EURO 2004 kick-off

Hold on a second. You mean to tell me you don't know what the Euros are? Sure, it's currency and a way to refer to people who live in "the Europe", but for the next three or so weeks the word will only be used to describe the best football tournament on the planet. Sure, everyone loves the idea behind FIFA's World Cup, but with the expansion from 24 to 32 teams in the 90s most folks acknowledge that the quality of play suffered greatly.

However, during UEFA's European Championship 2004 only the best national teams from the most intense footballing continent are able to compete. You will find no United Arab Emirates waiting to meet their early exit here, although there are always somewhat surprising qualifiers, such as Latvia or Greece. Hosted this year by perennial under-achievers Portugal, I'm preparing to dedicate 4-5 hours per day to keep up with all the action. Not sure if you understand what all the fuss is about? Let's take a look at some players to watch.

First we have Portugal's own Luis Figo, voted the best footballer in the world a couple years ago. His quality has declined a bit as he gets older, but perhaps the home soil will inspire him. At least he won't have the USA team from the 2002 World Cup to deflate his spirits this time.

Next up is Spain's Ra�l Gonz�lez (generally known simply as Raul), a dead ringer for our own Josh Berezin. Like Figo, Raul is hoping to remedy a poor club season with Real Madrid with a standout performance at the Euros.

Now we see Dutchman Ruud Van Nistelrooij, a standout striker for Manchester United who has never had the oppotunity to shine for his national side. Look for him to also try and overcome some negative club experiences with a few balls in the back of the net.

Doesn't this guy look happy! I would too if I were Michael Ballack, a famous millionaire footballer getting paid to wear adidas for both club (Bayern Munich) and country (Germany). Having to sit out the 2002 World Cup final due to suspension practically handed the tropy to Brazil, and he's another player who ended his club season an underachiever. Will he bounce back this summer?

Here is a man who has known nothing but success this past year leading club side Arsenal to an undefeated English Premier League season. However, Thierry Henry left his last World Cup without victory or a goal, and will surely look to defend the French championship with the pride of the three stripes and the trois couleurs.

Last is the newly shaven Mr. Becks. I'm pretty much sick of hearing anything about him (since most of it is not football related), but I admit I'm still curious to see what he can add to England's side now that he's spent a year playing in Spain.

Well, that about does it for now...stayed tuned for regular updates throughout the tournament, and let me know if you want to get in on viewing some of the action.