Through exhaustive calculations — that is, my finger pointing at a map of the United States — I have learned that I have visited and spent time in 37 of America’s wonderful 50 states. A Bucket List item for me is to knock off those other 13 someday too.

But no, this is not a “Pub Chat” about one of those social media memes: How many states have you been to … or how many of these foods have you eaten (usually, almost all of them for me) … or which of these international cities have you visited (Istanbul? Sorry, haven’t been there, but I’d like to.)

Rather, this “Chat” is about my favorite football team, the Minnesota Vikings.

I have to laugh because what got me thinking about those states is that Minnesota — The Land of 10,000 Lakes, The Gopher State — is one of the Baker’s Dozen that I have not visited.

Yet I still root for the Vikings.

Of course, we are smack dab in the middle of Bills country, with a healthy dose of Giants fans and even a smattering of Jets fans around, too (oh, you Jets fans, so sorry for you), but my love affair with the Vikings has nothing to do with geography. It goes back to a time when I barely knew what geography was.

The burgeoning romance began on one of the........

© Finger Lakes Times