BERGAMO GIORNI 20: DEFEAT

FINALLY!

I'M BAAAACK...THE BLOG HAS RETURNED...MY WORLD WIDE FAN BASE IS HAPPY

AH..BUT THE BERGAMO LIONS?

LOSERS OF 3 STRAIGHT..THE LATEST THIS PAST SATURDAY NIGHT IN BOLZANO, ITALIA TO THE BOLZANO GIANTS BY THE SCORE OF 43-40..HEARTBREAKER

                               

                              BOLZANO GIANTS..43-40 WINNERS...UGH!!!

THIS IS THE BERGAMO BLUES

NOW I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A ST. LOUIS RAM..A DETROIT LION..AN OAKLAND RAIDER...

THE SAGES THROUGHOUT TIME HAVE STATED EMPHATICALLY, "DEFEAT ISN'T BITTER IF YOU DON'T SWALLOW IT..".

WE TRIED NOT TO SWALLOW..THAT MUST HAVE BEEN THE REASON THE 3 HOUR BUSRIDE HOME THROUGH THE DOLOMITI MONTAGNI WAS SO QUIET..QUIET AS A CHURCHMOUSE CAUGHT IN THE CATECOMBS OF AN ANTICA BASILICA ITALIANI..IN FACT OUR COLECTIVE PULSE WAS ON THE VERGE OF NEEDING CARDIAC SHOCK TREATMENT

YES, WE ARE ON LIFE SUPPORT...WE ARE INJURED..WE ARE SPLINTERED...WE ARE IN DOUBT...DISARRAY WOULD NOT BE A POOR DESCRIPTION

THIS NOT WHAT JOHN GRISHAM WROTE ABOUT IN PLAYING FOR PIZZA..THIS IS NOT FUN..THIS IS NOT THE EXPERIENCE ANY OF US SIGNED UP FOR WHEN WE STARTED THE SEASON..NO NO NO!

BUT THIS IS SPORT..THIS IS REALITY...THIS IS LIFE..ONE MIMICKS THE OTHER..

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

WHEN I LEFT YOU A SCORSO MESA..WE HAD WON 4 IN A ROW AND WERE HAVING A JOYOUS TIME..HOW DID THE FORTUNES GET OVERTURNED..

I DIGRESS FOR GOOD REASON..WHILE AWAY I WENT TO WORK FOR THE NFLNETWORK IN PREPARATION FOR THE NFL DRAFT..2 WEEKS OF OVERANALYSIS..OVERHYPE...OF MAKING GOOD TV OUT OF THIN AIR..CREATING NEW STARS WHEN WE DON'T HAVE A CLUE ABOUT WHAT LIES IN THE HEART OF AY OF THESE POST TEANAGE ATHLETES.

THATS OK..I ENJOY THE PROCESS...WILL SAM BRADFORD BE MORE TROY AIKMAN..OR MORE DREW BLEDSOE, OR WORSE YET..MORE SIMILAR TO DAVID CARR..NO ONE KNOWS..

FOOTBALL IS UNIQUE IN MANY WAYS...THE MOST UNIQUE BEING THAT IT IS THE ONLY SPORT WHERE NOTHING YOU CAN DO OR ASSIMILATE CAN REPLACE THE SKILL OF PLAYING..IN OTHER WORDS, SAM BRADFORD CAN HAVE A PRIVATE WORKOUT AND COMPLETE 57 OF 59 PASSES AND THE MASSES IN ATTENDANCE CAN BE WOWED...WOWED LIKE THEY WERE WHEN JEFF GEORGE THREW ...WOWED WHEN RYAN LEAF THREW...NONE OF IT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE..HOW ACCURATE ARE THEY WHEN JAMES HARRISON IS AT THEIR THROAT AND WHAT KIND OF DECISIONS DO THE MAKE WHEN JARED ALLEN IS CHASING THEM FOR THEIR ADULT LA VITA..PERIOD!!!THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW IF ANY OF THESE QB'S CAN PLAY..AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PLUM QB THAT CAN DO THESE 2 THINGS THEN YOU CANNOT COMPETE!!!AND THAT GOES FOR EVERY OTHER POSITION ON THE FILED INCLUDING KICKING AND PUNTING..THATS WHY JEFF FEAGLES, MY PUNTER IN PHILLY 18 YEARS AGO, JUST RETIRED AT AGE 44.

THIS GETS ME BACK TO THE BERGAMO LIONS...HOW ARE WE SUCKING THE BERGAMO BLUES??

IT STARTS WITH OUR QB, BRAD VAN PELT..HE HYPEREXTENDED HIS LEFT KNEE AND ROLLED HIS LEFT ANKLE OVER 3 WEEKS AGO..HE IS OUR BEST PLAYER...HE IS ALSO OUR KICKER AND OUR PUNTER AND WITHOUT HIM WE ARE LIKE THE RAMS AND THE RAIDERS..A TRY HARD GROUP WITHOUT THE KEY INGREDIENT.

                              VAN PELT...INJURED....STILL PLAYED

WE HAD SOME SUCCESS WITH CARLO PLAYING QB..ALL OF 20 YEARS OLD AND AN ICREDIBLE ATHLETE HE PLAYED WELL..HE WOULD THROW THE GAMES FIRST TD PASS...MORE ATHLETE THAN QB, LIKE MANY CHOSEN IN THE NFL DRAFT, HE WAS ONCE A NEAR 7 FOOT HIGH JUMPER WHILE ONLY 14 YEARS OLD..ONE OF THE BEST IN ALL OF ITALY WHILE NARY A TEENAGER.

                              CARLO....WOULD THROW GAMES 1ST TD PASS

WE WOULD SUBSTITUTE THE QB WITH THE WILDCAT, SIMILAR TO WHAT THE MIAMI DOLPHINS HAVE DONE WITH GREAT SUCCESS THE LAST TWO SEASON..BRADLEY ROBINSON WOULD PLAY THE ROLE...B-ROB HAS MAD SKILLS..AND WOULD CREATE MANY GOOD PLAYS...UNTIL HE TWEAKED HIS HAMMY IN THE 2ND QUARTER.

VAN PELT WOULD ENTER AND LEAD...ON ONE LEG..WITH A LIMP AND SOME SALTY DETERMINATION  HE HAD A PRETTY GOOD DAY..WE MISSED HIS IMPROVISATION AND EVEN MORE..WE MISSED HIS GAMBA  A DESTRA

WE WOULD OUTSCORE BOLAZANO 6 TD'S AND A FG TO THEIR 6 TD'S..BUT WOULD LOSE 43-40..THE REASON IS WE WOULD CONVERT ONLY 1 MEASELY XTRA POINT TRY ON OUR 6 TD'S..

NO EXCUSES!

BOLAZANO HAS A REPUTATION AS A TEAM TO MIX IN A FEW POWERFUL VITAMINS IN THEIR CIBO...LETS JUST SAY THAT WHILE WE LINEUP TO GET OUR PASSPORTS CHECKED BEFORE THE GAME, WE DO NOT LINE UP AFTERWARDS TO HOLD A CUP IN OUR HAND IN FRONT OF THE URINAL....THE SAME VITAMINS THAT OUR CONGRESS INVESTIGATED WITH THE NAMES OF MARK McGUIRE, RAFAEL PALMEIRO AND ROGER CLEMMONS..NOT TO MENTION THE OVERGROWN FOREHEAD OF BARRY BONDS OR THE POPEYE FOREARMS OF SAMMY SOSA...YOU DO KNOW WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS..SI SI???

              
                            WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS

YET WITH THE ARTIFICIAL STIMULANTS SWALLOWED BY BOLZANO OUR OFFENSIVE LINE PLAYED THEIR BEST GAME..I PENALTY WOULD MAR ALMOST A VIRTUOSO PERFORMANCE...ASSIGNMENTS WERE EXCELLENT..EFFORT WAS EVERYWHERE...ADJUTMENTS WERE HANDLED WITH ALACRITY...AND POISE WAS ON DISPLAY..AS THEIR COACH I WAS PROUD..

                        PEPE...AND THE O-LINE...A NEAR VIRTUOSO

ON DEFENSE WE HAD OUR ASSORTMENT OF ERRORS...WE DRESSED OUR AGED BRIGADE..A PROUD UNIT OF VETERANS WHO MOSTLY ACT AS COACHES NOW DONED THE UNIFORM..FOR ROBERTO AND DAVIDE' AND LUCCA..ALL IN TO THEIR 40'S..THIS IS A PROUD ADN GRITTY UNIT...THEY ONCE WERE THE MIDDLE OF THE LINEUP TAT WON 12 STRAIGHT FOOTBALL AMERICANO LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND A TRIFECTA OF EURO BOWLS..

                      DAVIDE'...PREGAME..WHEN PRIDE STILL MATTERED

ROBERTO IS AMAZING..NOW AT 42 ANNI, AND A WORKER IN A STEEL MILL FOR 8-10 HOURS A DAY..HE IS MADE OF IRON..HIS DAY IS SIMILAR TO THE TROJANS THAT BUILT PITTSBURGH 50 YEARS AGO..HE HAS THE WOUNDS AND THE SCARS AND THE BATTLEFIELD MEMORIES OF THE ACCIDENTS THAT HAPPEN IN A HOT STEEL ZONE...WHEN NOT SAWING RIBBONS OF METAL ALL DAY IS A DOTING FATHER OF TWIN  OTTO ANNI RAGAZZI...FOOTBALL IS HIS RELEASE AND HE WAS OUR BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER ON SATURDAY NIGHT..

                               ROBERTO..42 ANNI...STILL GOTTA A 1ST STEP

NOT LOST ON THE ARTIFICIAL SURFACE OF BOLZANO STADIUM WAS THE INJURY BUG THAT HIT US HARD..BROKEN LEGS AND ROLLED ANKLES AND THIGH BRUISES TOOK THEIR TOLL ALONG WITH OUR PUNCTURED PSYCHE..WE UNLOADED FROM THE BUS AT 3AM LOOKING LIKE A BATTERED FOOTBALL TEAM

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

"HE WHO HAS HEALTH HAS HOPE, AND HE WHO HAS HOPE HAS EVERYTHING."

VAN PELT AT 80 % GIVES US HOPE...T-MAZE AND B-ROB CAN INFLICT INSTANT WOUNDS ON ANY OPPONENT..ROBERTO AND LUCCA AND DAVIDE' WILL PATCH P AND PERFORM AND PLAY WITH ANGER AND PURPOSE

                   B-ROB AND T-MAZE....PLAYMAKERS

THAT IS A START

ALREADY IN THAT PARAGRAGH THEIR IS OPTIMISM..WHEN WE WIN OUR FINAL 4 CONTEST WE WILL LEAVE BELL'ITALIA CHAMPIONS..THAT WAS OUR GOAL WHEN WE ARRIVED OVER 3 MONTHS AGO..IT IS STILL IN OUR GRASP....WE MAY HAVE TO PLAY LIKE SUPERMAN...THE EFFORT HAS TO LIKE THAT OF WILL..HE DRVES 2 HOURS EACH WAY EACH DAY FROM TORINO JUST TO BE A PART OF THE TEAM..AND WHEN HE IS THERE HE IS A DIFFERENCE MAKER

                WILL DA TORINO....GREAT EFFORT AND COMMITTMENT

WHEN WE DO WIN IT ALL, ALL OF THIS LOSING...AND ALL OF THE BLUES..AND ALL OF THE SPLINTERING WILL BE FORGOTTEN...WINNING IS A WONDERFUL DEODORANT

FOR ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN CHECKING IN ON THIS AMAZING BLOG, THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE..I ENJOY WRITING THIS..FOR YOU...WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE IT WOULD FEEL A LITTLE EMPTY..BETTER DAYS ARE COMING..BE PREPARED FOR A MAGIC CARPET RIDE OF A FINISH