By Brad Salmen

DC Enterprise Dispatch Sports Editor

So, a few weeks ago I wrote about how much I enjoy the down time between the winter and spring sports seasons, as it gives me a chance to recharge my batteries.

I included a throwaway joke line about having the spring sports season start, “third winter permitting.”

I’m not a believer in karma, but if I was, I’d be apologizing profusely.

Third Winter saw our plans and schedules for the spring, laughed uproariously, and spit on them. With 45 mph wind gusts and 10 inches of snow.

By the time you read this, over 20 spring sports events or games will have been cancelled due to the weather. And it doesn’t look very promising for the immediate future, either.

I can imagine the frustration of players and coaches. There’s only so much you can do and work on in the confines of an indoor gym.

Seriously, I don’t know how track and field coach Nathan Youngs keeps his disc and shot put throwers involved.

(“Wow, that was a great throw into the net for the 92nd time!”).

I especially feel bad for the golf teams.

With the weather we’ve had recently, it’s going to take most courses at least three or more weeks to dry out enough to let golfers onto the course. Meaning, the team will be cramming meets into the last month of the season.

Great for students who want to skip afternoon classes, I suppose. But not great in terms of working on your game until then.

(“Wow, that was a great drive into the net for the 93rd time!”)

If I did inadvertently trigger some sort of weather karma, let me say this: I repent. I’ve had my break, and it was great, but I’m now ready to have the spring season start. Let me know what my penance is to get the sun shining again, and I’ll do it.

***

Hey kids! Listen up!

Have you heard adults talk about the “good ol’ days” of Minnesota sports?

Did you roll your eyes when grandpa told you about the Purple People Eaters of the ‘70s?

Did you stare blankly when Mom told you about the 1993 Minnesota North Stars?

Did you check Youtube when Dad talked about the Minnesota Twins’ 1987 and 1991 World Series titles?

Well, I’m here to say, you have good reason to tell them all: the good ol’ days of Minnesota sports wasn’t back then.

It is now.

Don’t get me wrong. We have a rich, illustrious Minnesota sports scene. I think everyone should check out the above-mentioned teams (especially the Twins!).

However, it cannot be argued that this is the best time  in history to be a Minnesota sports fan.

All four of our major sports teams: the Twins, the Vikings, the Wild, and the Timberwolves, made the playoffs in the past year – for the first time ever.

The latter two (Wild and Timberwolves) are playing now (pending Friday’s Wild game), while the Vikings and Twins look to have playoff-caliber teams for a second straight season this fall.

Chalk in the WNBA champion Lynx, and an MLS Loons  soccer team with a brand new stadium, and I have never had so many great options to watch when I go to work out at the gym to watch sports because we live in the country and have metered satellite Internet.

(Seriously, Century Link, or Charter, or anybody, please come to my house and sell me unlimited Internet. It will be the easiest sale you’ve ever made).

***

Speaking of watching TV at the gym, I’m going to give you one guess as to the favorite TV channel of the ladies that go to the gym during the day, before I arrive in the evening.

… Give up? It’s HGTV.

From what I can tell from watching HGTV, ladies love open kitchens, tubs that match the wallpaper, and a six-bedroom, 3200-square foot house that can be purchased on a $36K salary in Edina.

When I think about it though, I can only imagine what those same ladies might say about my TV watching habits.

“Yeah every time I come in there it’s Sportsball. From what I can tell, men love hitting each other, putting objects in nets, and celebrating when someone they don’t know on a team they’re not on scores a ‘point.’”

Touche, afternoon gym ladies I’ve never met, touche.