World Cup is over...

...which should mean more time to pay attention to writing. I have at least one short story I want to write in the next couple weeks, and maybe a few as well as continuing work on my new novel. I need a name for it yet...hmmm. Also, I have a bunch of revising work coming up, so it's probably good that the World Cup has ended.

But before it does, one last blog on World Cup.

You gotta blame Zidane. France was the better team. I didn't see all of the first half--I turned it on just in time to see Italy celebrating their goal. It sounds like, and from what I saw of the first half, Italy was better then. But in the second half France was clearly better, dominating far more than Italy had in the first half. And into overtime as well, Italy just looked tired. And then Zidane lets the Italian player goad him into a ridiculous attack, getting himself kicked out of the game, his last international game. It's just sad right now to watch the French go up to collect their second-place medals without Zidane among them. What difference would it have made? Who knows. Even into overtime, they were getting good chances--they even had a great chance with only 10 players out there. With 11 might they have scored then? Maybe. He's great at PKs, but would he have changed that outcome? France only missed one, so who knows which kicker he would have replaced. But it was just a disappointing end to his career. Classless, the anouncers were saying, and whatever the failings of the US announcers, I have to agree with that. I'm curious to learn what the Italian player must have been saying, but no matter how tasteless or classless it might have been, it shouldn't get a top-level player to react that way.

It's just a sad end to the Cup. OK, time to replay in my mind all the great soccer I've seen in the past month. Hopefully that will wash this bad taste from my mouth.

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