It has begun!!

In case you weren't aware, the World Cup starts today and this guy is freaking jacked for it.  That strange grinding sound you hear is the internet's bandwidth diving from everyone tuning into the South Africa/Mexico tilt at the office.

Florida Marlins ace Josh Johnson, who beat Roy Halladay and the limp hitting Philadelphia Phillies last night with a 2-0 shutout, has six straight starts of 6+ innings pitched with one run or less given up, the first to do that since Chris Carpenter did it in 2005.  It was also the 5th game this year that he allowed no more than three hits while pitching 6+, something nobody else has done this season.

Game six of the Stanley Cup Final was watched by 8 million households in the U.S., the highest figure since 1974.  Modest by any measure, but the NHL has to feel pretty good about the year it has had.  Having two traditional markets in the final, and a rub from the Olympics, had to have helped some.

Here's who a variety of experts have to advance and win in the World Cup.  Me, I've got Spain winning it all.  I know, pretty thick branch and all, but when they're on and healthy, they're a load for anybody.

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlesberger is playing the "young and immature" card in apologizing.  Right, because I'm sure he's aged and gained so much wisdom in mere months since he was accused of raping an underage girl in a bar bathroom.

A great soccer blog I've discovered in the last few days - - that developed an awesome points system that took into account diving, bad fouls, waving invisible cards and stealing yards on throw-ins, among other things, to determine the dirtiest eleven soccer players at the World Cup. 

A trio of picks for tomorrow's World Cup action are coming later today, a little hesitant to check the old gambling lines at the office.

Come to find out that the Lucha Libre set don't take kindly to fans trying to rip their masks off.  The slo-mo is amazing.