Back in Bidness

It's been a long sabbatical from the world of hockey blogging, but I think I've reached a place where I'm ready to start writing about hockey once again. A few months ago I was faced with a personal crisis when my beloved team, the Minnesota Wild, sucked again for the third straight year. Not only that, the team I loathe more than any other was having a fantastic season, not to mention now has a 1-0 lead in the Finals(*). Following professional hockey(**) wasn't something I wanted to continue, so I decided then and there to direct my attention to the world of Major League Baseball, the "great American past time".

I gave baseball a shot, honest I did. I started watching ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" on a regular basis, went to a few Twins games and read some box scores here and there. I even tried to score a game once but found it rather difficult to hold onto my Grain Belt and write 6-4-3 at the same time. Night after night after long, miserable night I tried to stay awake and watch some West Coast games, but never did I make it past the 4th inning. Baseball has a way of making me drowsy, it seems.

Last night was the final test. I turned on the Twins-Tigers game at 7:30pm and tried my best to watch it and enjoy the fine subtleties of the game. Didn't work. As the Twins manager was making yet another trip to the mound and FSN was promoting their post game spectacular for the 19th time I decided enough was enough. There's a lot of things I can endure, but this isn't one of them. I cannot listen to Dick and Bert talk about Joe Mauer's bilateral soreness anymore. So, at 7:49pm I switched the channel to puck and I liked what I saw.

I didn't see a player put himself on the disabled list because of soreness, I watched a group of athletes pushing themselves past the pain in an effort to drink from the Stanley Cup. I had forgotten what had driven me from the sport I loved and was now back in its spell. Hockey is the greatest sport, sans none, and I only needed some time off to appreciate it; I just wish I wouldn't have spilled my Nordeast trying to figure that out.

(*) I may throw up in my mouth if f-in Raffi Torres scores another goal.

(**) Obviously I was still watching College Hockey; we all know how that ended up.