There is a lot going on in the world of curling:

The big news in Minnesota is the Curl Mesabi Cash Spiel in Eveleth, MN. The first draws are Friday, and the championship games will be Sunday. This event is part of the Asham World Curling Tour, and if live scoring is available, it should be at this website. Some of the best teams in the area will be competing for share of a $14,000 purse, and the Duluth Curling Club will be well represented.

The Continental Cup’s first draws will be this evening. This event is the curling equivalent of golf’s Ryder Cup, with teams representing North America competing against European teams. There will be a variety of formats, including skins games, mixed doubles, singles, and team matches, and the winning continent will be based on the total accumulated points. Minnesota’s Todd Birr of Mankato and Wisconsin’s Debbie McCormick will join some top Canadian teams to represent North America. CurlTV.com will be broadcasting the games live, so if you’ve ponied up your $35 for a yearlong subscription, you can watch the games over the ‘net.

The Continental Cup is being held in Medicine Hat, Alberta this year– but will it move to Las Vegas in the future?

Speaking of European curlers, Sweden’s Peja Lindholm has up and quit professional curling. Your last opportunity to see him play may be Sunday, Dec. 23 at 2:30, when NBC will broadcast his exhibition match against Pete Fenson in the Korbel Elite Challenge.