World Cup
Day 1
Rewind

ESPN.com
Wayne Drehs
HAMBURG, Germany -- I've stood in the infield of the Daytona International Speedway and watched Dale Jr. win the 500. I've sat on Henman Hill and witnessed a few thousand Brits lose their Pimm's over Scottish tennis star Andy Murray. I've seen the Patriots, Ravens and Steelers win the Super Bowl, the Marlins win the World Series and the Devils take home the Stanley Cup.

I've seen walk-off home runs and walk-off field goals, game-winning jumpers and U.S. Open-clinching putts.
But never -- ever -- has a 6-year-old boy, strapped to his father's shoulders, looked down on me, leaned back and with all his might slammed his forehead smack into mine. And then received a high five from his dad.
Nope, it took the World Cup for that. It took German defenseman Philip Lahm's beating Costa Rican goalie Jose Porras in the sixth minute of the Cup opener in Munich (some 480 miles away) to get my first fan head butt.


The ball must be juiced, five minutes into the opening game featuring the host this year, not the past champion, Germany had already knocked one into the onion basket, as me and danny heard from West Genneesee Street working with my dad. By the time we got home, they were replaying the controversial second goal for Costa Rica, which made it 3-2 and I was in shock. However a 40 yard beauty sealed the deal and sent the host nation into a mele with a 4-2 win.

Nursing an incredibly sore back from working earlier in the day, I watched the Ecuador and Poland match from the comfort of my own couch complete with heat pack. Everyone is billing this as a shocker but at +150 Ecuador really was not that much of a long shot. They seem destined to advance now and their game against Germany will now take center stage in Group A.

The coverage has not been all that day, hopefully they put Julie Foudy out to pasture, after her analysis after the first game, because she wasnt around for the wrapup. Dave Rebson will have to do and that other white game is obviously a rookie to the booth, but he managed to annoy me less.

Games begin again tomorrow 9am, hopefully the grass and cement will be done around 1 and I can catch some World Cup action.

-n