You might have picked up that I am just a teensy, tiny bit excited about the Fifa Under-20 World Cup.
It still seems slightly surreal that we are playing a significant role in such a massive tournament, and that in just 15 days, Otago fans will get to see some sublime football at our lovely stadium.
Please go to a game, or six. The tickets are reasonable and I can GUARANTEE you will enjoy the experience.
How do I know? Because I was there last time.
We partied . . .
Sixteen years ago, Dunedin was one of four host cities for the Fifa Under-17 World Cup.
It was the first time New Zealand had hosted a football event on that scale, and Fifa was understandably nervous.
At one stage, New Zealand had been stripped of hosting rights because it would not shift the tournament to September-October, which would have clashed with Christchurch hosting the world netball championships. And Wellington was given the boot because Athletic Park, on its last legs, was not considered up to scratch.
But our nation was ripe for a taste of the beautiful game.
The All Whites had performed well at the Confederations Cup, where goalkeeper Michael Utting had been spectacular, and our new team with the ghastly name, the Football Kingz, had debuted in the Australian league.
Even in Dunedin, with rugby fever at an all-time high following Otago's glorious 1998 championship and the hosting of the Super 12 final, football was on the rise.
Dunedin Technical had won the Chatham Cup, and a lightning-quick bloke who also dabbled in cricket, Nathan McCullum, had fired in 19 goals for Caversham.
The Junior All Whites played a pre-tournament game in Mosgiel and 3000 people came to watch.
Our teams - Paraguay, Qatar, Jamaica and Burkina Faso, and I didn't need to look that up - arrived, infusing the city with colour and life.
Carisbrook was in its pomp, and organisers later said its playing surface was the best at the tournament.
The pool games were lively and full of skill, and Dunedin's role in the event culminated in a cracking quarterfinal featuring Paraguay and (swoon) eventual champion Brazil.
. . . like it was 1999
Mostly, the junior Fifa tournaments are about tipping who will be the next big thing in football.
When I think about that 1999 tournament, I immediately think of Landon Donovan, who was the most valuable player and went on to become basically the greatest player in American soccer history.
The Yanks also had Bobby Convey and DaMarcus Beasley and Oguchi Onyewu, who would all go on to play in top leagues.
Brazil striker Adriano went on to win four titles with AC Milan, Ghana midfielder Michael Essien won a swag of stuff with Chelsea, German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger played for Aston Villa, and Australia - which made the final - had a bunch of kids (Dylan Macallister, Jade North, Lucas Pantelis) who would surface at the top domestic level.
Even our own team had some fair players. The much-maligned Tony Lochhead and David Mulligan were key men, and Jeremy Christie and Brent Fisher also became All Whites.
What I'm trying to say is that the Fifa Under-20 World Cup operates on three levels.
Enjoy the football.
Soak up the colour and the atmosphere.
And put on your scouting hat and try to identify the next big thing in football.
Winning isn't everything
That old issue about keeping score (or not) in some junior team sports has come up again.
Auckland football has decided not to publish league tables for the youngest grades, arguing that level should be about skill development and enjoyment rather than just winning.
Predictably, there have been plenty of squeals about the ''PC brigade'' ruining sport for others.
Utter nonsense.
I applaud any initiative that removes some of the obsession with success at the youngest levels. They are little kids, for goodness sake. They are playing sport for fun.
It is the parents who need the ego boost associated with success, an argument perfectly captured by New Zealand Herald writer and junior football coach Steve Deane: ''The tables are purely for adults, a mechanism for feeding over-competitiveness and vicarious dream fulfilment.''
The first quote
''Tell me how much to fix it and I'll pay it mate. Seriously let me know. It's my fault!''- Ipswich footballer Paul Anderson offers to pay for a hole punched in a ceiling by a fan, who was extremely excited after Anderson scored a goal in a playoff.
The second quote
''It's a great gesture from him. When Ando scored I just lost it. I went for a fist pump while jumping up at the same time. The next thing I knew I had gone through the ceiling.''
- Ross Morgan, the fan, could not believe it when his goal-scoring hero got in touch via Twitter.
Triumph
Great to see Tom Brady and the Patriots outed for the CHEATERS they are.
But the Patriots actually triumph from the scandal known as Deflategate.
NFL scoop king Adam Schefter pointed out the franchise was hit with a $1 million fine, but would recoup $1.8 million in salary that does not have to be paid to Brady during his suspension.
Disaster
Who do you have in the contest to claim semi-permanent ownership of the Worst Sporting Franchise In New Zealand trophy?
The Blues, given their massive resources, are obviously running a heck of a race under the guidance of master coach John Kirwan.
But the worst netball team in history still has a bib in front.
The Tactix are riding a 19-game losing streak. Their dismal career record reads played 101, won 17, lost 84. Ugh.