bergamo giorni 5; fa bel tempo

THE WEATHER SUCKS....IN ITALIAN...FA BEL TEMPO...THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO SAY IT...YESTERDAY WAS THE WORST..WET, DAMP, DRIZZLING, RAINING, GREY, MISERABLE....ADJECTIVES DO NOT DESCRIBE.

THE KIND OF DAY WHERE IF THE BUSIEST OF PEOPLE LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND SAY..."YOU KNOW..GOOD DAY TO CALL IN SICK"...AND THEN THEY PROCEED TO CRAWL BACK UNDER THE COVERS AND SLEEP UNTIL THEIR BODY ACHES...IF YOU COULD ORDER IN CHICKEN SOUP THAT WOULD BE AS MUCH LABOR AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO EXERT.

BUT IN THE WORLD OF PRO-FOOTBALL, LIKE THE US MARINES, "IT NEVER RAINS ON THE RIFLE RANGE"..IN RAIN SNOW OR SUNSHINE..THE WORK MUST GO ON.

THE BERGAMO LIONS PRACTICE AT NIGHT....LATE AT NIGHT...FROM 9-11 PM UNDER ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS...MOSTLY BECAUSE THE PLAYERS ALL WORK AT OTHER JOBS OR ARE IN SCHOOL...SO THEY COME HOME..HAVE A SHORT LA CENA...PLAY WITH THEIR BAMBINI(IN SOME CASES) AND THEN COME TO THEIR SECOND JOB..PLAYING AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN BERGAMO.

IT IS A LOT TO ASK...AND AS AMERICAN COACHES IT IS FRUSTRATING WHEN WE CAN NOT GET 100% ATTENDANCE..IN FACT IN THE 10 DAYS I HAVE BEEN HERE WE HAVE NEVER HAD THE ENTIRE TEAM SHOW UP FOR PRACTICE

SO WHEN WE EMBARKED FOR THE PRACTICE FIELDS YESTERDAY THE WAETHER AND OTHER CONDITIONS HAD ME IN TE DUMPS..GROUCHY..MISERABLE...VAFFANCULO...FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF: I WAS HOPING THE ESPIRIT DE CORPS COULD PICK ME UP.

IT WAS AS IF EVEYONE HAD A CASE OF THE BLUES..NOT A GOOD PRACTICE SESSION.

A BIG PART OF THE PROBLEM IS WEATHER RELATED..OUR 1 PRACTICE FIELD LOOKS LIKE A RICE PADDY THAT HAS BEEN OVERUSED..ON ONE SIDE OF US IS A PERFECTLY MANICURED, PROPERLY CARED FOR RUGBY FIELD...WE COLLECTIVELY DROOL AT THAT FIELD NEARLY EVERY NIGHT...WOW!..HOW NICE WOULD THAT BE TO PLAY ON WHAT LOOKS LIKE "AUGUSTA NATIONAL "...ON THE OTHER SIDE IS A SHORTENED ASTROTURF FILED WITH NO LIGHTS...NOT IDEAL FOR DO ANYTHING, BUT IS SERVICEABLE IF NEEDED.

OUR FIRST DECISION LAST NIGHT WAS WHAT FIELD WOULD WE EXERCISE ON..THE RICE PADDY OR THE SHORTENED UNLIT ASTRO-ROCK SURFACE?

WE OPTED FOR THE RICE PADDY...FOOTBALL CANNOT BE PLAYED OR PRACTICED ON SKATES..IT DOESN'T TRANSLATE..ARE THE GUYS IN SLOW MOTION?...DO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING?...IS THAT AS FULL SPEED AS THEY CAN GO?...ALL QUESTIONS THAT THE COACHES WERE ASKING AS WE SLOPPED THROUGH THE MESS.

MY GROUP ARE THE "HOGS"..OFFENSIVE LINEMAN LOOK LIKE THEY SHOULD ENJOY ROLLING AROUND IN SLOP...AND MY GROUP TRULY DO..OUR RIGHT GUARD, CHRISTIAN, LOOKED AT ME BEFORE WE COMINCIATI, AND SAID TO ME, "YOU ARE NOT RIGHT!!!"..BUT I MANAGED TO FIND A SMALL PATCH OF D'ERBA..TO GO PARTLY GRAZE ON AND PARTLY SLOP THROUGH 45 MINUTES OF INDIVIDUAL DRILLS...WE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING..

COACH COS.WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE PERFORMANCE..HE LET THE TEAM KNOW AFTER PRACTICE..IT WAS THE RIGHT WORDS AND THE RIGHT SPEECH...IN LOMBARDI'S DAY OR PARCELLS' ERA, THEY SIMPLY WOULD HAVE DONE ONE OF TWO THINGS...EITHER THEY WOULD HAVE SAID TO GO HIT THE SHOWERS..."I AM SICK OF LOOKING AT YOU BASTARDS"...OR THEY WOULD HAVE SAID..."GO HIT THE LOCKERROOMS..SHOWER..PUT THE STINKNG SMELLING UNI'S BACK ON AND LETS START ALL OVER AGAIN."

BUT ITS ITALY, AND ITS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD..TOMORROW IN ITALY IS CALLED DOMANI..THERE IS ALWAYS DOMANI..EXCEPT THAT WE HAVE OFF ON TUESDAY AND DON'T PRACTICE UNTIL WEDNESDAY...SO ITS DOPODOMANI..THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW...FULL PADS...FULL SCRIMMAGE..GOING TO BE ROUGH..GOING TO FEEL LIKE A REAL 2-A-DAYS PRACTICE..YEAH MAN!!

LETS HOPE THE WEATHER COOPERATES