bergamo giorni 1

CIAO AMICI

WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH IS THE BALDY DOING IN BERGAMO, ITALY?...FINE QUESTION TO START THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS NEW BLOG..SO I ANSWER MY OWN QUESTION WITH THIS ANSWER...I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED FOOTBALL AND ITALY..THIS SPRING I GOT A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO COMBINE THEM BY SAYING YES TO A GOOD FRIENDS REQUEST TO COME HELP HIM COACH THE BERGAMO LIONS IN THE ITALIAN PROFESSIONSL FOOTBALL LEAGUE OF ITALY..YES THEY PLAY AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN ITALY..NO IT IS NOT FUTBOL..REAL AMERICAN FOOTBALL

MY FRIEND IS DOUG COSBIE..THE 10 YEAR VETERAN AND PRO-BOWL TIGHT END FROM THE DALLAS COWBOYS..FOR YOU SERIOUS FANS HE WORE #84 AND CAME FROM SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA..AFTER LEAVING TOM LANDRY AND SOME GREAT COWBOY TEAMS HE LEFT PRO FOOTBALL TO COACH WITH BILL WALSH AT STANFORD AND THEN AT CAL-BERKLEY AND ONTO MENLO COLLEGE AND THEN TO THE HIGH SCHOOL RANKS IN SACRAMENTO...BUT A FATHER OF 5 AND SHERRI, HIS WIFE BY HIS SIDE THROUGHOUT, HE THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE AND TO HAVE SOME FUN

JOHN GRISHAM'S NOVEL, "PLAYING FOR PIZZA"..WAS THE CATALYST..A FICTIONAL TALE BASED ON A REAL TEAM, THE PARMA PANTHERS WHERE A FALLEN NFL HERO HAS NO WHERE ELSE TO PLAY AFTER WEARING OUT HIS WELCOME AT A NUMBER OF NFL STOPS...AT THE BEQUEST OF HIS SUPER AGENT, THE ONLY PLACE LEFT TO PLAY IS IN PARMA, ITALY..GREAT 2 DAY READ THAT TITILATED DOUG AND MYSELF....COS INQUIRED ABOUT AN OPENING IN ITALY..AS FRIENDS HE INFORMED ME OF HIS INTENTIONS..I TACITLY AGREED THAT IF HE GOT THE JOB I WOULD COME AND BE HIS WINGMAN COACHING THE OFFENSIVE LINE

HERE WE ARE..BERGAMO LIES NORTH AND EAST OF MILANO..A WOMAN'S DREAM TO SHOP IN THE FINIEST BOUTIQUES IN THE WORLD FOR THE FINEST FASHIONS IN THE WORLD..WE LIE BETWEEN THE WORLD REKNOWN NORTHERN ITALIAN LAKES OF COMO AND D'ISEO...AND ON A CLEAR DAY THE STUNNING BEAUTY OF THE SNOWCAPPED ALPS LOOK LIKE THEY WERE APINTED AAS A BACKDROP

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO AL GORE'S GLOBAL WARMING THEORIES?...THROUGHOUT THE USA, RECORD SNOWFALLS ON THE EASTERN SEABOARDS AND AS FAR SOUTH AS DALLAS, TEXAS..IN NORTHERN ITALIA RECORD COLD TEMPPS RUIN THE SUNNY DISPOSITION OF FABULUS FUN AND OUTGOING PEOPLE..ALONG WITH THE COLD TEMPS ARE RECORD AMOUNTS OF RAIN..AND GREY..AND BLAHS

EXCEPT MY NEW FRIENDS, OF MY NEW TEAMMATES OF THE BERGAMO LIONS..WE ARE IN WNTER TRAINING FOR A SEASON THAT BEGINS MARCH 14TH AGAINST THE GRISHAM MADE FAMOUS PARMA PANTHERS..OH WE WILL BE READY!!!

TONIGHT ON A TURF FIELD NORMALLY BELONGING TO THE LOCAL RUGBY TEAM WE PRACTICED IN A MIX OF SLLET AND RAIN FROM 9-11 PM WITH LITTLE OR NO LIGHTS IN FULL PADS AND HAD A SPIRITED PRACTICE..FULL OF PEPE AND BOUNCE
WHY?

THESE PLAYERS FELL IN LOVE WITH THE AMERICAN GAME..SOME ARE COACHES LIKE DAN AND ROBERT: NOW IN THEIR 40'S...SLOWED BY INJURIES AND SURGERIES AND MOTHER NATURE..BUT AFTER WORKING A FULL DAYTIME JOB THEY SHOW UP TO COACH THE NEXT CROP...WISHING THEY COULD STILL SUIT UP AND HIT SOMEONE AND ENJOY THE COMRADERIE THAT MAKES THE GAME SO UNIQUE AND SPECIAL TO ALL WHO HAVE PLAYED..AND BEFORE  SEASON END THE DAILY TRIPS TO THE GYM TO PRESERVE WHATEVER IS LEFT OF THEIR YOUT COULD GET THEM ON A FIELD TO TRY AND WIN YET ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE PROUD BERGAMO LIONS

TONIGHT WAS SPECIAL BECAUSE WE WELCOMED A NEW PLAYER..EACH TEAM IS ALLOWED 3 AMERICAN PLAYERS..THE LIONS FLEW FROM DALLAS TEXAS TODAY...FRANK...YOUNG..ATHLETIC..TALENTED..HEAVILY JETLAGGED..AND COMPLETELY UNSURE WHAT HE WAS GETTING INTO..ONCE FITTED FOR HIS UNIFORM, HE WAS QUICKLY INTRODUCED TO THE XISTING TEAM WITH A TEAM CHEER PRACTICE IN COLD WET DARK CONDITIONS BEGAN

IT ENDED AT A LOCAL PIZZERIA WHERE THE LOCAL BEER AND PIZZA FLOWED AND WAS CHOWED..MOSTLY TO MAKE FRANK FEEL COMFORTABLE..WANTED...TO MAKE HIM PART OF THE UNITED TEAM..

ITS EARLY..FACES ARE NEW...THE SEASON IS A MONTH AWAY...YET THE ANTICIPATION IS UPON US..

WHAT I REALIZE IS THIS..THESE PLAYERS LOVE PUTTING THE UNIFORM ON ; AND WITH IT, IS A LICENSE TO HIT...AMERICANS LOVE TO WATCH..SOME LIKE TO PLAY..MANY HAVE COME TO APPRECIATE...BUT THE ITALIANS DO IT FOR THE RIGHT TO HAVE FUN AND CRASH INTO AN OPPONENT

CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT UPDATE..STAY TUNED..REALITY TV SHOW AND MANY OTHER SURPRISES ARE HERE TO FOLLOW