And we're back – to a screeching halt

What does this picture of Putin have to do with the current football landscape? Well, thanks to the insufferable World Cup qualification process, instead of watching football this weekend, I'll be doing things like looking up funny pictures of Vladimir Putin, possibly taking up judo myself or otherwise being forced elsewhere for entertainment when my favorite team is off to its most-flying start in 12 years.

Ugh, I hate most international football. Call me when England has to beat Croatia at Wembley sometime in late 2009 or miss South Africa 2010. Let me know when Paraguay has a chance, again sometime in late 2009, to somehow knock out Brazil or something. I'm not even sure any of those scenarios are possible, but that's part of the problem with international football qualifying: They started this crap for South Africa only a few weeks after finishing up Euro 2008. It's too much, it's always going on, and I think Estonia and Cuba are involved in some of this weekend's "more prominent" fixtures on the schedule. What?!

That's why I'm gonig to end up enjoying funny Putin photos. Better to laugh than cry when it comes to Putin, and there's a lot to cry about with the man. I particularly enjoy how his judo outfit is monogrammed. Wouldn't you like to have a monogrammed judo outfit? Come to think of it, I'd like to have that monogrammed Putin outfit. I'd wear it as a robe coming out of the shower or as pajamas or something. Guaranteed laugh out of everybody.