Based on a facebook status, I'm sure you are all wondering what exactly happened in Sicily yesterday. I will get to that. People that are baseball fans will be dumbfounded, and others won't really see the big deal. Either way, it was exciting and ridiculous, and a serious reminder that baseball in Europe is just different.
First though, this week. So this week was fairly calm. We ate a lot, we drank a fair amount, and just enjoyed the laid back European lifestyle. Josh and I, earlier in the week, met these people that told us that there was a river we could go to somewhere near Reggio to hang out. Being fans of nature, and Josh being obsessed with fishing, we decided to take an adventure to find this mysterious place. We asked everybody on our team if they had heard of the river, and they just laughed at us saying there was no such thing. The only piece of information we were able to get was the name of the river, Enza. So we google earthed the location, took down directions to the best of our abilities, and went on a mission to prove everybody wrong.
We left our apartment by about 9 am, hopped in the car, and started driving. After a few wrong turns, we righted the way and headed into the hills of Reggio. After about an hour or so, we found the Enza. We drove along side of it, hoping to find an area that looked appealing. The river wasn't very big, and it wasn't very deep either. We were hoping to find an area where there were some pools and a place to hang out. We drove up and down this road, going higher in elevation and back down lower. Finally, after about 2 and half hours, we agreed on an area to park the car and take a closer look for ourselves.
We luckily found exactly what we were looking for. We walked into this area that had a nice pool build up, a stoned beach area, and even a bonus water fall (not actually a water fall, more like a water drip). It was perfect, and we took some pictures to spite our teammates. Nothing wrong with some old fashion showboating. Take a look.
So this should turn into a place for us to hang out, as long as the water stays somewhat deep. Anyway, now about Sicily. Much like last year, we left friday afternoon from Parma and headed down to Messina. The weather report was poor, and unfortunately it was accurate. When we arrived it was pouring. We got to the hotel, ate one of the best dinners I have ever had, and hung out. We were all pretty convinced we wouldn't play, but to our surprise the next day we were on a bus and headed to the field.
The field held the water fairly well, and we suited up and started the first game. Clouds were in the distance, and it was forecast-ed to rain all afternoon and night. We were down 7-2 going into the 4th, when the rains started. We were able to finish the 4th, and moved into the top of the 5th. By this point, it was pouring and the field was turning into a lake. In America, they would have suspended the game, but this was Italy. It's important for to go over a few things before I get into the story.
In baseball, the rules are that a game becomes official if the home team is winning after 4 and a half innings, or after the away team bats in the top of the 5th. In this case, Messina was winning going into the 5th inning, and we were coming up to bat. Problem was, it was absolutely pouring and becoming dangerous to play. The field was flooding after taking all the rain from the night before, but the terrible umpires of Italy kept the game going. Now I don't know if this is because they were from Sicily, or whatever the reason, but Messina went out to the field and was hoping to get three outs and take the win. Fortunately, karma took over.
Our goal was to keep the inning going, hoping to take long enough where the umpires would call the game. After a few hits and a few runs, we found ourselves coming back. The score was 7-5, and the field was disappearing. After I drew a walk, the bases were loaded. When I got to first base, the I was standing in a huge puddle. Our coach started complaining, and the home plate umpire decided to call the game. Smart, I thought as I ran into the dugout, but what happened next amazed me. The field umpire came in and started talking to the home plate umpire. Then, beyond ridiculously and just outright crazy, they told us to come back out. The rain was harder than ever, the field was completely unplayable, but somehow Messina had convinced the umpires to keep the game going, hoping they would get the win.
Needless to say, our team went crazy. It was unethical, unimaginable, and just outright crazy what was going on. We went back out, and like I said, karma took over. Thomas came up and with one swing of the bat, he cleared the bases and we went up 8-7. Our team was ecstatic, and for the first time all year we showed the fire that we had the year before. After the half inning ended, for us to win Messina needed to bat. Obviously, the game was called and we weren't given the chance. Italy baseball is crazy sometimes, but it is always exciting.
Both games ended up not counting, and we hoped on the bus, grabbed some dinner, hung out at the hotel, went to the airport, hoped on the plane, and got back to the apartment with barely any sleep. It was a crazy trip filled with ridiculous baseball, great food, and lots of laughs. It felt good to see that fire again, and I'm excited for this weekend at home against Sala Baganza. Hopefully it carries over and the weather is good so we don't have another ridiculous event like Messina.
This week will be exciting for other reasons as well. My cousin Nick, who was a major part of why I ended up in Italy, is coming to visit with his family. At the end of this week, a couple of friends from Germany are coming to spend the weekend, which should be a great time as well. Should provide a lot of excitement and hopefully some good stories.
Tomorrow I will post some pictures of Messina, and also some pictures of the field after the game was called. I hope everybody is doing well, and talk to you soon! Until next time, have a great day!
First though, this week. So this week was fairly calm. We ate a lot, we drank a fair amount, and just enjoyed the laid back European lifestyle. Josh and I, earlier in the week, met these people that told us that there was a river we could go to somewhere near Reggio to hang out. Being fans of nature, and Josh being obsessed with fishing, we decided to take an adventure to find this mysterious place. We asked everybody on our team if they had heard of the river, and they just laughed at us saying there was no such thing. The only piece of information we were able to get was the name of the river, Enza. So we google earthed the location, took down directions to the best of our abilities, and went on a mission to prove everybody wrong.
We left our apartment by about 9 am, hopped in the car, and started driving. After a few wrong turns, we righted the way and headed into the hills of Reggio. After about an hour or so, we found the Enza. We drove along side of it, hoping to find an area that looked appealing. The river wasn't very big, and it wasn't very deep either. We were hoping to find an area where there were some pools and a place to hang out. We drove up and down this road, going higher in elevation and back down lower. Finally, after about 2 and half hours, we agreed on an area to park the car and take a closer look for ourselves.
We luckily found exactly what we were looking for. We walked into this area that had a nice pool build up, a stoned beach area, and even a bonus water fall (not actually a water fall, more like a water drip). It was perfect, and we took some pictures to spite our teammates. Nothing wrong with some old fashion showboating. Take a look.
The field held the water fairly well, and we suited up and started the first game. Clouds were in the distance, and it was forecast-ed to rain all afternoon and night. We were down 7-2 going into the 4th, when the rains started. We were able to finish the 4th, and moved into the top of the 5th. By this point, it was pouring and the field was turning into a lake. In America, they would have suspended the game, but this was Italy. It's important for to go over a few things before I get into the story.
In baseball, the rules are that a game becomes official if the home team is winning after 4 and a half innings, or after the away team bats in the top of the 5th. In this case, Messina was winning going into the 5th inning, and we were coming up to bat. Problem was, it was absolutely pouring and becoming dangerous to play. The field was flooding after taking all the rain from the night before, but the terrible umpires of Italy kept the game going. Now I don't know if this is because they were from Sicily, or whatever the reason, but Messina went out to the field and was hoping to get three outs and take the win. Fortunately, karma took over.
Our goal was to keep the inning going, hoping to take long enough where the umpires would call the game. After a few hits and a few runs, we found ourselves coming back. The score was 7-5, and the field was disappearing. After I drew a walk, the bases were loaded. When I got to first base, the I was standing in a huge puddle. Our coach started complaining, and the home plate umpire decided to call the game. Smart, I thought as I ran into the dugout, but what happened next amazed me. The field umpire came in and started talking to the home plate umpire. Then, beyond ridiculously and just outright crazy, they told us to come back out. The rain was harder than ever, the field was completely unplayable, but somehow Messina had convinced the umpires to keep the game going, hoping they would get the win.
Needless to say, our team went crazy. It was unethical, unimaginable, and just outright crazy what was going on. We went back out, and like I said, karma took over. Thomas came up and with one swing of the bat, he cleared the bases and we went up 8-7. Our team was ecstatic, and for the first time all year we showed the fire that we had the year before. After the half inning ended, for us to win Messina needed to bat. Obviously, the game was called and we weren't given the chance. Italy baseball is crazy sometimes, but it is always exciting.
Both games ended up not counting, and we hoped on the bus, grabbed some dinner, hung out at the hotel, went to the airport, hoped on the plane, and got back to the apartment with barely any sleep. It was a crazy trip filled with ridiculous baseball, great food, and lots of laughs. It felt good to see that fire again, and I'm excited for this weekend at home against Sala Baganza. Hopefully it carries over and the weather is good so we don't have another ridiculous event like Messina.
This week will be exciting for other reasons as well. My cousin Nick, who was a major part of why I ended up in Italy, is coming to visit with his family. At the end of this week, a couple of friends from Germany are coming to spend the weekend, which should be a great time as well. Should provide a lot of excitement and hopefully some good stories.
Tomorrow I will post some pictures of Messina, and also some pictures of the field after the game was called. I hope everybody is doing well, and talk to you soon! Until next time, have a great day!
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