SPORTS AND POLITICS: XCEL ENERGY CENTER

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"Important things happen when I'm around."

Barack Obama became, essentially, the first African-American to head a major party ticket last night. His first speech as such a person was at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul , which ironically is the home of this year's GOP Convention in September. That's fairly historical. Know what else is? In 2004, ESPN voted XCel the best overall sports venue in the United States. Another thing we can tell you about XCel: fans up there love their hockey (the first Wild game after the season-long lockout drew over 19,000) and their country music (Shania Twain has the single-night attendance record for the building). Last year, it also hosted the largest indoor crowd ever for a college hockey game. And hey, R.E.M.'s playing there this weekend. Long live The X.

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