AP What happened to the gglasses? Drew Carey has transformed himself into a soccer photographer.

Among the rows and rows of sweaty and tired-looking American, Italian and German sports hacks yesterday at the Kaiserslautern media cener, one man stood out. His black-rimmed glasses, thick lenses and stocky build were instantly recognizable to comedy fans in the US.

Youre Drew Carey, I said, walking up to him.

The press pass hanging from his neck confirmed my guess. But what was Carey, the star of a hit sitcom in the US and one of the countrys most successful comedians, doing with this lot?

I found out that, for some reason, Im really good at taking sports photos, he said.

Sure enough, a massive telephoto lens stood next to his table along with a heavy rolling bag carrying a laptop and other photo equipment. A fan of soccer since he went to a Major League Soccer match in Los Angeles three years ago, Carey said he wouldnt pass up the opportunity to shoot a World Cup. In addition to shooting at least a dozen games for International Sports Images, Carey is also being followed around by documentary film team for a Travel Channel show called "Drew Carey's Sporting Adventures."

Good-natured and as easygoing as he appears on stage, the comedian is apparently well-known to the small pack of American soccer journalists. He makes regular appearances at matches in America, and he takes his job real seriously, says Jeff Carlisle, who is analyzing the US Soccer teams performance for Americas ESPN.com.

In all, Carey, a Cleveland native, is spending a month in Germany -- taking in as many games as possible. As for the sports chances in his homeland, Carey belongs to the camp of soccer optimists.

Being a soccer fan, theres fewer of us, so its the cool thing to be, he said. You know, its international. Its like knowing about the cool band before everyone else does.

As for knowing how to spot Careys pictures in newspapers and magazines -- fans will have a tougher time. He shoots under a different name.

-- Andreas Tzortzis, 10:00 a.m. CET

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