Mark Rosen called his autobiography "Best Seat in the House" for a reason. The WCCO sportscaster has been front and center for some of the greatest moments in Minnesota sports history. Here are his five favorites.
1. Miracle on Ice, Feb. 22, 1980: "We're supposed to be neutral, but that was an exception. Here were these college kids I grew up with beating these robotic Russians, the best team ever assembled. I was excited as you could be. I always joke that Al Michaels overhead me and stole my line, 'Do you believe in miracles?' "
2. Winter Olympics closing ceremonies, Feb. 24, 1980: "I had so much access it was almost scary. We had just beaten the Finland team for the gold medal and I was sitting on the U.S. team bench. The guys were skating by with the gold medal and I could just reach out and interview them. The Russians were just standing there with their silver medals, which I think they later threw in the garbage."
3. Twins beat Detroit to go to World Series, Oct. 12, 1987: "I was on the charter plane coming home with the team. They were like little kids who had just gotten their first Little League uniforms. We [went] straight to the Metrodome for the celebration. I remember pulling up to the loading dock. The door came open and this huge noise came out. Little did we know that the place was packed."
4. Kirby Puckett hits game- winning home run in Game 6 of World Series, Oct. 26, 1991: "The legend of Kirby just grew that night. I think people remember that win more or equally as much as Game 7, which they won the following night."
5. Interviewing Sandy Koufax during All-Star Game, July 16, 1985: "I was so tongue-tied, I think I said we were live from the Met Center instead of the Metrodome. He was just a hero of mine. Afterwards, I broke the rules and asked him to sign a couple of baseballs."
