On Football

Well, the end of the European football season came with Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League Final. I watched the game on tape, and thought it was a pretty good display. Zidane's goal was friggin' awesome and his recent form bodes well for France in Korea/Japan. I actually thought Leverkusen played better but, as always, Real have this knack for capitalizing on their chances. I shudder to think what they're gonna be like with Sheva next year, if the rumors are correct. Or even Crespo.

On other football news, it seems that Mathis is as good as gone. Part of me is sad (I bet my nephew is crushed), but you can't stand in the way if Bayern come calling.

With the Cup rapidly approaching, England really seems to be in bad shape, especially with the recent loss of Gerrard, and possibly Dyer. Neville's absence, of course, hurts and who knows how effective Beckham will be coming off the broken metatarsal.

My favorites are still Argentina and France (like everyone else, it seems). Brazil is a wild card, Italy is bound to disappoint, and for some reason, I've been high on Germany recently. I have no clue which teams will 'surprise,' although an African team is usually a safe bet. Oh well, some 2+ weeks to go. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm gonna go without sleep for a month...