The year started out with some uncertainty for me as I tried to figure out where I belonged in the writing world. But I built up some skills and new experiences. One of the highlights was covering hockey. I covered a Minnesota Wild game and the boys' state high school hockey tournament each for the first time. I spent hours at the Xcel Energy Center, but it didn't feel like work. That was perhaps the best part.
The more stories I pounded out, the more I established myself as a freelance sports journalist. It was great to cover such a variety of high school tournaments, from hockey to swimming to badminton.
In August, I touched on what it's like to cover sports in a male-dominated field. This was after Star Tribune University of Minnesota men's basketball beat reporter Amelia Rayno told her story about then-athletic director Norwood Teague sexually harassing her. As I pointed out in my blog, I have not been sexually harassed during my career as a sports journalist, or in any other capacity. Still, it was nice to write about my experiences covering sports.
The Minnesota Twins made some great strides under first-year manager Paul Molitor. They finished 83-79 and stayed in contention until the final weekend of the season. I got a front row seat to see the debuts of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. I took in the greatest game of the year, when the Twins scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth capped with a home run from Brian Dozier.
Torii Hunter returned to the ballclub, mentored the youngsters and flashed a few smiles before he announced his retirement in November.
I recalled my journey as a Twins fan, and I got a job with Major League Baseball and had a blast last summer. I look forward to more memories in 2016.
The season looked over for the Wild in January. No one was optimistic halfway through the season with the Wild's complete freefall. The stats were staggering, and it was hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel.
Enter Devan Dubnyk. The Wild traded for the goalie, and there's no doubt that he single-handedly saved the team's season. They rallied and snuck into the playoffs just before the end of the season, surprising all of us.
The Wild faced the physical St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs, winning that series in six games. Fans were ready for another postseason rematch with the Chicago Blackhawks for the third year in a row. For sure this was going to be the year the Wild got past the Hawks, right? Not so much. Unfortunately, this seemed to be the worst series of the three. A theory is that the Wild was essentially in playoff mode for a few months, since the January slide, so the boys were just worn out.
Facing the Blackhawks has also turned into how the Twins face the Yankees in the postseason. They just can't get past them.
This year wasn't without some tough news. In August, IndyCar lost another outstanding driver, Justin Wilson. He died after a crash at Pocono Raceway when part of a nose cone flew high in the air and made contact with Wilson's helmet. He truly was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The crash brought up a lot of debate about the safety of racing, but this was really a freak accident.
A week in October was a particularly difficult one when it came to the local sports scene. All in the same week, Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders died after battling Hodgkins lymphoma, Gophers football coach Jerry Kill emotionally announced his - somewhat sudden - retirement citing health reasons. It was also the same week Hunter announced he was retiring from baseball, but that was not completely out of the blue.
I realize now that I wrote about a lot of thoughts from the heart, going over my fan journeys, addressing controversy and sharing why I love sports writing. Thanks to all who at any time have read my thoughts in 2015, in the previous six years and in the years to come.
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