So here I am at mid-day Monday, my day off, sitting around watching soccer in ESPN. Go figure. The U.S. is playing World Cup champion Italy in the Confederations Cup, a prelude to next year’s World Cup in South Africa. And hey, the U.S. is even winning! I tuned in just in time to see the goal scored on a penalty kick by Landon Donovan, my brother in receding hairlines.

Soccer’s not usually my thing, but I’ll watch the big games. For me, the key is the crowds. When they’re involved and in near-riot condition, then it’s fun. The crowd today in Pretoria is kinda sedate, and the constant horn-blowing has my ears ringing.

It’s my chance to catch up on sports in HD too. To me, that’s the real advantage of having an HD TV. Sports — any sport — look so, so much better. I worked all last week, so I missed out on watching the Stanley Cup finals in HD (awesome, the ice can become blindingly white), the NBA Finals in HD (outstanding, you can see more of the court) and the Giants-A’s series in HD (an upgrade in every way, except when Randy Johnson is pitching).

OK, halftime’s about over, so I’m headed back to the couch.