“No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.”
— Mark Twain (1866)

2014 FIFA Soccer World Cup. The greatest sports tournament in the world. Indeed, of the world.

God, how I love this game and this tournament.

I had absolutely no exposure to soccer till my late thirties. My children, as most their age, played in organized youth leagues.

I was recruited to coach and had to learn the game on the fly. Indulgent parents and inattentive kids challenged what little patience God blessed me with.

But still, I loved the game.

Referee. Seemed like the next logical progression. So………….got licensed to Ref and did so for about 3 years.

What was left? Why……………organize a senior men’s team, join a league and play. Did that. Well……playing is using the term loosely. More like ran around in slow motion, tripped, fell, got hurt, gasped a lot, and died a thousand slow deaths on the pitch.

We named our team “Bad Hops”. That’s what we got…………….a lot of bad hops.

We lost every game that year.

But we had fun. Drank a lot of beer just to celebrate our survival for another day.

One thing I did gain from those soccer years was a deep and abiding respect for the game and the athletes who play it so well.

The skill, athletic ability, physical condition, and intelligence required to play the game at the world level is unmatched by any other sport. I believe that.

So every 4 years the best teams and players in the world get together to play each other in the World Cup to determine the best in the world.

Sport and pageantry beyond compare.

The beautiful game.

“Learn from your parent’s mistakes – use birth control.”