HB COLD

I saw my first football match in a bar today. FC Barcelona beat Chelsea FC in a UEFA Champions League match. The place was so crowded because of the earlier televised game, FInland v. USA in the quarterfinals of the Olympics and the line to get in was long, like 45 minutes long. And the worst part is that my neighbor, Gilad and his buddies weren't even there. But still, the vibe in the bar was great, with at least 10 Spanish and many English which gave a lot of fire to an otherwise quiet Finnish crowd. Although there was a point in the night when the Finns went crazy, because with the last stone in the 10th end, the Finnish curling team advanced to the semi-finals after defeating England.

Normally my sports bar trips are American football, usually college and / or basketball. But this was 2 sports I have never publicly watched and one sport where I felt guilty for rooting for the Finns when my home country was losing. All in all it was a good night. Finland plays Russia next in hockey and that game is going to be insane. There is a slight rivalry between the Finns and the Russians and nothing brings it out more than ice hockey. Of course if the Lions (Finnish mascot) win they may very well play Sweden for the gold and this entire country, hell the entire North of Europe will be absolutely crazy.

That's your local sports update. And as far as the Joensuu basketball team is concerned, they are in first place and I have promised to go to J-town for the playoffs. Thank you and good night.