With a Name Like Lehmann, He Has To Be Good
Well, maybe not that good. He played a remarkable game but that last two minutes of the 2nd overtime was too much. Germany lost to Italy 2-0. I have had chance to watch only two of the games- these last two of Germany. Since my last name is the same as the above-mentioned goalkeeper (except with one "n"), I really enjoyed the Univision announcer who kept referring to him as Aleman Lehmann (a great rhyme and play on the Spanish word for German!)

It really is neat to get a chance to watch something like the World Cup and get a sense of a truly international excitement. It was also neat to watch on Univision even though I couldn't understand as much as I wanted to. It was the excitement that the announcers had that made it far more interesting than just watching ESPN's coverage. You really did come to realize that this is far more than a sporting event, it is an international cultural event. Yes, our Super Bowl and the "World" Series are cultural events and I love them both. But for the World to get involved like it does for the World Cup is remarkable.

So I will be able to be there by TV next Sunday when Italy and France meet. It should be interesting.

But perhaps the real "sports" story yesterday came from Coney Island:

Wiener-Eater Wins 6th Straight Contest
Top Dog in Eating Contest for 6th Time

NEW YORK (AP) -- A 160-pound wonder from Japan set a new record by devouring a sickening 53 3/4 frankfurters in 12 minutes to win the annual Independence Day hot dog eating competition on Coney Island.

The feat earned Takeru Kobayashi, 27, his sixth straight title in the event, held at the original Nathan's Famous hot dog stand on Brooklyn's seashore. His prize: the coveted Yellow Mustard Belt.
--Associated Press

And with that, I will leave the sporting world to itself for a while.