First Game!

Pioners Win!!!!

So on Saturday we beat Valencia in a blowout. Everyone played well, but actually could’ve played better. The final score was 40 – 14.Playing football again reminded me why I love the game so much. It’s just so much damn fun, however football here is very different than the football I know back home, mainly because a flag flies every time the quarterback throws a pass over 15 yards, a play lasts longer than 5 seconds, or the ref just wants some attention. I really can’t complain, though. It certainly helped us out in some cases. Our running game was solid too and I don’t think we had one offensive holding call the entire game. At the end of the day the game was a huge success. We won, no one got hurt, and Shef can tackle! He played both ways most of the game – he clearly earned his Euros. He caught a touchdown, as well.

A-Rob played lights out. Despite a slow start by the offense, I think he threw for three T’s and ran for two. Not a bad day at the office. Plus, it looked like the guys were really buying in to what he was calling (he is the offensive coordinator – every QB’s dream).

As for me, I felt like I played well. I had some tackles (even a couple hitsticks), some pass break ups and, of course, a blown coverage or two. Communication on the field can be problematic, but that’s something we can fix. Overall, I was impressed with our team’s skill and focus. It’s nice to see that the game is important to these guys. I’ve heard that it isn’t always that way in Europe. While some things about football here are completely different, their reasons for playing are the same – hit some dudes, enjoy the company of their teammates, and to win.

Perhaps, the best part of Saturday was the simple fact that we won. I just love winning. I could go on forever about why I love it, but I think it’s just better to say that I love it so much because I hate losing more than anything in the world. I don’t think were going to be doing a lot of losing here. The team seems to share my same passion.

Alright, enough of the game. Week number two in Barca included some interesting events/reflections. First of all, I went to see La Sagrada Familia on Friday. When you first see it, the Church looks completely out of place. Amid what seems like a typical Spanish residential neighborhood, it sticks out like a sore thumb. It is one of the most unique structures I have ever seen. Antoni Gaudi, the man with the Sagrada plan, designed the Church in nature’s eyes, which is to say that every last structural and artistic detail can be traced back to something in our natural habitat. Everything from the design of the Church’s columns to the natural light beaming through the stained glass windows shows Gaudi’s devotion to recreating a forest within a Church. The peculiar thing about Sagrada to me was the fact that it is still being built. It doesn’t have the feel of a Notre Dame or any other of the classic European Churches I have been too. While there is plenty of history to the unfinished spectacle, it does not feel weathered or ancient when you walk into it. I’m not going to bore you with the classic touristy pictures I took, but take a look for yourself – plus, I didn’t do anything awesome so there’s no reason to post photos. Google took better pictures than I did, anyways.

The good weather that I mentioned in the past post has faded and now it is cold. Which is unfortunate for me because I did not bring a coat. Apparently, January is cold in Barcelona too. Whoops. I now wear two hoodies when the sun goes down. Despite the temperature, the days are beautiful. I don’t think we’ve had a one cloudy day yet – this is a very different experience for me as growing up in Cleveland provided no sun during the months November, December, January, February, and March (insert bad joke about how much Cleveland sucks – most likely involving something about Lebron leaving us. Nope. Still not bitter about that…Definitely not bitter at all.)

Im sure our parents will be delighted to know that we found less techno-y clubs to stay out at till 7 in the morning. Frankly, the people of Barcelona have mastered how to have a good time. So much so that at any point of the day you can walk into any café or restaurant and just about everyone slugging back beer, wine, or liquor. Literally, any time. It doesn’t look like the desperate kind of drinking though, in fact, I imagine the thought process is something like this:

“It’s 9 AM. I’m eating a delicious chocolate croissant right now. What could make this experience better? Oh! A beer definitely would. But wait, I have to go to work so I shouldn’t drink now. A ha! I have scheduled a nap at 3 o’clock. Make it two beers. “

Andrew has helped us discover the wonderful world of Doners. He ate them a lot when he played in Germany this past Summer. Basically, they are pitas filled with veggys and lamb/chicken. To me, they are the closest thing I am going to get to Chipotle -filling, loaded with meat, and incredibly unhealthy. In a country that puts more mayo than meat on their sandwiches, I have really come to appreciate our friends at the Doner place (cant remember the actual name). Thanks Doner dudes.

We have a big game against Badalona this week. It is a huge rivalry and everyone is pretty pumped up about it. They have a couple good imports apparently and they won their first game. They beat us in the preseason so we are out for revenge. Until then we are going to keep living the extraordinarily stressful life of a professional football player in Spain. Waking up. Working out. Eating paella. Eating doners. Drinking wine and discovering Barcelona. I’m not going to post the weekly rendition of “Los Tres Pioners doing awesome things” because I don’t have the program for Shef’s camera so you’ll just have to wait until he does it. But, as you can probably predict, the pictures are pretty awesome.

That’s it for now. I guess I lied about the next blog being shorter, but until I start updating it more often this is what its gonna be. Packers are going to win the Superbowl. Take it to the bank. Adios!

-Pau