Final Notes on a Scorecard

I pondered life and last Sunday's Palermo Corsari game while viewing the Ionian Sea.

I NEED a row boat!

Matt on the left, watches Master Chef Brandon work his magic!

Final Statistics from The Matthew Epperson Show’s tour stop in Palermo last Sunday to play against the home standing Corsari:

SCORING:

5 TD’s, 1 two point conversion = 32 points

OFFENSE:

Pass Receiving: 11 catches, 209 yards, 3 TD’s

Rushing: 1 carry, 3 yards, 1 two point conversion

KICK OFF RETURNS:

2 Returns, 155 yards, 2 TD’s, Long of 80 yards

DEFENSE:

Matt led the team in Total Tackles with 8, all were First Hit Tackles including

5 Tackles for losses = -18 yards

1 QB Sack = -9 yards

Matt did a very poor job bringing the water out to his beleaguered and sometimes broken teammates during timeouts! THERE IS JUST NO EXCUSE FOR SUCH A TRANSGRESSION OF TEAM ETTIQUETTE ON MATT’S PART!!!

SIDE NOTE: Over the 38 years I’ve coached football, I have had the pleasure of coaching athletes that have gone on to play at schools like USC, Arizona, California, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Washington State, San Diego State, Colorado, Kansas, Colorado State and San Jose State amongst others. Two of our young men went on to play in the NFL, Gary Wellman (5 years as a WR with the Houston Oilers) and Scott Fujita (entering his 7^th NFL season as an OLB now with the New Orleans Saints after stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys). As good as all these players were and as much as I’ve enjoyed coaching all of them, I’ve never coached anyone who had the all-around game that Matthew Epperson displays every week in games and at practice. Some major college and pro people really missed the boat on this kid! It’s just my opinion of course.

Monday and Tuesday are physical rest days for the Elephants although Jason worked on the Palermo Game DVD including making another highlight clip that will be up on his blog soon, check it out, it’s worth the price of admission! As for me, I worked on extracting the Defensive and Kicking Game Statistics from Jason’s DVD.

Brandon and Matt came over for dinner last night. We provided the meat and adult beverages while they brought the pasta and Brandon did the cooking. Brandon may have a future as an Italian chef someday! GOOD TIMES INDEED!!!

It was a relaxing evening that included conversations about a wide gamut of topics ranging from God, religions and the Bible for 100 please Alex, to Carravagio, football war stories, Italian cooking techniques, how to improve our tackling, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Corsari game, the Italian train system’s Ancona to Catania run and pretty much everything in between. Of course we watched the Corsari game DVD at about 2:00 a.m.

Tonight we’ll have a team meeting at 8:00 p.m. in the Elefanti War Room to watch the Corsari DVD as a team and start preparing for the Ancona Dolphins game this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Catania’s Stadio Santa Maria Goretti.

Life in Malibu continues to be a daily overdose of fun, food, good natured teasing and friendship.

IFL Web Site Translations

I am constantly teased about my use of Spanish-English-Italian (SpEngIt?). I am trying but I felt a lot better about myself after both Gayle Hicks and David Lassen e-mailed me about the IFL web site's English translation of yesterday's action.

Read on and tell me what you think. I am sure this is what I sound like to my Italian friends...SORRY!!!

Sunday 27 April 2008 "One game practically perfect delivery one Victoria important to the Giants Bolzano against the Acufon Lions Bergamo 34-3 in the big match of the fifth day of the IFL. Able heads of household to go to single sign with a field goal against one defended indeed unsurpassable, well instead the attack of Bolzano with the usual Reggie Greene between the protagonists. The numerous absent between the rows of the natives of Bergamo are not enough sure in order to explain a round defeat therefore against a direct adversary for the summit of classify. Great test of the Giants that is once again demonstrates to you to the enemy public number one for the Lions and that they have been able to face the contest with a decidedly better approach. Above all the defense of Bolzano it has known to close every passage to elemetti the gold that in two circumstances is arrives you to one manciata of yard from end the zones without succeeding to close. And if the attack of Bergamo suffered, that one of Bolzano has made an optimal job is with the race that with the passages. Hour the Lions will be of new in field Wednesday 30 opens them for the recovery of the contest against the Epipoli Rhinos Milan. A contest that will serve also to understand how much the bergmaschi will be in a position to resuming itself from this defeat. Cestitico score, instead, for the contest between the Corsari Palermo and the Elephants Catania that 57-74 for the catanesi ends that confirm square IFL with the best attack. However also the heads of household have been protagonists of a beautiful test in attack but two drive capacities a.termine have not made the difference in a contest in which the respective ones defended they have endured the units remarkablly offensives."

Italian Football League Week #5 Results

IFL Results from Week #5

Catania Elephants 74 - Palermo Corsari 57

Bolzano Giants 34 - Bergamo Lions 3

BYES: Ancona, Bologna, Milan, Palermo Sharks, and Parma

IFL STANDINGS

3-0 Bologna Doves

3-0 Bolzano Giants

3-1 Catania Elephants

2-1 Bergamo Lions

2-2 Palermo Corsari

1-2 Parma Panthers

0-2 Milan Rhinos

0-3 Ancona Dolphins

0-3 Palermo Sharks

NOTE: The teams owning the four best records at the end of the regular season make the playoffs.

IFL Games Week #6

Wednesday, April 30, Bergamo (2-1) at Milan (0-2)

This is a make-up of a Week #2 game

Saturday, May 3, Ancona (0-3) at Catania (3-1)

Saturday, May 3, Bergamo (2-1) at Palermo Sharks (0-3)

Sunday, May 4, Milan (0-2) at Parma (1-2)

Sanday, May 4, Palermo Corsari (2-2) at Bolzano (3-0)

BYE: Bologna (3-0)

The Palermo Corsari Game

We scored 74 points!

I know, your next question is "Did we win?"

Yes we did, 74-57, in what is reported to be the highest scoring game in Italian Serie A history.

The 74 points is not an Elephant's team record as Coach Matteo Belfiore and Marco Raino, our warrior DE, told me that in 1990, I think they said, the Elephants beat the Naples School for the Blind

104-7!!!

Jason was great again, throwing 6 TD passes (3 to Matt, 2 to Claudio and 1 to Lucky). Matt also returned 2 kick offs for TD's and Enrico ran in 3 more TD's.

A total of 20 TD's were scored by the two teams.

As usual, there was no scoreboard at the game, a good thing or we might have burned out a few light bulbs in this wildest one yet!

Of interest was a pass interference call against the Corsari that resulted in a 4 yard gain and a 1st down for us...4 yards?

A Corsari player had an illegal visor, so rather than sending him off he field to fix it and resuming play, the refs just stopped the game for about 7 minutes while he unscrewed it on the field.

I must mention the Corsari's QB Davide Lozano from Mexico. Just a great athlete! He runs all over the place, is elusive and if you do get your hands on him does not go down easily. He was marvelous in our game and reminded me of Michael Vick in the Madden video game!!!

This week's Arena League game is at home on Saturday against the Iowa Barnstormers I think.

 

Free Safety Christian Di Mauro reading John Grisham's Italian language version of "Playing for Pizza" translated here into "Il Professionista" on the bus trip to Palermo.

Maybe it helps him understand what this season's experiences are like through American eyes.

ROAD TRIP!

Smoke break at the Autogrille

with the Tyrrhenian Sea in the distance.

Palermo's Velodrome is an exact copy of the

University of Texas at El Paso's stadium.

Please note that when we arrived about 2 hours before kickoff this rugby game was being played on the field.

In 1966 the University of Washington was hosting #1 ranked UCLA with future Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban at QB. It was Homecoming in late October and the weather in Seattle was typical for that time of the year, i.e., RAIN. Astroturf had just been invented but our field was still grass. When we arrived at the stadium, we found that for the ONLY time in recorded history about 8 different Pop Warner teams were playing exhibition quarters thus tearing up the grass and creating a muddy field. Some would later say that this was a dirty trick in an effort to slow down UCLA's superior speed. It worked and we handed UCLA their only loss of the season 16-3!

Was this rugby pre-game match a similar feeble attempt to slow down the Elephants' attack? I do not know.

Getting the Field Ready for Play

All great stadiums have at least one thing in common, a crackerjack grounds crew, the Velodrome was no exception! An hour before kickoff they magically converted the field from a rugby pitch to an American football field.

Here you see one man chalking in the sideline, about 6 yards too narrow as it turned out. No problem, when he realized his mistake he just got out a small broom and erased the line before re-chalking the correct ones.

In the background, you can see that more grounds men have already assembled the white soccer goal and are disassembling the black and gold rugby goal. We will again play on a 90 yard field.

Construction

Step two is to attach the rugby uprights to the soccer goals.

Constructive Criticism

Personally, I would have used gray duct tape which I believe is Bill Gardner's tape of choice in constructing goal posts.

AMAZING!

For the first time in my life I can stand flat footed under an American football cross bar and touch it!

The Elephants' defense in Mt. Etna Molten Lava Red Jerseys

Scoring 74 points is FUN!

From left to right: Claudio, Matt, Jason, Enrico and Brandon

THROW IT!

3-1 is GOOD!

Matthew Epperson

If I ever write a dictionary of American football terms, next to the word "Stud" will be this picture of Matt.

Sundays total's for Matt were 3 TD's on pass receptions, 2 TD's on kickoff returns, a 2 point conversion run, and several tackles on defense including a big QB sack when he ran "raggot" out of our new "Armeggedeon" package.

I just report the news, I don't create the news!

Francesca

I am trying to teach our team many of the valuable lessons of life that I have learned in the last 60 years.

The lesson that has finally just sunk in to many of the Elephants in the background is that it is indeed true,"Chicks Dig Fat Guys"!

Catania Rugby Team's Game vs. Padua

After our last practice today before our trip to Palermo on Sunday to play the Corsari, many of the Elephants walked into Stadio Santa Maria Goretti to watch the Catania rugby team play a game vs. an excellent squad from Padua. The Catania players are playing in black uniforms, Padua is in red.

The rugby players are all VERY fit and buffed out! It is full bore mayhem with a no holds barred approach as near as I can tell! It was very physical, entertaining and I would like to see a few more of their games in the future.

A Scrum

A Break Away

A Jump Ball

Live Action

And Some More Live Action

Time for the Ad of the Day Contest

The Heather Linderman Ad of the Day Contest for April 26, 2008

Today we decided to offer you Sicilian ads with an animal motif at the request of the Canadian PETA Poster Girl, Christie Chorley.

Although THE Heather Linderman has the final word on the winner, you can post your preference in an attempt to influence her.

Our first ad was nominated by Christie herself.

I've been looking but I can't find this store anywhere in the greater

Aci Castello megalopolis.

Is that the cutest dog you've EVER seen or what?

Vatican II

There was a picture of me holding a post card of my favorite Sistine Chapel figure on this blog earlier this week because I followed the rule about no picture taking.

One of my friends, who shall remain anonymous (David P. Lassen), broke all the rules on a visit to Michelangelo's masterpiece and forwarded these two pictures to show you a little of what you missed. ENJOY!

Valeria's Birthday BBQ

Today is a national holiday in Italy, Liberation Day. As I understand it, this is the day that Italy was liberated from Fascist rule by the Allies at the end of World War II.

This holiday Friday was used to have a birthday party-BBQ for the original Pink Elephant, Valeria who is dating our TE Pepe Strano. Valeria was celebrating her second 15th birthday and had a great time with her family and friends.

The shindig was held at Valeria's family summer house in the foothills of Mt. Etna in a town named Puntalazzo.

As with all Sicilian BBQ's, copious amounts of meat, wines and desserts were served in bacchanalian fashion. Who was I to argue?

By the way, I'm really out of touch with American news here, can anybody tell if Obama finally married Hillary.

We meet Matt, Brandon and Claudio just off the Autostrada to caravan up the hill to the BBQ.

Claudio and Roberta arrived on this awesome Ducati!

Valeria's Hillside House

At the BBQ, Davide and Daniella's new son,

Alessandro, made his social debut.

Me with Valeria, a.k.a., Pink Elephant #1 and The Birthday Girl

I thought this was Valeria's sister, imagine my shock to find out she was Valeria's mother!

At Sicilian BBQ's the men have to check their cell phones at the door.

Let the feast begin!

Ahh, Fromaggio

CIPOLATA!!!

Sausages, Pork Steaks and Involtini, OH MY!

Anyone up for Pork Lard as an antipasto?

Roberta was VERY hungry!

She is also a GREAT jump roper we found out today.

Sicilian Grill Masters at Work

Social gatherings are a Sicilian staple on holidays

Just Chillin' in Sicilia

Mt. Etna is always looming in the background during our BBQ's.

Fat and Sassy Elephants sighted at the end of the Feast

Renato, our Defensive Co-Captain, showing he can keep up with Roberta's jump roping skills!

On the walk to the car we spotted this proud Sicilian horticulturist hard at work.

Why does everybody have firewood outside their door today?

On the drive home through Acireale, we saw

the world's smallest license plate.

The only way I could have been happier today was if my bride, Laurie, was in town.

The Fiat 500 Reviewed

As you may remember, a few weeks ago I relayed the message from my Sports Authority, David Lassen, that after an absence of 33 years, the Italian Fiat car company was reintroducing their famed 500 model into the marketplace. I was delighted to hear the news as I am a big fan of the old 500 and will drive one before I leave Sicily!

This was one of my first encounters with

one of the wonderful old 500's back in February.

Our Free Safety, Christian Di Mauro, actually owns two restored 500's and said I could take one for a spin if I can get into it, think EVOO! 

My first sighting of the new Fiat 500 in Roma last Tuesday.

It says Fiat 500 on it but it is neither small nor cute, I refuse to drive his obvious gas hogging Italian SUV of a car on principle alone!!!

A Beautiful Day for the Beach

I awoke to discover an incredible morning in Aci Castello! On my morning walk towards Aci Trezza for my granita and brioche at Mythos Bar I saw the scene below.

The rich blue water and the beauty of the castle started me thinking about a day at the beach.

On my way back to Malibu I came across this pastoral beach scene in Aci Trezza but knew I didn't want to lay out on the rocks or on a cement pathway.

The answer was a 15 minute drive to the other end of Catania to the more traditionally sandy Playa Beach.

I took my first dip in the Ionian Sea, it was quite cold and wet!

Back home in Malibu after a great day of sun and surf, we lounged on the patio and saw this lonely cruise ship headed to ???

The perfect end to a perfect day?

What else but a BBQ at Malibu!

What else could make this day even better? How about a well attended practice at 8:00 p.m.? It actually happened! We had a very solid workout leading up to Sunday's away game vs. the 2-1 Palermo Corsari. We had a very focused practice and I think we are heading in the right direction!

Ad of the Day Gets a Sponsor

Here in Italy, as well as all of Europe, athletic teams need sponsors to survive financially. As you may recall from earlier posts, the Elephants were very proud to have their sponsors patches all over their jerseys.

Similarly, our Ad of the Day program needed a financial angel and we found one!

From now on we are officially "The Heather Linderman Ad of the Day". Thanks for picking up the torch Heather!

Nomination #1, submitted by Heather Linderman's

sister-in-law Christie

Nomination #2, submitted by Heather Linderman's

brother's housemate George

Shoes on her 'fro???

The Vatican Museum and More

My last day with Andy and Jenn in Roma started with a trip to the fabulous Vatican Museum. Can there be a better art collection anywhere in the world? At this time of the year the heat, humidity and crowds are all mercifully down so we saw a lot more in much more comfort than I saw here in July two summers ago.

The Map Gallery looking at the Map of Sicily

Jenn asked me to point out Catania so I pointed to the east end of the island but it wasn't there and the map looked strange. Finally I realized that the map was from the point of view of the "Center of the Universe", i.e., Rome. The top of this map is SOUTH, this is how a Roman would see Sicily from his balcony if it were possible.

Raphael's

"Dispute Over the Blessed Sacrament"

This was special to me because a huge replica of it was painted above the altar at St. Phillip the Apostle Church in Pasadena, California. It was our home parish growing up and I went to it's Catholic elementary school and yes, the nuns did beat us regularly.

Even the exit ramp of the Vatican Museum is a work of art.

Mosaic floors are everywhere

How could these be possible without computers?

I understand the Pope's need for exercise could be met by playing tennis but why the swing set and slide?

Since you are not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel, and I follow the rules unlike Andy and Jason, I had to settle for this postcard of the Delphic Sybil which is one of my favorite figures from this fabulous ceiling.

Her arms are buffed because in Michelangelo's time women were not used as models, only men. Thus he has all the women in Sistine Chapel looking like they could play linebacker in the IFL. 

Again, how did they do this?

The Romans loved their hot tubs!

Some hot water, a few casks of wine and 50 of your closest plebian friends, what more can life offer?

For a minute Andy thought that maybe Vanessa sent a piece of her luggage over early for her trip to Europe this summer and British Air mistakenly sent it to the Vatican Museum.

As I have said often on this blog, I just LOVE a good beheading!

The Map Gallery Ceiling with the Map of Sicily on the near left

The Ceiling of the Vatican Library

This ceiling panel depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary who ran a pre-school for Cerub Angels to help make ends meet,

a little known Church history fact.

I don't know, after a while all the ceilings blend together.

For some crazy reason, I like Suns.

St. Peter in Chains

After a very nice lunch near the Vatican at Ristorante ArLu a San Pietro (excellent lasagna al forno) and a post meal gelato, of course, at yet another gelateria, we got on the Metro and worked our way to the San Pietro in Vincoli church.

The chains above housed in this church and thus the church's name, are supposedly the linking together of two sets of chains that were used to imprison St. Peter. One set held St. Peter when he and St. Paul were in the Mamertime Prison in Rome near the Forum. The other set dates from when King Herod jailed St. Peter in Jerusalem.

Moses

Also in San Pietro in Vincoli is this magnificent statue of Moses created by Michelangelo in 1515. Very powerful and humbling for those of us with beards.

After a while my mind started to wander amongst all this art to thoughts about football.

We stumbled upon this piece depicting the history of the Oakland - Los Angeles - Oakland Raiders. 

Game face?

Ram Blitz?

Or maybe we should Lion Blitz?

You can always use two more defensive linemen with nasty attitudes!

Finally it was time for me to return to Catania. It was a good mental break from the Elephant's routine, always great to see Andy and Jenn and, of course, I am so very happy for the two of them and their romantic Roman engagement!

Random Roman Scenes

What are the odds of finding a non-Catholic church in Rome?

Anglicans are into beheadings, who isn't?

"You don't say"

The Trevi Fountain

The book "Eat, Pray, Love" highly recommends the Gelateria di San Cripino near the Trevi Fountain

Who am I to argue?

Love and the Pantheon, what more do you want?

Sometimes traveling alone does get lonely.

Kelly green is going to be VERY in this season!

The Bernini Fountain

More Pantheon!

Have I ever mentioned that this is my favorite building in Rome?

Hermes is the newest sponsor of the Catania Elephants!

The now more special Spanish Steps

Romans Love Their Water

Castel Sant'Angelo

St. Michael atop Castel Sant'Angelo

Supposedly, a Pope had a vision of the Archangel Micheal saying a plague was over, so the Pope had this statue erected and placed on top of the Castel. The fact that Michael is sheathing his sword symbolizes the end of this particular plague.

Visit to Pompeii

As most of you know who watch the History Channel, Pompeii was destroyed and buried 30 feet deep by hot volcanic ash from an eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius at 1:00 p.m. on August 24, 79 A.D.

Pompeii was rediscovered in the 1600's and excavation that continues to this day started in 1748. It is a must see sight on your visit to "The Boot".

A Beautiful Courtyard

This was the Gladiator's Quarters and Courtyard

Another Private Courtyard

At the Amphitheatre that held Gladiator Battles

With 20,000 seats, every citizen of Pompeii could have a seat.

How did these frescoes survive the blast?

One of the eerie plaster casts of a pregnant woman who was a victim of Mt. Vesuvius' anger.

The Pompeii Forum

This was actually one of many, many fast food restaurants in Pompeii.

The holes are where food pots were held and kept warm for the patrons to purchase.

What the...

This mural is located in the entryway to the House of the Vetti.

According to Rick Steves, it was the bachelor pad of two wealthy merchant brothers. This fresco, he further states, is of a penis and a sack of money balancing each other on a goldsmith scale. The meaning: Only with a balance of fertility and money can you have abundance.

O.K., if Rick says so, it MUST be true.

 

Naples and Pizza

Naples is the birthplace of pizza. Highly recommended by the book "Eat, Pray, Love" as he best pizza in Naples and maybe the world is the pizza at L'Antiga Pizzeria da Michele. Many say it is the BEST pizza in all of Italy including my Malibu housemates who ate here about a month ago. It WAS pretty darn good!

Naples is Italy's second biggest and probably it's grittiest city. I don't think you really want to visit here too long. On our walk to the pizzeria, we even saw a guy with a small table set up asking people to bet on his version of the old shell game. He used 3 small dinner bells to hide the pea instead of shells. I've seen this scam in movies but never first hand. I tried to get a picture but he got real defensive. I thought it best to move, but I wish I had Jason's zoom lens to take the shot from a SAFE distance!

Greatness is often unassuming!

The Oven Where the Magic Happens

The menu is simple, kind of the In-n-Out of Italian Pizzerias. Two choices, Margharita or Pomodoro with no cheese. we each opted for a large Margharitas with dopio fromaggio (double cheese and a bottled Coke to wash it down . We were VERY happy with our choice.

Live footage of the pizza-fest at

L'Antiga Pizzeria da Michele's.

If Jason Wants More St. Peter's...

My Malibu mate, Jason, gets on me about going to St. Peter's every time I go to Rome. I'm ROMAN Catholic, I have no choice in the matter!

Sunday Mass from the walkway at he base of the Cupola.

The Cupola Ceiling

St. Peter's Divinely Inspired Main Altar

George and Andy on the roof Of St. Peter's Basilica

Andy and Jenn walked to the very top of the Cupola in the background, can you see the people in the top of it? I didn't fit in the stairway so I stayed on the roof.

If I were an angel, I'm sure I'd be one of these Cherubs!

The Main Altar, full view

This reminds me, Pope Benedict XVI, is in America right now discussing the priest scandals in the U.S.A.

A Cardinal walking out from the end of Mass 

It's Time for the Ad-of-the-Day Comtest

Rome's First Nomination

I've always liked the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit edition's body painted swim suit section, so I'm a little partial to this one.

They tell me the  product on the right REALLY works.

This ad comes from our trip to Naples.

I am 100% behind the War on Cellulite!

You too can look like this in ONLY 10 days with this product!!!

Andy and Jenn Get ENGAGED in Roma!

Our 34 year old son Andrew, who lives in Las Vegas, and his girlfriend Jenn flew to Roma for a vacation. Before I arrived in Roma today to spend a few days with the two of them, Andrew had asked Jenn to marry him and she said YES!

He proposed to her on the very romantic Spanish Steps here in Roma. We are all very happy for them and, of course, their English bulldog Blitz!

Roma's Spanish Steps

The exact spot where he proposed

Same spot, different angle

The happy couple in front of St. Peter's Basilica

By Michelangelo's Pieta

In front of St. Peter's main altar

Andrew next to a very large statue of St. Andrew

Gregorian Chant during Mass at St. Peter's Basilica

Italian Football League Week #4 Results

Game Results of IFL Week #4

Catania Elephants 41 - Palermo Sharks 34

Bolzano Giants 56 - Milan Rhinos 40

Bologna Doves 21 - Ancona Dolphins 6

Byes: Bergamo Lions, Palermo Corsari and Parma Panthers

IFL Standings

3-0 Bologna Doves

2-0 Bergamo Lions

2-0 Bologna Giants

2-1 Catania Elephants

2-1 Palermo Corsari

1-2 Parma Panthers

0-2 Milan Rhinos

0-3 Ancona Dolphins

0-3 Palermo Sharks

NOTE: The top four teams at the end of the season make the playoffs.

IFL Games Week #5

Sunday, April 27, Catania Elephants (2-1) at Palermo Corsari (2-1)

Sunday, April 27, Bolzano Giants (2-0) at Bergamo Lions (2-0)

Wednesday, April 30, Bergamo Lions (2-0) at Milan Rhinos (0-2)*

BYES: Ancona Dolphins (0-3), Bologna Doves (3-0), Palermo Sharks (0-3) and Parma Panthers (1-2)

* Make up of a Week #2 game changed due to a conflict with a Bergamo game in the Euro Bowl Championships

Palermo Sharks at Catania Elephants

WOW! Another crazy shootout! As predicted, the Palermo Sharks have vastly improved since our scrimmage 5 weeks ago. Their QB, Arturo Sanchez, played great. He was very accurate on his short passes and got rid of the ball very quickly. The Sharks' offensive line also played well allowing only one sack but it was a big one for us at the end of the game on a 4th down of their final drive to seal the win. 

Defensively the sharks also played inspired football applying great pressure to Jason all game long. The Sharks coaching staff is doing an excellent job making their team better each week.

The Score by Quarters was:

1st Quarter: Catania 13-7

Half Time: Palermo 27-25

3rd Quarter: Catania 33-27

Final Score: Catania 41-34

For the Elephants, Jason Johnson, our QB, threw for 4 TD's and also ran one in for 6 opoints on an 11 yards scamper.

Claudio Mangano was a key receiver for the third straight game catching 7 passes for 152 yards. and our 2 second half TD's.

Gregorio Barbagallo had 3 catches for 51 yards and 2 TD's.

Matt Epperson had 3 catches for 66 yards and returned a kickoff for a TD. His one run after a catch that he took to the 1 millemicron line was his excellent impression of a whirling dervish!

Salvo Persano, our punter, made a key play getting the punt off after the snap went over his head. The Sharks muffed the punt and we recovered it, so potential disaster turned into a big play for the Elephants!

Our kickoff and kickoff return teams played so much better today, it was great to see!

Defensively we played extremely well in the 2nd half, holding the Sharks to only 1 TD on 6 possessions. The big key was holding them scoreless in the 3rd quarter. I was very proud of how the team implemented our half time adjustments.

Shout outs to our WARRIOR Brandon Bennett who only left the field for about 15 plays all day! Cristiano Marra did a fine job filling in at Free safety most of the 2nd half and I can't say enough about Marco Raino's effort at nose and defensive end. The two Massimo's Tribulato and Garipoli (call me Smith) are getting better and better in their continued baptism under fire. I also thought Salvo Siculi at LB and Tony the Pony Gulisano at Falcon had great 2nd halves. Finally, Fabio Scuto at defensive end had THE big play of the game getting our only QB sack for minus 15 yards on a 4th down that wound up being their last play of the game.

Another hard fought game, we hung in there and got our 2nd victory of the season, 41-34! As always, check Jason's blog for video highlights of the game.

Our concessions man getting ready for the home opener.

Actually no, but not far from the truth. During the game the older gentleman selling concessions on our side of the field apparently had his cell phone die, so he spent about 5 minutes screaming across the field to his youthful assistant selling on the other side of the stadium, it was quite annoying!

Simona and Christie, Pink Elephant early outs!

Pietro, Davide's brother-in-law, helping with administrative duties before the game.

Christie and Giordana, Pink Elephants on parade

Nicolo, our video man and junior team QB

Take a long look at that belt buckle!

Giulio Romano, offensive guard and pre-game fashion plate!

QB Jason Johnson embracing the first ice we've seen in almost 4 months!

Someone said they ran it down straight from the slopes of Mt. Etna...I do not know. 

OLB Gianmarco Pecoraro with one of his Palermo buddies before the game.

Malibu housemates under the fisheye before the game

Some say this is a picture of both Giulio Romano and Brandon Bennett running on the same play...IMPOSSIBLE!

Ad-of-the-Day

This one's for you Jimbo!

Oh, and Heather, she has clothes on this time.

I don't make this stuff up, I just record it for posterity!

A Great Beach Day and More

We finished another great week living in Aci Castello with a trip today to the beach at Letojanni, near Taormina, about 30 minutes north of Malibu.

Our game this week, the home opener, was originally scheduled for Sunday but was moved to Saturday at 3:00 p.m. due to a scheduling conflict with the rugby team that shares our home turf at Stadio Santa Maria Goretti.  The field has a natural grass surface and is in excellent shape.

Our opponents are the Palermo Sharks (0-2) led by their fine QB from Mexico, Arturo Sanchez. This is the team we scrimmaged about 5 weeks ago when my bride Laurie was still here in Sicily. Their QB is accurate on his short passes and runs well on bootleg passes.

We must play well tomorrow as the Sharks record is somewhat deceiving. Their two losses were to the Bologna Doves (2-0) 24-25 in overtime last week  and to the Palermo Corsari (2-1) 21-30. So they have lost twice by a total of 10 points to two teams that have a combined record of 4-1! They are much improved over the team we scrimmaged so we will have to play well to stay in the playoff hunt.

No Ad-of-the-Day Nominations today so as to keep Jason's sister Heather happy for 24 hours. Don't worry boys, I promise to check out the farmacias for more experimental women's beauty products!

Cool and refreshing water fountains are all over Italy

After much groveling, Christie got Jonathan of Jonathan's Pannini Stand to give her one of their traditional red felpas

Mortadella, Senator Strano's Favorite Luncheon Meat

A large baloney type sausage made of pork meat with bits of pork fat, whole peppercorns and pistacchio nuts.

My Malibu housemates, Jason and Christie, after the Bergamo game

Lunch today at the Ristoranti Mezza Luna in Letojanni 

Not quite as good as Christie's home cooking but well worth it nonetheless.

Christie and Jason outside the Mezza Luna after eating swordfish, the official seafood of the 2008 World Fencing Championships held in Acireale last week

As for me, I'll have a Birra Moretti please!

We liked this beach just outside the Mezza Luna

Taormina was just up the road so we had to stop for a gelato and, oh yeah, Jason got our first parking ticket for parking on the street in the Avis Rent-a-Car return line.

Please add 36 euros to the cost of our 2 euro gelatos.

I can't say enough about the Taormina area

Jason wants to buy this island and move here permanently

Blood Orange Gelato in Taormina

Is their a better way to end a day at the beach?

Catania Fish Market

After 107 days in Europe, we finally took a trip this morning into Catania to make our first foray into the OUTSTANDING fish market near the Piazza Duomo.  Fish, meat, fruits and vegetables, all good for me and oh so cheap to buy!  We will be returning often, so much for my Cityper Supermarket rewards points.

Catania IS a seaport after all, so our frutti di mare choices are varied and wonderful!

Why didn't anybody tell me my dorsal fin was so small?

I am absolutely in love with parmesan cheese!

Not just the grated kind but HUGE chunks of it at a time.  Santa, please bring me an entire wheel for Christmas this year!

CASTRATO?...3 Euros?

What's up with this?

Debi, does that look like a Greyhound to you?

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Bell Peppers are a solid food source too!

Peppers, peppers, peppers

Christie makes a TREMENDOUS balsamic vinegar, olive oil and tomato salad.

I love this guy!

I'm not so sure about chickens anymore.

Personally, I like my lard with the red pepper even though most Sicilians prefer the traditional black pepper.

The Final Product, Lunch ala Christie!

All of our fish market shopping led to this GREAT lunch!

Fresh baked bread dipped in balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Asparagus sauteed with garlic and lemon.

Green beans sauteed with balsamic vinegarette.

Lemon.

Parmesan cheese grated on everything in sight.

Finally involtini was our main course.  Involtini is breaded, thinly cut veal wrapped around prosciutto and cheese.  The word WOW! comes to mind.

Water to drink please...Naturale, No Gas!

All this at a cost of about 3 euros per person!  I LOVE Sicily!!!

Ad of the Day Nominations

Our first nomination...

Announces either kocca's new spring clothes line or maybe a new Triumph TR 3 dealership.

Nomination #2...

Christie forced me to include this ad in an attempt to increase blog readership by women.

But the Winner is...

We found this ad in the front window of a very nice pharmacy in downtown Catania about two blocks from the Piazza Duomo.

Results: "...+16% in 24 hours...+34% in 6 weeks..."

Does anybody want me to bring some of this home?

Favorite Fountain Revisited

The fountain in it's new light.

How did the fish fit into the story?  Neptune of course!

For those of you who expressed shock at Catania having a fountain dedicated to rape, let me clear the air with the information below that I found on a Google search.  In the ancient Roman context rape meant the abduction of the women, not the physically violent act against women the term has come to mean today.  Sorry for the mix-up.

"The Rape of the Sabine Women is a mythological event from just after the founding of Rome. The young city of Rome had granted citizenship to criminals and lawless persons to grow quickly, and was therefore winning the wars againgst its neighbours, but a lack of women made it clear that the greatness of the city would vane in a generation or two due to lack of male offspring.

The neighbouring town scorned at Roman requests to marry their women, but accepted an invitation to a huge religious celebration in honour of Neptune. In the middle of the party, the Romans rushed in and abducted the Sabine women, who were the forced to marry their rapists.

The Sabines were horrified at this open breach of the rules of hospitality, and went home to prepare for war. When they later returned in arms to take back their women by force, the Sabine women had reconciled with their now husbonds, and stopped the commencing battle before it started by placing themselves inbetween the two battleready groups.

The Romans and the Sabines were reconciled and the city of Rome could continue on the path to greatness."

Routine

The last few days have just been routine...the Sun, good food and staff meetings.  Obviously we are trying to improve our defense and our kickoff coverage.  These two must go hand-in-hand if we are ever going to be a really good TEAM, not just a great offensive team. 

Gus and his new cast

The Fiat 600 VAN?

In Italy, the families are REALLY small!

My favorite fountain in Catania near the train station

"The Rape of the Sabine Women"

Wild horses, a wildman and naked women...all the European fountain favorites

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Do you know how good Italian bread is dipped in this?

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

Salvo, our waiter at Il Porticciolo Ristorante

Last Saturday night we drove over to Capomulini, about 5 minutes north of Malibu, for one last dinner out with Lynn and Wayne before they left Sicily.  At our ristorante that overlooked the water, we ran into a little chaos when the menu was only in Italian and Wayne and Lynn were having trouble both understanding it and deciding what they wanted.

Our waiter, Salvo, spoke very little English and grew very frustrated.  After finally getting their order he turned to me with a look of here we go again.  I quickly responded by using my best Italian to order "Spaghetti al Nero".  This is the traditional Sicilian black cuddle fish ink sauce spaghetti that I have grown to love.  He went crazy with my decisive choice in cuisine, came around the table, shook my hand and we, of course, exchanged the traditional Italian cheek kisses.  My self-esteem took a big jump!

For some strange reason I've always wanted a shot at being a transporter in a hospital.

I got my chance yesterday at the Morgagni Clinic Hospital in Catania wheeling Gustavo around between the attending physician and the X-ray technician.

Dr. J checking out Gustavo's X-rays whilr holding his ice pack.

Final diagnosis: Gustavo suffered a break just below the knee that will require a full leg cast for 30 days.  It kills me to have this happen to one of our hardest working and most dedicated Elephants.

The pizza oven at Pizzeria Pellegrino in Aci Trezza

Last night we tried a new spot for pizza that Gustavo suggested...GREAT CALL!  I had a mozzarella, gorgonzola and prosciutto crudo pizza that might be the best tasting one I've ever had!  How could it not be when it came out of the oven that is the mouth of the Sicilian Ciclopi. 

Lidos

The coastline in Aci Castello and Aci Trezza is mostly made up of volcanic rock formations and are not sandy beaches like we have in California.  The great thing about these beaches is the lack of sand makes for absolutely crystal clear water.  During the last few weeks workers have been very busy building lidos at the beach.  Lidos are wooden decks built over the rocks, you can actually see a large one to the right sticking through the lido.  These will give people in the summer a great spot to eat and drink by the sea and still do some very interesting people watching.

Lido's have great views of the Ionian Sea!

Ad of the Day?

O.K., I know that this is not really an advertisement but just a picture I took on my one hour walk through Aci Trezza this morning.

That being said, I am thinking about going down to the offices of the Aci Trezza Tourism Board and offering this photograph for their upcoming "Visit Sicily in the Summer of 2008" campaign.  What do you think?

New Jerseys

We got to sport our new jerseys yesterday in Bergamo.  If you are a sponsor, you get an ad on our jerseys.  Our starting LB, Gianmarco Pecoraro, #3, is doing the modeling.

On the front, 2 sponsorship ads, 1 IFL patch and, of course, an angry Elefanti patch.

Below the number is Davide's company logo.

We have 4 sponsorship patches above the number and one below. 

On the side, the Regione of Sicilia loves us too!

Of course, RB Enrico Lombardo's jersey had a problem.

Check his jersey number on the front vs. the numbers on his shoulders.

Ad of the Day Nomination

Bergamo's entry in the Ad-of-the-Day Contest

When I first saw this ad at the AutoGrille during the smoking/eating stop on the way to the game yesterday I too thought "Yeah, don't drink and drive"!

This ad has the potential to really change people's mindsets.

The Bergamo Game

Bergamo's Osio Sotto Stadio Comunale

The Elephants taking the field

Matt Epperson on his 75 yard two point conversion interception

Matt Epperson on a screen pass

Gus in his improvised "wheel chair" at the Catania airport 

The Sunday of the Bergamo game started with a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call to catch a 7:00 a.m. flight to Verona on Wind Jet.  Even though it was the first flight of the day, it was still 30 minutes late taking off.  From Verona we took a very comfortable double-decker recliner bus ride 45 minutes to Bergamo with the mandatory smoke/food break in the middle.  We arrived at the Stadium about 4 hours before kickoff.  Although it had rained steadily during our bus ride and was a little cold and damp when we got to the stadium, it turned into a beautiful day to play American football by the 3:00 p.m. kickoff.

In a quirky note, Bergamo's field is only 90 yards long so when you kickoff from the 30 yard line, the return team is pretty much guaranteed great field position to start a drive.

The first half turned into a see-saw battle with both teams scoring at will.  Key defensive plays for the Elephants in the first half were turned by Roberto Conti and Christian Di Mauro who both recovered Bergamo fumbles.

At the end of the first quarter Bergamo had the lead 14-7.  The first quarter included a 20 minute delay after one of the Lions' players was injured and had to go to the hospital, we could not resume play until the ambulance returned.

In the second quarter, a total of 7 TD's were scored!  After Bergamo scored to go up 33-27, the Lions mishandled the PAT snap, the holder tried to lateral to the kicker but Matt Epperson picked it off and raced 75 yards to score a defensive 2 point conversion.  This cut the Lions' lead to 33-29 but we then turned the ball over with 2 seconds left in the half and Bergamo's QB, Kendrick Dozier, escaped the rush, scrambled and threw a TD pass with no time left in the half.  At the half, which lasted two hours, Bergamo led 40-29.

In the second half, Bergamo took over the game. The Elephants scored first to cut the Lions' lead to 40-35 but the Lions responded by scoring twice in the third quarter, including a spectacular, weaving 95 yards interception return for a TD by their free safety, Anthony Stallings.  After 3 periods Bergamo was up 54-35.

The final period had Bergamo scoring their 3rd and 4th unanswered TD's of the half to go up 68-35.  We did respond with one final drive late in the game to make the final score Bergamo 68 - Catania 41.

For the Elephants, it must be mentioned that Enrico Lombardi continues to impress me with his tough running style, he gets stronger as the game goes on.  I thought Claudio Mangano, Gregorio Barbagallo and Pepe Strano all caught the ball well for our QB Jason Johnson.  I was also very proud of Brandon Bennett's Iron Man performance, going both ways at offensive tackle and defensive end/nose guard almost the entire game, I wish we had a few more players with his mental toughness.  Matt Epperson was another bright spot for us receiving, returning kickoffs and playing defensive back.

As for Bergamo, they are a very good, well coached and talented team.  Besides their QB and free safety that I mentioned earlier, their WR Mohammed Mortazavi, out of the University of California at Davis, made some incredible plays as well.  The bottom line was that Bergamo made all the key plays when they needed to make them.

After the game we loaded up the bus for a 30 minute drive to the Milan airport.  We were stressed for time since the game lasted almost 4 hours even with a reduced 10 minute half time to help us get to the airport on time.  No problem, our Wind Jet flight was an hour late in taking off...imagine that!

We got back to Catania at about 11:00 p.m. but our day was not over yet.  Our teammate and friend, Gustavo Bonnano, suffered a leg injury on the last kickoff of the game.  From the airport in Catania, Christie, Jason and I drove him to the Emergency Room at the hospital in Cannizaro near Aci Castello.  After X-rays and fitting him with a cardboard brace, we drove him home at a about 3:00 a.m.

Next Sunday, we have to get back on track in our home opener against the Palermo Sharks.

Italian Football League Week #3 Results

Game Results of IFL Week #3

Bolzano 21 - Parma 14

Bologna 25 - Palermo Sharks 24 (O.T.)

Bergamo 68 - Catania 41

Palermo Corsari 37 - Ancona 7

BYE: Milan

IFL Standings

2-0 Bergamo Lions

2-0 Bologna Doves

1-0 Bolzano Giants

2-1 Palermo Corsari

1-1 Catania Elephants

1-2 Parma Panthers

0-1 Milan Rhinos

0-2 Ancona Dolphins

0-2 Palermo Sharks

NOTE: The top four teams at the end of the season make the playoffs.

IFL Games Week #4

Saturday, April 19, Palermo Sharks (0-2) at Catania (1-1)

Saturday, April 19, Milan (0-1) at Bolzano (1-0)

Saturday, April 19, Ancona (0-2) at Bologna (2-0)

BYES: Bergamo (2-0), Palermo Corsari (2-1) and Parma (1-2)

South Korean Wins Duel in Acireale

One of the highlights of the World Fencing Championships held in nearby Acireale was the much anticipated duel between Gu Bon of South Korea, on the left, and Bustamonte of Argentina.  I have had some trouble uploading this vlog to you from our internet at Malibu, but going back to Davide's office today was like cracking into the NATO computer system atthe U.S.Navy's Sigonella Base near Catania...INCREDIBLE SPEED by comparison!

As you can only imagine I was torn between my friendship for Shi Young Kim who hails from South Korea and all my cousins who live in Argentina.  It was tough watching this titanic but mercifully quick duel! 

To recap, a match is won by the first fencer to reach 5 touches.  ENJOY THE ACTION!

Nicolosi, Mt. Etna, Cooking Lessons and the Bergamo Game

Our Friday was a busy one.  We started off the day by loading up the Nissan Micra with the five of us (Lynn, Wayne, Christie, Jason and yours truly) and driving to the top of Mt. Etna's Sud route.  To say the Micra was stressed is putting it VERY mildly but we made it.  Amazingly, the Micra went down the mountain much more carefree!

Part way up we stopped in he foothill town of Nicolosi.  It is far off the tourist radar scope but we can now boast of it's having a well stocked wine bar as well as a sensational cafe.

Granita

This concoction is mandorla (almond) topped with chocolate.  It is kind of a cross between gelato and a slushie, but oh so good for you!

Now that it is heating up, we are consuming these instead of our more wintery favorite cannoli.

La Dolce Vita Cafe

On the other hand, cannoli and other desserts at this Nicolosi cafe were still of interest.

The Silvestri Crater on Mt. Etna, altitude 1,986 meters

This is one of the relatively smaller side vents to the volcano.

It is rumored that in the cold winter months, when this crater is covered with snow, some crazy 20 somethings will actually drive up here around midnight to ride sleds down red face of this crater!  At least that's what I've heard.

Obviously when you live near a volcano accidents may happen.

Cooking Lessons by Katerina Barbagallo

We were invited to Gregorio's house for an Italian cooking lesson for Christie and her mom, Lynn followed by the dinner they themselves prepared.  Greg's mother, Katerina, was the head chef in residence and did a fabulous job teaching the ladies how to create Italian cuisine.  She even got me to peel the potatoes!

Katerina is a tour guide by profession and thus speaks great English.  She has a very elegant style about everything she does and lives in a wonderful home.  You may recall that she hosted us for the BIG Sant'Agata Day Parade gathering back in February.

The ladies had to learn by doing in the Katerina School of Cooking

Dinner was SUPERB!

From the left: Gregorio, Katerina, Brandon, Jason, Christie, Wayne, Matt and Lynn

After dinner, we retired to the Billiard Room

This is Gregorio's father, Bruno. He is VERY good at billiards.

But, he is even better at Ping-Pong!

Eventually, it came down to Gregorio vs. Jason in a 2 out of 3 Battle Royal!  Gregorio took the first game but after a short break for an exhibition match between Brandon and Matt, Jason stormed back to take the second game.

The rubber match was all Gregorio and even included Gregorio's trash talking to Jason.  Basically he told Jason that he should be happy that he even won 1 game vs. Gregorio!  We all laughed but I don't think Gregorio will have a ball thrown his away for at least two weeks.

Today we have our last practice before the Bergamo game.  Tomorrow we fly to Verona and then take a 45 minute bus ride to Bergamo to play the Lions.  This will be a VERY tough game for us!

The Lions are also 1-0 in IFL play and are the defending Italian National Championship team.

They have an excellent QB who runs the option and scrambles very well.  As if that wasn't enough, he is also very accurate throwing the ball.  The Lions running backs also performed at a high level vs. Parma in game 1 due in large part to an aggressive offensive line.  In short, they can move the ball.

Defensively, they like to blitz and attack the offense in a similar aggressive style as their offense.

Their kicking game is also solid with good return people.

As I said, we are going to have our hands full.

Post Practice Shenanigans

After practice Thursday night, we decided to go down to the Piazza Bellini and enjoy a very pleasant Spring evening in "all our glory".

The first thing that struck my eye was these new statues circling the Piazza that were drumming up business for an art show at La Ciminiere.  They were all oversized and interesting.

This "Thinker" made me wonder,

what if we ever had a practice and everyone showed up?

Blue Man Group on tour?

Sometimes beer IS the answer

While roaming the Piazza who do we run into?

None other than Elefanti starting CB

Massimiliano Garipoli "Call Me Smith"

Christie with me on my "Hog" posing for the June cover of the

Sicilian Chopper Gazzette

I know she's a little young for me but

we're in love and that's what matters!

Christie...you had to be there

Late night at Jonathan's Pannini Stand

Apparently Federico Fellini was shooting a film just down the street, how else can I explain these two at Jonathan's?

As if on cue, at the end of my "100th Day in Europe" celebration, Jonathan himself motioned me secretly to come to the back of the stand where he gave us each one of his coveted "Panineria Jonathan Loyal Customer Hats"!

Perhaps THE most memorable moment to date!

I was finally able to upload one of my two vlogs from yesterday's World Fencing Championships.  Enjoy this one and I'll keep trying to upload the other one.

Acireale 2008 Fencing Championships

Yes, I am tired and No, I don't usually wake up this early!

Check out the "Dueling Lemon" mascot

What better way to celebrate my "100th Day in Europe" than to wake up early and drive 5 minutes up the road to Acireale for the 2008 World Championship Fencing Tournament!

The event started on time at 8:30 a.m. featuring an intimidating military and police presence of about 50 for every one spectator.  Needless to say, Jason and I didn't dare to sit in any seats but our own!

This event is for Juniors, under 21, and Cadets, under 17.  There are both male and female divisions.

This morning it was the Junior Men's Saber Competition.  With the Saber you can hit your opponent by either poking them or slashing them.  This is a "Man's Weapon" as was mentioned and preferred by Ross Martin in his duel with Tony Curtis in the sword fighting scene from one of my favorite all-time movies, "The Great Race".

I grew up on swashbuckling movies like "The Three Musketeers", "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Man in the Iron Mask" not to mention the greatest sword duel of all-time, Basil Rathbone vs. Tyrone Power in the original "Zorro"!  They would both skewer Antonio Banderas 5-0 in under 45 seconds flat!

Needless to say I was pumped up for the action and was not disappointed except for the no blood part and the fact that nobody's limbs were hacked off.  Otherwise it was a very fun event!

If they only let them use these...

The Russian team checking out the action

A maximum of four matches at one time.

First one to 5 "touches" wins!

Gu Bon from South Korea, on the left, is SO fast!

Wagner, Gu Bon's German opponent, knows you can't hit what you can't see.

One of the Williams sisters, Venus I think, relaxing before the start of the Women's Foil competition

I WAS hoping they would do the

"Cut the Lit Candle in Half  Without Moving the Candle" trick

but no one even tried.

Maybe that great Zorro movie moment move is only done in the adult competitions.

Fencing Fever Hits Sicily

Kids in the streets of Acireale are already challenging their classmates by yelling "En Garde!"

My 100th Day in Europe

The Flag of the Regione di Sicilia

The three legs signify the triangular shape of the island of Sicily, with Palermo, Messina and Syracuse located at each corner.

Noted European travel guru, Rick Steves, bases his expertise on the fact that he has traveled in Europe for at least 100 days every year since 1973.

Today, April 10, 2008 marks my 100th day in Europe. My experiences are not anywhere close to Rick's yet but I have seen a lot of things and met a ton of wonderful people!

With this in mind, pardon me for writing a rather long blog today recapping some of the highlights.

THE PEOPLE OF CATANIA

Easily the very best thing that I have experienced has been the wonderful people of Catania in particular and Italy in general. Even though their driving is insane and their ability to argue about anything and everything at the proverbial drop of a hat, in sign language no less, is comical, I just can't say enough positive things about them. The people here have been friendly and have welcomed us into their lives with open arms. We have been invited into so many people's homes for dinners and BBQs and been made to feel as part of their families.

I'll remember many of the great places I've seen, but I'll remember my new friends much longer!

A "Tipical" Sicilian dinner at Titziana's and Salvo's home

For Easter I was invited to the home of Davide's mother.

This is Daniela with her mother, father and brother before brunch.

 Alessandro was still in hibernation at this stage.

We have been to some great BBQ's, this one at "Tony the Pony's" brother-in-law's house was one incredible food festival!

People watching is a fun and inexpensive way to spend your free time in Catania.

The beauty of a day playing golf with your friends can never be undervalued.

Il Picciolo Golf Club in Castiglione Di Sicilia is on the north slope of Mt.Etna.

Two SMOKIN' hot chicks we met in Taormina.

Little Ricky: "Jason, throw me the ball, Jason!"

The Elefanti are colorful if nothing else!

Matt, shown here, and Brandon are now the official spokesmen

for Jonathan's Pannini Stand

Although many Americans talk a good calcio game, only Matt and I have stood with the Ultras of Curva Nord for a

Forza Catania soccer game.

Catania won of course!

The Odd Couple goes to Milan

That's Oscar Madison on the left with his housemate Felix Unger.

This is in the mountaintop town of Enna in the home of Gino Milano's parents.

Gino and wife Connie own a great Italian ristorante in Camarillo, California but are planning on retiring soon to their bed and breakfast just outside of Enna.

I'll always remember Gino's mother's advice to me:

"MANGIA!  MANGIA!  MANGIA!"

Can there be anything better than a pack of Elephants gathering to graze?

Then there is the cutest thing in all of Milan, my second cousin Maria Clara's daughter Isabella.

THE THINGS YOU SEE AND DISCOVER IN ITALY

Italy is really old.

When do you think they installed this door locking device in Cefalu'?

If you like ceramics or tile work, come to Sicily.

Although I first discovered gelato two summers ago in Venice and Rome, these first 100 days have brought my consumption of it to a near two fisted art form!

What I did discover in Catania was cannolo.

Think slant, pistacchio, riccota and snow blizzard!

THE GREAT CITIES OF EUROPE

One of the great advantages of being here this long, and realizing that Europe is not all that big, is that I have been able to travel about and see some of the greatest cities in the world. Each city is indeed unique with it's own charm and attraction but if I had to pick one only it would be Prague. The only thing that would have made Prague better was if my wife Laurie could have been with me.

I still have Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and Cairo on my radar scope so we'll see how they stack up to Prague in the next few months.

London's Big Ben on a very cold January day.

Westminster Abbey also in London

The Colosseum in Rome

St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City during Holy Week

The Trevi Fountain in Rome

Vatican City State, home of "THE CHURCH"

The Santa Maria del Fiore Duomo in Florence

Pisa's "Field of Miracles"

Milan's magnificent Gothic Cathedral

"A poem in marble" according to Mark Twain

The Charles Bridge in Prague is a VERY romantic stroll.

The Old Town Square in Prague

The Tyn Hussite Church in Prague

The Palace Garden in Vienna

St. Michael's Church in Vienna near the Hofburg Palace,

winter home of the Hapsburgs

The Schonbrunn Palace

The Hapsburgs' summer Palace in Vienna

In Vienna, the main entrance to the Hofburg Palace Complex

The very ornate stone pulpit in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral

LA BELLA ISOLE DI SICILY

While traveling around Europe has been fun, there is an amazing amount of things to see and do right here in our own beautiful island of Sicily. Sicily does not get the attention from the tourist trade it deserves, but maybe that is a good thing.

As Goethe once wrote in his book "Italian Journey": "To have seen Italy without seeing Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything."

Here are some of my favorite Sicilian sights.

The Greek Theatre in Syracuse

They will actually be holding plays here in the summer.

We plan on attending one.

Amazing hilltop towns like this one,

Piazza Armerina

Festivals are everywhere, but the best  for my money is

the Festival of Sant'Agata, the Patron Saint of Catania.

Taormina

It overlooks the Ionian Sea and has a Greek Theatre too.

What more do you need?

The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento

Inside the Cathedral at Monreale

The Benedictine Cloister in Monreale

The entrance to Palermo's Vucciria Market

A main part of our dinner one night was purchased from this vendor at the Vucciria Market

Lazy Traveling Around Sicily

The last few days have been lazy days around Catania as winter continues it's metamorphosis into spring. It has been a mixture of football and sightseeing as we welcomed Christie's mother Lynn and her friend Wayne who are visiting Sicilia this week.

Lynn and Christie at Nino Mannino's for dinner Saturday night.

Wayne, Lynn, Christie and Jason at the aptly named Playa Beach with Mt. Etna in the background on Monday

The same company that builds Vespas builds these rugged three wheeled trucks.

The Benedictine Cloister next to the 12th Century Monreale Cathedral 

Another angle of the Benedictine Cloister

Palermo's famed Vucciria Market

Palermo's Cathedral

Palermo's Cathedral from another view

Palermo's Fontana Pretoria, once called the "Fountain of Shame" because of it's nude statues.

Late Milan Game Action

I know this is a week late but I thought you might want to see a couple of pictures from our Milan game courtesy of the Milan Rhinos' website.

Catania WR Matt Epperson, #7 in white, "punishing" a DB.

The Pride of Willamette Valley, Catania's Brandon Bennett,

white #54, "sprinting" to Matt's aide 

Catania QB, #11, Jason Johnson had a great opening game

A big thanks to Christie Johnson who served as the Elefanti's emergency camera woman in Milano and did a great job video taping the action!

Also a shout out to Jason Johnson who edited Christie's video into the highlight tape below complete with Gregorian Chant musical accompaniment.

The Fiat 500 and the Italian Driving Experience

The sexy, new Fiat 500 overlooking Italy's Amalfi Coast

The not so sexy, old George overlooking Italy's original Fiat 500

Special thanks go out to David Lassen for sending me a New York Times article on the new 2008 version of the Italian car classic Fiat 500. Fiat has started to produce the 500 after a 33 year absence from the marketplace. The article explains a lot about how Italian driving techniques evolved which, from what I have seen, are uniquely different from any other country in the known universe!

If I can scrape together the $16,000 asking price , who knows, I may be the owner of one, Mt. Etna molten lava red of course. On the negative side, this purchase may require me to buy large quantities of extra virgin olive oil to get in and out of my new chariot!

To read the full article, click HERE.

IFL Week #2 Results

Catania Elephants'  RB Enrico Lombardo, in white,

toting the pigskin vs. the Milan Rhinos

Game Results of IFL Week #2

Palermo Corsari 30 - Palermo Sharks 21

Parma 28 - Ancona 6

BYES: Bergamo, Bologna, Bolzano, Catania and Milan

IFL Standings

1-0   Catania

1-0   Bergamo

1-0   Bologna

1-1    Palermo Corsari

1-1    Parma

0-0  Bolzano

0-1   Ancona

0-1   Milan

0-1   Palermo Sharks

NOTE: The top four teams at the end of the season make the playoffs

IFL Games Week #3

Saturday, April 12, Parma (1-1) at Bolzano (0-0)

Saturday, April 12, Palermo Sharks (0-1) at Bologna (1-0)

Sunday, April 13, Catania (1-0) at Bergamo (1-0)

Sunday, April 13, Palermo Corsari (1-1) at Ancona (0-1)

BYE: Milan (0-1) 

The Internet

Malibu's Newly Established Internet Cafe'

Life is now REALLY Good in Malibu

After 95 days, the internet has finally arrived in Malibu!!!

Yes, Saturday, April 5, 2008, will go down as one of the most significant moments in Sicilian history. Imagine the joy in my heart when Gustavo broke the news to me at the airport! I think I she a small tear.

Sadly, the beautiful and friendly Baia Verde Hotel will probably have to layoff some workers and there is a concern that they may go bankrupt now that we are no longer frequenting their internet services at 3 euros per hour.

Also in jeopardy are the gas stations in the area as we do not have to make late night runs to Davide's office to use his internet connection.

The Bergamo game is next week and they are for real! We had a solid practice today but have a lot of work to do in a short time to be ready for the game with the Lions.

The Flight Home to Catania

The real reason that the Wright brothers invented the airplane was that so 100+ years later the four most beautiful girls in Germany could work together as stewardesses on an Air Berlin flight from Vienna to Rome…QUADRUPLE WOW! Dr. Mengele would have been very proud!

Since leaving Los Angeles on January 2^nd, I have flown on British Air, Air Malta, Wind Jet, Meridiana, Easy Jet and now Air Berlin, the Germany’s new Luftwaffe! Besides the great ladies who work for Air Berlin, I also like the fact that they served us food and drinks at no extra cost. Since getting off of British Air in London three months ago that is the first time that this has happened.

Speaking of British Air, they have been THE story in Europe the last two days. To recap an earlier blog, our friend Susan D’Antuono at a UCLA football game last fall warned me strongly about how British Air has a nasty reputation for losing luggage in London’s Heathrow Airport. I checked the internet, and sure enough they had indeed been losing luggage at an alarming rate for about three years.

British Air freely admitted their failings and their long-range solution was to build a brand new terminal (#5) at Heathrow for British Air only with the most cutting age technology in airport baggage handling. The terminal opened for business on Tuesday which WAS April Fool’s Day. In the first two days of operation it is estimated that they have lost between 30,000 and 50,000 pieces of luggage, so much for their long-range solution.

Even better, because all this lost luggage is now classified as “unclaimed” it has to undergo a painstaking inspection before being allowed back on a plane. What was British Air’s answer? Ship it all as they find it to Milan, Italy by ground only carriers thus bypassing the inspection. Then further land-based carriers will be in charge of getting your bags to you at some point of your European adventure. Bottom line, obviously, when you fly to visit us in Sicily, avoid British Air like the plague unless you have carry-on only. I’m not making this stuff up.

Warning sign in British Air's new Heathrow Airport

Terminal 5 baggage handling area

Susan D'Antuono, last summer, after 3 weeks in Europe with no luggage due to British Air's crackerjack baggage handling system.

In both Prague and Vienna I found people and their lives to be low key and orderly, everything worked very smoothly overall. Then I got into the Wind Jet line at Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci Airport Terminal AA to get my boarding pass. Instantly a woman is yelling at the man running the ticket counter. Another man farther back in line, who I don’t think knew the lady, took her side. He joined in and yelled at the Wind Jet employee and used the appropriate Italian hand gestures for proper emphasis.

The trip from Rome to Catania is about a 1 hour and 10 minute flight. It, of course, departed Rome 3 hours and 30 minutes late.

It’s good to be home.

Final Viennese Thoughts

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

MICHAEL CONTRERAS!!!

TRAVEL BY TRAIN: The four hour train trip from Prague to Vienna, only the second train I’ve ever ridden, was very relaxing and took me through some very beautiful Czech and Austrian country side villages. It was much less of a stressful than flying and with the lead time needed to check-in at an airport, probably just as fast. The cost of the train trip was only $30!

VIENNA: Once I arrived in Vienna, I proceeded to get lost, in part due to poor preparation on my part and in part due to the German language which I do not understand at all!

After drifting and not rowing for about 30 minutes, I finally found my quaint hotel, the Pension Hargita. I got a very pleasant and basic room with breakfast cooked and served in the Hargita family kitchen. All was good until I got into the shower in the morning. Not only was there no hot water, the cold water that did come out was THE coldest water I’ve ever bathed in! When I went down to breakfast I asked old Grand Ma Hargita about the problem and her simple answer was “Kaput!” Her answer struck me as so funny that I couldn’t get mad.

If Prague was all about intimacy and romance, then Vienna counters with chocolate and pastries! I could do nothing in Prague but I am kicking ass and taking names later in Vienna! This is because the weather here was alternately cold, breezy and drizzling. What else could I do but go indoors into cafes or pastry shops to stay warm and dry? The best two were easily the Sacher Café behind the Opera building, try their rich but dry Sachertorte. Why dry? Because the richness of their whipped cream brings the chocolate back to robust life! My other favorite was Demel where they boast with pride that their desserts are “K. u. K.”, i.e., good enough for the Konig und Kaiser (the king and emperor who were really the same person).

Well actually I did have two other choices, churches and museums. Of course I took full advantage of both. Vienna is a large, sprawling city with an old core filled with the opulence of the Hapsburg Dynasty that ruled for over 600 years until the end of World War I.

The museums here are home to the some of the most opulent pieces of art, jewelry, statues and architecture you could ever see! Vienna’s poor weather took me to take in the Kaisergruft (housing the crypt of 150 Hapsburg rulers and family members). Next it was the Hofburg Palace (the winter home of the Hapsburgs) including the Imperial Apartments, the Treasury, the Palace Garden and the morning workout of the Lipizzaner Stallions at the Spanish Riding School (just for you Laurie).

Actually, my first anal moment of the day was waking up early enough to get to the Schonbrunn Palace, the Hapsburg’s Summer Palace, to buy the day’s first ticket! The payoff was that I didn’t see another museum visitor until I ran into a small Asian tour of about 10 people in room 36 of the 40 rooms the Grand Tour ticket allowed me to visit. Visit Europe in the spring! The Schonbrunn is huge with 1,441 rooms! Today almost 300 civil servants rent many of the remaining rooms

My final stop was to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. I’ve been to major museums in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, London, Rome and Athens but this one might be my favorite. The ornate building itself is about half of the fun. Although every major European artist from the last 1,000 were on display, I came away with two favorite, both from the 1500’s, Pieter Bruegel and Giuseppe Arcimboldo. If you don’t know their work, Google their names, you may enjoy them too.

The only drawback of all this museum visiting was that pictures were strictly VERBOTEN in many exhibits while only non-flash pictures were allowed in others with the usual varying degrees of results. It did force me to buy some small books and postcards to help me recall the better exhibits I saw.

To conclude this great BYE week road trip, I enjoyed visiting two cities, Prague and Vienna, which were much different than the cities I’ve visited in Italy. Mentally it was a good break from the 11 weeks of football practice in Catania. Physically I am little tired from all the walking. Thank God for the Vienna Undergound system which saved me even more miles of strolling!

Now it’s time to go back to Catania to prepare for the VERY difficult task of playing the 2008 IFL favorites and defending 2007 Italian Champion Bergamo Lions in their stadium in one week. They defeated the Parma Panthers last Saturday in a rematch of last year’s Championship game and had a BYE this week as well.

The Schonbrunn Palace, Summer Home of the Hapsburg Dynasty

It is said that this is the only European palace that can rival Versailles.

A porcelain heater in the Schonbrunn Palace

The deal is that the royal family did not want to be bothered by either servants stoking the fire or the smoke from the fire so the walls have space inside big enough to allow servants to take of the fire and never enter or be seen by anyone. 

The Kunsthistorisches Museum

The only thing that rivals the artwork in this museum is the building itself!

Just in case you were wondering what the well dressed Emperor was wearing about 100 years ago.

See what I mean?

RANDOM THOUGHT: After seeing all this art the last two days, I started to wonder. Much of he art I’ve seen is chock full of symbolism.

Now I know that in the statues of famous soldiers on horseback the symbolic rule is that if the horse has all four legs on the ground then the rider died of something other than battle wounds. If the horse has one leg in the air then the rider died due to battle wounds. Finally, if the horse has two legs in he air then the rider died on the battle field.

With this in mind, I started to wonder what symbolism 16^th century painters used in deciding how their female subjects would be dressed? What did having only a single breast exposed mean? Did showing the right breast mean one thing and the left one something entirely different? What does it mean if BOTH breasts are showing? What if she was painted completely naked? What if she was fully clothed? What does it all mean? I’ve seen so much art in Vienna that my head is spinning over these delicate but extremely important issues. Inquiring minds want to know! Can one of you answer these burning questions?

You have to have a mantel to match your jewels don't you?

And every Emperor needs a basic portable wash basin to cleanse his hands from time to time.

You have to show some style when you die too.

Vienna's Statues

The Austrians loved to beat things to death with huge clubs apparently!

The Monument Against War and Facism

A very moving place, this is a symbolic Jew on his knees scrubbing off anti-Nazi graffiti with a toothbrush., something that really happened early on to humiliate Jews. The space between the two slabs of stone represent the entry to a concentration camp. VERY SOBERING!

Is that a land shark he's trying to spear?

Was Abner Doubleday Austrian?

Me and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart hanging out at the Palace Garden.

Looks like Austrian football fans are jumping on the Elephant bandwagon!

The Monument to the Plague

The little fellow has a mean look on his face as he sends the old naked woman, symbolizing the plague into the abyss.

Where the Hell is my club?

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Of the churches I saw, and there were many, St. Stephen’s Cathedral was by far the best. The original roof was made of wood and though not hit directly, it did light on fire during World war II when Allied bombs ignited nearby buildings.

After the War, the citizens of Vienna raised money for a new roof for their Cathedral but this time it would be made of ceramic tiles that would make very pleasing designs for people to enjoy.

Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral

The post World War II ceramic tiled roof added after the original wooden one burned in an Allied bombing raid.

The Baptistry

Very awesomely carved pulpit

This modern building on the left caused a furor when it first opened but I like the way it catches the reflection of the Cathedral

Great Things to Eat and See in Vienna

Pastries at Demel

Sacher Cafe Sachertorte

Met this little girl and her Mom on the way to the Museums this morning at the Underground Station.

Vienna's Entries in the Ad-of-the-Day Contest

Possible Winner!

This could take top honors too!

But I picked "The Producers"?

I found this ad VERY funny. That a musical whose signature song is "Spring Time for Hitler" would be doing a production in German in Austria where Hitler was born just strikes me as odd.

This One's for Laurie

I went to this morning's VERY silent workout at The Spanish Riding School here in Vienna to honor my wife Laurie's passion for horses.

This SHOULD equal at least three less weeks in Purgatory for me someday!

Prague Castle Entertainment

This trio was performing some real toe tapping Czech favorites today just outside the main entrance to the Prague Castle.

Did they maybe need more cowbell?