This day only comes around once in every four years, we've all been waiting for it for months. It's been in the news and media, there has been a great deal written about qualification, preparation and selection and now with all that done and dusted its finally arrived...The start of the Football World Cup.

For my American friends, this is probably better known as the soccer world cup, but to me football is football and this is the football world cup.

For the next four weeks, day in day out the best players in the world will represent their countries and someone will become world champions. Italy won it last time in 2006. Spain and Brazil (as always) are the bookies favourites this time. This year it's being held in South Africa. This means that the majority of the games will be shown on TV when I'm home from work. I think there is only 1 hour difference in time, with South Africa being on GMT +2 and the UK being on British Summer Time (BST) which is GMT+1.

My team Wales, yet again, failed to qualify. They never qualify. Well that's not strictly true they did qualify back in 1958, they were knocked out in the quarter final stage by Brazil. Pele at 17 years old scored the only goal of the game and Brazil won 1-0. That was 22 years before I was born and my Dad was no more than a toddler himself.

Anyway I have entered a couple of sweep stakes 5 in total! I haven't had much luck with the teams I have drawn...The pick of my team are the USA, who although very good, I don't think will win and defending champions Italy...I can't remember the last time someone defended the trophy.

So what's this got to do with my SQL Server blog? In reality not a great deal, except my spare time, the time which I may have spent blogging, is likely to be taken up watching football on TV. It's definitely my favourite sporting occasion and I am very excited.