KSTP 1500Last fall the Metrodome reminded our nation why baseball is its pastime. When the Twins played the Detroit Tigers for 12 innings of unreal baseball in a one-game playoff, men wept, women yelled, and bar patrons wailed at plasma screens. But for those without television, stuck on the road with hundreds of miles ahead of them, John Gordon provided a sensory treat. His voice swept up the excitement and belted it back to the farthest corners of the state. Gordon had listeners in despair when Alexi Casilla got thrown out at the plate in the 10th, only to revive their souls when Casilla later cracked a single to drive in Carlos Gomez and win the game. The jet roar of the Dome rose, and Gordon memorialized the moment. It was play-by-play baseball at its best. Gordon is a throwback, and while some old locals debate his skill and inclination to turn pop-ups into loooong flyyyy baaaalllllls, non-natives realize just what a gem the Twins have. We'll gladly brave the Justin Morneau commercials just to hear him call a game, pitch by pitch, swing by swing. Touch 'em all, Gordo.