>>>>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.
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>>>>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.
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>>>>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.
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>>>Few England fans have travelled this time. I think a combination of recession and the negative reporting of what things will be like in the Ukraine and Poland(not normally thought of as holiday destinations).
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>>>Also most football fans here (that I have met) are completely uninterested in the Olympic football.
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>>That was about the most amazing sports performance I have ever seen. Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals for Portugal and could have scored 10 or 20 more. It was a must-win game for Portugal and he was swarming the goal the whole game. I swear I am not making this up. He could easily have scored at least 8 goals. I was fortunate to see Michael Jordan at his peak but I don't think even MJ ever played a game like this.
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>Didn't watch it Mike. Bad results for the Dutch. They have really underachieved in the Euros. I could stand Ronaldo a lot more if he wasn't so petulant when things don't go his way.

Out go the Dutch. There are more knowledgeable soccer fans than me here but they didn't seem quite up to their usual level.

Soccer players tend to be a little dramatic, don't they? I am still floored by the way Ronaldo played yesterday. And he didn't seem petulant. He was too busy with one scoring chance after another.