WORLD CUP!!!

As has been tradition, the inaugural game of the world cup features the host country.

Brazil vs. Croatia caps off the next month of the world's wildest, longest celebration.

I'm not going to go on a diatribe about how I know what will happen based on whatever metrics the analysts have drawn up. Personally, I think Brazil will tie Croatia, eventually crushing Mexico and handily defeating the quick Cameroonians to move past the group stages.

But that's my subjective, non-professional opinion.

What I love about the World Cup is the hype. It gets me going. I'm an active person, but I WANT to sit on a couch or go the bars with my friends and celebrate all day, every day.

Who doesn't?

Hell, my friends in Brazil tell me school is on permanent holiday until Brazil is knocked out of the tournament.

America, you can learn something from these Brazilians.

What I like most, though, is how everyone is re-exposed to the fact that soccer players are perhaps the fittest athletes on the planet. The average midfielder runs over 7 miles (11km) per game. Even LeBron (only) runs 2 miles per 48 minutes.

That's amidst the strategic planning of when and for how long to use explosive bursts of energy, knowing there are only 3 subs per game.

All this makes me want to go out and run 7 miles -- or at least a mile for every beer I expect to consume in the next 24 hours (I'm a lightweight, go easy).

It's similar to March Madness, America's 68-team college basketball tournament, during which I'm compelled to go ball out at the gym. Or alone shooting 1000 buzzer-beaters in my driveway.

Not on Wii Sports, or Sports Rivals or whatever. Digital only goes so far.

So please, take the time to go out and exercise. Your fútbol watching experience will be so much more invigorating; the drunk will be better, the food tastier, the friends more wholesome.

And if you haven't, check out John Leary's rant on how corrupt FIFA has become and will continue to be. Definitely worth the 13 minutes while you shotgun the last of your beers and take the first of many shots of tequila.

Let the games begin.