Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder What is the Cammora? I've never heard of them/it. Randy...inspiring stuff, my friend. Inspiring. Ditto on Nick's sentiments. Seal the deal.
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder I wrote it incorrectly, it's Camorra. It's just what they call the mob in Naples. I hope one day Italy gets enough good politicians to order that military kill all these mother********ers by firing squad. Maybe Randy could help us out! Here's a brief wiki article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camorra
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder The Camorra is the mafia based in Naples and its surrounding hinterland. It isn't much of an exagerration to say that they control pretty much everything, or at least that very little doesn't happen the way they want it to happen. They make life difficult here in ways that people cannot even imagine. An excellent read if you can get your hands on it (and can read Italian) is "Gomorra" by Roberto Saviano. The guy is wanted by the Camorra the way Salman Rushdie was sentenced to death by the Iranian regime...
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder Yeah .. the mob over there has alot of influence if you own a business you better believe they are getting paid. My uncle owns Villa Pizza in Napoli (he owns 400+ locations including Newark Airport and Penn Station, NYC) The one in Napoli is for sale because he can't stop the mob from stealing from him. Too bad to because it's a nice place literally a block from San Paolo.
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder I stayed with my aunt in Vomero (20 minutes west of Fuorigrotta) in 2005. She has a nice big house, but we have such a big family, that there was not enough room for my brother and I to sleep inside, so we slept in a trailer they had in their driveway. My brother and I spent nights in that trailer, unable to sleep, and laughing with my cousin in it. We had a great time in this trailer and couldnt wait to sleep in it again. Literally one month later, my aunt and uncle decided to move the trailer to a park. It was a park where people rented the space to leave it. I still dont know why they did that, but had they not done it, the trailer would still be here today. 2 days after they parked it there, those BASTARD Camorra muther EFFERS decided to burn the trailer park and all of the trailers parked in it. They must have had some falling out with who ever owned the park. Such a shame because besides walking on San Paolo, and meeting the players and Marino and Luigi De La and Carmando and Reja...(i'll start a thread where i will post these pics for proof), the times i had in this trailer with my bro & cuz were some of the highlights of my trip. Stella....(my uncle named it Stella...dont know why)....I will never fogret you!!!
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder The Camorra isn't what it used to be. The younger generations have no honor and are continuously backstabbing each other, with innocent people stuck in the middle of the warfare. The Police there don't do anything because they're paid off. I just hope they stay away from SSC Napoli where they didn't in the past.
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder Wow! 400+ locations? He should buy a football club in Italy! Imagine owning one? I always said if I won the Mega Millions, I would approach SSC Napoli and try to become a partner/investor and help make some changes.
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder My uncle came from Napoli (Monte de Procida) as a barber. He went from cutting hair to washing dishes in a pizzaria in New Jersey. From there he got his own and then two and then three and four. After that he bought a franchise of about 18 stores and kept going. Now he owns Villa Pizza 300+ locations, Bananas(fruit smoothies), Southwest Philly Cheesesteaks, Green Leafs (salads), and Casa Java (Coffee) ... 400+ locatoins ... He owns most of them and just recently started to franchise out.. meaning you can own one but you pay his company a percentage of money every year.... he's in his 70's and both his sons run the company now. I was going to go live in Napoli a year agao and asked him if I could work in the Villa Pizza in Napoli and he told me it wasn't a good idea and he was looking to sell it because of the mob influence on business in Napoli. Here's a link to the companys website. http://www.villapizza.com/index.html
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder Hey Joe, Can you clip half this thread and start one called "Comorra"? This way we don't ruin Randys Season ticket post and can continue talking about these pieces of horse shit.
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=12908228#post12908228
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder After an absence of over a month, a period which felt like an exile, Napoli is back at San Paolo - and with fans allowed to attend. I lived the eve of this game with great tension, and just a slight hint of optimism that Napoli would at least make us proud, even without three points. But Juve is Juve and you can never trust what is going to happen, especially since we hadn't won at home against them in 17 and a half years... Elio Lo Conte, the Club Napoli Internet's legendary president extraordinaire, would be among the "emigrant" Napoli fans making it back to our cradle for the game. A "pizziata" was organized for Friday night, but I was unable to attend due to family commitments followed by my own birthday festivities...late Friday night I get a text message from Donatella informing me that we are to meet Elio outside the San Paolo at the famous "Gazebo," i.e. an outdoor bar where we often met in the past to have an espresso before (and after) the game. The appointment is set for 5 o'clock, 3 and a half hours before kickoff, but alas we were unable to meet. Donatella and I were very nervous about the possibility of our seats being occupied by someone else and the subsequent need to argue with the person to reclaim them (sadly, a phenomenom which happens often enough in Naples), so when we hadn't heard from Elio yet by 5:30pm, we decided to enter the stadium and claim our seats. As it would turn out, our sector of the stadium was still empty, virtually in its entirety, so we were just a little too overzealous in our concern. In addition, Elio heartbreakingly called us as soon we had entered the stadium to inform us that he had arrived at the Gazebo - not 5 minutes after Dona and I left. "We'll talk after the game..." So there we were, three hours before kickoff sitting in an empty sector of the San Paolo, with a chilly wind starting to kick in to what had up until then been a very warm day. Other sectors, especially the curve and the central part of the distinti, filled up pretty quick... Around 6pm, a thunderous amount of jeering and shouting suddenly swept over the stadium. "What happened?" I asked Dona. "The juventini are here," she commented, pointing at the visitors sector. Maybe 15-20 Juve fans had entered the visitors sector, looking about as lost and out of place as anything in such a huge sector which was otherwise empty, in a stadium which was already close to being filled to capacity. "That can't be all of them...the visiting fans usually arrive right before kickoff" I note. "They're Neapolitan..." remarked Donatella. Huh. Though looking closely at how they acted, it seems they must have come in from somewhere out of town, as I spotted them taking pics of the stadium, acting like a bunch of tourists who don't normally frequent the San Paolo...they could have been from anywhere. Slowly, the entire gang showed up - except for Annalisa. Very unusual of her not to be there, and it was already past 7pm. She soon appeared, having been held up by the entrance of the main body of Juve fans into the visitors sector (police escort and all). So there we were, everyone in place and ready to go - over an hour before kickoff. An hour which served only to increase the tension and impatience to get on with it... Superstitious pre-game rituals in full swing. Touch the lucky horn, watch the video of Maradona warming up before the 1989 UEFA Cup final on the cell phone, refuse all food and drink and enter into a fasting mode, Ramadan-style, and most important of all, look away during the opening kickoff (my own personal thing). At first, Annalisa and I had occupied our two seats by sitting in each other's seat, an issue that concerned me immediately. I hesitate for a second or two. "....shouldn't we switch seats?" "It's the same, don't worry." "....no, I'm only saying it for superstitious reasons..." "You're right!" Annalisa responded while getting up in order to switch seats with me. And you guys wonder why we don't like predictions around here...(though they didn't cause any harm this last time around, and my friend Paolo makes a prediction every week...hmmm). After an eternity of sitting in there in anticipation, the game finally starts. Wait, two more pre-game incidents of note. The first is when Buffon came out for the pre-game keeper warmup. The token jeers reserved for the visiting team, especially when the visiting team is Juve, and as Buffon runs the entire length of the field to use the far goal for his warmup, he gestures encouragement at the nearby Juve fans, an act which earned him even more jeers from the locals. "This guy played a World Cup semifinal against the Germans in Germany, imagine if this even phases him" Annalisa jokingly observed. And actually, the other pre-game incident of note preceded this one and occurred around 7pm when Juve first took to the field - in suits and ties - to get a look at the ground. As the players walked out of the tunnel, the jeers came smothering down and must have particularly started Trezeguet, who turned around to face the curva, almost in an act of defiance. A defiance very much unappreciated by the curva who demonstrated their lack of appreciation for him with even greater energy... The Vecchi Lions erect a huge banner with their logo: San Paolo around 8:15pm: [youtube]SUN8QBre0H8[/youtube]
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder More pre-game fanfare: Napoli's starting lineup: [youtube]45j3bfPBSrU[/youtube] OK, so the game eventually started, framed by a few choreographies from the crowd, and while I physically could not sit still in the time leading up to the game, I suddenly found myself incapable of moving. I sat there the entire first half motionless in a tight bundle of nerves. And so the first half transpired in relatively uneventful fashion. Two close teams who conceded few spaces to each other. But Napoli's strong first few minutes at least confirmed my idea that no matter what, Napoli would make us proud. Uneventful half time. At one point, Annalisa mentioned that she wanted to get a Slovakia flag to bring to the stadium in honor of Hamsik. An idea I jumped on immediately! We would search for one and make it happen... Another superstitious ritual, or simply a stadium ritual in Naples, is having a shot of Caffe' Borghetti, an alcoholic espresso. Attilio, Armando's son, braved the crowd occupying the six rows that separate Annalisa and I from the main group of our friends to bring us a shot. We insisted that he not bother bringing another as one was enough. Personally, I had never actually had one of these and - for superstitious reasons - wasn't necessarily in the mood to have one anyway. But I kept an eye on Attilio to see if he would bring up another shot, and when I saw another cup being placed in his hand as he left the main group once again, I chuckled to myself. "I knew it!" Belly warmed by the shot, the second half started, and I ended up not seeing the kickoff - not a superstitious ritual as that only applies to the opening kickoff. My anxiety only worsened as I suddenly became panicked with the thoughts of Hamsik's goal against Roma - scored off the 2nd half kickoff and without Roma touching the ball. The idea that Juve was about to pull it off against us became stronger and stronger, and inevitably Del Piero put a surreal shot in, running towards the Juve fans close by. Silence. A silence provoked more by confusion than anger. "What the hell happened? I didn't understand this goal!" the very outspoken guy next to me yelled out. No answer from anyone, as no one understood that goal... "No more Caffe' Borghetti for me." Easy to blame any slight variation in your ritual for the downturn in events.
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder But just as quickly as the panic set in for me immediately before Del Piero's goal, the assurance that we would eventually be up 2-1 swept in to ease my troubled nerves. And sure enough, before long, Gargano scored a Maradona-esque goal that brought us all standing and screaming, fists pumped into the sky. "We are still alive" we must have all thought to ourselves... ...and were we ever, because Napoli never allowed itself to be dug into a hole for a single second after being stunned by the Juve goal. And before long, Lavezzi was seemeingly brought down in the box and the referee incredibly called a penalty! Without the benefit of instant replay, no one questioned whether it was a legit call or not...nor did anybody care. Domizzi lined up to take the shot...GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!! [youtube]qoQZfC6Y_Lk[/youtube] I couldn't help but release the built up tension in the, uh, colorful way I did as the video will testify...
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder And that was followed by yet another penalty call, though this one appeared to be less obvious already as it happened live. "Two penalty kicks against Juve!" Annalisa screamed towards the sky, incapable of believing the scenario before us. She spoke for everyone with those words. I kept my thoughts about the legitimacy of the penalty to myself though as Domizzi lined up...GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!! [youtube]OAj7Hit-nwQ[/youtube] "Due rigori contro la Juve! E quando cazzo li vedi?!!!" you can hear me blurt out. "Two penalties against Juve! When the ******** are you gonna see that!" "E mo voglio pure 'o quart'!" the outspoken guy next to me says! "And now I want the fourth goal, too!" "Pure 'o quart'!" I agree.
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder But alas, there would be no fourth. Not that anyone ended up missing it, though we certainly kept calling for it for the remainder of the game. At this point, the team and fans both were able to have a little fun and especially quit stressing about the game. The usual chants abounded, along with the insults towards the juventini, which come to think of it were thrown around freely over the course of the entire game. So the game ended, and Annalisa and I rejoined our friends six rows below. We all embraced and just sat there indredulous at the result. Napoli 3 Juventus 1. Never in our wildest dreams. "Why did you even bother coming down?" we all chanted at the juventini who sat silently in the visitors sector. "Can you believe it? Us telling the juventini 'why did you bother coming down?!!;" Armando exclaimed. And by then the realization that the two penalties were very generous decisions by the ref actually made us enjoy it that much more, considering...well, you know...recent and not-so-recent events in Italian soccer... "You wanna beat Sampdoria with the nice goal and it makes you feel good, but against Juve you wanna win just like that!" A statement, I forget by who (I think Armando) but will proclaim it the Quote of the Week. Just as many Italians were particularly happy at having beaten France in the final, Napoli fans were just as particularly happy to have beaten Juve in such fashion, "at their own game" the more cynical would allege. Either way, dodgy penalties or not, Napoli demonstrated great character and resolve while Juve really didn't show all that much, at least offensively (a solid Palladino aside), and for that was deserving of the three points. "'O surdat' 'nammurat'" sung by the crowd in unison, almost completely washing out the same music over the loudspeaker (you can really only hear it at the end of the clip): [youtube]6dxhqNwkPLg[/youtube]
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder you should expand this into a book my friend. Awesome stuff.
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder This reminds me of Tim Park's book "A Season with Verona". Panic isn't too far off with that book idea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Season_With_Verona
Re: Chronicles of a 2007/08 Season Ticket Holder My friends and I eventually make our way outside the stadium, among the last in our typical fashion. The mood outside the stadium seemed odd, though, at least to me. I expected a little more in the way of celebrations, but everyone just walked out of the place with a huge grin on their face, too incredulous to really allow the result to sink in. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to meet up with Elio as Annalisa offered me a ride back to my car since her brother Peppe had parked the car along the way back to mine, unlike everyone else, and as Peppe was in a hurry I had to hurry along with them. As it turns out, Peppe apparently sits very close to the announcers during games, and was able to take a pic of Sky's Bergomi with a Napoli scarf (thrown onto Bergomi by Peppe himself). We also found out that the Sky announcers spent the whole second half crying about the penalties...turns out Caressa is a Juve supporter...anyway, the long walk back to Peppe's car (and much shorter drive back to my car, since as it turned out we hadn't necessarily parked all that far from each other) was characterized by small talk, miscellaneous notes about the game, and the smell of the countless food stands set up. There is probably a lot more to tell, but this will do. I'll keep you guys posted on finding that Slovakia flag, and should hopefully be attending Napoli's next home game next Sunday against Reggina. Until then, enjoy the moment...