Here were the sports options on TV last weekend: baseball, the Belmont, the French Open, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, and World Cup soccer. I caught some of each. After being sports deprived for a week and a half, I ventured to the other extreme.

And-much to my own surprise-by what was I most enthralled? The World Cup. I know, I know, this from the same guy that denigrated soccer just one year ago (In Britain on Holiday-From Real Sports). But hear me out on this one. I've stumbled upon a fundamental rule of sports. It's right up there with "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" and "Quitters never win and winners never quit." The new rule? "Any sport is exciting if you have a rooting interest."

Think about it. Ever been to the dog track? It's fun. You put some money down on a greyhound and you root like crazy for your dog to win. But trust me, I'm not checking the paper to see how Bohemian Jubilee or New Deputyintown do the next day. Why? I don't have a rooting interest anymore. How about jai alai? You're basically betting on the result of a glorified racquetball match.

Want a non-gambling example? Try little Timmy's Little League games. The proud parents can get pretty intense, can't they? There have been fights, death threats, and the occasional gambling ring at these events. But if you or I were driving by the field, we'd barely notice that there was a game being played.

Or how about the "bandwagon effect?" The local team does pretty well, but no one expects them to do anything in the playoffs. All of a sudden they win game after game and everyone's a fan. While asking questions such as, "How does this game work again?" and "What's that tall, good-looking fellow's name?" every non-sports fan you know is sporting the local colors and painting their faces.

And so it is with me and soccer this go-round. I'm as patriotic as the next guy, but the pathetic performance by the U.S. team in their 3-0 loss to the Czech Republic would have put a halt to my soccer watching unless I had another rooting interest. And what is mine, you ask? An office pool, of course. The one I'm in is pretty good. You select 16 teams-four really good teams, four of the lower-rated teams, and eight more from the middle of the pack-and you earn points each time your teams win or tie. The lower rated your team is, the more points you earn.

Having so many teams has allowed me to experience and fully enjoy this tournament. Ecuador's two wins have been downright thrilling. (Mainly because Ecuador is one of my teams.) And Trinidad and Tobago? I rejoiced as if I were a countryman when they tied Sweden, and felt the sting of defeat after yesterday's late loss to England. I'm hooked. I'm watching the games. I'm tracking them online. I'm a certified diehard soccer fan now.

And since I'm into it, I thought I'd share some of the good things I've learned about soccer in the last week. It's not just about financial gain for me anymore. I've found that the game does indeed have some redeeming qualities:

It's easy to plan around. How many times have you tried to make social plans but you also wanted to catch your favorite team in action? If we're talking football, you've got to block off 3+ hours before you can meet up with friends. Baseball? Forget about it. Anywhere from 2 to 5 hours for a baseball game. But soccer? 2 hours. Period. End of discussion. The game begins at noon, it's over by 2, you can meet up at the bar by 2:30. (Of course the "extra time" thing still bugs me. You don't really know when the game's going to end, but whatever.)

No commercials. For 45+ glorious minutes, there are no commercials. Nothing but soccer. Then after a brief halftime (filled with commercials), there are 45+ more commercial-free minutes. I'd like to see football or baseball try this just once. Who knows? It might catch on.

Soccer + TiVo = Brilliant. I thought baseball was the perfect sport to TiVo, but it turns out soccer is. No more down moments in the game for me. I only watch when the ball is in play and well past mid-field. I think I whittled Germany's 1-0 win over Poland down to 22 minutes the other day.

Those are about all I have so far. But there are three weeks left in this tournament so I've got time to come up with more. Besides, I'm certainly not here to sell you on the game of soccer. There are other, far more knowledgeable people than me out there who can try to do that.

All I'm telling you is that now that I have a reason to care, I'm into the World Cup. If I drop drastically in the standings and lose all of my teams, will I stop caring? Probably. But as one of the great "distraction sports," the World Cup arrives at a perfect time, and I'm enjoying it.

My former 98-year-old sports-loving neighbor once told me that he was such a big sports fan, "I'd probably watch a cockroach race if it were on TV." I'd almost agree with him at this point. As long as one of the critters was wearing the local colors or I had money on one of them. 

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