Heather Linderman Ad of the Day Contest

Two entrants today, you make the choice by voting on the comment tab below.

Obviously, this one is for the Levi Strauss merchandise that this picture begs you to think about.

Festa Della Donna

This three day festival on March 6-7-8 is a time for the ladies of Catania to go more than just a little crazy as the ad suggestively suggests.

Catania Weekend

Overall, this was a calm weekend in Catania.  The weather improved drastically as we had a lot of sun and with it improved temperatures. 

Saturday morning's view from Malibu for breakfast

Will I ever tire of this view...

... or of this one?

The gorgeous Francesca has moved to Catania from Palermo full time this year and is dating one of our new defensive ends who hails from Palermo.

LET'S HAVE A BIG "YAHOO" FOR THE DEFENSE!!!

Our Saturday practice was another good one, well attended and very competitive.  Our depth at the skill positions on offense is a huge plus.

Andrea Mannino is kicking the ball MUCH BETTER than he did last year at any time.

Defensively we are showing improved vigor with the addition of several talented players who can run to the football.  The coaching that Paul Petrich Jr. (DL) and Larry Atkinson (DB) are providing is really making a huge difference in our progress.  Now all we have to do is stay healthy and keep improving.

Dessert and Wine at the Agora Hostel in Catania

Paul's "Lonely Planet Italy Travel Guide" recommended this restaurant, which is is part of this hostel, for an interesting meal.  Upstairs they have a large covered outdoor bar area for drinks only that was packed.  If you go to their underground area you will find three delightful levels of rooms that serve drinks and food.  Here you see us enjoying a local beverage at the very bottom of the restaurant, 18 meters below street level, next to an underground river.  The ancient Romans used this underground river system as a spa 2,000+ years ago.

Now the reason I'm not sitting across from Paul is that if I did, the back legs of my chair would be about one inch from the four foot cliff that, with Paul's track record, would surely have me going over the falls and into the river!

Speaking of Paul, so far he has inflicted a relatively small amount of carnage in his usual Visigoth-like wake.  Let the record show that to date he has only broken one plate, knocked over one lamp (only the bulb broke) and a slew of instances where he has called people by the wrong name.  On a not so funny note, he managed to lose his camera while I was in Mexico.

If the cast from Seinfeld ever decides to do a reunion show, Jerry could really help himself by including a character based on Paul as the central theme of the episode.  Imagine the ratings and spin-off potential.

The Underground River

Up Close and Personal

The Agora Hostel has GREAT Desserts

I opted for the low calorie sweet ricotta cheese, orange sauce and chocolate syrup dessert with a little chocolate powder sprinkled on the edges to keep my body trim and fit.  It went well with the house red wine.

In Camarillo we have a band called the Grandmas, in Catania we have the Granpa.

Coincidence... I think not!

The Statue of Ferdinand I near the Catania Harbor entrance.

His title was King of Sicily as well as King of Aragon.  Born in 1380, he ruled Sicily from 1412 to 1416 as part of the long line of Spanish based rulers of our proud island.  During his time Catania, not Palermo, served as the island's capitol.

The Spanish lost their claims to Sicily twice.  The first reign of the Aragon Kings lasted from 1285 to 1713 while the second period of Spanish dominantion was the Bourbon dynasty from 1734 to 1848.

Giuseppe Garibaldi led his "Red Shirts" in the Italian Revolution to free what is now Italy from foreign domination.  As a sign of their new found pride, some of the locals proceeded to decapitate the statues of unpopular foreign rulers like Ferdinand I.  Far less bloodless than the French Revolution was to their monarchs but 160+ years later still sending it's message.

Catania's Fish Market, mostly closed on Sunday, still offered up a few interesting sights.

Via Etnea, Catania's main shopping street and a great place to take a Sunday stroll.

While the Fish Market was closed, the Sunday Market in the middle of Catania was wide open for business!

Peruvian Native Music with a not so authentic headdress on the right.

This haunting flute music draws a crowd all over the world, why not in Catania?

I have no idea but I liked their poster!

They played at the ZO Club on January 31st... if I'd only known

Nice Wheels Sicilian Style

Old Men Gathering Near the Harbor

After shopping for fruits, nuts and some clothing for Paul (yes, NEW clothes!) and getting some great deals we ran into these large groups of men playing cards in a park near the harbor.

By the way the park had about four more headless statues... oh, those fun loving "Red Shirts" were at it again!

Some of the men just wanted to sit in the Sun for awhile and watch the world go by.

"So then Jackie O bid four no-trump and I looked at Ari and he says 'Is she crazy or what?'  I discreetly nodded yes, still the dumbest bid I ever saw"

Kids at Play

It may be because the penitent season of Lent starts this week, I'm not sure, but kids all over the city were dressed up in costumes.  Super heroes and cartoon characters were the most popular choices.

For Sale, CHEAP!

Etoile d'Or, one of my favorite places to grab a quick snack, is only a few steps away.

The ageless majesty of old town Catania.

Updates

You may have noticed in the upper left hand corner of this page a new gadget called "FOLLOWERS".  If you are a regular reader of Coaching for Pizza, just click on it to add yourself to this new gadget.

Also you may have noticed that I recently added Eric Slivoskey's blog as a link.  Eric, who lives in North Dakotas, contacted me last fall about trying to catch onto a coaching job in Europe.  I gave him all the advice that I could and he got a job in Finland as the Head Coach of the Seinajoki Crocodiles.  Good luck to Eric and the Crocs this season.

Andrea Bocelli

I really want to see Andrea Bocelli in concert this year and just found out that he is playing in Palermo's Teatro Massimo on March 20 and 22 with our season opener sandwiched in-between on March 21st in Ancona.  Tickets start at $167 USD each and go as high as $535 USD a seat.  How bad do I want this?

James Blunt

James Blunt is playing in nearby Acireale soon, maybe that will be a little easier ticket to absorb, we'll see.

A Quiet Friday

After Thursday's marathon trip to Palermo we opted for a quiet day by first going to the local IPerSimply to re-stock Malibu with fresh provisions.

We had a good 2 1/2 hour staff meeting in the Elephant War Room to discuss various strategies and plan Saturday's practice.  The weather has turned warmer so we should have a good turnout.

After the meeting we cruised the mean streets of Catania...O.K. via Etnea and the Piazza Duomo aren't too dangerous but it sounded good for the blog. 

Antique Carriage in Catania's City Hall Courtyard 

Also on display was a

"TEEPEECAL" Sicilian Peasants Cart

A pub in Catania near the Fundo Bianco, the official team bar of the Elephants

How many Iguana references can I find in a week on two continents?  I think that Debi Murphy may have been pouring drinks but I'm not sure.

Laurie arrives in Catania in

LESS THAN A MONTH!!!

The Ruins of a Roman Amphitheater near the Piazza Duomo

 

We passed these on the way back to the car, it had seating for about 15,000 people back in the day.

Of Palermo, MUMMIES! and the Acireale Carnevale

Thursday, Paul and I loaded up the Ford Fiesta for the two hour drive through the heart of Sicily to visit Palermo and hold an evening practice for the seven Elephants who reside there and can only make the Saturday practice.  We hope that this extra session will pay dividends as the season nears. 

Snow and, no, that's not Mt. Etna

From all reports, this has been one of the coldest winters in the recent memory of our collective teammates.  We saw snow in the mountains all through central and western Sicily on our drive.  If you recall, our Palermo players could not get to practice last Saturday because the freeway was closed due to the snow.

The north coast of Sicily and the Tyrrhenian Sea

Palermo's Eurocalcetto

This is where we will practice in the evening and we made finding it our first priority once we arrived so that we could be sure of being on time for practice at 6:00 p.m.

Does anybody want to go to Dubai with me?

Another reason to visit this faraway and exotic land, the dedication of the new Luciano Pavarotti Tower!

Cool kiosk in Palermo

Trattorria Basile

Paul found the GREAT place in his Lonely Planet Italy guidebook.  It is very unpretentious but serves very good food at incredible prices.  We ordered two bowls of spaghetti, one loaf of bread and one Diet Coke and one Fanta.  The TOTAL price for the two of us was only 7.40 Euros... we'll be back!

Palermo's Teatro Massimo Opera House

Hard to tell from this photo but it is HUGE!

Palermo's Capuchin Catacombs

Finally, after several aborted attempts we found it AND it was open!  I again respected the request for no photography so you will have to be satisfied these pictures of some postcards and the guide booklet I purchased.

These Catacombs were recently featured in National Geographic.  This underground crypt hoses 8,000 mummified bodies of Palermo's upper crust and clergy.  For centuries, people would choose a niche to be placed in before their deaths and thus get a feel for some of their future neighbors.  Upon death, their bodies would be dressed in their best outfit and then be dried out.  Interesting but still a little creepy. 

Warm-up

Our seven players all showed up ON TIME!  We are working with two offensive linemen, two defensive linemen, a running back, a tight end and a defensive back.  An eclectic collection but we got a lot of work done, it was worth the drive.

Paul coaching a 1 on 1 pass rush vs. pass blocking drill.

Carnevale in Acireale

On the way home we stopped in Acireale, only a few miles north of Malibu, to check out their Carnevale celebration.  With Ash Wednesday occurring next week, this is a six day festival leading up to the start of Lent.  We will return for more festivities this weekend I'm sure.

Nutella Crepes are a key part of any pre-Lenten diet.

They are classified as a Health Food after all aren't they?

It's a Small World

During Paul's 22 kilometer walk last week he ran into these two people who are from Finland where Paul once coached and we ran into them again last night at the Ristorante L'Oste Scuro di Vincenzo Fazio in Acireale.

To the left of Paul are Paivi Iivonen with her husband Heikki.  They actually said that they went to a Porvoo Butchers American football game in Finland last season so that means that they saw both Larry Atkinson and Taber LeMarr, Elephants this season, play for their old Finnish team in 2008.

A small world indeed!

P.S. If you want to read a hilarious account of Paul's 22 kilometer walk while I was in Mexico, click onto Jason's blog  If you know Paul, you'll be glad you did.

Great Friti di Mare Spaghetti

Unlike Paul, the "1928" embroidered on my pullover is the founding date of the Brookside Golf Course that surrounds Pasadena, California's Rose Bowl, hence the rose.  Such a date on Paul's clothing usually denotes the year he bought the particular item. 

The disturbing "Candy Man" of the Acireale Carnevale

Elephant WR/DB Taber LeMarr

While we were in Palermo, the final piece of the Elephants American puzzle finally arrived.  Taber grew up in the Phoenix, Arizona area and attended both the University of Wyoming and the University of San Diego before playing a season in Finland.  He will be a major player in the IFL this season.

Nathan Jones, Jason Halverson and David Benson

Who are these three people you ask?  They are the Catania Elephants three newest fans that's who.  How did this happen?

Well it all started with a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call on Tuesday at the Sandos Caracol Resort to get me to the Cancun Airport for a 7:55 a.m. flight to Atlanta.

While in the Atlanta Airport I got connected to the internet in their food court of all places, imagine that.  After about an hour working on the blog and answering long overdue e-mails, these three guys sat down next to me and I overheard them talking about their trip to Catania.  Small world is it not?

From left to right: Nathan, Jason and David

They are three Mormon missionaries who will serve their mission in Catania unless they are transferred to another city in Italy's  south.  They were excited about seeing at least one of our home games... the fan base keeps growing!

"Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!"

You see some interesting sights during a 5 hours layover in Atlanta.  I think they were trying to take NASCAR concepts to a new level.

After a 9 hours and 17 minutes flight from Atlanta to Rome,

I DESERVED A GELATO!

Il Gelato di San Crispino is generally considered the BEST gelato shop in Rome.

After another layover, this time 3 hours and 35 minutes, I finally arrived in Catania at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 26 long hours after that wake-up call in Mexico.

All was fairly smooth and on time except for the Blu-Express "Carry-on Nazi" at Rome's Airport.  First, after ten of us waited in line at the Blu-Express ticket window clearly labeled "CATANIA" but not yet open, he came over to us, asked if we were going to Catania and then gave us this how stupid are you guys look as he directed us to a new ticket window about five stalls to our right.  How dumb were we to line up at the "CATANIA" window? 

Then he had the guy in front of me put his carry-on into one of those boxes near the ticket window that shows you the size of the allowable carry-on.   He did and it stuck out of the top of the box by about two inches... "EEMPOSSIBLE!"  The bag had to go in the plane's cargo hold.

Next came two girls in their early 20's who wanted to check into the flight to Turin which ticketed at this same station until they changed it to "CATANIA" five minutes ago for us.  Apparently, their connecting flight got in late and they were running late but still had 25 minutes before the plane actually took off... "EEMPOSSIBLE!"  The next plane for Turin leaves in three hours, you can catch that one.

Finally, I brought two bags with me, one was full of clothes for Laurie's future use.  Their combined weight was 25 kilos and Blu-Express only allows 15 kilos per person so I'm 10 kilos over the allowable limit which will cost me 7 Euros per kilo. i.e., 70 Euros.  After much haggling he agreed that since a carry-on is allowed to weigh 5 kilos, he would only charge me for the remaining 5 kilos, a charge now down to 35 Euros.  Thank goodness they did not weigh my backpack that must have weighed another 20 kilos.

I have demoted him to Blu-Express "Carry-on Collaborator" due to his softened stance in my situation.  

Wednesday night's practice on a SOFTBALL field???

They have decent grass in their outfield areas and we had a solid practice on a very cold and windy night.  Many of our teammates are saying this has been the coldest winter that they can remember in a long time.

Another sign of Global Cooling.

Heather Linderman Ad of the Day

Seen in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, it is self-explanatory.