Recuperation Monday

Monday, 16 April, 2018

Surprisingly, the Sun did come up today despite our loss to the Red Jackets yesterday.

AMAZING!

Did you realize that in only . . .

. . . more days . . .

. . . it will be like Christmas in April!

In the morning I needed to go to the Venegono Superiore Post Office to mail a couple of things. The Post Office is always an adventure in traditional Italian queuing etiquette. 

When I walked into the Post Office, about six people were scattered about waiting their turns but definitely not in any sort of line.

Like a scene out of the movie The Sting, an older woman made eye contact with me and blinked. I instantly knew that she was telling me she was the last person to enter the building and that I was to follow her . . . eventually.

Another lady entered the hall about three minutes after I did. After our mandatory eye contact, I nodded my head to let her know that she was to follow me. She gave me the correct counter sign, a nod of her own, and order was in full force.

All eight of us stepped up to an open window at the right time without a disparaging word from anyone. The System worked as usual. 

Now, you must remember that in Italy the Post Office is not just a place to mail cards, letters and parcels. Here the Post Office is also a bank, utilities payment center, a place to make payments to any and all government agencies and God only knows what else.

I once paid for a parking ticket at this very same Post Office that I got in Pavia about an hours drive from here.

 It IS Spring you know!

Alpini Soldier Tribute

The Alpine are the Italian Armed Forces that specialize in mountain fighting in this part of Italy.

Tributes and Clubs dedicated to the Alpine are scene throughout the Lombardia area.

I want a Piaggio of my own someday

I'm talking about the pick-up truck not the motorcycle of course.

Our video of yesterday's Sarzana Red Jackets game did not make it on to HUDL today so I spent much of the day breaking down our one game film of our next opponents, the Cagliari Crusaders from the island of Sardinia.

Here are some of the photos that were posted today by our crackerjack team of Skorpion photographers, hope you like them.

 The things you see riding on

the team's Pullman bus

Let's meet a few of the Skorpions as they go through the mandatory pre-game document check with the referees.

 #66 LB Marco Andreolli

18 years old

#60 OT Michael Di Losa

17 years old

#57 LB Stefano Lusuriello

16 years old

#85 WR Roberto Pelusio

17 years old

#30 SS Giulio Bonfanti

20 years old

#87 NG Andrea Gorini

46 years young

#32 LB Tony Mitrano

34 years old

 #12 QB Gianluca Arena

26 years old

#21 SS Nicolas Prinicipi

21 years old

#58 LB Ivan "Swito" Raso

33 years old

Addressing the troops before the game

Leaving the field after warming-up

"RAFFA!"

Here come the Skorpions!

FIRE UP!

Skorpion Captains Out

Red Jacket Captains Out

Stefano Granelli really needs to

replace that divot after the play

#6 CB Lorenzo Pizzetti in hot pursuit

of a Sarzana RB

This happened way too often in this game.

 Nicolas Principi

 #3 Pietro Limido blocking for

Nicolas Principi on a Kickoff Return

Our tough as nails QB and leader

#19 Omar Passera

 Just out of Principi's reach

WR Matteo Mezzania

Omar Passera going DEEP

to Giacomo Micheli

QB Gianluca Arena and

LG Simone Magnarelli

Omar Passera drive for an extra yard

Defense swarming the ball 

QB/Holder surveying the PAT

defense which led to . . .

. . . an audible call and a successful

two point conversion pass

He did that twice in the game.

 WR Roberto Pelusio about to block

 Not a Form Tackle

but it worked this time

Is this formation legal?

 Alessandro Brovelli running the rock

 #11 Tomas Pedotti's TD saving

tackle on a Sarzana kickoff return

Pedotti with a flying QB Sack

Brovelli again

Principi on the tackle

TD catch by Martino Piazzi

QB Omar Passera shaking

hands with Martino after the TD

These two connected for both of the Skorpion TDs today.

Brovelli making a Red Jacket miss

Three Skorpion yards and

a cloud of dust

 Game Day Hammer Award Winner

QB Omar Passera

 Another gang tackle by the Skorpions

 Legs

 Principi on a kickoff return

Ema Della Bosca leaving fallen

Red Jackets in his wake

Della Bosca again

His running, pass catching and blocking were superb today.

 CB Andrea Mara on the tackle

 Brovelli running with an attitude!

Michael Di Losa blocking

Brovelli blocking for Sergio "Rodrigo

Blankenship" Montalbetti

It took several to take "Rodrigo" down

We did do some good things on defense

Just not often enough.

brovelli, Brovelli, BROVELLI!

Three hats to the ball

Some post game scenes . . .

"So I saw that the WB was uncovered,

so of course I called the PAT audible.

It was an obvious call on my part."

Our physiotherapist found no sign

of a brain in Stefano Granelli's head

Pietro Limido checking his

stocks on the Tokyo market

For Nicolas Principi, a knee/thigh

rub down and a beer worked

 OL Coach Leo Pozzato and

DB Coach Pierangelo Aimetti

 Giorgio Nardi

Our do everything GM

Federica Nardi, Santa Barbara Tanella

and a Red Jacket document checker

Federica and Santa Barbara do our stats during the game. Santa Barbara does everything for the team that Giorgio, her mate, doesn't and more.

Pietro Caprioli

Another tireless Skorpion worker bee that is the lifeblood of our program.

Offensive Coordinator Gigi Bravin

and a fat guy

DL Coach Luca Pinto and

Defensive Coordinator Daniele Donati

The Gangs all here!

That is RB Coach Cristian "Bumba" Bianchi with the good looking beard.

We lost the game on Sunday but not the locker room, we'll be back on track soon!