I'm coming down with a month long illness... Cough. Cough.

Hockey season ended just in time.  The World Cup is here at last!  While I don't imagine I'll manage to watch as many games as in 2006, when I caught 58 of 64 matches, I still plan on getting in some serious soccer time.  It really is the beautiful game.  I have several predictions:  England will go out on penalties, Italy as a team will dive more than Ronaldo by himself (but barely), and Messi will get way more playing time than he did in 2006.  Hard to pick a winner.  Argentina?  Brazil will do well, I think England has a shot, and US might surprise.

One prediction has come true already:  I am sick of hearing "Bafana Bafana" from soccer play by play guys and commentators.  Give it a rest.  We know it is the team nickname.  Use it five or six times during a broadcast even.  But don't call the South African team Bafana Bafana every single freaking time you refer to them and then invent reasons to mention them a hundred extra times even when they aren't even playing.  No host country has failed to make the second stage, luckily South Africa will be the first.  Then we'll only have to hear Bafana Bafana twenty times a day.

I also hate the vuvuzelas already.  Atmosphere is great, but a constant irritating drone is not.  They were a constant irritant during the Confederations Cup that really detracted from enjoying the game.  At least I could turn the volume down, I can't imagine how much worse it was/will be on the field.  I wish they had been banned.