And my dream final, United States v. Brazil, never happened. And who would have thought that Brazil would collapse the way it did, and that the United States would actually come out of the tournament feeling better about its performance than did the host team?

This is a tough season for sports fans (i.e., me). With four of their five starting pitchers injured—and the amazing Masahiro Tanaka facing a possible career-ending injury—the Yankees are on their way to a grim finish. Derek Jeter is retiring. The Mets are winning a few.

Sigh. I’m starting to feel like a Cubs fan.

Here is a nice memory of the Cup…