One week later: The end of the World Cup

A week has passed since Spain defeated the Netherlands in the World Cup final and each day I'm missing the thrills of the tournament.

Of course, it is one of the slowest weeks of the year in sports right now. The height of NBA and NHL free agency has passed and the MLB All-Star game took away baseball for a few days. There's the British Open, but that just reminded me of the World Cup since a South African won it. He was probably inspired by the same talk of being the hope of a continent the same way Ghana was in the World Cup quarter-finals. I can't ignore the CFL, but with all due respect that doesn't interest me greatly. I was pleased to see a Toronto Argonauts home victory over the Stampeders a couple days ago, but that's as far as my fandom goes at this particular juncture in time.

The remedy is on its way. The big European soccer leagues are fast approaching, as is the NFL, and everything else that can take my mind away from the World Cup.

But for now, even as I hear the roar of the Indy cars down by Toronto's Exhibition Place, I am still stuck in World Cup hangover mode.

The beauty of the game of soccer, though, is that it never stops. All the players that have made names for themselves will be back in action in the next month or so. Following club teams, national teams and particular individuals of interest will be much more intriguing than after any old off-season, since they were just in action on the world's biggest stage.

And in roughly two months time, all of Europe will be back at it again when Euro 2012 qualifying begins. There's never a dull moment.

So on second thought, I shouldn't feel too down about this World Cup hangover. I should cherish it. In a month's time, I'll be able to get my daily fix, and then some!