When in Rome

It has been a somewhat disappointing three game stretch over the past month for the Unicorns, but we are aimed in the right direction to begin stringing some W’s together. The first of the three was against the Calanda Broncos of Switzerland in the Euro Bowl quarterfinals where we came up short in a 42-28 loss. The game started out well with the defense not allowing a score through the first quarter and the offense adding a touchdown for a score of 7-0 at the end of the first. From there on out we couldn’t make enough plays as a team to come away with the victory.  Big plays and missed opportunities for interceptions hurt us defensively and played a big hand in the Broncos scoring 42 points. In games like this one, with two very good teams, one mistake or missed opportunity can decide the entire outcome of a game and in our case we committed too many of those mistakes to deserve a win and had to endure a long bus ride home after a tough loss.

The second game of three was against the Marburg Mercenaries in Marburg. This was an improved game for our defense, allowing only one offensive touchdown and 216 total yards of total offense. The game came down right to the end as we led 14-7 with just over three minutes to go. Marburg’s quarterback made a play scrambling around in the backfield and hit his receiver for a touchdown with three minutes left. The Mercenaries then converted on their two point conversion attempt making the score 15-14. With the time remaining in the game we were unable to put a touchdown on the board and left Marburg on a two game skid.

This past weekend we played the Wiesbaden Phantoms in a home game. We were all eager and focused on getting out of the losing slump and there was no better place to do it than on our home turf on a hot summer day. It was a great day for our offense as they put up 56 points with six of those touchdowns coming through the air. Defensively, we struggled at times during the first half, allowing 19 points, but played much better in the second half allowing 14 with seven of those coming in the final minute of the game. This win was a good response to the struggles we had been facing the past few weeks (injuries/losing streak). There are times during games and during the season where adversity presents itself in many forms and how teams react in the midst of these adverse situations will separate the good ones from the great ones. We were able to come together as one, stop the bleeding, and get a much needed victory heading into a bye week where we could get ourselves healthy and refocus for another game against the Phantoms in Wiesbaden.

 

Side Note: The interception tally is 3 for me and 3 for Fish.

 

 

 

With the past bye week allowing the Unicorns to rest up and get healthy for the remainder of our season Taylor, Bridgette and I loaded up our backpacks and flew to Italy and visited Rome for 4 days. Rome is one of the oldest cities in all of Europe. It is home to more than two and half thousand years of history for us to Rome around and check out (see what I did there?).  Needless to say, we found ourselves looking at ancient historical buildings on what seemed to be every corner.  But, let’s be real here….  The main reason any guy goes to Rome is to step foot where our Gladiator hero defied the emperor.  “Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius.  Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”  I’m talking about the Colosseum.

Kill.... Kill.... Kill!!!

 

The Colosseum was built in 70AD and took ten years to complete.  Its estimated to hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators hoping to see bloodshed at the gladiator contests.  Most of us know the story about how gladiators would battle to the death in the Colosseum, but what I found new and intriguing was how other events such as animal hunts, re-enactment of famous battles, and mock sea battles took place.  The Colosseum would be filled with water with actual ships out there and men attempting to kill each other.  The floor to the Colosseum was not the earth’s ground, but rather a layer of boards creating one giant arena stomping ground.  The reason behind this you may ask was because the Colosseum had an intricate underground system of rooms, arches, and passages that were arranged to raise and lower gladiators and animals into battle by way of a pulley system that had 65 separate pulleys.  The Colosseum was as astonishing as we had hoped.  Along the way we also ran into many other historical parts of Rome worth visiting and learning about….    

Altare della Patria (National Monument)

Trevi Fountain.  Its said if you toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain then you are destined to return to Rome again

Trevi Fountain at night.

Roman Forum ruins

Pantheon

On top of St. Peter's Basilica

Castel Sant'Angelo

On the Fiume Tevere

 

Go Unicorns,
Drew and Taylor

Keep calm and ride a Unicorn

Two more games down and two more victories for the Unicorns! After a disappointing loss to the Franken Knights we bounced back with a dominating performance against the Rhein-Neckar Bandits at home in front of the Unicorn faithful. Both sides of the ball played better as the offense put up 51 points and the defense allowed only 13. The two areas that hindered us against Franken were penalties (14) and turnovers (5). We improved in both aspects against the Bandits as we were able to play a more disciplined football game with only two turnovers and eight penalties. It felt great to get the “W” and get our season back on track with our sights set on the Munich Cowboys!

It was another solid win (37-3) for the Unicorns at home against the Munich Cowboys this past weekend! The sun was out and the fans were in full force for a great day of football. From beginning to end the Unicorns defense was stingy and swarming, allowing a total of only 229 yards of offense with only three of those yards by way of the Cowboy rushing attack (or lack thereof).  Offensively, it took us a quarter of football before we began to start clicking, but once we did there wasn’t much stopping us as we put up 500 yards of total offense to go along with 37 points. Again, we kept our turnovers at two and cut our penalties down to five. This team is heading in the right direction and as long as we can keep building upon each victory, learning from our mistakes and our successes, there is no limit to what we will be able to accomplish. Next up on the schedule is an away game in Switzerland against the reigning Eurobowl champions the Calanda Broncos. The winner will advance to the Eurobowl semi-finals. This game will be our biggest test thus far and we are all looking forward to the challenge of taking down the champions!

Side note: Drew is leading in the interception battle 3-1 as he pulled one down against the Cowboys this weekend. He also had a would be pick six against the Bandits if not for a defensive off-sides penalty. And I forgot to bring my hands with me to the Munich game and let a couple balls slip through my grasp.

Aside from football the past three weeks we have been mostly hanging out around town and with our teammates.  Although it has not been a typical warm May around here, it hasn’t stopped us from enjoying the festivals that have been taking place.  Schwäbisch Hall had their annual Salt Festival celebrating and displaying how the historic salt economy functioned. “Hall” in German refers to drying something by heating it, thus tying the city’s name with its main economic resource.  The parades and shows were neat to see but the food, beer, live music, and carnival rides were what had us acting like a four year old on Christmas morning. 

Along with the festivals we were fortunate enough to be joined by the company of our QB Ryan’s parents for the week.  They were kind enough to snap thousands of pictures of us at our games as well as join us to our visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.  This place was awesome.  It was a little mind blowing at times wondering how a castle like this was built in such a location let alone how it is ever constructed in the first place.  Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the castles Disney modeled Sleeping Beauty’s castle and Disneyland after.  Long story short; King Ludwig II was filthy rich and wanted a new castle built on this hill next to a waterfall, the foothills of the Alps, and an amazing view.  We took the opportunity to tour the inside of the castle where the majority of the structure has not been touched.  In no way does one man need such a sanctuary to reside in, but none the less it was an incredible display of life over 100 years ago for one man.      

Go Unicorns,
Taylor and Drew

FOOTBALL!!!!

The past couple weeks have been spent playing the greatest game brought to earth.  Its bitter sweet to write about, as the Unicorns went 1-1 over the past two weeks.  To sum up last week’s game against Amiens, France in a couple words, we kicked there butt 52-12.  This is the same team we played in our season opener.  The home/away games with them were a Euro Bowl qualifier to go play the defending Euro Bowl champions in Switzerland.  I am very much looking forward to the competition and travel experiences that this team brings to the table.  Playing on the home field in Schwäbisch Hall is something I am excited to do all year.  Great field, great atmosphere, and even a little rain doesn’t stop the fans from using the obnoxiously awesome noise makers all game.  To paint a picture of the home field for folks it starts with well groomed grass surrounded by a track and long concrete stands that extend from end zone to end zone.  One of my favorite features is Debi’s restaurant and beer garden that overlooks the corner end zone.  Beer and pizza AND the best seat in the house for games?? I know where I’d be all game if I weren’t on the field.    

One thing I have been looking forward to since I knew I was coming here to Schwäbisch Hall is give it my best shot to be on “Wear in the World”.  “Wear in the World” (http://www.nba.com/blazers/fans/blazers-fans) is a segment during Portland Trailblazer games where fans submit a picture of themselves with their Blazers apparel on wherever they are in the world.  I have seen people standing next to pyramids in Cairo, scaling the Great Wall of China, and even scuba diving in their Batum jerseys, but nobody has been warming up before a game in Schwäbisch Hall in their Unicorn uniform with a Blazers shirt!  The Blazers hold a special spot in my heart and although they ended the season on a 13 game losing skid, I am proud to show off my red and black on the other side of the world. 

Mike Rice and Mike Barrett would be proud.  Rip City baby!

This past weekend the Unicorns took on the Franken Knights in Rothenburg.  This game went back and forth all the way until the end and unfortunately ended in a one point loss 34-35.  Although it is a tough pill to swallow, quality competition and close games are what we live for.  It’s where you get to prove how much more you want it than the person lined up across from you in a different uniform.  14 penalties and 4 turnovers had major implications on the overall scoreboard but in the end we still had a shot to win.  After scoring with 45 seconds left on the clock, head coach Sigi decided to go for two and win the game rather than risk ending in a tie.  There is no overtime until the playoffs start and I had full confidence that this was not only the right decision, but we would win the game.  After failing to convert the 2, we successfully pounced on the onside kick and had one last chance to get into field goal range but came up short.  It will be great to prepare for and play these guys again in a few weeks on the Schwäbisch Hall home turf.  For being back to back German Bowl Champions there is certainly a degree of high expectations for the season.  This ultimately brings a couple of scenarios to the table.  First off, every team in Germany and Europe not only wants a shot at the Unicorns, but wants to beat us.  Our Unicorn career has only been brief; however, after competing for quality programs in the past you know the feeling of playing somebody that has the mentality of it’s their Super Bowl when the Unicorns are in town.  It will be great to have a bounce back game at home this week, and hopefully this will be a learning point for the rest of the season.

 

Go Unicorns,

Drew          



***Side note***    The side interception contest between Skore and I is at 2-1 in my favor.  Had the refs not thrown a penalty on both the receiver and Taylor last game for pass interference when he got his interception we would be even at 2-2

Barcelona, Spain

Next stop on the Euro experience was Barcelona.  Once again, this will be one to remember for the rest of our lives.  We’ll shake it up a little bit this time and take one out of fellow blogger Ryan Carlson’s playbook with a segment of “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.”  To all the non Linfield Wildcat followers out there, Ryan puts together his post game thoughts in three categories breaking down the weekly Wildcat performance during the football season.

 

The Good:      

·       First off, Barcelona is a beautiful city with much to do over a three day span.  You may ask, “why Barcelona?” Good question.  The local airline German Wings has a “blind booking” deal that gives you 8 possible destinations and chooses for you after you pay.  All of the options were worth going to and is the price is an absolute steal compared to other means of travel.  We will most likely be a repeat customer needless to say. 

Taylor and Ryan doing their best Columbus impression at night

·       The beauty of the city started with the taxi ride in.  We were greeted by a large statue of Christopher Columbus pointing out to sea which is located in the middle of the two main streets in downtown Barcelona.  Columbus sailed the blue in 1492 under contract from Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain when he discovered America.     



On top of Park Güell enjoying the view

       Much like Paris, we hiked around the city all day checking out Sagrada Familia, Arc de Triomf, Torre Agbar, and all that the city had to offer.  Our favorite part was making it up to Park Guell and admiring the city from one of its highest points.  This vantage lets you overlook the Mediterranean Sea and all of what Barcelona has to offer including the site of the 1992 summer Olympic games.

Sagrada Familia is an incredible church started in 1882 by Antoni Gaudi and has been under construction since his death in 1926.  Estimations ares that the 170 meter tall church will be complete in 2028. 

 

·       The nightlife in Barcelona is one that nearly rivals Vegas; however, Vegas is in a league of its own and I can’t put them both in the same category.  The two biggest disco techs are Opium, which is right on the beach, and Razzmatazz, which stood three stories tall with enough flashing lights to almost throw you into a seizure.    

·       Huge thanks to our roommate Ryan’s friend and teammate from Holy Cross, Ricky, for letting us stay in his apartment for the weekend.  Those who have travelled know the importance of finding a cheap and safe place to stay.  Anyone who provides a roof over our head in exchange for a fridge full of Heineken is a true man in my book.   
 

The Bad: 

·       Immediately after checking into our hostel, “Bedcelona” (the name sold us), we took it to the beach and got fried.  For a couple of northwest natives who haven’t seen a ray of sunshine since September and lost their only sunscreen to airport security in Stuttgart, it was like jumping in a pool of gasoline and proceeding to playing with sparklers.  We simply did not stand a chance.  The next day Taylor was walking around in the shadows through the city and my face was already peeling.

 

The Ugly: 

·       Prior to the city hike on Saturday as soon as we stepped foot outside of Ricky’s apartment Taylor was super soaked with mud from a city worker pressure washing the sidewalk.  Luckily this was no indication of the rest of our day.  As the night grew later, we found ourselves hungry and somewhat hopeless Americans when the food started to close.  For a desperation Hail Mary we settled for ordering pizza in a dark alley from a Turkish gypsy.  What received was nothing more than two floppy, mystery meat, microwave pizzas and then charged a ridiculous amount.      

 

Next order of business is to take care of Amiens again on our home turf this Saturday.  The Ami’s and the rest of the Unicorns are eager for some more football.  From here on out is the meat and potatoes of our schedule, as there aren’t too many bye weeks left the rest of the season.  We hope to fill the few bye weeks we have with Euro bowl games as we make our way through those playoffs.

 

Go Unicorns,

Drew and Taylor                    

I see London, I see France!



Head Coach Sigi in the middle, Drew wearing 19, and I'm next to him on the right

As you already know, we traveled to France to play the Amiens Spartiates for our first game as Unicorns. We won the game 55-13 on a somewhat chilly night. There was definitely some rust that I needed to shake off and I am sure Drew would say the same, but it was still great to be back on the field playing under the lights again. Overall, both sides of the ball played well with some areas to improve on as is expected after the first game of a season. The offense put up plenty of points and only gave the ball away once if I can remember right. Our defense also did a good job creating turnovers and gave the offense some short fields to work with. Individually, Drew and I made a few good plays throughout the game. On the first offensive play, the Amiens quarterback threw the ball to a receiver on a bubble screen who was then flattened by a vintage Drew Fisher hit which set the tone for the rest of the game. I was also able to get in on the action with an interception in the second quarter that won me a little wager placed between Drew and I on who would get the first pick of the season. Of course I can’t leave out our roommate Ryan who played a nice game and threw for three touchdowns including one to our wide receiver Thomas Hambalek who busted out his Bernie dance for his touchdown celebration.  The Bernie dance is from the movie Weekend at Bernies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME6n3TvTHfM) All in all we had a great time playing in France and we are all eager to move on to the next game!


-Taylor

 

Top of the cliffs at Omaha Beach

After the game against Amiens we took the opportunity to explore a little bit of France.  Our two day excursion included Normandy and Paris.  Taking the time to drive over to Omaha beach in Normandy was something we all agreed would be a powerful experience and worthwhile.  If Coach Smith could redo his honey moon he would book the trip to Normandy France to see Omaha beach.  Although I was hoping to see a Czech hedgehog or two lying around still (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_hedgehog), what we experienced put a lot of things into perspective.   The majority of us have all seen Saving Private Ryan (in Germany it is “Der Soldat James Ryan”), and it shows just how brutal the initial invasion was.  After seeing the cliffs first hand in which the Germans had vantage points on with bankers and artillery, it is absolutely mind boggling in how the Allies were able to ever advance their ground.  Provided with some much needed sunshine, we were able to hike up the bluffs and explore some of what hasn’t been removed from the war nearly 70 years ago.  The bunkers and trenches that were still intact put you in the shoes of a German soldier overlooking the 5 mile long coastline in which we infiltrated.  Squatting down in one of the bunkers I tried to visualize and imagine the entire coastline for all I could see being lined with ships and soldiers but it simply isn’t something you can make up.  The fact that I get the opportunity to play football in Europe because of the groundwork that was laid seven decades ago is good enough for me for a reality check and puts life into perspective.  Being able to visit these beaches, see the memorials, and learn some more history about the war has been one of my favorite journeys so far.      

 

 

Taylor perched right on the edge of the tall, steep cliffs overlooking Omaha



Remaining German bunker atop the cliffs

Omaha Beach memorial and cemetery

 

 

 

 We didn’t realize we were on such a course until
Taylor went around this NASCAR track a couple times.

Paris was full of sightseeing.  Paris is known for its fashion and famous monuments and buildings, but we knocked out everything we wanted to see in about a 24 hour time frame.  Although the structures were pretty spectacular and unimaginable how they were constructed hundreds of years ago, I think the most exciting part was probably the driving.  People are crazy on the road and it seems like there are no rules.  The huge roundabout around the Arc of Triomphe  was mayhem. 


Luckily Taylor was driving so I could sit in the back seat, laugh, and watch dudes on motorcycles race in front of us with wreck less abandonment.

 

After a night in the “Young and Happy” hostel we walked around all day visiting Notre Dame, Arc of Triomphe, seeing the France Statue of Liberty, and of course the Eiffel Tower.  What’s crazy is some of these buildings and structures were built or being built before the United States declared freedom and was even formed. 

 

Some people don't get math, others could care less about sports, and I just don't understand art like this.

TEBOW!!!

Go Unicorns,
Drew

The Hall

Unicorns win!!!  55 to 13 over the Spartiates of Amines, France.  Between the game, Normandy, and Paris there is much to cover so I will reel out a couple segments over the next few days.  Before we get to this past weekend I’d like to loop back and show off our cozy stomping grounds of Schwäbisch Hall.  The weather has been a bit gloomy since we've been here so it won't look like sunny paradise, but don't let that fool you because it really is a beautiful small town and community. 

 

This lovely view is a quick bike ride/hike just up from our house that overlooks the city. 



Downtown. Copyright from former Unicorn WR Fritz.



Behind the sticks is our house

Up the hills we go!

 

 

Stairwell going to four of the five floors

Living room

Dining room/darts room and the stairway to the loft

 

Go Unicorns,
Drew

Touch down

Happy Easter!

One week in the books here in Deutschland. Right off the bat Taylor and I were picked up by one of our team managers from the Frankfurt airport and instantly got on the autobahn to Schwäbisch Hall.  Although tired from the flight, it’s tough to fall asleep when you are driving 160kph+ (100mph) and there are other cars zooming by you.  For whatever reason I led myself to believe cars drove on the other side of the road.  This is false.  The city is a beautiful small town with a river running right down the middle of it.  I’ll make sure to get some pictures up at some point of the city, field, team, and house. 

The house is we’re living in is quite the establishment.  It is a seven bedroom house tucked away in the hills just on the outside of town.  Our roommate/QB Ryan came up with the description of being the perfect house for the Real World tv show back in 1993.  I’d say it’s a pretty accurate representation with all the nooks and crannies.  For now all of the rooms are filled with us Unicorns and three basketball players from Slovakia.  All are really funny dudes and good roommates to have for the next month that they are here.  One more note on the house is that there is a fairly long windy hill to walk up and down every day to get up to it.  The snow and rain have not helped out with the slippery slopes.  Fingers crossed the weather perks up like back home!         

Everyone here is extremely welcoming and excited to have the Ami’s (Americans) over here for the season.  We had our first practice on Wednesday evening in a snow blanketed field.  It was a scene from a frozen Lambeau Field, but with Unicorns running around instead of Packers.  Snowy or not, it was a great feeling being back on the field again.  Better yet, we leave for France in three days and are playing our first game in less than a week.

Fun facts:

-The drink of choice here is called Schwipp Schwapp. Its cola and orange Fanta mixed together

-Cooking was already a chore, but now try deciphering German directions on packages to make meals

-There is no tipping at restaurants or bars.  (Or maybe they’ll be spitting in my food next time…)

-To Taylor and I the Euro seems like monopoly money.  To everyone else the dollar is viewed as the stuff you collect every time you pass GO.

-No water fountains anywhere.  We tried explaining what a drinking fountain was to Irmgard, our other team manager, and the only image in her head was of stone statues spitting water that we can drink out of whenever we want.

-We haven’t came across any warm beer yet. 

  

Up next: 

·         Amiens, France for our first game   

·         Wear in the World…

·         Paris

·         Pictures, pictures, pictures

 

 
Go Unicorns,
Drew