No! Not Holland!!! Anything but Holland!!!!!

For those who may be wondering where I've been the past 48 hours, let me assure you that I have been well occupied to allow myself to be kept away from here. All right, I was asleep most of yesterday evening, but I fully intened to awaken and post last night, except that when I woke up in the lounge chair my body was strangely guided to the bedroom where I immediately passed out. I wrote the most beautiful post in my dreams though. Perhaps one day, I'll remember what it was.

Anyway, the real thing that's been distracting me and that will happen in ten minutes time as I type these words is the World Cup Final Draw. This is the draw where they take the 32 teams that have survived the grueling qualifications phase and put them into 8 groups of 4 teams. There are 8 top seeds, who are listed in a group each, and then the rest of the teams are pulled from 3 other groups of teams. Only 2 teams from each group will make the knockout round, so the general rule is that everyone wants to be in a group with some really sloppy teams.

Holland is not a top seed. Holland are also a brilliant side. So nobody wants to be in that group because they'd have to play Holland and a top seed, which would be like trying to wrestle a tiger with a bear sitting in the wings holding a machine gun and waiting for the leftovers. Brasil is one of the top seeds and they are everyone's favourites, and by everyone, I mean that most of the players for the other teams are picking them to win as well. So no one wants them either. In fact, many teams plan to simply surrender to Brasil should they draw them in the later rounds. The teams who get Brasil in the group stage will mostly ask for autographs and try not to let their eyes pop out of their heads watching Ronaldinho and Robinho dribble the ball.

I'm following the US and England of course, so if you hear a cry of despair, you'll know it's because orange-clad people in wooden shoes will be occupying the other side of the stadium. I think if someone gets Holland, their national team coach should dive and fake an injury in the hopes that they'll ge a redo. Make a big hash of it, man! We don't want to face the Dutch...hold out for Saudi Arabia or Angola!!

Actually, it's a tough field all the way around. Football is the beautiful game, but the draw has some ugly possibilities for some teams. Angola for instance, must play someone else in the tournament.

Shhhhhh!!! It's starting!!