·        Sports takes to the air

AFN-Europe is giving us something old and something new this week,

The old is the return to AFN Radio of live broadcasts of every game of the 2009 World Series, the first radio broadcasts of the Fall Classic in several years.

The new is the planned radio and television coverage of the DODDS-Europe tripleheader championship football games from Baumholder, Germany, on Nov. 7.

George Smith, operations manager for AFN Europe, says both events will be aired live.

Many in the military community have missed live radio sports, especially dwellers on the local economy who might not receive AFN television. Have you an opinion on live radio sports? Like to hear more? Let us know.

·        USAFE teams sweep soccer titles

They may have been playing on Army grounds, but it was a couple of Air Force teams that battled to the end Sunday at the 2009 U.S. Forces Europe soccer championship at Camp Darby, Italy.

Ramstein downed Aviano 4-3 on penalty kicks after the teams were tied 1-1 tie at the end of regulation in the title game, , according to the public affairs office at U.S. Army Garrison Livorno.  The game wrapped up a four-day event that drew teams from 10 military communities.

Ramstein reached the title game by blanking unbeaten Grafenwöhr 1-0 earlier in the day; Aviano stopped Stuttgart 2-1 in Sunday’s second semifinal.

With the operations tempo what it is these days, military sports have become a near-afterthought in the life of American military communities in Europe.

Do you agree?

Is there still a place for garrison-level sports in such a climate? Tell us why or why not.