guess they were one bounce short. Then, yesterday, Sunday, we had the Twin Cities Marathon - one the nation's prettiest marathons with the course running past several of lakes that dot our landscape. And today is the biggest game of all - the Monday Night Football game between the Minnesota Vikings and their arch-rival The Green Bay Packers. What makes it so interesting is that the quarter for Minnesota, Brett Favre, played for many years for the Green Bay team and the bane of many a Viking season playoff hopes. But this time around, fans are rejoicing that he is our side and that they will beat the Green Bay Packers.

Who knows how many of my students will show up for class today? Who knows how baseball fans will be present at tomorrow's class? Regardless, as much as I would like to put my feet up and watch both games, I guess I am being paid (and paid well, mind you) to teach and that is exactly what I plan to do. Well, okay, I will have the game updates on my computer and I will also get updates from the many students who do have laptops in class.

Sunday was supposed to the last game the Twins played in the Teflon baggie (they are moving to a brand new stadium about 1.5 miles or 2.5 km for this place) - the Metrodome and there were big celebrations. But the team did manage to tie, so there will be one more game tomorrow and that will decide where the teams play. The only way they will play again here is if they win and go on to division finals. Then they may have one or several games depending on how they play/win.

I am off to class.