Wed.-Tue., June 9-15, 2021
The week started off with a simple message via WhatsApp from two of the best men I've met during my many years in evolved in EuroBall.
Who were these two men you ask and why did they so urgently need to talk to me?
Well, the who question is easy to answer, the why one much more convoluted.
Bart Iaccarino was one of the two
I coached against Bart's DI team in Italy when he was playing for the Bologna Warriors and I was coaching the Catania Elephants back in 2009 but I really didn't know him at that time.
In 2015, we were both coaching teams in Spain's DII. Bart was with the Reus Imperials who would go undefeated on the way to the National Championship that season. I was with the Murcia's Cobras. We became good friends that season and have helped each other since then while coaching the five Europe Warriors games in Mexico and Austria. Additionally, Bart was the spearhead behind the Venom Camp held in Varese in 2019 with the Chicago Bears coaching staff.
Bart has boundless energy and passion when in comes to American football.
Jesús Sánchez was the other one
In 2015, Jesús was coaching Spain's Gijón Mariners to the DIII National Championship and we met him in Gijón while doing our grand Circumnavigation of the Iberian Peninsula.
I joined him in the Fall of 2016 in Madrid when he became the new Head Coach of the DI Osos Rivas club. I was hired for a two month stint to help coach the coaches and teach fundamentals to the Offensive Linemen at all levels of the Osos' programs.
Jesús is also a cornerstone of the Europe Warriors program.
Now as to the reason for our needing to meet, I suspected that it had to do with their latest project together but I had no idea about what exactly.
So what is their latest intriguing, groundbreaking exploit in the EuroBall world?
It is the revival of this old NFL
Europe club in a new professional
league that kicks-off the Summer
The Dragons are part of the brand new European League of Football (ELF) that includes eight teams in their inaugural campaign, six in Germany and one each in Poland and Spain.
The teams have been split into
two divisions and will each play
a ten game regular season over 12 weeks
As you can see, the Dragons are
the far southern outlier in the ELF
2021 Barcelona Dragons Schedule
June 19 vs. Stuttgart Surge
June 27 at Cologne Centurians
July 3 vs. Hamburg Sea Devils
July 10 - BYE
July 18 at Frankfort Galaxy
July 24 vs. Berlin Thunder
July 31 at Hamburg Sea Devils
August 7 vs. Cologne Centurians
August 15 at Stuttgart Surge
August 22 at Berlin Thunder
August 28 vs. Frankfort Galaxy
September 5 - BYE
No games against either the
Leipzig Kings or the Wroclaw Panther
So, what did these two rascals want?
Why simply to make an offer that I could not refuse.
Almost.
In an awesome gesture on their part, they wanted me to come and join them to help out with the Dragons project this Summer.
Their request caught me totally off guard but I have had these lyrics from Journey's Don't Stop Believin' rolling around in my brain for months now:
Workin' hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice
Just one more time . . .
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on, and on and on
I said that I would have to talk it over with Laurie but I knew that I wanted to say yes.
Her reaction upon returning to the house from a trip to the market and hearing about the proposition was a quick, positive "Yes!"
So I quickly got back to Bart and Jesús and told them I was coming!
Then I started to really think about the ramifications of the decision.
Not being with Laurie on the day of our 50th wedding anniversary was not a good idea. Neither was missing grandchildren Kevin and Mary's birthdays. My soon to be 97 year old Mother and her health concerns was yet another factor to consider.
Two days after saying yes, I had to tell them that I'd decided not to accept their offer.
A Summer in the Barcelona area would have been amazing but so are the joys of being with family.
Gracias Bart and Jesús!
Now for news from the Covid-19 abbreviated season in Italy . . .
Now competing in DIII, our
beloved Catania Elephants won again
Next up for the 4-0 Elephants will be an opening round game in the 16 team DIII playoffs against the 3-1 Predatori GDT club from Chiavari in Liguria.
The Varese Skorpions did it again!
A perfect 6-0 regular season and . . .
. . . the Number One Seed in the
eight team Italian DII playoffs
#8 Sarzana Red Jackets (3-3)
at
#1 Varese Skorpions (6-0)
Saturday, June 26
Great times indeed for the Skorpions!
Friends of ours were heading to Hawaii for two week early this morning and I offered to drive them to LAX at "Zero Dark 30."
On the way home I decided to start my daily walk in a new venue.
Does this clue give you a hint?
How about this robust,
sun worshipping goddess?
Yes indeed, I stopped at Venice Beach
to walk along their famed boardwalk
before it got too hot
I headed north along the beach for about a mile.
I do but I don't want to live there
Interesting
Caught my eye but they didn't
open for another two hours
When I got to this sign,
it was time to head back
Venice Beach is overrun by
homeless camps
Venice Beach is a hotbed for
many social issues
I was getting hungry but only coffee shops ala Starbucks were open and I wanted a solid breakfast.
I kept walking and looking . . .
EUREKA, I FOUND IT!
The Eggslut's bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on an excellent brioche bun was perfect!
Reading Is FUNdamental
This was the most important, thought
provoking non-fiction book that
I have read in years
Everyone should read this worthwhile tome and digest it thoroughly this Summer in my opinion.
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