We're gonna win, Twins, we're gonna scoooore

I just knew this was going to happen. I moved home and tried to keep my identity intact, all while my family looked at me like I was an alien. It may have been the morningstar veggie burgers, the hummus, or skipping out on family pizza night for sushi with the girls. They didn't appreciate me overtaking the fridge, but I've been pretty good at staying strong on the food front.

It's the ESPN front that I'm worried about. My brothers and dad are sports fanatics, and I have unwittingly jumped on board. This week I found myself voluntarily watching Sports Center alone. Upon seeing that the Mets had lost an important game, I silently cheered, knowing that the Brewers' playoff hopes weren't dashed yet. I understood a bad joke an announcer told about the Manning brothers' inconsistency. I read Pete Rose's wikipedia article, found out he had only bet for the Reds, never against them-and decided that he should be in the Hall of Fame. My jaw dropped when I saw that USC had lost to an unranked team in a Thursday night matchup that should have been a cakewalk. I feel confident that I could use the phrase "Manny being Manny" appropriately.

All in all, I am thinking that being knowledgeable about sports could be almost as much fun as celebrity gossip- and ten times more useful. Plus, the discovery of Bill Simmons has made me realize that you can use all kinds of pop culture references to better understand professional sports.

What clinched this renewed interest in sports was going to the Twins game on Thursday. Not just any Twins game, mind you- the third and final game of their sweep against the White Sox. The team we are currently rivaling against in order to win the AL Central. Yes, I did know all of that without googling.

My dad, trying to get me pumped for the game, explained its importance on our drive to the Metrodome.

"You see, if we win this game-"

"We would be a half game up against the White Sox with only three home games left to play in the regular season."

"Yeah, okay good. And do you know why that's important?"

"Because our only hopes for winning the playoffs are winning our whole division. We don't have a shot at the Wild Card because both the Rays and the Red Sox are in the same division and have way better records than us, so the loser of the AL East has already clinched the AL wildcard. Right?"

"Right..."

See? It's a good time. I'm also thinking that the MLB playoffs could be a welcome distraction from the shitstorm that is American electoral politics. Go team!