Awakening Of A Fan

Coming into this year I tried to force myself to feel optimistic. It worked about 36 hours; I started writing the first draft of this during that blissful 36 hours, expecting to use the reflection to celebrate all the fun things to come.

 

Then, with apologies to Gregory of Tours, “A great many things happened”.

 

Existence right now is dichotomy; a feeling of immense distance from a wide swath of the world, counterbalanced by a deep sense of responsibility and community to others. The history books I’ve read as a hobby for 30 years are coming to life around me. All I want is to find peace and bring joy, all I feel is despair and sadness at the pain I see and feel helpless to fix.

 

When dad died six years ago, a tether that snapped inside of me. I thought time would knit it back together but I’ve come to accept that’s not what happens. I’m simply…unmoored. Drifting away I struggle to find a pier to tie up to; meaning and purpose. I had to know who I was so I could help my child find who he could be.

 

Thing is, I don’t think you can ever know who you are. By the time you do, that person is gone. The past is an echo, the present is fleeting. 

But there is also a future, what Shakespeare called "The Undiscovered Country".

 

In in the fleeting presence you fight for a place in that country. It's rarely set-piece battles, usually a million small skirmishes. Get the kids to school, wash the dishes, work to earn benefits, make sure to hydrate, find time for a shower. Fall behind, almost catch up, fall behind again.

 

Regardless of the larger context, the complete human experience, "the pursuit of happiness", cannot be met solely by the work of the day. Our souls must be expanded and nurtured; we yearn for belonging, to know we’re not alone even if we sometimes feel adrift. Shared experience creates a safe harbor for our identity.

 

I had really hoped 2026 might be a year I could focus on shared experiences through sports, and I started writing this to talk about how I got there. Circumstances are such that it looks like I’ll be finding shared experiences more through community action instead. That’s fine, we don’t get to choose our place in time. But I want to share how my eyes were opened to the possibilities.

 

Life is messy; it’s pain, joy, sadness, exultation, boredom, and overwork, all no more than a degree apart. And all found in sports. I went to 21 sporting events in 2025 (not counting my son’s). They changed my life, and prepared me for this moment.

 

Let’s talk about them.

 

Game 1 – Saturday, January 4, 2025

• League: NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey (Non-Conference)
• Matchup: University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey vs. Mercyhurst University Lakers 
• Venue: Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN
• Official Attendance: 10,201 (reality was lower; student section depleted due to Winter Break)
•  Box Score: https://gophersports.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/stats/2024-25/mercyhurst/boxscore/21306

 

My son watches pre-game warmups from the top of our section.

 

Arrival was hectic; the 4 year old strenuously denied needing to potty during the drive but declared he was about to have “an emergency” just as we hit campus. My wife dropped us off at the entry and we rushed through the ticket line and up the stairs while my wife found parking. My son was very confused by the urinal trough, but we avoided disaster.

 

It had been 3 weeks since our Gophers played together due the holiday; several players were still missing due to the ongoing IIHF World Junior Championship in Ontario. Minnesota entered the series ranted #3, 15-3-2 overall, 8-1-1 in conference. Mercyhurst was struggling at 2-15-3, 2-10-2 in conference; the depleted Gophers were heavy favorites.

 

My son had started learning to skate in December; it was his 2^nd hockey game. Naturally he was much more interested in the sights, sounds, and smells of the arena than the game itself. But he dutifully and loudly sang the Minnesota Rouser, carried his My First Game certificate with pride, and mustered courage to meet Goldy and give him a hug after several years of shyly admiring from afar. He would leave obsessed with mascots.

 

The view from our seats at faceoff; the empty student section is obvious at the other end.

 

The game was a standard non-conference affair. After winning 6-2 the previous night, the Gophers scored 4 goals in the 1^st Period, the 4^th goal being Nick Michel’s first for Minnesota. There was 1 more Gopher goal in the 3^rd. Mercyhurst scored in the 1^st and 3^rd and Minnesota won 5-2 in a game with only 1 penalty.

 

My son, grinning ear to ear behind his blackout, with his hero Goldy Gopher.

 

Game 2 – Saturday, January 11, 2025

• League: NBA Regular Season
• Matchup: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies 
• Venue: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Official Attendance: 18,978
• Box Score: https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401705101

Have you ever gone to a game that you knew would change your life? Me neither. But it happens.

 

Let’s talk about the NBA. I used to ignore the NBA. Hate is the wrong word, I didn’t hate it. I just never paid attention to it. Dad, YMCA basketball elite that he was, used to complain about the “traveling” and “flopping” and I just took him at his word. Over time, that opinion ossified into a fundamental belief: the NBA sucks, pay not attention.

 

But my friend had Timberwolves tickets. Being a stubborn man like myself, he could understand my perspective and respect it without agreeing with it. Gently and respectfully, he suggested I join him for a game. I took him up on it because I find his company exceptionally fun; the game was an excuse. I did not expect to enjoy it.

 

 

Pregame drinks and garlic bread were had, and we made our way to the Target Center. I forced him to let me pay for drinks; you know it’s a good friend when that’s a fight.

 

We had seats with TVs. My primary concern was hockey...at first.

 

I respect Carl too much to be intentionally stubborn. That was probably what allowed me to start to care. I was blown away by the athleticism. Naz Reid looked so casual shooting 3-pointers, Rudy Gobert’s was a monster in the paint, Anthony Edwards’s athleticism and drive. I was unconsciously standing up and throwing 3 fingers in the air every time Donte DiVincenzo shot. By halftime I knew the whole roster.

 

I was too engrossed in the experience to take many pictures but here’s Rudy Gobert posting up. Dad was wrong…NBA teams do play defense!

 

As I looked for gear for me and my son during halftime I found myself facing a question: Holy shit…I actually care about this, don’t I?!

 

3^rd Quarter with my new Timberwolves hat I decided to let the emotions and the crowd just take me, and they did. Up 65-64 at half, the Wolves extended their lead, but it was tight the whole way and with 40 seconds left it was tied 125-125. Then, Julius Randle lost the ball to Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant drained a 10 footer and the Wolves were down 2, where they stayed.

 

We had more drinks after the game but that’s a different story. In the end, the score didn’t matter. Not only was it fun, I knew as I left Target Center it had been a Top 5 sports night for me. But that was a double-edged sword: as I drove home the next day, I had to wonder: what else have I been missing?

 

Game 3 – February 8, 2025

• League: Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL), Big 9 Conference Regular Season
• Matchup: Century/John Marshall High School Panthers vs. Mankato East High School Cougars
• Venue: Graham Arena, Rink 4, Rochester, MN
• Official Attendance: Unknonwn (<1,000)
• Box Score: https://www.legacy.hockey/game/show/43344208?subseason=939288&referrer=8825416

With kids, sometimes the weekends about making it through. This was one of them; so what better way to do it than a local hockey game? My high school, Rochester (MN) John Marshall was the first team south of the Twin Cities to win the State Tournament in 1977. Unfortunately, changing demographics led to a merger between two schools and JM’s independent team is no more.

 

The 1977 John Marshall High School Rockets (Rochester, MN) hoist the MSHSL Hockey Trophy.

 

I spent most of the game chasing my son around the arena, buying him popcorn, taking him to the bathroom, and trying to keep him occupied. He got me to enter a drawing for a hockey stick signed by Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild (we lost). He found a puck in the stands which made his day. Century/JM won 4-2 on their way to a 2^nd Place finish in the Big Nine Conference behind Northfield (MN).

 

Graham Arena Rink 4 – The only picture I thought to take.

 

Game 4 – February 22, 2025

• League: NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey, Big Ten Conference Regular Season
• Matchup: University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey (Big Ten Conference) vs. The Ohio State University Hockey (Big Ten Conference)
• Venue: Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN
• Official Attendance: 10,565
•  Box Score: https://gophersports.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/stats/2024-25/ohio-state/boxscore/21521

As January moved to February, the Gophers position in college hockey began a slump that would eventually lead to a first round exit from the NCAA Tournament.

 

Hope was still alive on this day when our friends offered us seats for free on a short notice. We live 90 minutes away so we can’t always take advantage of these opportunities; it’s important to do it when we can. Thankfully there were no potty emergencies this time.

 

A leisurely entrance.

 

Former band members ourselves, my wife and I followed pregame March-Around on the concourse; my son on my shoulders experienced the full-force of standing directly in front of 6 sousaphones. “I heard them in my belly, dad!”

 

After buying some merch we found our seats just before the National Anthem. The 2 seats next to us were empty at first. Midway through the 1^st Period, the dad and son who live across the street showed up and took them! Again, we live 90 minutes away. We did not plan this, we both go tickets from unrelated groups, complete happenstance. It’s a small world; it was their first collegiate hockey game, and we got to teach them about it.

 

Our view during the National Anthem

 

They saw a good one. Minnesota (212-7-4 overall, 13-5-3 conference) beat The Ohio State University 6-3 (20-10-2), 13-8-1 Big Ten). The Gophers never trailed, but the final 2 goals were empty nets; the Buckeyes nipped at the Gophers heels the last 30 minutes.

  

The stick salute to celebrate a Big Ten sweep.

 

Game 5 – February 24, 2025

Game Details

·                     League: Cactus League (MLB Spring Training)

·                     Matchup: Arizona Diamonbacks vs. Cleveland Guardians

·                     Venue: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ

·                     Official Attendance: 6,852

·                     Box Score: https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401704193

 

The next day, work took me to Phoenix, AZ. My Monday calendar was friendly so I decided to look for a Major League Baseball Spring Training game. There were lots of options but the most favorable was Phoenix’s own Arizona Diamondbacks hosting the Cleveland Guardians from Minnesota’s Central Division.

 

View from the concourse. Light jacket weather for the locals, shorts weather for me.

 

I’ve never been to Spring Training and had no idea what to expect. It proved to be immensely cathartic. It turns out that after a very long winter, the soul is massively reinforced by the sights and sounds of a baseball game.

 

Spring Training is so much more than that, though. Spring Training fans know ball. These are not casuals; they know advanced statistics, they have the Minor League history of every player memorized. In every direction there was a conversation to be had with people wearing the hats of 30 different teams on 3 continents, but without the insidious effect of rivalry.

 

If you every have a chance, go to Spring Training. The facilities are beautiful, the weather is a welcome relief for a Yankee, and everyone you meet will teach you something you never knew.

 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: the Diamondbacks won 4-3.

 

Pitching for the Diamondbacks: former Minnesota Twin, Josh Winder. During the game I texted friends that Josh didn’t look good. No movement on his fastballs, inconsistent speed, and he was visibly frustrated. In 1.2 innings he gave up 2 runs, including a no-doubter home run, and walked a batter for a 10.80 ERA.

 

3 days later it was announced that Winder would need Tommy John surgery and would miss the 2025 season.

 

Next time, I’ll pick up in March, 2025 with two games that could not be more different: a free, local, unofficial scrimmage and a match across the sea worth millions.