World Cup Sunday

On Sunday afternoon, Mrs. CCC and I strolled down to the local bar to watch the final of the month-long World Cup soccer tournament. Spain and Holland were the two survivors. Neither team has ever won the tournament before, so there were high hopes on both sides. After both England and the US had been beaten in the first knockout phase, the WC took on more of an academic feel for me; I really didn’t care who won, as long as we were treated to good games. The final game wasn’t pretty, neither team got into a real good rhythm, and the game went into extra time tied at 0-0. Spain broke through with a goal with about 5 minutes to go, and held on to win the championship. I’m sure there was celebrating throughout the country that night, culminating in a huge parade in Madrid on Tuesday. Well done to the Spanish boys. Now we have to wait four more years for the next WC tournament to be held in Brazil.


The patrons at the bar were equally split, not between Holland and Spain, but between the soccer game on one TV and the Phillies game on the other. Cole Hamels was sharp and the Phils held on for a 1-0 win to sweep the Reds heading into the All-Star game break. (Isn’t it odd that both games ended 1-0? I’ve always enjoyed low-scoring baseball games because every at-bat, hit and pitch are meaningful. Maybe that’s one reason I like soccer – every score is meaningful.) The Phils are in third place in the NL East, 4.5 games behind the Braves. Let’s hope everybody gets and stays healthy, and the Phillies have the success they’ve enjoyed in the second half over the past three seasons to play their way back to the playoffs.

For those who’ve asked, my leg and knee are coming along fine via therapy and exercise. I expect to go back to work with the Phillies on 7/23, barring any other misfortunes. Thanks for asking.