This is at least as much coverage of soccer's European championships as some of you will want ;-) I don't care, I love this game. It has been called the second biggest soccer tournament in the world, after only the World Cup. I might go with the Olympics for second place for the simple reason that the whole world is eligible to compete. In any case, I have Denmark vs. Holland going on the recorder and just watched the pregame pageantry. Both teams entering the stadium hand in hand with 10-ish kids from their countries and standing on the field together for the playing of the two national anthems. Players, coaches, and fans of both teams singing their anthems in full voice. It gives you a bit of a chill. Can you imagine what that's like when you're a kid? Tamar and I have discussed some American baseball teams doing the same thing before Sunday home games. Beautiful.

This is a big early match in the so-called Group of Death. I think it's a rule of soccer tournaments that there has to be one four team first round group called the Group of Death. In this one it's the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Portugal.

There has been some fretting in the U.S. sports press about racism problems. The tournament is being held in Poland and the Ukraine, neither nation known for color blindness. There seemed to be some angst when the racially mixed Dutch team took the field. Maybe I really am a knee jerk liberal because I am cheering for the Dutch. Well, in addition to England, as always.