If you're like me, you've been drawn to the TV around 10 p.m. most September nights to watch the final innings of the Minnesota Twins.
Recent walk-off wins brought entertaining post-game interviews, many involving players from Latin American countries.
Always nearby is Carlos Font, the Minnesota Twins Spanish Interpreter and Communications Assistant, ready to help Fox Sports North on-air talents including Carver's Marney Gellner get their questions answered.
Starting my 13th school year as a preps reporter, I got to experience this firsthand, interviewing Chaska senior soccer player William Parra Orjuela following a 1-1 draw with Bloomington Jefferson Sept. 12.
I was joined in conversation with assistant coach Chris Scanlon as well as translator Alonzo Azoca, a ninth grade coach with the Hawks. Parra Orjuela, who moved to Minnesota in recent years, is a non-English speaking student.
Asking him three questions, the final one about a game-tying penalty kick goal in the final minutes, Parra Orjuela's eyes lit up when he heard words he understood.
It was fascinating having my words put into a differing language for him to understand.
Finding an understanding with his senior is something Chaska boys coach Michael O'Reilly works on daily.
Only a beginner with his Spanish, O'Reilly instead uses hand signals and position numbers to communicate on the fly.
Some of the Chaska players including captain Daniel DeLeon speak Spanish as well, a medium in getting a message through to the Hawks' top scorer.
Former Chaska player Isaac Olivares was also added to the coaching staff this year.
"While we are a very diverse program, having a non English speaking player on the team that isn't a foreign exchange student is not very common," O'Reilly said.
That diversity in the Chaska boys soccer program is something that makes them special. What has been developed is certainly a sense of community.
HALL OF FAME
Justin Johnson, longtime catcher for the Chaska Cubs, was inducted into the University of Illinois-Chicago last January.
Johnson was a highly regarded backstop during his time at UIC. He ended his baseball career with a .377 batting average, 19 home runs, 118 RBIs and 94 runs scored. He was selected for the All-Horizon League First Team in both 2004 and 2006, and the ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Regional First Team in 2006.
Upon graduation, Justin held the fourth, sixth and ninth spots in single-season RBI with 61, 57 and 55, respectively. He also ranked seventh in doubles (18) and runs scored (52) in a single season, and sixth in single-season home runs, by posting 11.
Johnson was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and played Minor League Baseball until 2008.
Among other UIC Hall of Fame baseball members is Curtis Granderson, formerly of the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets and Yankees and now with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
QUICK HITS
* That was former Chaska receiver Sean Engel hauling in his first career reception for North Dakota State University in a 56-0 win over Robert Morris Saturday in Fargo.
* Did anybody else notice something new on the Southwest Christian High School campus? Well, besides the new addition.
That's right, a scoreboard dawns the varsity soccer field now.
Southwest Christian broke it in, scoring six goals between the two varsity teams on Super Soccer Saturday Sept. 23.
* Southwest Christian's volleyball team delivered a message Sept. 19 in a road match at Jordan.
And it had nothing to do with wins or losses.
Entering the gymnasium with locked arms for warm-ups, the Stars wore T-shirts in support of Jordan coach Mary Bright, who last month was diagnosed with cancer.