Riddle Family In Italy

AS Bari wins Serie B, Moves into Serie A...

Well, everything in in place now!  A couple of weeks ago, Bari clinched their position in Serie A for next season.  Yesterday they clinched the top position in the standings for Serie B this season! 

The city has been awash with everything white and red (biancorosso) for weeks now and it is has been fun to watch the enthusiasm grow over the past couple of weeks!  Now we can look forward to some of the biggest teams in European soccer coming to Bari next year to square off against Bari and their fans!  We hope to get to a couple of the games. 

One other part that makes it special for Bari is the fact that their bitter rivals from the south, Lecce, have been relegated to Serie B for next season!  I think they would like to be able to play them, but it is sweet to see them going down in the same season that Bari is going up!

We will try to keep you posted on events next season as they happen. 

Silence...

Last night, as the final kick flew past the goalie, not just any goalie mind you, but Gigi Buffon, the silence here in Bari was deafening.  The Spanish had beaten the World Champions for the first time in 88 years!  I have note read a newspaper here yet to hear what the Italians are saying about the game, but I am sure they think they should have won.  There were a couple of opportunities for them to do so, but it did not happen.

There is a positive to this.  Our church services will not be obstructed by people wanting to leave early now.  If Italy would have won, they would have played Thursday night which is our Bible Study night.  If they would have won that one, then they would have played next Sunday evening, which is when we normally meet for church.  So, in a way, maybe this is for the best.  We can mourn the loss of the beloved Italian National Soccer Team to the Spanish, but will now be free to focus more on Christ.

What is the real religion of Italy anyway?  We intend on enjoying the silence today.

By the way, I need to give credit for the above picture to Getty Images.  I got it off of ESPN's soccer website. 

Lecce:4 Bari:0

We got to go to our first Italian soccer game on December 22, 2007.  It was a big rivalry game and here in Italy and all of Europe as a "Derby".  It generally means that the crowds are a little crazier than normal because they really want to beat their rival.  Last year there was a police officer killed after the "derby" between Palermo and Catania! 

When you buy your ticket here now to a soccer game, you have to show ID, we had to show passports, and you cannot sit in a section that is for the other teams fans.  At Stadio San Nicola, home field for Bari, there is a section set aside for visiting fans.  It is on one end of the field and at each side of the section there is an eight foot tall, clear, shatter-proof glass wall.  Then there is a section of seats about 40 yards wide and another eight foot tall wall.  This way the fans of opposing teams do not get together and kill each other!

The difficult part for me was that I like Lecce!  Our first six months in the country were in that city and it is a beautiful place to live.  The problem was, if I were to cheer for Lecce sitting where I was, I could end up on the evening news for all the wrong reasons!  The game started well for Bari, they controlled well and had a couple of nice shots on goal but nothing got through.  Then Lecce scored!  I had to bite my tongue!  I acted disappointed but was thrilled to see Lecce up 1-0.  Then just before the half, Lecce punched another goal through and that took a lot of wind out of Bari. 

In the second half, Bari substituted in another attacker to try to get some scoring but it left the defense one man short and Lecce took advantage of that.  After Lecce's third goal, the Bari fans were leaving the stadium and sounding mad.  I kept quiet and did not celebrate the win until I was safe at home in our apartment where none of the "Ultras" could hear me.

I enjoy soccer, but it can be hazardous to your health!

My Favorite Player...Kaka

On Wednesday, May 23, I got to watch A.C. Milan play against Liverpool F.C. in the Champions League Finals in Athens, Greece.  It was a good game and ended well for the Italian side as they came away with a 2-1 win over the English team.  Milan beat three English teams in the Champions League this year! 

As I sat here in the living room watching the celebration of the team on the field, one of the Milan players stood out to me.  His name is Kaka and is one of the best players in the world at this time.  He was born in Brazil and became an Italian citizen last year.  This is not the reason that he stood out to me though.  After the match, Kaka, like many other players, took off his jersey.  It was the shirt that he wore underneath that caught my attention.  In large black capital letters, his shirt proclaimed:

"I BELONG TO JESUS"

(The picture to the right is from an earlier match) 

This is not an uncommon event for Kaka!  He is an unashamed born again Christian and shows it to the world!  It is refreshing for me to see someone that is as well known as Kaka (not so much in the U.S.) be willing to proclaim that he is a follower of Christ! 

It is something that all of us can take to heart.  Here is someone pointing not to himself, but to the one that he belongs too!  There are so many in the church today that seek to build up themselves or point to "saints" to follow.  This is not what we are called to do though.  We are called, as Christians, to proclaim Christ. 

I love to watch Kaka play!  He is on my favorite soccer team in Italy.  No matter what team he plays on though, even if he were to go to Inter Milan, Juventus or Manchester United, I would cheer for Kaka.  I would continue to support him because he is trying to point others to the source of his strength.  Kaka is no "saint" as defined by many.  He is a follower of Christ and I applaud his devotion to Jesus.  He is not trying to come between Jesus and others, he is pointing the way to the One that we should all follow.

    "Trust no one, not even the finest saint who ever walked this earth, ignore him, if he hinders your sight of Jesus Christ."  Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" March 29th.

For a much better story than my own on Kaka, click here.

Another story about Kaka after the Champions League Final is here

No Football, So...

I am a HUGE Pittsburgh Steelers fan.  I loved the fact that they won the Super Bowl in 2006.  In Italy, they do not know who the Steelers are though so I have had to make a change in the sports that I watch and am able to enjoy.  Here they have "calcio".  In the States, this is soccer and it is HUGE in Italy! 

I have decided to cheer for AC Milan.  They are a pretty good team and are playing now in the Champion's League semi-finals against Manchester United.  (First leg of the match is set for April 24 in Manchester)  It is a way for me (and the boys) to fit into the culture here.  I have heard that if you can talk about food and soccer, you can talk to anyone in Italy for hours! 

It is also a good way for us to meet people and be able to make new friends.  I look forward to the time in the future when we will be able to invite friends over or go to their houses for a soccer match and enjoy good food and good conversation.  The good conversation will have to wait until we have learned Italian better!

Anyway, soccer is a lot of fun and if you want to know more about the Champion's League or AC Milan, check out their sites in my "Sites I Visit".  Have fun!