Today was FA Cup day. The knockout English football league tournament that's been played since 1872. My first memories of the game are early childhood May Saturday mornings listening to the game with my dad on his old Grundig radio on BBC shortwave. The sound out of that thing was as warm as an old rope knit sweater thanks to the vacuum tubes that powered it. It was bought in Germany in the early '60s and came across on the boat that brought my parents to Canada along with the blue Opel and slide projector. Finding a signal for the BBC in those days was like making contact with extraterrestrials. The sound of Big Ben at the beginning of each newscast still chimes in my memory. Listening to English football on the radio probably had special resonance for my dad, as a recent immigrant it was link to his childhood as well. Living in Egypt, the BBC was the voice of authority for residents of the Empire and it was probably grounding for him too in this new still unfamiliar country. It was also why he became a fan of Arsenal, the football club whose games were broadcast most often. I've taken up the mantle of Arsenal support and in moments I find myself listening to games on the radio  - on a kitchen Ipad or via the BBC app through my car's speakers - I see the glint of that memory in my mind's eye.