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Euro 2008: Who else in Charlottesville is watching?

So, my interest in Euro 2008 is a little muted because England failed to qualify. I was in Dunstable the night that happened, watching with my family over there and could feel the incredible sense of frustration. This may have been compounded by the dwindling fortunes of Luton Football Club, the team they support. They were in the Coca-Cola Championship as few as two years ago, but now are two leagues down due to a catastrophic implosion.

So, I don't really have a dog in this fight, this Euro 2008. I'm going to watch the two matches today, which are thankfully on ESPN2, as opposed to some higher channel. I'm trying to read up on the various teams so I can pay better attention over the next month. I've never really followed this tournament before, but I figure it could be kind of fun and might finally be an excuse for me to go out to some of the bars that show these matches.

I'm searching for good blogs and podcasts on Euro 2008, and so far have started with the coverage at TimesOnline, which will hopefully allow me to have some frame of reference for the next few weeks.

Today is Austria v Croatia at 12 and Germany v Poland at 2:45. I have an incredible amount of work to do, but the temperature is going to be over 100. What better place to be than in the new house setting up a basement so I can hopefully invite folks over to watch some matches? If you've ever wanted to get into world-class football, this is a good place to start. Prepare now for World Cup 2010!

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