2-0!
Victory number two for the Pioners! We beat Badalona 46-33 in what turned out to be a fantastic game. Another one for the story books in this historic rivalry for bragging rights in Catalonia. Badalona was a pretty talented team. While Valencia only had imports from Mexico, Badalona had three Americans – a quarterback, tight end, and a running back. The running back didn’t play, but we had our hands full with the other two guys. Both guys were big, tall and good athletes. Early in the game he made a one handed catch in the middle of traffic and almost took it the distance. It was a pretty impressive play. However, that would be his last triumph of the day. A series or two later our free safety, Willy, tackled the TE after another catch in what was a huge collision. Willy is literally half the size of this guy, but true to his fearless style of play he was undaunted by the size difference. The TE played the rest of the half, but didn’t come out for the second half. Big tree fall hard, as they say.
There were plenty of other highlights throughout the game. First, A-Rob had another huge day. The unofficial stat line was 4 Ts passing, 1 running, around 300 yards. Two of those TDs went to Shef, one of which is worthy of note. Amidst our comeback in the 3rd quarter, Shef caught an 8 yard slant and took it 60 yards to pay dirt leaving a trail of bodies behind him. That wasn’t a typo. Yes, John Sheffield housed a 60-yard slant. You can describe Shef’s game in a number of positive ways, but “rapido” would not be one of them. Perhaps his own words best describe the play: “I just kept running and waiting to get caught. It just didn’t happen. I was so confused. I’ve never housed a slant before in my life!”
I think after that touchdown we went on to score 20 unanswered points and put the game away for good. After being down by a touchdown at half and then giving up a fumble recovery for a touchdown on the first series of the second half, it felt great to rally and come from behind. Victories like this one are always a testament to a team’s character. The game really showed how close everyone is and the trust we have in each other – and no one wanted to lose to Badalona. It is their Harvard/Yale.
Despite the win, we have plenty of things to work on. We gave up a safety on a bad punt snap, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and had plenty missed tackles/blown coverages on defense. But, remedying those issues after a win is always better than after a loss. Plus, there are few more jovial places in the world than a post-win locker room, especially after beating a rival. The combination of pure joy, high fives, and the singing of fight songs (most of which we need to learn) make for a festive atmosphere.
Also, Saturday nights are always better after a win and this past one was no exception. We met up with a bunch of the guys and hit a few bars/clubs till the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, for my future employment options there were pictures taken. Thanks, Isa (one of our trainers) – if Mark Zuckerburg did not have me already have me by the balls before, he sure does now.
But, don’t worry Mom and Dad we did do some sightseeing this week, too. On Friday night we met up with Teo to grab some pizza and beers, a truly nutritious pre-game meal. After discussing the game plan we took a walk around Barrio Gotico and stopped by Santa Maria del Ma or the “Church of the Sea.” This 14th century church has more of an older feel and was not as polished as Sagrada. The ceilings are impossibly high and the alter is beautifully simple. We walked in after the sun went down, but I imagine that inside is even more impressive as the natural light shines through the stained glass windows. I’ll definitely make a return trip.
We have really come to appreciate the daily “Menus” at the various restaurants around our neighborhood. For those unfamiliar with a European menu, it is a chosen selection of 1st plates, 2nd plates, and deserts for a fixed price. Also, there usually is a drink and bread thrown into the deal. The price is always around 6-10 Euros which is a pretty good deal. Any menu that has paella on it usually means I’m going to eat there. I love paella. It’s everything I love thrown into one dish – shrimp, rice, fish, beef, and mussels. It is a lot like gumbo. It will also be the reason I come back 15 pounds heavier.
I love everything about the dining culture here, except for one thing – there is no complementary water. And if you do ask for water, they give you a little bottle and charge you 1.50 for it. In fact, in stores wine is often cheaper than water – well at least the wine we drink. Other than that, I love the long lunches and dinners filled with wine, tasty food, coffee and good conversation. A far cry from eating at home which at times seems more of a task than something to enjoy.
We’ve had three entries so far and somehow have forgotten to talk about someone who has affected all three of our lives in a significant way. That man is our building manager, Rafa. Standing at generous 5’7”, constantly showing off his 6 toothed smile, and always wearing blue pants and black workmen’s jacket he provides non-stop noise and entertainment. The best part is he doesn’t know a lick of English and has quite the Catalan accent. Understanding him becomes even more difficult because his voice is pretty hoarse (similar to that of the hillbilly from The Waterboy). He loves stopping by to shoot the bull, tell us to take out our trash, and always pokes at Andrew for not knowing any Spanish. He also loves to scream out his window early in the morning at people walking by. He is kind of our rooster in that regard. I’m sure he just wants to make sure everyone is up and ready to take on the day. We appreciate you, Rafa, but just don’t knock on our door before 11 – no one is gonna let you in.
Welp, time to wrap it up. In some other smaller news, we’ve just finished watching every season of The Wire. Great show. Awesome show. I could write a whole separate post about how much I love that show, but for now I’ll just say Omar didn’t deserve to get got like that – never even saw the little guy coming.
I now hate Starbucks more than ever. It’s noisy, hot, overpriced and most important of all – their Internet sucks. If I couldn’t sit by the window and watch all the beautiful women of Barcelona walk by whilst blogging, I wouldn’t go. Thank you women of Barcelona. Thank you so so much. Anyways, you know what today is? It’s the first of the month and that means it’s payday. Another day, another Euro.
Hasta luego!
-Pau
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