Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Catania vs. Milan
Game Highlights
Catania Elephants vs. Milan Rhinos
It takes a minute or two to buffer so might need to be patient!
Catania Elephants vs. Milan Rhinos
It takes a minute or two to buffer so might need to be patient!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Photo's Galore!!
PICS FROM CATANIA - Includes a few from when Monte and Tony were here
MONTE AND TONY TOUR SICILY - Contains pictures of a BBQ, and Trips to Aci Costello & Taormina
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Past month and a half
Since February 21st :
I have been to Rome, Twice! It was an amazing experience both times, but it was really cool to experience it with Monte, Tony, and Brandon.
Monte and Tony came to visit:
They showed up the day of the scrimmage. I was sooo stinking happy to see my bro for the first time since January. We had a full week and made some great memories. We had laid back nights in Catania and crazy nights in Rome, but all were just as memorable.
While here in Sicily, we made them eat like us. Typical Cannoli, Jonathan's Panino, lot's of eggs (15 to be exact), and, oh yea, the early morning cappuccino after a red-eyed train ride from Rome.
Scrimmaged the Palermo Sharks:
New Roommate:
Since February 21st :
I have been to Rome, Twice! It was an amazing experience both times, but it was really cool to experience it with Monte, Tony, and Brandon.
Monte and Tony came to visit:
They showed up the day of the scrimmage. I was sooo stinking happy to see my bro for the first time since January. We had a full week and made some great memories. We had laid back nights in Catania and crazy nights in Rome, but all were just as memorable.
While here in Sicily, we made them eat like us. Typical Cannoli, Jonathan's Panino, lot's of eggs (15 to be exact), and, oh yea, the early morning cappuccino after a red-eyed train ride from Rome.
My favorite part of Rome was seeing there faces when we walked out of the train station at the base of the Colloseum. We visited every main site in Rome, but that was definitely the most enjoyable. Vatican City was very enjoyable too. We decided to take the tour of the Museum, so we saw and learned a ton about the Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s paintings, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Catacomb (where the past Pope‘s are buried), and even climbed the 551 steps to the top of the Basilica (my second time to do this) . Needless to say we were definitely sleep deprived at the end of their visit but the times we had together were priceless. I was pretty bummed to see them get on that plane to go back.
The Opera:
I went to the Opera at the Theatre Mossimo Bellini. I saw Il trovatore. Brandon and I put on our finest threads (actually had to borrow clothes from our teammates because the nicest shirt I brought was a Hollister button down) and we felt like VIP as we were escorted to our box seats. We enthusiastically waited for the opera to begin, then once the lights went out so did Brandon. I noticed him taking a power nap half way through the first Act as I was fighting it off myself. Right before Act II I decided to find Tony (Our teammate that provided the tickets for us), to get him to explain the opera to me, since it was in Italian. Once we figured out what the plot was I actually began to enjoy it. The entire experience was great, the singing mixed with the amazing acoustics of Mossimo Bellini Theatre (It‘s known throughout Italy and Europe for it‘s acoustics), and it was a show that even a West Texas boy could fully appreciate.
I went to Taormina, Twice!
This is in my top 10 of favorite places in the world. It has some incredible and it’s home to some pretty sweet beaches. It’s a little town about 30 miles north of Catania and a great place to visit. I went once with Brandon and a couple of his friends from California and then again when Monte and Tony came. Like everything else, I will soon post pics of our trip with Monte and Tony.
Scrimmaged the Palermo Sharks:
We finally had a Game/Scrimmage. We played against the Palermo Sharks, who are actually in our division, so we will end up playing them twice during the season. We had no problems with them and actually scored 7 times on only 26 offensive plays. Plus I ran back a kickoff making the score 56 - 6. Jason threw a whopping 2 incomplete passes and threw for 300 - 400 yards. I had between 6-8 catches for over 200 yards and a couple touchdowns so the chemistry between us is pretty solid. Brandon dominated on the offensive side, but showed how much more of a force he can be by lining up on the defensive line. He got a few sacks and definitely hurried the QB on several occasions. We came out of that scrimmage with a lot of confidence, and two weeks to prepare for the Milan Rhinos.
Just a few days later we had an announcement/fundraiser for the team. It was a cool little set up and was a fun experience for us imports.
New Roommate:Two days after Monte and Tony left we had inherited another roommate. Frank Basting, a lineman from Frankfurt, Germany now lives at “The Dorm” as we call it. The league allowed each team to have one more player but they had to be European born. So, to solidify our O-Line we decided to bring him in. He’s a big boy, about 6’3” and 300 lbs. Now I’ve got two 300 pound, bald, tatted up O-lineman walking around with me on the streets of Catania. Pretty sure we stick out a little and our grocery bill just doubled!
Milan Rhinos:
Finally had our first game! We faced off against the Milan Rhinos in our first game in the IFL Series A. We woke up at 4 a.m. and hopped on a plane to Milan. They have 3 imports, John Stocco the Ex-QB from the University of Wisconsin, Steve Silva a running back from Holy Cross University and Tight End Manny Di Grande from Cal Poly. The game started out with a solid drive by them and they quickly took a 6 - 0 lead. We countered then they went on to score 14 straight points. By the second quarter we were shocked to be down 20 - 6.
The second quarter we showed just how explosive we could be by scoring 22 unanswered points to take a 28 - 20 lead to halftime.
The second half was extremely entertaining, yet exhausting. We took a 3 touchdown lead into the fourth before our offense finally stuttered giving them the opportunity to get back into the game. They scored a couple touchdowns and stopped us again giving them the ball with a chance to tie the game. With the score 47 - 40, John Stocco came off the bench with a sore shoulder but only to throw an interception. Our right Cornerback, Massimo, made a great play to clinch the game. It was a huge win for our organization and a shocker to the league. We were picked to lose by 30, according to league forums and websites, but I guess that’s why we play the game.
Brandon and I both played Offense and Defense so we were pretty spent. I also didn’t realize the amount of turf burns had until I reached the shower. As soon as the soap hit those open wounds I became extremely aware that my knees and calves had been wipe across the turf.
Finally had our first game! We faced off against the Milan Rhinos in our first game in the IFL Series A. We woke up at 4 a.m. and hopped on a plane to Milan. They have 3 imports, John Stocco the Ex-QB from the University of Wisconsin, Steve Silva a running back from Holy Cross University and Tight End Manny Di Grande from Cal Poly. The game started out with a solid drive by them and they quickly took a 6 - 0 lead. We countered then they went on to score 14 straight points. By the second quarter we were shocked to be down 20 - 6.
The second quarter we showed just how explosive we could be by scoring 22 unanswered points to take a 28 - 20 lead to halftime.
The second half was extremely entertaining, yet exhausting. We took a 3 touchdown lead into the fourth before our offense finally stuttered giving them the opportunity to get back into the game. They scored a couple touchdowns and stopped us again giving them the ball with a chance to tie the game. With the score 47 - 40, John Stocco came off the bench with a sore shoulder but only to throw an interception. Our right Cornerback, Massimo, made a great play to clinch the game. It was a huge win for our organization and a shocker to the league. We were picked to lose by 30, according to league forums and websites, but I guess that’s why we play the game.
Brandon and I both played Offense and Defense so we were pretty spent. I also didn’t realize the amount of turf burns had until I reached the shower. As soon as the soap hit those open wounds I became extremely aware that my knees and calves had been wipe across the turf.
Switzerland, Milan, Florence, Venice....
Soon as the game was over we hoped in a car for a 4 hour drive to Switzerland. We discussed staying in Milan or Skiing the Swiss Alps, which was a pretty easy decision, so we headed to Sion, Switzerland with Enrico (our Runningback and also a ski instructor on Mt. Etna) and two of his friends from Sion. We stayed in a sweet cabin at the base of the Mountain, it was literally a few hundred meters from the ski lift.
The skiing was great but the scenery was amazing. Brandon had never skied before so Enrico spent a couple minutes with him, then he along with his friends headed off on their own. Brandon and I, pretty sore from the previous days game took it pretty easy. He picked it up really well and by the end of the day I really didn’t have to wait on him much. He was a very fast learner and it was cool to see him enjoy it. Plus, he can always say that the first time he ever skied was in the Swiss Alps. Monday morning we had debated hitting up the slopes again but decided against it. We didn’t want to push our luck with injury and, not to mention, we got a semi-explicit text message from our GM asking us very politely not to ski. So instead we slept in a little, then hit up a cool restaurant with a nice view and free internet. We got us a couple steaks, Cokes with ice and just chillaxed till we headed to the train station.
We hopped on to Milan where I’m currently writing this at 1 a.m. in a piazza just outside the Milan Central train station. We decided to save our cash and camp out for a night. The weather is real nice and only 4 more hours till we catch our train to Florence. We’ll stay there for two days, then head to Venice. I’ll attempt to post pics ASAP. Miss everyone and love ya!
The skiing was great but the scenery was amazing. Brandon had never skied before so Enrico spent a couple minutes with him, then he along with his friends headed off on their own. Brandon and I, pretty sore from the previous days game took it pretty easy. He picked it up really well and by the end of the day I really didn’t have to wait on him much. He was a very fast learner and it was cool to see him enjoy it. Plus, he can always say that the first time he ever skied was in the Swiss Alps. Monday morning we had debated hitting up the slopes again but decided against it. We didn’t want to push our luck with injury and, not to mention, we got a semi-explicit text message from our GM asking us very politely not to ski. So instead we slept in a little, then hit up a cool restaurant with a nice view and free internet. We got us a couple steaks, Cokes with ice and just chillaxed till we headed to the train station.
We hopped on to Milan where I’m currently writing this at 1 a.m. in a piazza just outside the Milan Central train station. We decided to save our cash and camp out for a night. The weather is real nice and only 4 more hours till we catch our train to Florence. We’ll stay there for two days, then head to Venice. I’ll attempt to post pics ASAP. Miss everyone and love ya!
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