Sunday, 21 December:
GAME DAY AT HOME!
Today’s Opponents
The big
deal of the day was the Cobra Juniors (1-0) second game of the season, a
rematch against the Granada Lions (0-1) who the Cobras had handled quite easily
in Granada a few weeks ago.
But that
was then . . .
Our Pristine Home Field
Ample Seating for Today’s
Crowd, I’m Sure
This game
would give me a good chance to observe just where our Juniors were in terms of
their fundamentals and nine man American football schemes.
Line Warm-Up, Pad Under Pad
Granada
showed up with 17 players while the hometown Cobras could only muster a dozen
uniformed warriors.
Slaughter Alley
It had
been a long time since I had seen this drill where every two players get a shot
at the one player trying to fight his way through the team.
Much of
the pre-game warm-ups were paying attention to several of the detailed facets
of the game that are hard to cover when you only workout three nights a week
with usually less than 100% attendance.
Cobras’ Kickoff
In Granada,
Pink is the New Orange
The game
proved to be a hard fought battle of attrition and did not resemble the first
match between these two squads at all.
Granada had a nice tee too
Adapting to about a 96 yard field
The
Cobras lost their best running back with a sprained ankle on the game’s first
drive. With the Cobras leading by a score of 13-6 and only one second left in
the half, the Lions’ QB ran a bootleg around, over and through almost every
Cobra on the field for a spectacular 50+ yard TD.
At the
half, one of our rookie players who was suited out for his first game ever,
asked me if, when he was on defense, it was OK to tackle the Lion carrying the
ball. I, of course, answered in the affirmative. He then asked if it was OK to
tackle the QB if he had the ball. Again the answer was a resounding
“SI!” With that cleared up, he went on to play better in the second
half.
On the
opening drive of the third quarter, our QB broke his wrist. We were now down to
ten players for a nine man game. We did go on to score a TD on this drive to
raise our lead to 19-12.
Helping Rafa sort Order out of Chaos
Now our Junior
coaches were really having to scramble to hold on for dear life. Alberto
Talavera, our excellent WR moved into the QB slot and played his heart out.
Another RB that goes by the nickname “El
Negro” (his real name is unknown to anyone in the Cobra organization it
appears) really took charge of the game in the fourth quarter to lead us to a
gut-wrenching 19-18 victory.
Talavera to the Rescue
The
Juniors showed a lot of courage on this sunny day to be sure!
Surviving Members of the Junior
Team After the Granada Game
After the
game, it was on to a bar across the street from Murcia’s Estrella Levante
Brewery believed to be the best beer in all of the Iberian Peninsula if you
listen to the Cobras.
Which I
do.
Often.
I got to
meet one of the players wives at the bar who I have nicknamed ”Reina.” Rocio is her real name, as she
was the only lady in a bar full of Cobra officials and players, I gave her the
new sobriquet. Reina got me to try a Murcian specialty, a Marinara which I
found to be a delicious anchovy tapa.
After
coming home for a bit, Roberto picked me up to go to the home of Christina and Alejandro
Sotomayor. Alejandro is our Junior team’s Defensive Coordinator and the Cobras’
Team President. We were going to their home to watch the Minnesota Vikings play
at the home of the Miami Dolphins. Alejandro is a long-suffering Vikings fan.
The Minnesota downfall with about a minute left in the game just added to
Alejandro’s NFL worries. He and his wife were great hosts!
Monday, 22 December:
The first
laundry day of the campaign kept me near La Hacienda most of the day. I must
say that I did a spectacular job figuring out how the machine works and using
the community clothesline to its maximum potential.
In the
evening it was off to our Junior practice where we worked on a ton of
fundamentals that I believed needed to be addressed after yesterday’s
performance. The players were willing learners and practiced with great
enthusiasm.
Junior Light Workout
The Day After the Granada Game
The
Senior practice was sparsely attended but again the Cobras that were in the
house gave a great effort tonight.
On a
negative note, I was informed of no internet in La Hacienda until January
making communications back home somewhat of a logistical nightmare.
My Non-Winning Lottery Ticket
I did not
win the Loteria Nacional’s El Gordo today.
Tuesday, 23 December:
The first
“Travel Tuesday” of the year! I was off to the seaport city of Cartagena about
50 minutes by train south of Murcia.
Along my
three mile walk to the Murcia’s Del Carmen train station, I saw many
interesting new sights.
Nice Name for a Business
El Sardinero
The
Sardine industry is big in these parts.
Wait, at the top, isn’t Ricardo Gil,
Tanque’s real name?
There
will be more about this Easter Week tradition in Spain when we get to
Cartagena.
Finally at the Murcia Train Station
It has
been replaced by a bright, clean and efficient version in recent years.
Cartagena,
population 220,000, was originally known as Mastia when it was a simple Iberian
village thousands of years ago. In 223 B.C., Asdrubal led his army into the
area, captured Mastia and renamed it Qart Hadasht. When the Romans took over it
became known as Carthago Nova. Later when ther Muslims ruled the land, it
became the independent emirate of Cartajena and was finally reconquered by the
Christians in 1242.
I had
about a one mile walk to Cartagena’s harbor area and its many places of
interest.
KKK in Cartagena???
No, DEFINITELY not the KKK
According
to the shop keeper, there are about 80 different Penitent groups in Cartagena
that take turns during each Holy Week procession dressed up in these colorful
costumes that are meant to express sorrow over mankind’s sinning nature and the
imminent death of Christ to redeen us all. Apparently there is fierce pride
(isn’t that one of the Seven Deadly Sins?) between these groups as to which one
does the best job upholding the city’s tradition each year. I have to take a
trip down here in the Spring to see it first hand.
I bought two of the small statues on the right, a white one and a green one.
The Roman Theatre
It was
built to hold 6,000 spectators back in the first century B.C.
Hot Dogs in Spain
Galician Food
I’m
getting hungry.
Cartagena’s Tourist Office is
Housed in the City Hall
HUGE Gator
My first
stop upon leaving the Tourist Office was the ultra modern and interesting
Museum of Underwater Archaeology.
Remains of an Ancient Ship
Museo Refugio de la Guerra Civil
Next up
was the Museum of the Spanish Civil War Bomb Shelters. This area was Republican
stronghold during the devastating 1936-39 Civil War. As such, the city’s
population had to endure constant aerial attacks from Franco’s Air Force and/or
from German or Italian allies of the Generalissimo.
The
Shelter that I visited was known as the Calle Gisbert Shelter, built in 1937,
housed 5,500 citizens and was carved out of the hillside below the Castillo de
la Concepción. It was one of about 13 such shelters scattered throughout
Cartagena during the Civil War.
Cartagena Defense
Bombs Away
Drawings by a then Ten Year Old,
of his interpretation of the bombings
Once out
of the Civil War Museum, I continued up the hill via, thankfully, an elevator
to the Castillo de la Concepción to get a panoramic view of the city.
Nice Tower
Asdrubal, Cartagena’s Founder
The Harbor
I needed a Café con Leche
Once back
down at sea level, I needed some sustenance to be sure before resuming my
patrol of the city.
Memorial to the Spanish Military
that died defending Cuba in the
Spanish-American War
Interesting Harbor Side Sculpture
My final
stop for the day would be to the informative Naval Museum.
Nice Naval Museum Building
a Galleon perhaps
Cool Naval Crest
And an Equally Cool Naval Flag
Born in
Cartagena, Peral was a fabulous pioneer in submarine engineering. This
submarine was first launched in 1888 and served as the blueprint for sub’s for
many, many years to come.
What is that white building?
In the
form of a huge submarine, it is the headquarters of one of Cartagena’s main
shipbuilding companies.
Makes
sense.
I made
one last tour of the harbor area of this delightful city before walking back to
the train station for the ride home to Murcia.
Nice Architecture
Wednesday, 24 December:
Nochbuena
in España.
Christmas
Eve dinner with family is a huge tradition in Spain and I was going to get to
take part in it which was helpful as I was really missing my family at my
favorite time of the year.
The
morning was spent trying to buy a few more items to improve the lifestyle in La
Hacienda with the help of our Cobra lineman and neighbor Roberto Durán.
No, not
the boxer.
Roberto
invited me over to his home to break bread at lunchtime and to meet his
charming wife Immaculata Belén. After a great meal, we sat and talked about the
Spanish Civil War and its legacy on today’s España for a long time.
Fascinating.
GRACIAS!
For the
traditional Cena de Nochebuena, I had been invited to the nearby home of Rosa
Talavera’s brother Enrique.
Once there, I met Enrique’s wife Gladys, their son
Ismael, Enrique and Rosa’s mother Virginia, Gladys’ mother Carmen. Of course
Rosa, Oscar and Alberto joined us as well.
Nochebuena Feast
Enrique
and Gladys put on an amazing array of food for the holidays and were
exceptional hosts. I felt very welcome in their nice home.
GRACIAS OTRA VEZ!
It must
be noted that finally having a decent grasp on a host country’s language sure
is making life easier for me.
Thursday, 25 December:
Felt a
bit lonely on Christmas. I have come to like Christmas more than any other day
of the year. Originally I think that it was because of the presents as a child,
then as a day of great personal joy after a dark period in my personal life and
now as a time to be with family especially the two grandsons.
I missed
my family a lot on this day.
I opted
to get out of the house for a walk and found manyb people doing a paseo.
A Paseo for People of All Ages
"I walked into a church . . ."
Rosa and Oscar last Saturday . . .
. . . was open with a Christmas motif
I hope
that Andy, Jenn and Kevin had a good Christmas in Hawaii.
Interesting Mail Box, let’s look closer . . .
The 6th
of January, the Feast of the Epiphany, is the traditional date when the Three
Wise Men brought the Baby Jesus their gifts. In España, Los Reyes Magos bring
children gifts as well.
Two
chances for parents to aid the sagging Spanish ecomomy during the holidays.
Torres JMC
When I
get turned around walking through our new home base city, all I have to do is
find these two towers on the horizon to find my way back to La Hacienda.
Friday, 26 December:
Café-Bar Gran Via
Closed Sundays and New Year's Day
The free
wifi spot that makes this blog possible until La Hacienda gets connected to the
world wide web.
The Café-Bar Gran Via is a great place to hear gravelly voiced Spanish caballeros discuss and argue about any, and just about everything just for the fun of it while I blog away.
Murcia’s Library
My New Library Card . . .
MAGICAL!!!
It was
easy to get my much wanted library card that allows me access to English
language books and lots of DVDs.
My first
checkout was an Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot mystery, Elephants Can Remember.
Now all I need is a Transportation Pass
In the
evening, we had sparse attendance at the Junior practice. We had 15 players at
the Senior practice.
The lack
of attendance is worrisome to say the least. Hopefully things will improve
after the Holidays as our first Senior game is less than a month away.
That being said, each and every Cobra that does come to practice is equipped with a good attitude, wants to learn and has a great work ethic!
Reading
Is FUNdamental!
The first
Jack Reacher novel, loved it.
A little
bit all over the place but the place was Los Angeles so I was entertained.
See you on Monday.
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