Tues.-Mon., July 23-29. 2024
I was not so gently reminded by this blog's #1 Croatian reader that I have been a tad lax in my posting recently, so let's catch up.
Life in Ventura County continued
on its usual slow and easy pace
We celebrated granddaughter Mary's ninth birthday this week by fulfilling her greatest wish.
We adopted a 13 week old kitten
for her to enjoy
She has been more than hinting about a cat for some time now, but there is a slight problem.
Mary's mother is somewhat allergic to cats. Thus we relented to having Mary's new pet live with us.
Mary napping along side
Toby "Socks" Contreras
Jacob loves Toby too
The sacrifices one makes for the love of their grandchildren.
On Saturday, Mary had friends
over for her Birthday Tea Party
Michael served as the "Tea Mum"
Mary picked this photo for
her birthday cake
Opening the presents
Mary was thrilled!
Mary had lots of fun on her
special day to be sure
I made a trip up to Cal Lutheran
University on Tuesday
Their new field was finally
fully installed
I needed to get the plaque on the
right out of the trophy case
The Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame is housed on the second floor of CLU's gymnasium. These two plaques honor the Ventura County residents that have participated either a Summer or Winter Olympics over the many years.
I needed to get the newer one on the right down to add the six new names of our Ventura County athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics that started this week.
Jack and Ryan Brucker at CLU
The plaques were not the only reason for my trip to Cal Lu. The Bruckers were here on a recruiting trip as Jack, who will be a Senior in high school this Fall, continues to explore the role that NCAA DIII athletics may play in his college plans.
Jack is looking to continue to play football and run track after graduation at a four year college.
Camino de Santiago Reunion
In 2010, I walked the 500 mile, 33 day pilgrimage route in northern Spain known as the Camino de Santiago's French Route.
Along the way I met these three wonderful ladies. From left to right in the photo above, Jaime and Jillian, who are both from San Diego, and Julie from Canada.
We walked many long days together enduring hardships, exchanging life stories and sharing meals and a glass of fine red Spanish wine or four daily.
Julie was visiting San Diego this week and the ladies all got together again after all of years. I was planning on joining them but had to pass at the last minute.
DAMN!
The Paris Olympics kicked off
with a somewhat controversial but
still spectacular Opening Ceremony
The only real controversy for me was that it lasted too long.
The graphic comparing USA swimmer Michael Phelps 23 Olympic Gold Medals to other countries was mind boggling.
I attended three of Jacob's Camarillo Stingers Pop Warner practices this past week.
The start of an agility drill with
Jacob in the silver helmet
Jacob carrying the ball
This was on the last practice of the Stingers two weeks of conditioning where all of the organizations teams practice together.
At the end of each of these ten practices the teams all participate in the Stingers Circle which is a five to ten minute exercise rotating between jogging, sprinting, lunges and bear crawls.
On Friday, it was FAMILY
Stingers Circle Day
Thus, Michael, Mary and Vanessa joined Jacob, the Stingers and lots of other family members for some exercise.
Michael trying to catch Mary
I opted to not have a heart attack and took pictures instead.
On Sunday, Jacob attended
a make-up practice
Jacob looking good driving
out of his back peddle
On Monday night, Jacob
caught a lot of passes
He played Cornerback and Wide
Receiver during the scrimmage
portion of Monday's workout
I thought that Jacob had a good practice tonight.
I am greatly impressed by all of his new coaches and their organized practices so far this Summer.
Husky football is just around
the corner!
BIG game in Finland's Maple League
Coach Michael Wood's Helsinki
Roosters did it again!
The Roosters are now in sole possession
of the Maple League lead at 7-1, a full
two games ahead of their closest rivals
with only four games left in the season
If you are going down to Colombia
on August 9-10 and want to watch
their Women's National Team
selection practices, here you go
Flashback to the original 1960 AFL
Los Angeles Chargers home schedule
Fast forward to this year's NFL
Los Angeles Rams schedule
It was fun seeing a post about the history of Arena Football in Southern California.
They lasted only one season
In 1988, the called the now long gone Los Angeles Sports Arena their home and, yes, we attended a game as a family.
This franchise lasted four seasons
The Piranhas were based in Orange County's Arrowhead Pond from 1994 to 1997. Laurie and I attended one of their games too.
The most successful of Arena teams
The Avengers played their home games at the state-of-the-art Staples Center from 2000 to 2008.
Laurie and I attended at least two or three games over their nine year run.
Back to Orange County
The team got its name because two of the principal owners of the club, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, were members of the rock band KISS.
They played the 2014-2016 seasons in Anaheim's re-branded Honda Center, the same building that housed the Anaheim Piranhas from 1994-1997.
I attended one of their EXTREMELY loud games (they were owned by KISS band members after all) in 2015 with Alberto Talavera, the young man from our Spanish team, the Murcia Cobras, who we hosted at Casa Contreras that Summer.
Interesting segue into our weekly
European League of Football updates
I had mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that the Barcelona Dragons, an original member of the ELF under new ownership this year, was having financial troubles. This led to wholesale roster changes in mid-season that was decidedly not a good look for the team or the ELF.
Linebacker Alex Posito is one of Spain's best players and was in his fourth season with the Barcelona club.
I had worked with Alex as a key member of our first two Europe Warriors teams that played games in Mexico City in 2017 and in Chihuahua, Mexico in 2018, as well as with the Brazil Onças National Team Camp in São Paulo in 2022.
I found him to be the type of player that possessed all of the qualities that I look for in a player. A great teammate indeed!
Alex was one on the players released by the Dragons in their financial purge and therein lies the problem.
Alex still wants to play at the highest possible level and thus entered into negotiations with the high-flying, expansion Madrid Bravos. Alex was all in, the Bravos were all in and the Dragons said that they were fine with the transaction.
The deal was not struck though due to a perplexing ELF rule.
The ELF has two categories for European players who play for teams in their native country.
The first category is a broad one for players who are citizens of a team's country, Spain in this case.
The second category is for players who are still citizens of a team's country but reside in the immediate area of their team, in this case the Catalonia region of Spain where Barcelona is located.
If Alex were merely a granted the first category, he would now be playing for Madrid.
Unfortunately, Alex's case puts him into the second category that binds him solely to the Dragons until the end of the 2024 season. Even though the Dragons, Bravos and Alex all agreed to his signing with the Madrid club, this obscure ELF rule will not allow it.
Alex will be free to sign up with the ELF of his choice for the 2025 campaign.
Bureaucracy at its finest.
Time for the ELF's Week #10 results
It was a full slate of games with only
the 4-5 Berlin Thunder having a bye
There is a large chasm between
the top seven on this list and
the bottom ten clubs
Wroclaw's pre-game poster made
no bones about their dominance over
Ferhérvár in their three games to date
More of the same in game four
between the two clubs, as the now
4-5 Panthers dominated the 2-7 Enthroners
The Prague Lions went with the
classics in their Vienna Vikings
pre-game poster
It was not enough, Vienna (10-0) smothered
the Lions (0-9) to no one's surprise
Barcelona's pre-game posters
never disappoint
Same game from a more sedate
Stuttgart point of view
Bet on sedate as it turns out,
the Surge (8-0) added to the
Dragons (2-7) tailspinning misery
Madrid (6-2) continues to impress
in their inaugural season by cruising
past Cologne (3-5)
A solid Paris pre-game poster
for their BIG game against Rhein
Another case of the poster not
living up to the hype, Rhein (9-1)
with a key Western Conference rout
of the Musketeers (6-2)
Munich Ravens everywhere you look
Munich (5-3) boat races a struggling
Milano Seamen squad (3-6)
Switzerland's Helvetic Mercenaries
had their hopes up
But they were dashed in a close
one, Tirol (6-3) outlasted the
Mercenaries (1-8)
Another sedate entry, this time
by the Frankfurt Galaxy for their
game vs. the Hamburg Sea Devils
It worked again, Galaxy (3-5) with a
much needed win over the Sea Devils (2-6)
The first six games were way too
lopsided, not a good look for the
ELF, in my opinion
European League of Football Standings
Western Conference
Rhein Fire 9-1
Madrid Bravos 6-2
Paris Musketeers 6-2
Cologne Centurions 3-5
Frankfurt Galaxy 3-5
Hamburg Sea Devils 2-6
Central Conference
Stuttgart Surge 8-0
Tirol Raiders 6-3
Munich Ravens 5-3
Milano Seamen 3-6
Barcelona Dragons 2-7
Helvetic Mercenaries 1-7
Eastern Conference
Vienna Vikings 10-0
Berlin Thunder 4-5
Wroclaw Panthers 4-5
Fehérvár Enthroners 2-7
Prague Lions 0-9
An abbreviated Week 11 schedule
Saturday, August 3, 2024
Vienna (10-0) at Helvetic (1-7)
Hamburg (2-6) at Madrid (6-2)
Stuttgart (8-0) at Milano (3-6)
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Frankfurt (3-5) at Cologne (3-5)
Paris (6-2) at Berlin (4-5)
Munich (5-3) at Prague (0-9)
ELF Week 11 Byes
Rhein (9-1), Tirol (6-3), Wroclaw (4-5),
Barcelona (2-7) and Ferhérvár (2-7)
It is hard to find a marquee set of match-up this coming weekend in the ELF. The Frankfurt at Cologne game might be competitive though.
Thoughts from the net . . .
100%
I'd be wriggling for sure
A trap of a different sort
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!
I just became a vegan
Well, it would have happened if it wasn't Taco Tuesday.
