At my soccer team's New Year's party a few years back, Vasily stood up to make a toast: "When men are in their teens and twenties, they play soccer. When they are in their thirties and forties, they play tennis. When they are in their sixties, they play golf. The older they get, the smaller their balls. I'm happy to say that all of us still have large balls."

I interrupted our Moldovan captain: "Vasily, I have some sad news for all of you . . . And this is difficult for me to say, but I'm afraid I won't be playing soccer anymore."

"No!"

"From next week," I said, "I'll be playing basketball, instead."