BTD: "The marquee game, USA v Portugal, is in the Amazon rain forest."

The Spouse and I have been there. With nearly two million residents, Manaus is hardly the tropical backwater that your curt and somewhat unfair description of it might otherwise imply. It's the major port city servicing the region, and the Amazon River at that point is nearly as wide as Puget Sound. The stereotypical Amazonian world as was once envisioned in Werner Hertzog's "Fitzcarraldo" has long since largely passed.

By virtue of its latitude, Manaus is obviously in the tropics. For that matter, so are the U.S. cities of Honolulu, HI and San Juan, PR. And like Manaus, both are also surrounded by tropical rainforests on their landward sides.

But while the sometimes oppressive humidity to be found in all three of these places can certainly take its toll on those persons who really aren't used to our tropical climates -- which I believe to be your actual point here -- the World Cup games being played in Manaus are no more taking place "in the rain forest," than is the Pro Bowl here at Aloha Stadium.

Go USA! Although right now, many in Honolulu are on the edge of their seats in hope that local girl Michelle Wie can hold onto her current narrow two-stroke lead at the U.S. Women's Open in Pinehurst, and finally break through to win her first major tournament after nearly ten years on the LPGA tour.