Back to School and an AC Milan-Empoli Calcio Game

Friday, 22 February, 2019

I had a thought as I walked towards the Varese train station to meet Dario D'Adelfio for my ride to the local school where we teach immigrant children the basics of American football on Fridays . . .

. . . what if we put surveillance cameras

in the eye sockets of these statues

scattered about the city?

Would that add a new level of intimidation to potential wrongdoers?

Especially if we could get one of these statues to actually swoop down on a perpetrator!

But I digress . . . 

Of importance today were two signs that I am starting to become a local in the neighborhood.

First, when I walked into the Bar Semaforo, the lady behind the bar made me a cappuccino on sight without my saying a word.

That's a bit of progress.

Next, when I strolled into Tonino's, our superb local butcher shop, the man who always waits on me struck up a great conversation informing me about cooking techniques and cooking times for the various cuts of meat that I continually purchase.

The tab for today's cuts of meat came to 10.55€, when I went to pay the bill with the lady who is always stationed at the cash register, she said that 10€ was all she needed.

Now, that's some real progress in the community!

 Before we meet with the kids,

a café is a MUST!

The fact that this is a Sicilian themed bar, that Dario seen entering here is from Palermo and that I coached for two wonderful seasons in Catania had something to do with the high quality of their espresso I'm sure.

Re-energized, we were on to the school where today we brought along a set of shoulder pads and a helmet for our troops to wear for the first time.

TRUE!

What is Marco from Sri Lanka

wearing on his right hand?

 Mehdu from Senegal and

our school contact Luca are both

LOOKING GOOD!

 Lucas is a budding QB known

locally as the Brazilian Mad Bomber

 Yosef is from Tunisia and

is a defensive force on the field

Dario warming-up his arm 

Brian from Ecuador still needs a few

more sessions with his personal QB

coach to get his proper pass trajectory

fundamentals down pat

GREAT effort by WR Marco!

 Lucas has some footwork issues

to iron out as well

 Down-Set- . . .

. . . HUT!

MUCH better footwork by Lucas equalled a TD on this play!

If nothing else, Lucas is coachable.

We all enjoyed another two good, action packed hours teaching American football to these kids who seem to really be enjoying everything that we do.

Mostly, I think, they like being in a positive environment for another 120 minutes a week.

After class, Dario and I headed south, after another café and a dolce at yet another Sicilian bar, to meet up with Pietro Caprioli who is both the Skorpions main go-to guy for everything and our resident mole into the world of AC Milan calcio.

He had procured Curva Sud tickets for us with the most die hard yet refined of AC Milan fans at a ridiculously low price of only 15 Euros.

Of course he knew of a super-secret parking spot close to the famed Stadio San Siro home for both AC Milan and rival club Inter Milan.

The first thing that one sees as you approach San Siro is the many food and merchandise vendors surrounding the Stadio.

Like this one and . . .

. . . this one

Eventually, when we entered San Siro, we would visit the team store. Their prices were high and their selections were no where as varied as these outdoor purveyors of all thing AC Milan.

Stadio San Siro is

MASSIVE!

It holds 80,000 fans

Built in 1926, the first game

held here was a Derby!

Yes, it was AC Milan vs. Inter Milan. I do not know who won that one though.

I was getting hungry walking by

all of these food vendors

But Pietro had a special stand for us that he felt sold the best panini of the lot.

 Here we go!

The Titanium Bar

 The Salamella panini looked good

and tasted GREAT!

Wait, isn't Salamella a deadly disease?

Again, trust Pietro in all things AC Milan related!

 Including buying our much needed

post-panini, pre-game café
at the Titanium Bar

It was time to enter Stadio San Siro at last. We got to the Security Check Point but before being wanded, the young man courteously asked if I had a pacemaker.

VAFANCULO!

That's Italian for no I don't, have a nice evening.

Now, for tonight's Italian Serie A contest's details

Empoli FC from Florence

5 wins - 6 ties - 13 losses

21 Team Points

17th place in Serie A out of 20 clubs

at

AC Milan
11 wins - 9 ties - 4 losses
42 Team Points
Fourth place in Serie A

We were in the Curva Sud

home to AC Milan's most die hard

but not too rowdy fans

During introductions of the

AC Milan starting eleven

Trust me, once the game started, there was another finger that was often displayed when the referee whose last name I believe was Merda and was well known by all the fans around us.

Let the game begin!

It was surprisingly 0-0 at halftime as AC Milan was playing down to the level of their competition.

In the second half, Head Coach

Gennaro Gattuso got the team's attention

and a 3-0 victory was the result

The real key to the second half turn
of events was being joined by Skorpions'
Strong Safety Giulio Bonfanti

I'm not sure if was his mere presence with us for the final 45 minutes of the game or if it was the delicious panzerotti he brought us to eat or, perhaps, both that brought about the exact karma that AC Milan needed for the win, but a dominating second half win it was!

L. to R.: Dario D'Adelfio, yours truly

and Pietro Caprioli

The traditional post-game GRAZIE

to the Curva Sud crowd by a

victorious AC Milan team

There is a hot rumor going around Lombardia . . .

The New York Giants splendid

WR, Odell Beckham Jr. has been

spotted in Milan

Many believe that he is here to talk with the Skorpions about playing for us this year after his expedited Italian citizenship papers are approved next Tuesday.

I have been advised by the Skorpions' lawyers not to discuss the matter at this time.