Italy beat Ghana 2-0 in its World Cup opening match -- as good an excuse as any to party in the streets, I guess. And that's what the Azzuri's fans did on College Street after the game.

I look on this with the same mild derision as Leafs fans taking to the streets after a first-round playoff victory (although with the modern Leafs, you gotta take what you can get, I guess).

Several media outlets were gathered outside the Cafe Diplomatico (if you watch the game there, don't have the meatball sandwich; they do mean just one puny meatball). And they interviewed the same mediagenic cast of characters that whooped it up four years ago.

(Look for the guy with the face paint and hard hat with two Italian flags).

It'll be interesting to see how the media plays it.

People did line College Street, concentrating mostly at Clinton Street (a beautiful charcoal-grey Ferrari was parked in front of Cocco Lezzone, with an Italian flag draped over its roof) and west at Beatrice Street in front of the Standard Club.

Lots 'o Italian tri-colors. When a fire truck came and turned on its lights and siren, that juiced the crowd big-time. Traffic was delayed so people could get their picture taken in front of the truck.

The cops were actually pretty good about handling the partiers. They made sure at least one lane was clear but otherwise let people have fun and blow off steam.

I told the guys from Ammo Video they might want to take a page from Whyte Avenue merchants in Edmonton, who had pictures of Edmonton Oilers players painted in their windows to dissuade vandals from breaking the glass.

They might wish to consider a shrine to Andrea Pirlo and Vincenzo Iaquinta. :)

Afterthought

At least no one got stabbed -- unlike the scene near Dundas and Ossington on Sunday.