Bob Sansevere's new book, "The Best Minnesota Sports Arguments" hit the stores this fall and the folks at Sourcebooks were kind enough to send me a copy. If you're trying to find a stocking-stuffer for the sports fan on your list, or just looking for some reading material to keep you occupied over the holidays, this book should satisfy your needs.

It's broken up into 100 one or two page arguments about various Minnesota sports questions. The questions range from "What was the oddest thing a Minnesota athlete did?" to "Who was Minnesota's greatest pro athelete?" The questions cover all 4 major sports (Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey) and also includes sections titled "Around Town", "Outdoors", "College/High School" and "The Great, the Awful, and the Newsworthy." The nice part about the way it's organized is that you can read it from cover to cover, if you choose, but you can also hop around or perhaps read only the section that's in season.

Things got off to a slow start for me when I read the first section that argued that the Vikings were more popular than the Twins simply because they played outdoors in the cold, and as a result "connected" with Minnesotans. I almost stopped reading at that point, but let me assure you it gets better. Many of the stories told in the book brought back nostalgic memories of childhood for me, and many took place far before my day and were new to me. For example, did you know that Willie Mays played for the minor league Minneapolis Millers?

Sansevere did commit one unforgivable error in the book. At least five times, he noted that Kirby Puckett leaped over the plexiglass wall to rob Ron Gant of a home run in game 6 of the 91 series. Puckett was an amazing player, but even he could not have topped the 13' wall that existed prior to removal of the plexiglass in 1994. The catch was a big one, but it didn't rob a home run. It was 16 years ago, but Mr. Sansevere shouldn't be getting the facts wrong on one of Minnesota's greatest sports moments.

Despite some small (and one big) annoyances, "The Best Minnesota Sports Arguments" should prove to be a fun read for any Minnesota sports fan.