Whirled Cup Fever

For those of you who live in a cave, the World Cup is on right now, and despite the fact that Canada never makes the final tournament, Toronto is the best place to be for the competition. That's because everybody in Toronto is from somewhere else, and when the World Cup is ongoing, we aren't afraid to let our neighbours know our loyalties. Our daily cares are forgotten for a few weeks, and the only thing that matters is "the beautiful game."

I was strolling home from brunch with Sassinak when a convoy of cars rolled past. The vehicles were festooned with South Korean flags, and the occupants were doing their best to let the whole street know that their team had just won. Good for them. And fortunately, it's not just South Koreans getting into the act. If the Portuguese or the Italians win a game, it's pretty hard not to notice their fans parading their colours. And the same is true for all the rest of the thirty two teams. If they win, there are good chances that they have some fans in our great multicultural city.

As for me, I've drawn Angola and Trinidad in the pool. While I'd like to see both teams do well, neither are favourites, and Angola has already lost one game. I think my 10 bucks are quickly disappearing and likely to go into the mad sailor's pocket. He drew Brazil and Argentina. So I am just going to smile and enjoy the celebrations, and think happy thoughts about the World Cup tournament in four years time. Perhaps Ireland will make it back in, and Canada might pull off a minor miracle and get into the tournament too. The only thing I can hope for in the short term is if someone scores an upset against Italia, and I can tease Sassinak. I will buy her a Moretti to drown her sorrows.

Go Trinidad!