Was tonight real life?

"I'm still sweating. Curse you for making me love sports from such a young age! I blame these emotions on you."

This is the text message I sent my dad about 45 minutes after the fish won their first game of the series against Wichita.

Tonight the Winnipeg Goldeyes started off their championship series against the Wichita Wingnuts. Best of five series - game one in the bag.

I paced- literally from the 5th inning till the end of the game, which in the end totaled 10 innings because we'd tied it up in the 8th and couldn't score a runn in the 9th.

The antsy antics I have when watching sports have been inherited from my father. He is the same way. When he coaches hockey he paces on the bench, when he watches at home he sometimes has to leave the room. I'm the same way, it's clear I've been built from the same mold as my dad.

Butterflies were in my stomach all day leading up to the first pitch. And as soon as the 1st inning was underway there was no way I was gonna be feeling any better. The butterflies progressed from a light, nervous feeling in the tummy to a large stomach-sized lump in my throat. At one point I honestly thought I would either throw up or pass out. My stress level was beyond capacity tonight and I was afraid my superstition of wearing the same outfit as I did our last win was not working.

When Canizares connected with the ball in the bottom of the 10th inning tonight there was no doubt that baby was gone as soon as you heard it.

Seriously though, a freakin walk-off homerun? Why do people insist on doing this to me. I nearly died from excitement when that happened. I jumped and cheered and hugged everyone in the tunnel. That moment was more than excitement, happiness, or bliss. That moment was a long time coming.

I seriously can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else than behind this team and I wouldn't have it any other way. You grow to respect these boys not only as fantastic athletes, but as genuine people. They play the game because they love it. And that in itself makes being a part of this franchise so rewarding- knowing everyone that's a part of it is a part of it because they want to be.

This place has become my home and these people have become my family and without my dad instilling such a strong passion for sports in me at a young age I wouldn't be this way.

Most people say you can't choose your family. But I did.

The Fish are in the Finals.

This year the Winnipeg Goldeyes are going to the championship. On Friday night the Goldeyes won their third game in a row against Fargo in the first round of playoffs. It was a 4-1 win and in a best out of five series, that means a sweep.

Shaw Park. This is my home.

As the last two batters of Fargo went up to the plate in the ninth inning the crowd was on their feet. You could feel the suspense in the air, the excitement spilling from everyone in the building every time a strike was thrown.

A pop up was caught and the final out was on the board. Eruption.

And eruption of noise coming from the crowd, the players, and us the office and game day staff. Cheers and tears were about the only thing I could make out for the next fifteen minutes. Everyone was more than overwhelmed with the fact that we'd just swept Fargo considering many people doubted we'd even be able to win one game against them let alone three.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes have had the best attendance in the league for the last three years and if it wasn't for the Winnipeg sun, free press, metro, and other coverage many people wouldn't know about them.

Ace Walker painted this on the field free-hand. He does
a piece every season, he is an unreal artist.

The sold out crowds that keep coming back and packing the house for more independent baseball are all thanks to not only the loyal fan base Winnipeg has- but the journalists that come to every game to produce an interesting story for the next days paper.

Without the journalistic evidence that the Goldeyes are worth watching- I wouldn't have the best job in the world.

Five years working for this franchise and finally we're in the finals. This has been a long time coming. I hope my boys can pull out a championship this year. They deserve it.