Big Weekend In Sports I Never Watch But Plan On Watching.

Two events that never really registered on my radar before.

The French Open. When I was younger, I played tennis mildly competitively. For a few summers, I played almost every weekend with a friend. I even entered a tournament once (I lost in the first round). During those summers, I would even tune into the major tennis tournaements... US Open, Wimbleton, etc. This French Open finals (on Sunday) is going to be huge. Rafael Nadal, a young Argentine player, has a 59 match winning streak on clay courts. Roger Federer, from Switzerland, has a 7-0 record in Grand Slam finals. Plus, this is first time in a long time that the number 1 and 2 seeds will appear in a Grand Slam final-- Federer currently ranked number 1.

The World Cup. The World Cup started this Friday. The US has its first match on Monday against the Czech Republic. I will be the first to admit that I know next to nothing about soccer. (I do know I will never call it football). I get the basic idea... but as for the rules, forget it. But I plan on learning a little through observation this time around. After reading a little bit about the tournament and teams, I'm sort of getting it. Teams are broken into groups of four. You must emerge as the leader or runner-up in your group to advance to the bracket. The US has its work cut out! There are three top 12 teams in the group (i.e. Czechs 2, Americans 6, Italians 12). And apparently, Ghana is a young, athletic team. There is something about international tournaments that is exciting. Maybe it's nationalism. Maybe it's comradery. I feel the same way about the Olympics.