On one hand, you have the beauty of a world-class athlete playing a sport that is elegant in it's simplicity. There are few rules, and all you need are a pair of cleats and a ball. I had the opportunity to watch a couple of second round games in Dallas during the 1994 World Cup. Having played soccer in high school, I know what is involved. However, the game of soccer - played correctly and by skilled, world-class players - is absolutely elegant and beautiful. You witness the ability to perform magic with the ball. It truly is phenomenal.

And there are the players who oftentimes go by just one name. Kaka, for example. I think we need that in the US. I have no doubt it would improve the coolness factor, to go along with the inherent beauty of the game. It happens in big-time pro sports in the US already. Tell me, does Kobe have a last name? How about Tiger? Yeah I didn't think so. Maybe that is what US Soccer is missing.

But on the other hand, you have the officiating. And yes, in retrospect, the 2010 World Cup had some absolutely lousy officiating. Along with the temper tantrums and political divisiveness that oftentimes follow soccer by the heels.

The officiating hit home - literally, and figuratively.

But what is the third city? Oklahoma City. Yes, Oklahoma City.

Why Oklahoma City, you might ask? It provides a contrast, a touch of drama if you will, a fine protagonist in this tale of money, hype, and out-of-this-galaxy egos.

For those who have recently been devoid of any media whatsoever (because it would take complete and total isolation on a desert island to have avoided this story), King James - otherwise known as LeBron James - has left the building. And his current throne. Well, he's left the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland at least. LeBron, in search of the promised land (and his first NBA championship ring) has headed to Miami. Along the way, he joined Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade to create a sort of hypothetical-on-paper "Dream Team". James and Chris Bosh signed six year contracts, each worth $110.1 million, and Dwayne Wade re-signed for $107.5 million for 6 years. That's is a whole lot of money being spent for a net total of one championship ring (for Wade) in the 7 years since they were all drafted in 2003.

With Wade and Bosh and James, the Heat will be so tight on the salary cap that they will have to start the janitor and hot dog vendor in the other two starting positions. And one can only guess who is coming off the bench at this point. Beyond that, it will be interesting to see if the egos all fit on the court at the same time.

This is far beyond being a story of money or championships. All you have to do is look to Oklahoma City for the tale of, well, another city - and another player - that puts this all in perspective: Kevin Durant.

The first half saw more yellow cards than shots on goal. And the game went into extra time, tied 0 - 0. It certainly wasn't a particularly memorable game. Spain had many great offensive opportunities, most of which were nullified by the inability to pass to the open man (or hit the broad side of a barn with a free kick). Further drama ensued as the Dutch team played the better part of 15 minutes with 10 players after a red card ejection.

But at 116 minutes into the game, Andres Iniesta secured his place in Spanish sporting history to give La Furia Roja the win. This was their first World Cup championship, putting them in an elite group of just eight countries that have won a World Cup.

The World Cup is always a spectacle. And it certainly has a way of keeping the world's attention for a full month.

For all of the beautiful, elegant play, we were also witness to some ridiculous (though elegant) dives and flops from the players. And it was intriguing to see that soccer, on the international level, has it's share of over-rated players and teams. In that way, it is very similar to professional football on this side of the Atlantic. Case in point: none other than Wayne Rooney and England's soccer team. At one point in time, they were amongst the favorites to win the World Cup. Rooney was considered one of the primary scorers for England. After 4 matches, what were his statistics? Zero goals and zero assists. And once again, England was over-hyped. Of course, we've never witnessed any NFL team being over-hyped, have we?

But wait, there's more.

In the midst of all of this draft day hoopla, we have the hopes and dreams of countless collegiate athletes. They have toiled at their sport for years, and now they find out if they are going to be pursuing a career in pro sports. I guess that makes perfect sense for a college senior. It is a natural progression - go to school, play your sport while doing so, get a degree, go on to play your sport professionally, and fall back on the aforementioned degree if anything happens to the dream in the process.

Now we have a new phenomenon to deal with - the underclassman declaring for the draft. And with that, the bastion of higher education has become nothing more than a farm team for pro sports.

Is it appropriate for a college freshman to enter the draft? And perhaps the bigger question is - should the professional sports leagues allow it in the first place?

It's not easy being green these days. Kermit the frog had it right all the way back in 1969. "Being green" takes on some new meaning over the past couple of weeks. So for this episode of Rhubarb Ruminations, we'll explore how "being green" is more than just an environmental call-to-arms.

#1: First, let's start with the environmental side of the coin, especially with the growing BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It would seem to me that if I am going to drill a well that is one mile below the ocean's surface, that I should also have the technology and plans in place to remedy a problem should bad things happen. Because we know that somewhere along the line, somehow, bad things happen. It's inevitable. But even if we can get beyond the amazing lack of planning, we are still left with the anger inherent to people losing their livelihood. And in the bigger picture, it's just another wake-up call to realize that we're doing a fine job of systematically killing the planet (why is it that REM is playing in my mind right now?).

But hold on a second. I understand the anger involved. And I, for one, sit flabbergasted at the levels of stupidity we've witnessed as this problem unfolds (or comes bubbling to the surface, if you prefer). However, I don't see how Rep. Joseph Cao can suggest that BP America president Lamar McKay should commit hara-kiri because of the spill. 

Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone. That couldn't be more true than in the (apparent) demise of the Big 12 conference.

In the last few days, we've watched the University of Colorado walk out the door, followed shortly thereafter by the University of Nebraska. Ponder that for a moment. Perhaps even sigh a little with the thought.

Now, a reality check: let's not forget  - it's Colorado and Nebraska, folks! The bottom line is that we're talking about two football programs that have seen their best days in the rear view mirror. Winning the Big 12 North is not exactly epic these days. Consider that we're talking about 2 television markets that really aren't all that big a deal. We're talking about two men's (and women's) basketball programs that are, well, worse than their football programs. And academically? I am not convinced that the academic brain trust of the Big 12 conference resided in Boulder or Lincoln. But I may be wrong.

Does anyone really care that Colorado and Nebraska have bid the Big 12 an acrimonious farewell? The real question is this: has chaos really discovered the Big 12, or do bigger and better things await the conference?

The Rolling Stones once said that time is on my side. And the Grateful Dead made note, many years ago, of "what a long strange trip it's been". And somewhere in between the two reside my thoughts of the past few days.

It's been a recurrent theme recently, that thing called "the passage of time". Two distinct conversations this week brought this back to me in full, living color. And some very fond memories along with them.

In the first, I had made a comment about how quickly the year 2010 was passing. Suddenly, I was thinking back to my younger days, telling my mother that it seemed like everything went by so slowly, that it was such a long time between birthdays. She told me that as I got older, time would go by faster and faster every day. I remember thinking that hey, she's just an adult, what does she know? Of course, that's the mindset when you're younger. And now, I realize how prophetic her statement was. Suddenly, you turn around and another year is gone. Then five more. Then another decade.

In the second, as I was teaching a class on clinical reasoning this week, I made the remark that it's been 22 years since I graduated from Queen's University. It seems like it was yesterday - though the calendar would remind me that it's been 22 years ago last month.

The still photo snapshot in my mind that is graduation suddenly fast forwards to a couple of years ago when I found myself celebrating my 20 year university reunion. Ah that wonderful time machine that lives inside our minds .