I'm not a big soccer fan, but I follow the World Cup every four years because I enjoy the international aspect. And now I'm watching the European championships - Euro2008 - because it's a mini, Euro-centric World Cup.

I cheer for countries where I've had good experiences. I do a little of this in baseball - always partial to the Twins, because I have such fine memories of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

But with soccer, a sport to which I bring no other baggage, the attractiveness of the country is everything. I was really torn Saturday, when Portugal was playing Turkey - as both were the settings of two of my best trips.

Sunday I grieved as Poland - where I married and taught English for two and a half years - lost 2-0 to Germany. At one point one of the announcers talked about Germany's "historic domination of Poland" - words that I thought were particularly ill-chosen, even if he was only referring to soccer.

AP photo by Alessandra Tarantino

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