Let the madness begin...

Let me get this straight. 1.5 hours to pick 32 balls out of a glass bowl and tell us the fate of the 32 teams in the World Cup? Call me a skeptic, but maybe, just maybe, The brain-trust that is FIFA is rearranging things behind the scenes for a clearly planned route for the ultimate final in next years world cup: South Africa vs. Switzerland! Ok, maybe they are just trying to milk TV and advertisements dollars for every single minute on TV, but seriously, 1.5 hours to tell us what we already know: There are two teams that will contend for the Cup, and everyone else is looking up to them.

The unfortunate thing about watching this draw in the US, is only having two TV options, none of which is great. I can watch the ESPN crew and the brilliant commentary and conjecture as they pull for the US to get drawn with England...whoa, great insight guys. On the other hand, I get the BBC feed which is boasting about England's new attitude. Surely they will win now! I wish to revise to my earlier prediction of a South Africa-Switerland Final and think its now all about that other amazing final possibility, USA-England! Bummer, it won't happen.

It comes down to this. Brazil, Spain. Nothing else matters with the two teams. Midfield's and attitude's win Cup's, not supermodel girlfriends, dope, luck of the draw...all that can help, but the those two team are a notch above everyone else. Spain now has the confidence it has always lacked and Brazil, well they are Brazil. Plus historically, no European team has ever won outside of Europe and No Latin America team has ever won in Europe. But their is something about this Spanish team and Brazil always shows up and this team will grind down opponents unlike previous Brazilian teams.

On top of that, the cultural voodoo and pomp of next year's celebration will scoop in and frighten a few players ala Ronaldo 1998 when something spooky took over his soul and his country lost to France. I am expecting some really weird things happening next year, not of which will be shady officiating(surely mandated by FIFA to get South Africa to the knockout stages), players being upset about pending transfer rumors right before their big games, robberies by the locals and David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo losing their hair gel. But really it to comes down to this Cup being a total crap shoot and for once everything possibly being able to happen, including the Ivory Coast coming out of the Group of Death to run crazy through the competition...call it a hunch.

Leave the silly bracket guessing to the American and English press. And now for my prediction...I will wait on that for at least a moment or two. Forget everything we know, this is going to be a grand World Cup and a lot can happen between today and the first kick off...lets just enjoy it and let it breath! The countdown has started.