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Before answering the question 'Who in the world is Todd Birr?' perhaps one should try answering the question 'What in the world ever happened to Pete Fenson?'
The USA finally had a recognizable name in curling again. Fenson's team brought home the first ever Olympic medal and was honored as the entire U.S. Olympic Committee's Team of the Year for 2006.
Fenson not only won the bronze medal in Torino, but finished fourth at last year's Ford Worlds as well.
Combined with soaring TV ratings, it also inspired the United States to order a 13-ton shipment of curling rocks from the famed Ailsa Craig site on the volcanic island off Troon, Scotland.
Ed Lukowich of Calgary, who is the head coach of the U.S. national teams, was as surprised as anybody.
"Fenson's team did not have their best nationals, and why is hard to say," offered Lukowich.
BURNOUT OR CHEMISTRY
"It could have been because of burnout or chemistry, since they did have one player change from the Olympics.
"John Shuster skipped his own team this year and did win gold at the World University Games."
"Birr's team has been to USA semis a couple of times in the past four years. However, this was their first final, and they won over a more experienced Craig Disher team in an extra-end," said Lukowich. "Their worlds experience is at the third position as Bill Todhunter played lead for the Jason Larway USA team at the Gavle, Sweden, worlds in 2003."
The game plan at the Ford World Curling Championships, which begin here Saturday, will probably be the same for Birr as it was at the U.S. Nationals: Lay in the weeds.
"We're certainly a wildcard this year, but that isn't anything new for us," said Birr, who hopes he isn't coming to the worlds to be, well, Tim Birr, so to speak.
"We were seated fifth in our nationals out of 10 teams and just sort of laid in the weeds all week," he said.
Birr is a 38-year-old machinist and Kevin Birr is his 37-year-old brother, a catering manager and assistant director of college summer programs at Gustavus Adolphus College.
That's the Mankato, Minnesota, half of the team.
Third Todhunter is a sales manager and second Greg Johnson, 31, is a production co-ordinator.
They're both from Appleton, Wisconsin.
"Obviously this will be a special world championships for me and for my team because it is the first one for three of us," said Birr.
"Playing in Canada in front of the kind of crowds that they expect is thrilling. It certainly is a concern on how we handle it, but I think more than anything we really just look forward to it.
"Todhunter is the only member of our team to play at worlds before, and he is a little more used to this sort of thing since he is originally from Canada," Birr said of his 47-year-old third who was born and raised in Cranbrook, B.C..
'PRETTY LOW-KEY'
"Over the years my teams have always managed to keep pretty low key ,which isn't hard to do in the U.S.
"It's a tough sell, and even with the success of Fenson it will still take time to reach a larger audience.
"The same goes for sponsorship. And aid is kind of tough to come by.
"The USCA, with help from the USOC, does what it can, but often we are on our own."
Few are expecting much out of Birr's bunch, which played in the World Curling Tour stop at Port Hawksbury, N.S. last weekend. They were 1-4.
As it happened, Fenson was in the same event and the same pool. He was 0-5. Birr beat Fenson 7-4.