Sunday, April 30, 2023
Thanks to a gracious invitation from long time
friends, Joanne and Paul Sabolic, the four of us were off seeking a fun afternoon in the Sun at "Blue Heaven on Earth," a.k.a., Dodger Stadium.
Now 61 years old, Dodger stadium
still sparkles and awes upon arrival
Of course, the four of us enjoyed a
Dodger Dog and a beverage before
sitting down in our spectacular seats
I was excited because today's game featured two of the National League's traditional powerhouse teams.
The St. Louis Cardinals
11 World Series Championships
19 National League Championships
The Cardinals have won more World Series Championships than any other National League team.
Their 19 NL titles is the third most in NL history.
The 2023 season has been a tough one so far for the Cardinals as they entered the game with a 10-18 record good for fifth place in the NL Central.
The Los Angeles Dodgers
7 World Series Championships
24 National League Championships
The Dodgers rank third in terms of NL clubs winning World Series Championships, trailing the Cardinals (11) and New York/San Francisco Giants (8).
Adding to the agony of being a Dodger fan is those 24 NL Championships, the most by any Senior Circuit club that have only resulted in those seven World Series titles. In second place in terms of all-time National League Championships are those pesky Giants with 23 NL banners in their possession.
The Dodgers have been off to a slow start in 2023. Although they are in first place in the NL West, they were only 15-13 at the start of the game.
L.to R.: George, Laurie, Joanne and Paul
We had a fun afternoon indeed!
The Sabolic's seats were FANTASTIC!
We are extremely grateful to the
Sabolics for letting us tag along
As I said, we had a wonderful time visiting with Paul and Joanne that ended with . . .
A Dodger victory!
Meanwhile, in EuroBall action . . .
Our old team, the Thun Tigers, continue to
roll in Switzerland's top division, the NFLA
The Tigers are now 4-0 on the campaign while the Winterthun Warriors drop to 0-3.
A BIG win for the Varese Skorpions
It is time for our weekly check-in on the Italian Football League where our Skorpions continue to battle for a playoff berth after a rocky start to the 2023 season.
Italian Football League
Week #8 Results
Rhinos (4-2) 19 - Stainless Steel Warriors (0-5) 18
Panthers (4-1) 45 - Frogs (2-3) 19
Skorpions (3-2) 41 - Ducks (2-4) 34
Byes: Guelfi (5-1), Dolphins (4-1) and Mastini (0-5)
Italian Football League
Standings
1. Firenze Guelfi 5-1
2t. Ancona Dolphins 4-1
2t. Parma Panthers 4-1
4. Milano Rhinos 4-2
5. Varese Skorpions 3-2
6. Legnano Frogs 2-3
7. Lazio Ducks 2-4
8t. Emilia Stainless Steel Warriors 0-5
8t. Verona Mastini 0-5
Italian Football League
Week #9 Schedule
May 6-7, 2023
Skorpions (3-2) at Frogs (2-3)
Mastini (0-5) at Guelfi (5-1)
Panthers (4-1) at Dolphins (4-1)
Byes: Rhinos (4-2), Ducks (2-4) and
Stainless Steel Warriors (0-5)
The game between the 4-1 Panthers and 4-1 Dolphins should be a dandy! The winner will have an inside track to a playoff Wild Card Week bye.
As for our beloved Skorpions, what Coach Nick Holt and his staff are accomplishing this season has been historically significant.
At the end of each season, the Division II Champion is offered elevation up to the IFL, Italy's top league of American football. In 2022, the Skorpions won the DII title and happily embraced the competition of IFL play.
In the past ten seasons, only five of the DII Champions have accepted elevation. After wining all of the DII marbles here were the teams' records their first year in the IFL:
2015 Roma Grizzlies 5-5
2017 UTA Forli-Pesaro 2-8
2019 Bologna Warriors 1-7
2021 Milano Rhinos 1-7
2022 Modena Vipers 3-5
2023 Varese Skorpions 3-2 (with 3 games left in the regular season)
Can the Skorpions get to the nearly impossible 5 win mark for newly elevated DII Champions?
I checked with Jacob's Magic 8 Ball and the answer was "All signs point to it."
There you go, five wins plus it is then!
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