courtesy http://espn.go.com

There is nothing more nostalgic for me than listening to sports on AM radio.

Some of my first memories involve sitting on my grandparent's porch listening to a Chicago Cubs' broadcast with my dad and grandpa.

The day the Wisconsin Badgers solidified a birth in the 1994 Rose Bowl, my dad was working at the kitchen table and listening to the 620 WTMJ broadcast.

He quietly said, "We're going to the Rose Bowl. I don't believe it."

I proceeded to run around the house until my stomach hurt screaming "We're going to the Rose Bowl! We're going to the Rose Bowl."

I had no idea what the Rose Bowl was, but if it made my dad that happy, it didn't matter.

AM radio brought us Max McGee and Jim Irwin calling the 1997 Super Bowl in New Orleans, when it was unfathomable for my family to actually listen to the Fox announcers on such a special occasion. They would just ruin it.

Recently, I've been listening to sports talk radio during my commute. It makes the drive go so much faster, whether I agree or disagree with the host.

AM radio has also been my connection to the sporting world during events that happen while I'm in the car. I've begun to enjoy the crackling sound when a station is just coming into range.

Wednesday night was a great night for me, sports and AM radio.

Leaving Brazil and climbing onto I-70, I discovered AM 830 out of Minneapolis was covering the Minnesota Wild-Colorado Avalanche first round game of the NHL playoffs.

I was able to hear the Avalanche take a solid 2-0 lead into the locker room after the second period.

As an Avs fan, listening to the Wild's intermission show was not of interest to me, so I switched to 720 WGN and caught the 14th inning of the Chicago Cubs-Pittsburgh Pirates' game.

The two clubs were tied at two when Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer. Game, set, match, I thought.

Switching back to the hockey game, I heard the Wild tie the game with two quick goals.

Frustrated, I switched back to baseball. With the crack of a bat, all of the air was let out of Ron Santo when Adam LaRoche tied the game with a two-run homerun.

You could hear Santo muttering in the background "We're going to be here forever."

By that time, I had made it home. I had to ask myself if I wanted to waste gas by keeping the radio on or go inside and just look for the scores on my computer.

With gas prices outweighing nostalgia value, I went inside and was delighted to find the Avalanche broadcast out of Denver available on NHL.com.

I listened as Joe Sakic scored the game-winning goal and thought about the nights in the summer when, at the family cabin, my dad and I would stay up late and listen to the Stanley Cup Finals on AM radio.

Maybe the nostalgia with the crackling sounds and events has more to do with the people I love than the teams I love.