Azzurri vs. Les Bleus
FYI, those are nicknames for Italy vs. France, they refer to the blue colors of their jerseys.

Well here we are in Berlin on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The Germans are honoring their third-place team on the Fan Mile near the Brandenburg Gate as I write this. Ballack, Klinsman, Klose, Kahn and the whole side is getting raucous cheers from the huge crowd gathered there. (I'm watching all this on TV right now)

But on to the fun. I have a ticket to be in the Olympiastadion tonight to see Italy take on France for the right to hoist the FIFA World Cup Trophy. There will be only about 72,000 of us there, but more than 1 billion people are expected to watch tonight's match. It far eclipses anything else. Here is a ranking of the most-watched sporting events of recent years to give you an idea:

1.3 billion -- 2006 FIFA World Cup (expected viewers today)
153 million -- 2004 Euro Championship (Greece beats Portugal)
127 million -- 2004 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony -- Athens, Greece
95 million -- 2006 Super Bowl

Makes you realize that the Super Bowl is really just a small sporting event in the big picture. Look for me in the stands.

Can't believe this whole project is coming to an end. It's been fun. But I also can't wait to be in Greece later this week and be reunited with my wife. Eleni - See you the day after tomorrow!

Love to everyone from Berlin.

Berliner Mauer

Spending a few weeks in Berlin you can't help but at some point see the historical reminents of the Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer). Hard to believe that up until 1989 the German Democratic Republic, the communist portion of Germany, maintained this boarder to keep its people from fleeing the dismal command economy of the communists to seek a better life in the West.

I was in college at the time and vividly remember the whole collapse very well. What is fascinating today is that I'm working with a couple of people who grew up in the GDR (East Germany) and were on the other side of the Wall when it fell. They talk about the shock and disbelief that they had at the opening of the boarder and the amazement at seeing West Berlin for the first time in their lives.

Around Town

Took some much needed time off yesterday and wandered around Berlin a bit. The city is much calmer now that Germany has been eliminated from the tournament. It is too bad that we don't see as many German flags and celebrations around town. But there are still plenty of Italians and French who will be cheering on their teams for the final.

Here are some sites around the city. At the Brandenburg Gate, there is now a giant soccer ball. That is my lunch -- beer and a currwurst. And a poster for next weekend's Love Parade, still going strong.

adidas World of Football

Even though Coca-Cola is a top sponsor of FIFA World Cup Germany, there is no doubt that sports gear producer adidas has the most high-profile presence. They have constructed a 1/3 scale replica of the Berlin Olympiastadion on a 40,000 sq meter area in an open park just opposite the Reichstag (Germany's parliament building).

Surrounding this stadium (which seats 8,000) are fields where kids can play football, an adidas store, oversize replicas of all the official match balls (which adidas has provided since the 1970 FIFA World Cup), an interactive area in which you can appear in an adidas TV commercial, a biergarten and, of course, a McDonald's.

We watched France beat Brazil at this "stadium" and had a good time.

Jubilent Germany

I had the great fortune to be at the Olympiastadion last night to witness the home team’s victory over Argentina. First of all, my camera batteries died so I have no photos to share with you. The story will have to suffice.

The Olympiastadion itself is steeped in history. It was completed in 1936 for the infamous Games of the XI Olympiad which were managed during the Nazi rule in Germany. It was here that 110,000 people watched Jesse Owens win four gold medals, after which Adolf Hitler refused to shake his hand because he was black.

It is a handsome arena (very German) and a great place to watch football. Our seats were ridiculously close to the field (row 13 from the pitch). It was the first time that I could easily recognize players faces and see their intricate footwork up close.

The match lived up to expectations with a 1:1 tie during regulation. Roberto Ayala put in a header just at the beginning of the second half. Then it looked like Argentinia went into a defensive position to hold the lead. But Klose put the equalizer into the net at the 80th minute and the stadium erupted. Chants of “Deustchland, Deustschland” were deafening.

The die-hard Argentineans held out hope. But the home field advantage added to the momentum and no further scoring was to be seen. So we went into a penalty shootout. If you haven’t seen this, watch more Univision because it is a spectacle. The teams line up and take alternating shoots on the goal. Just one goalie and one player from the other team. This put everyone on the edge of their seats. The Germans, including star player Michael Ballack, netted four goals to only two for the South Americans. At the final save, the stadium turned into a giant party. Dancing in the stands and celebration on the field.

A victory at this level of competition can do wonders for the self-esteem of an entire country. Just ask any Greek following the 2004 Euro. I took the subway downtown and wandered around the fan park and Brandenburg Gate just to savor the celebration myself. Flags flying, people chanting and high-fiving strangers.

It is a great atmosphere here now in Germany with the home team doing so well. I’m glad to be a part of the celebration.

Media Relations

A big part of my job is working with journalists. Basically this means getting positive stories about Coca-Cola and specifically in regards to the company’s sponsorship of FIFA World Cup.

One way we do this is by having a “booth” at the Berlin Media Center. This is where all the accredited journalists work. It has been fun today talking to all the Argentine journalists that have descended here to cover the match against Germany.

More photos at the Media Center

Scalpers

This guy offered me 800 Euro for my ticket to the match. Face value was 120 euro. These fans are keen to see a game and the entrepreneurs are out in force.

And look for me at tomorow's quarter-final Germany vs. Argentina in the Berlin Olympiastadion. Should be great.