Spain

DURBAN, South Africa — Joachim Loew could have said what everyone expected. Germany's boyish coach could have made excuses. He could have blamed his players or his ill-conceived game plan for his team's loss. Instead he simply said what everyone already knew. "Spain was just better than us tonight," Loew confessed. "Over the past two or three years Spain has been the most skilled team of all. They are masters of the game." Spain made history Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Germany, advancing to its first World Cup final.

2008 Terras Gauda Abadia De San Campio From: Rias, Baixas, Spain Price: $20 Serve with: Rockfish, tilapia, shellfish Spain is coming on strong with its white wines, especially those made with the native Alabarino grape, which is beginning to get some play on U.S. restaurant wine lists as an alternative to more neutral varieties. This crisp, bone-dry wine has plenty of character, with nuances of nuts, lemon, minerals and fresh peas. The 2008 is just arriving on the market; some stores may still be selling the 2007.

College basketball O'Neill, former interim coach at Arizona, takes over at USC Kevin O'Neill returned to the college ranks Saturday when he was announced as Southern California's basketball coach, taking over from Tim Floyd. Floyd suddenly resigned June 9 amid allegations that he paid to have O.J. Mayo delivered to the Trojans. O'Neill, 52, a defense-oriented coach, was an assistant this season with Mayo's NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies. O'Neill led the Toronto Raptors to a 33-49 record in 2004 and had stints with the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers.

I cooked the "reformed" Mark Bittman pizza the other night. This version, found in his new book Food Matters, was made with whole-wheat flour and rosemary leaves. To it can be added a "light touch" of tomato sauce and meat as an optional topping. In prior years, the pizzas I have made using recipes in the cookbooks written by Bittman, a New York Times columnist, were heavier on the sauce, lighter on the vegetables, loaded with sausage. Bittman says he and his cooking style have changed.

Minnesotans are a humorous people, and we are attempting to elect a comedian to the U.S. Senate, which is delicate work, as you might guess. You shouldn't sweep a comedian into office on a wave of public adulation any more than you should let him win the heroine in the first reel and fly off to Paris and suddenly start ordering meals in fluent French. You need him to move a piano up a long flight of stairs, and that's what Al Franken is doing now. He is leading the race by 50 votes or so out of 2.9 million cast.

BEIJING - Seem like old times? Of course, for anyone born since 1992, when the Dream Team awed an overmatched world, the sight of a U.S. basketball team flattening everything in its path, as it just did to Spain, another supposed contender, is a novelty, but it used to be like this. No, really. After buttering up undefeated Spain for two days, or convincing themselves the Spaniards were a threat, the U.S. routed them, 119-82, last night in Wukesong Arena. The U.S. is 4-0, leading Pool B. The only other undefeated team is Lithuania, which is 4-0 in Pool A. Of course, the U.S. blew out the Lithuanians by 36 points two weeks ago in Macao, so they might not be that close, either.

The U.S. men's basketball team is proving in Beijing what every coach from pee-wee hoops to the big guys has known all along. Defense will conquer all. The Americans have struggled with their three-point shooting and even their free throws, but their defense has been spectacular. Against Greece, which beat the United States in the world championships two years ago, the Americans helped force 25 turnovers yesterday. The U.S. had 15 steals and seven blocked shots. Greece, meanwhile, had just four steals and one blocked shot.

The best value restaurants from Food & Wine magazine's 2008 lists (in alphabetical order): 1. Kau Kee Restaurant, Hong Kong 2. Kefi, New York City 3. Kiosko Universal, Barcelona, Spain 4. Legendary Noodle, Vancouver, Canada 5. Les Cocottes, Paris 6. Love Supreme, Sydney, Australia 7. Open Colonna, Rome 8. Refuel, London 9. Taberna Laredo, Madrid, Spain 10. Tempura Mikawa, Tokyo

The best new restaurants of the year from Food & Wine magazine's 2008 lists (in alphabetical order): 1. Bubbles Bar at Guy Savoy, Las Vegas 2. Diverxo, Madrid, Spain 3. Gresca, Barcelona, Spain 4. Hibiscus, London 5. Mathias Dahlgren, Stockholm, Sweden 6. O Ya, Boston 7. ONE, Toronto 8. Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles 9. Universal, Sydney, Australia 10. Whampoa Club, Beijing

When it comes to immersing themselves in another culture, exchange students from Howard County don't fool around. The second that Spain defeated Germany to win its first Euro Cup football championship in 44 years, county students visiting the Spanish city of Tres Cantos last month joined with a few hundred local teens to frolic fully dressed in the town's fountain. "It was the most incredible moment of the trip - of our lives!" said Erica Blum, a rising senior at River Hill High School.