Croatian for a day -- apparently

I didn't really intend to antagonize SAN FRANCISCO'S IRISH COMMUNITY when I walked out of INGER'S house wearing a CROATIA football team away shirt the other day.

"BOOOOO!!!!"

A bloke in an Irish T-shirt shouted as JILL, KERSTIN, ANNIKA and I strolled down 24th Street toward the MUNI stop on Castro.

Croatia had just defeated IRELAND, 3-1, in the EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP.

I started smiling, but some of the bloke's mates must have wondered why he was booing.

"It's because they're Croatian!" he told them.

We both smiled at each other -- football supporters have to respect each other, despite differing allegiances.

We're not really Croatian. We're just visitors who love football (well, I do. I think Jill and the girls mostly tolerate football).