AFTER THE SEASON FINISHED I WAS APPROACHED BY OUR PRO-BOWL WIDE RECEIVER, DREW PEARSON, TO COME PLAY ON THE COWBOYS OFF-SEASON TRAVELLING BASKETBALL TEAM..DREW WAS THE COACH AND ORGANIZER..BEING A BASKETBALL JUNKIE I JUMPED AT THE OPPORTUNITY.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I HAD GOTTEN INTO..IN SUMMATION WE WOULD PLAY 48 GAMES IN FAR AWAY PLACES LIKE FORT DODGE, IOWA; LONGWOOD TEXAS; NORMAN, OKLAHOMA; AND LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO..IT WAS FUN..IT WAS GOOD CONDITIONING...IT WAS COMPETITIVE..I ALSO FOUND OUT JUST HOW BIG THE NFL WAS WHEN WE WOULD PULL INTO SMALL RURAL TOWNS AND THE TOWN WOULD STOP TO ACCOMODATE.
OH YEAH, WE GOT PAID...THAT DAY...IN CASH...SOMETIMES AS MUCH AS $700 FOR A GAME..IN GAMES IN IOWA VS THE HARLEM WIZARDS WE PLAYED A DOUBLE HEADER..TO A GUY WHO EARNED THE NFL MINIMUM SALARY, THIS WAS LIKE WINNING LOTTO..
BUT BY FAR THE MOST MEMORABLE WEEK OF OUR SEASON CAME WHEN WE WOULD PLAY THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS ON A 6 GAME IN 7 NIGHTS BARNSTORMING TOUR THROUGH TEXAS...HERE IS THE BEST PART..WE MET AT DFW AIRPORT IN DALLAS, TEXAS AND STEPPED INTO AN OLD FASHIONED YELLOW SCHOOL BUS AND HEADED TO AMARILLO, TEXAS..IN THE PANHANDLE TO PLAY OUR FIRST GAME
YES..VERO!!."TOO TALL" JONES,TONY DORSET, DREW PEARSON, TONY HILL, RON SPRINGS, MYSELF AND OTHERS SIDE BY SIDE WITH A DOZEN REDSKINS LEAD BY ART MONK, GARY CLARK, MONTE COLEMAN, AND DARRELL GREEN..2 DOZEN PLAYERS FROM THE COWBOYS AND REDSKINS..MORTAL ENEMIES, SHARING A YELLOW SCHOOL BUS FOR ONE WEEK PLAYING CHARITY BASKETBALL GAMES TO SOLD OUT VENUES IN AMARILLO...ABILENE...LUBBOCK...AUSTIN..SAN ANTONIO...WE SOLD OUT THE HEMISPHERE ARENA IN SAN ANTONIO AND AFTER I HIT THE GAME WINNER, THE FANS BEGAN TO LEAVE THE ARENA PRIOR TO THE SPURS TAKING THE FLOOR.
NOW THATS OLD SCHOOL..THE TYPE OF COMRADERIE THAT NO LONGER EXISTS IN THE NFL...AFTER THE GAMES WE WOULD ALL GO OUT TOGETHER AND ENJOY THE EVENING..SOMETIMES THE EVENING BECAME MORNING...BUT WHEN THAT SCHOOL BUS PULLED OUT THE NEXT DAY WE HAD 24 NFL PLAYERS ROLLING DOWN EMPTY TEXAS HGHWAYS...TUMBLEWEEDS AND NFL SUPERSTARS. WHAT A COMBINATION...WHAT A SIGHT..
FEW OF US BECAME WEALTHY...MOST OF US NEEDED THE ADDED INCOME FROM THE BARNSTORMING TOUR..BUT WOW, DID WE HAVE FUN..WE WOULD LATER IN THE SPRING DO A SIMILAR, BUT SMALLER TOUR IN THE VIRGINIA/DC AREA..
I MENTION THIS YARN BECAUSE OUTSIDE OF RETELLING STORIES OF THE "GOOD OLE DAYS, I DON'T SEE THAT SIDE OF THE NFL ANY MORE..NOT TO THAT DEGREE.
BUT I SEE IT AND FEEL IT HERE IN BERGAMAO WITH THE LIONS...IN FRENCH.."ESPIRIT DE CORPS"..IN ITALIAN.."SPIRITO DI SQUADRA"
IN THE 12 PRACTICES I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR IT HAS RAINED MISERABLY FOR NO LESS THAN 9 OF THE PRACTICES..THIS PAST WED AND THURS NIGHTS THE TEMPERATURES DROPPED DOWN TO THE MID-30'S...AND THE ONE FIELD WE HAVE IS .WET, THICK MUD..THE GRASS IS GONE...PUDDLES HAVE FORMED..IT IS BEYOND GROUNDHOG DAY..OUR STANDING JOKE IS...TIME TO PRACTICE..MUST BE RAINING..AND PIOGGI NORMALLY INSIEMI
I HAVE YET TO HEAR ONE GRIPE FROM ANY ITALIAN PLAYER OR ITALIANI COACH..INSTEAD OF BITCHING THEY LAUGH..
YOU SEE, THIS IS PROFESSIONSAL FOOTBALL TO THE ITALIANS, BUT ITS NOT ABOUT MONEY..IN FACT THEY DON'T DRAW A SALARY..THEY PLAY STRICTLY FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME.
WE PRACTICE UNDER THE LIGHTS AT 9 PM AT NIGHT..ANY EARLIER AND SOME OF THEM WOULD NOT BE HOME FROM WORK, OR FINISHED WITH SCHOOL YET...OR HAVE TO PUT THEIR BAMBOLINI A DI LETTO..SO FROM 9-11 WE PRACTICE...GUYS SHUFFLE IN AND IN MNUTES HAVE CHANGED FROM CIVILIAN VESTI TO FOOTBALL PLAYERS...THEY SEEM IMPERVIOUS TO THE TBRUTTA TEMPO..RAIN/COLD/MUD...THEY WANT TO BE THERE..THEY WANT TO PLAY..THEY WANT TO WIN...CAN'T CHANGE THE WEATHER OR CONDITIONS SO WHY GRIPE?
COACH COS IN THE COLD SLEET RAINY CONDITIONS
I GIVE MY 2 ITALIAN COACHES LOTS OF CREDIT..ROBERTO AND DAVIDE'..THEY START UP AND PEP UP COS AND MYSELF IN A NEW TRADITION WE CALL.."HAPPY DAY HOUR"..WE HAVE A SHOT OF ESPRESSO MIXED WITH A SHOT OF GRAPPA AND AWAY WE GO..HEAD DOWN..FLAPS UP..WHISTLES BLOWING..TIME TO GET THE LIONS READY FOR ANOTHER PRACTICE..
ESPRESSO AND GRAPPA..."HAPPY DAY HOUR"...
MY RIGHT GUARD, IS CHRISTIAN, WHO OWNS A SNOWBOARD COMPANY AND CLOTHING COMPANY CALLED "BASTARD"..HE IS SOMEWHAT OF A CELEBRITY IN ITALY BECAUSE HE DOES COMMENTATING FOR SNOWBOARD COMPETITIONS ON TELEVISIONE AND IS AFFECTIONATELY CALLED "GROSS"..GERMAN FOR BIG...HE IS PLAYING HIS 25TH YEAR OF FOOTBALL..STARTED AT THE JUNIOR LEVEL WHEN HE WAS 14..NOW ALMOST 40, HE ISN'T READY TO GIVE IT UP..
GROSS HOLDING COURT AT FUORIROTTA
CHRISTIAN AND OTHERS CAN'T GIVE IT UP FOR THE SAME REASONS THAT NFL PLAYERS HAVE A HARD TIME MOVING ON...HELLO BRETT!!!ITS THE COMRADERIE..ITS THE FUN IN THE LOCKERROOM..ITS THE SPIRITO DI SQUADRA THAT PERMEATES THIS GROUP WHEN THEY PUT THE UNIFORM ON...AND THEY WANT TO BE WORKED HARD...AND THEY WANT TO BE AROUND GUYS LIKE COS AND MYSELF WHO KNOW A LITTLE ABOUT THE GAME AND CAN IMPROVE THEIR KLNOWLEDGE OF THE GAME
BUT AFTERWARDS WE MEET EVERY THURSDAY AT OUR FAVORITE LATE NIGHT PIZZERIA, FUORIROTTA..SERVICIO IS AMAZING HERE..MOMENTO DOPO ARRVIAMO BIRRA AND PIZZA ARE DELLA TAVOLA...AND SLOWLY THE SQUADRA WONDER IN...NORMALLY YOU HEAR THE LAUGHTER BEFORE YOU SEE THE "GROSS" BODIES..SOME OF THE LEADERS ARE DEMANDING A FULL TEAM TURNOUT THIS THURSDAY, 3 DAYS BEFORE WE INIZIA THE SEASON AGAINST THE DESPISED PARMA PANTHERS
DJ...MARIO...VP..COS...PIETRO....WINDING IT DOWN
CONVERSAZIONE AND BEBENDI CAN GO HOURS INTO DA SERA OR UNTIL ALL OF THE CHAIRS HAVE BEEN PLACED ON TOP OF THE TABLES AND THE SERVERS WAITING WITH BLANK STARES OFFER UP HINTS THAT ITS TIME TO WIND DOWN ANOTHER SESSION..
WHAT MORE CAN SOME FIRST YEAR COACHES ASK FOR FROM ANY TEAM?...WANNA WORK, DON'T BITCH, LIKE EACH OTHER, AND HAVE A COLLECTIVE GOAL THAT THEY WANT TO ACHIEVE?
I REMIND READERS OF THIS WORLD FAMOUS BLOG THAT ITALIA DID WIN THE COPA DE MONDE JUST 4 SHORT YEARS AGO..THE BLUE SHRTS PLAYED GREAT TEAM CALCIO THAT YEAR AND IT UNIFIED THE PEOPLE OF ITALY TO A NEW LEVEL..WELL THE CUP QUALIFYING FRIENDLIES WERE BEING PLAYED THIS WEEK..IN FACT ITALY PLAYED CAMEROON IN MONACO ON WEDNESDAY, SIMULTANEOUSLY TO OUR MERCOLEDI SERA PRACTICE..I WAS CURIOUS IF WE WOULD HAVE A LOT OF NO SHOWS..IN FACT IN A NONSTOP SLEETING FREEZING DRIZZLE WE HAD A GREAT TURNOUT UP AGAINST THE ITALIA FRENDLY..WHEN I ASKED SOME PLAYERS WHY THEY WEREN'T WATCHING LIKE THE REST OF THE PAESE...THE UNIFIED RESPONSE WAS...MUCH LIKE AN AMERICAN RESPONSE..."F**K SOCCER"!!!!GOTTA LOVE IT
WE HAVEN'T MUCH TIME BEFORE GAME 1..NOT SURE THAT WE WILL BE READY WITH THE WEATHER BEING A CONSTANT PROBLEM..ONE THING I AM SURE OF THOUGH..WE WILL HAVE NO ISSUE GETTING OUR GUYS READY TO PLAY, AND READY TO PLAY TOGETHER
BALDI..AND..COACH DON...AFTER HAPPY DAY HOUR
NO NO..THE SPIRITO DI SQUADRA IS ALOT LIKE OUR OLD NFL DAYS IN A YELLOW SCHOOL BUS BARNSTORMING THROUGH TEXAS...WE ARE HERE FOR THE LOVE..A TRUE LOVE OF THE GAME
AMEN TO THAT!!!
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