Sorrow and Surprises

After the game between Italy and Spain the other day, I was feeling quite down....and a little lost.  Spain just beat Italy. The words didn't even sound right in my head. After a typical defensive showing by Italy and a tied up (0-0) game (add on the extra 15's), I was certain that the penalty kicks were going to move Italy right along into the semi-finals. (This is something the Italians are good at....you can imagine my shock). It took a little soul searching, but I realized that there are still good things to come. Germany is still in and will be playing Turkey tomorrow. Then, Russia and Spain play Thursday. Germany! Oh Dearest Ones! And Russia! I would not say I started out as a Russian fan, but I am pleased as punch to see what they have been doing. The Russia vs. Netherlands game was a stunner and I really hope they continue to "throw down" with Spain (by God they will need it!) because seeing Germany (I am already assuming they pummel the Turks) play Russia in the final would be pretty freaking cool. (Does anyone see the humor in a possible Motherland vs. Fatherland showing?) My point of this brief blog post is to remind  all of you soccer hooligans, that even if your team doesn't win, there is still something magic in the game. There is still that team that seems to come out of no where and play brilliantly. When that happens, it really doesn't matter if they are your team or not because you still get to watch some damn good playing. Yes, I prefer Italy, but at least I still have Germany. And, I get to watch Russia continue to improve with each game.  I will take the sorrow and the surprises because for better or worse, this game is what dreams are made of.  :)