MotoGP at Sachsenring (2015)

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After three grands prix, the MotoGP season looks particularly interesting for fans of Valentino Rossi. For years I had  been considering going to see a grand prix before Rossi retires, but I had always postponed: the Italian GPs occur in summer, competing with various holidays and moreover they need to be programmed in advance. When I was in Frankfurt, I decided to go to see the German GP at Sachsenring. It was July 2015.

In order not to take holidays, I had decided to see only the race, not the qualifications. I had left on a Saturday afternoon and had spent the night in a small town near Gera, which seemed the closest town to the circuit: I discovered later that maybe Chemnitz would have been better. I left to the circuit on Sunday morning, with the goal of arriving for the MotoGP's warm-up, skipping the other two classes, too early. The goal turned out to be unrealistic: after a terrific jam in the last kilometres and parking almost in another Land (I do not know what distance it was, but well over 1km) I came just in time for the Moto3 race. So I hurried to reach my place, which was towards the beginning of the final straight, not too far from the line, but I found the stand,half-empty  while so many people were goind around across the countless booths (from gadgets to motorbike items, other than, of course food and drinks). Evidently so many people were there only for MotoGP and they didn't care a damn about Moto2 and Moto3. I also usually do not follow the other two classes, but I always think that if I paid for something, I watch it.

The Moto3 race was exciting, with many overtakings, even on the final straight, the Moto2 one a little less. Then it was time for the MotoGP: the grandstand was filled with flags and yellow caps with number 46. Yes, except in the "curves" of the other riders, the public was all for Valentino. And only a small part of the fans were Italian: at every overtaking I heard "Jawohl!". I did not imagine that there were so many fans of the Doctor among the Germans too. The race itself was not a great show: the first 3 positions were outlined before half, Marquez-Pedrosa-Rossi, and above all no overtaking, or almost, on the final straight. I came to the conclusion that, instead of the final straight, it is better to seat on a challenging curve: you see more overtaking. A forbidden dream would be to watch the Laguna Seca GP from the "corkscrew", but now they do not even do it anymore.

After the MotoGP two minor races were scheduled, but I had decided not to watch them in order not to come back too late. I should have thought, however, that if they had put those races at the end of the day there had to be a reason, and when I got to the car I found out right away: there was such a traffic jam that I left the car park not less than one hour and a half alter! I could just as well have watched those races, I'd have been more relaxed.

Strong with this experience, I am not abandoning the idea of ​​going to Mugello or Misano once. Rossi will still be at least for one year .

MotoGP al Sachsenring (2015)

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Dopo tre gran premi, la stagione MotoGP si prospetta particolarmente interessante per i fan di Valentino Rossi. Da anni mi ero riproposto di andare a vedere un gran premio prima che Rossi si ritirasse, ma avevo sempre rimandato: i GP italiani capitano d'estate, entrando in concorrenza con vacanze varie e poi vanno programmati con molto anticipo. Quando vivevo a Francoforte, mi sono deciso ad andare a vedere il GP di Germania al Sachsenring. Era il luglio del 2015.

Per non dover prendere ferie, avevo deciso di vedere solo la gara, non le prove. Ero partito il sabato pomeriggio e avevo trascorso la notte in una cittadina vicino Gera, che mi sembrava la città più vicina al circuito: scoprii dopo che forse sarebbe stato meglio Chemnitz. Mi avviai verso il circuito la domenica mattina, con l'obiettivo di arrivare per il warm-up della MotoGP, saltando quelli delle altre due classi, troppo presto. L'obiettivo si rivelò irrealistico: tra ingorgo negli ultimi chilometri e parcheggio quasi in un altro Land (non so a che distanza fosse, ma ben più di 1 km) arrivai a stento in tempo per la gara della Moto3. Mi affrettai quindi a raggiungere il mio posto, che era verso l'inizio del rettilineo d'arrivo, non troppo lontano dalla linea, ma trovai la tribuna semivuota, mentre tanta gente bighellonava tranquillamente tra gli innumerevoli stand (dai gadget agli articoli per motociclisti, oltre naturalmente a mangiare e bere). Evidentemente tanti erano lì solo per la MotoGP e se ne fregavano altamente di Moto2 e Moto3. Anch'io normalmente non seguo le altre due classi, ma sono sempre dell'idea che, se ho pagato per qualcosa, lo vedo.

La gara Moto3 fu avvincente, con molti sorpassi, anche sul rettilineo finale, quella della Moto2 un po' meno. Si arrivo quindi alla MotoGP: la tribuna si riempì, soprattutto di bandiere e cappellini gialli col numero 46. Sì, tranne che nelle "curve" degli altri piloti, il pubblico era tutto per Valentino. E solo una piccola parte dei fans erano italiano: ad ogni suo sorpasso si sentiva "Jawohl!". Non immaginavo che anche tra i tedeschi vi fossero così tanti tifosi del Dottore. La gara di per sé non fu un grande spettacolo: prime 3 posizioni delineate da prima di metà, Marquez-Pedrosa-Rossi, e soprattutto nessun sorpasso, o quasi, sul rettilineo finale. Arrivai alla conclusione che, anziché sul rettilineo finale, è meglio piazzarsi su una curva impegnativa: si vedono più sorpassi. Il sogno proibito sarebbe vedere il GP di Laguna Seca dal "cavatappi", ma adesso non lo fanno neanche più.

Dopo la MotoGP erano in programma due gare minori, ma avevo deciso di non vederle per non rientrare troppo tardi. Avrei dovuto pensare, però, che se avevano messo quelle gare a fine giornata ci doveva essere un motivo, ed arrivato alla macchina lo scoprii subito: c'era un ingorgo tale che per uscire dal parcheggio ci misi almeno un ora e mezza! Avrei potuto tranquillamente vedere quelle gare, sarei partito più rilassato.

Forte di quest'esperienza, non ho abbandonato l'idea di andare una volta al Mugello o a Misano. Rossi ci sarà ancora almeno per un anno...

Cubs at Wrigley Field (1986)

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The season of American baseball has begun. You feel again "the sound of the crack of a bat." Last season for me was the best ever, because my beloved Cubs won the title after 108 years. In the first game of this year they have returned to old habits: they lost. Now they are 1-1, with160 games left.

I fell in love with the Cubs in 1986, when I was in Chicago (to be precise, in River Forest, IL) for a summer English course. Two years earlier they had gotten to the semifinals, but that year they were losers again. Even in my college they made jokes like "Yesterday the Cubs lost only 12-2" (it was true) "It 'a success, they usually lose 12- 0 ". I went to their stadium, Wrigley Field, one afternoon, because then games could only be at that time: there were no lights! It was a point of pride for them to maintain the tradition, even giving up many revenues. Before each game the two sides, for amd against the lights faced each other, with their T-shirts and banners. Finally, in 1989 they gave in and introduced the lights: for the opening they called  one of the few who still remembered the last championship won, in 1908, he had gone to the ballpark for the first time in 1906.

The stadium was always full, even if not sold out, even on weekday afternoons, with over 30,000 people. The first thing that surprised me, accustomed to Italians stadiums, was the fact that the most expensive places went always sold out first, because the price difference was far less than by us: the most expensive seats costed $ 10.50, the most economic, the standing ones, $ 4. The first time I found a standing place, sometimes I could also sit. Other typical features of Wrigley Field were and still are the ivy on the home run fence and the hand-controlled scoreboard (now integrated, but not replaced, by an electronic one).

I saw 4 games in total, if I remember well the Cubs' record was 1-3, but I am not sure. The only of which I remember the exact score is a 13-11 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers: the Cubs had scored 4 runs in the 8th inning, going ahead 11-9, but then played the 9th with a makeshift defense and they allowed 4 back, with the attendance calling for the pitcher to be shot (one said this, but other similar things). The attendance was always ready to get excited even for opponents' plays and, in case of disputed officials' calls, as worst they threw toilet paper into the field, to great scandal of the commentators. Another magic moment was the "seventh inning stretch" (the break between the two halves of the 7th inning) where they sang the  ritual, more than a century old, song "Take me Out to the Ball Game" (here the lastversion of old speaker Harry Caray in 1997, he died in February of the year after). At the end of the match, Caray ended with "Remember that, win or lose, I am a Cub fan, I am a Bud man, and I hope you are too. At the time I could not even drink beer, Budwieser or not: the drinnking age was 21 in Illinois.

I also watched  4 games of the other Chicago team , the White Sox, at Comiskey Park. I watched one with some classmates from countries where baseball is the national sport, Japan and Venezuela. It was against the Boston Red Sox, which played the great pitcher Roger Clemens. But there was not the same magic, "there's no place like Wrigley Field"

I Cubs al Wrigley Field (1986)

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La stagione del baseball americano è cominciata. Si sente di nuovo "the sound of the crack of a bat" . La stagione scorsa per me è stata la migliore di sempre, perché i miei amati Cubs hanno vinto il titolo dopo 108 anni. Alla prima partita di quest'anno sono tornati alle vecchie abitudini: hanno perso. Adesso sono 1-1, e mancano 160 partite.

Mi innamorai dei Cubs nel 1986, quando ero a Chicago (per la precisione, a River Forest, IL) per un corso estivo d'inglese. Due anni prima erano arrivati in semifinale, ma quell'anno erano già tornati perdenti: anche al college si facevano battute tipo "Ieri i Cubs hanno perso solo 12-2" (era vero) "E' un successo, di solito perdono 12-0". Andai al loro stadio, il Wrigley Field, un pomeriggio, perché allora era le partite potevano essere solo a quell'ora: non c'era l'illuminazione! Era un punto d'orgoglio per loro mantenere la tradizione, rinunciando anche a tante entrate. Prima di ogni partita si fronteggiavano i due schieramenti, pro e contro le luci, con le loro magliette e striscioni. Alla fine, nel 1989 cedettero e introdussero le luci: per l'inaugurazione chiamarono uno dei pochi che ricordasse ancora l'ultimo campionato vinto, nel 1908: era andato per la prima volta allo stadio nel 1906.

Lo stadio era comunque sempre pieno, anche se non proprio esaurito, anche nei pomeriggi dei giorni feriali, con oltre 30.000 persone. La prima cosa che mi stupì, abituato agli stadi italiani, era il fatto che si esaurissero sempre per primi i posti più cari, anche perché la differenza di prezzo era molto meno che da noi: i posti più cari costavano $10,50, i più economici, quelli in piedi, $4. La prima volta trovai un posto in piedi, altre volte riuscii anche a sedermi. Altre caratteristiche tipiche del Wrigley Field erano e sono tuttora l'edera sullo steccato del fuori campo e il tabellone manuale (oggi affiancato, ma non sostituito, da uno elettronico).

Vidi in tutto 4 partite, se ricordo bene il record dei Cubs fu 1-3, ma non ci giurerei. L'unica di cui ricordo il risultato esatto è una sconfitta 13-11 coi Los Angeles Dodgers: i Cubs avevano segnato 4 punti nell'8° inning, andando in vantaggio 11-9, ma poi affrontarono il 9° con una difesa improvvisata e ne presero altri 4, col pubblico che chiedeva la fucilazione del lanciatore (uno diceva questo, ma gli altri cose simili). Pubblico comunque sempre pronto ad esaltarsi anche per azioni degli avversari e che, in caso di decisioni arbitrali contestate, al massimo tirava carta igienica, con grande scandalo dei telecronisti. Altro momento magico era la "seventh inning stretch" (la pausa tra le due metà del 7° inning) dove si cantava la canzone rituale, vecchia di oltre un secolo "Take me Out to the Ball Game" (qui l'ultima versione dello speaker-telecronista storico Harry Caray nel 1997, morirà nel febbraio dell'anno dopo). A fine partita, Caray chiudeva con "Remember that, win or lose, I am a Cub fan, I am a Bud man, and I hope you are too. All'epoca la birra, Budwieser o no, non la potevo neanche bere: l'età minima in Illinois era 21 anni.

Ho visto anche 4 partite dell'altra squadra di Chicago, i White Sox, al Comiskey Park. Una la vidi con alcuni compagni di corso di paesi dove il baseball è sport nazionale, dal Giappone e Venezuela. Era contro i Boston Red Sox, che schieravano il grande lanciatore Roger Clemens. Ma non c'era la stessa magia: "there's no place like Wrigley Field"

The San Siro Palasport and me (1976-1985)

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I'm back. A few days ago, while I was wondering from where to begin to tell about my memories, I read of the commemorations of the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Milan. So I decided to tell about my childhood and boyhood experiences at the sports arena (Palasport) of San Siro in Milan.


The San Siro sports arena was opened in 1976 and was greeted with amazement, even by those who were a little older than 8, as I was then. Only a few mountaineer pointed out that it could have some problems in case of snow (Aldo Giordani, the great basketball journalist, told it). One of the first events that took place there was "It's a knock out." I would have liked to see it live, but at home they thought I was crazy, my mother told me, "we would not go even if we lived in front of the sports arena." They said it was an event  made for TV, which was undoubtedly true, but there was a live attendance, so they must have obtained tickets somehow.


I do not remember which was at first occasion when I actually went there. The sports  I went to see there were three: athletics, cycling and basketball. Every year a tennis tournament was also played there, but that I had never gone to see him: I'd go later, in the '90s, when it was played at the Assago Forum. For athletics I remember the two editions of the European Championships: I've recently learned they were in 1978 and 1982. Of the first I remember especially the women's high jump, with the duel between Simeoni and Holzapfel of West Germany (Ackermann of East Germany was not there). At the time, they jumped in silence, there was no rhythmic clapping, but we made a poor show: the speaker had to call not to disturb the German. I also remember Mennea, I thought it was in the 200, instead I read that he was in the 400, 200 at that time were not even run. Then the pole vault(obviously men's, at that time it was the only one) with 4 at 5,45 and 12 failed attempts at 5.50, with victory for  Olympic champion Sluzarski. I also remember the victory ceremony of men's high jump, held the day before, with the then nineteen Yashenko,  like the sports hall, destined to a bad end (yes, of the Champions I have mentioned only Simeoni is still alive).


In 1982, I remember especially the two races of the high jump, both with 3 athletes to try the world record. Among men a Swiss won with 2.34 (the world record was 2.35), among women I don't remember.For cycling I went to see every year the Six Days of Milan, sometimes even twice in a season. Once I even gave up the match at the San Siro stadium(where my father went regularly) for it. I saw both Moser and Saronni (my father was a fan of the former, I of the latter), but not in the same year.


For basketball I watched mainly the Milan-Cantù matches, as my father was a fan of the former and I of the latter. I have remained in mind 4 matches: the first two are those of playoff 1981 both won by Cantù, the first by 2, the second by 1 after double overtime. It was a best of 3 playoff: in between there was the Milan victory at Cantù. So Squibb Cantù (Squibb was the sponsor) got to the final against Bologna and won: I tried to go to watch it, but found no tickets.


About the third I actually do not remember anything, but I remember what happened just before. The matches were disputed immediately after the football ones (the venue was opposite the stadium) that day at San Siro there was Inter-Napoli. To get there in time we left the football match at about the 40th of the second half, with Inter 2-0. On the stairs we heard of the 2-1, arrived at the indoor stadium we learned that Napoli had equalized. That game was also famous because it was also the last covered by Beppe Viola, then my favorite sportswriter: after asking if the MVP had been San Gennaro, he suffered a stroke and died.


 The last match was also the last time I went to the arena: it was in November 1984. I remember Riva making 10-of-17 in 3-pointers (today it would be no big deal, but then, the first year of the 3-point shot, it was), Cantù was long in the lead but eventually lost.I thought I'd be back for the Six Days of 1985 and I was also looking forward to the athletics meeting scheduled for March, but nothing of all this: happened in January 1985 the snow brought down the roof. Immediately they spoke to repair it in years, then there were bureaucratic obstacles and at the end the venue was torn down. I saw the hole for long from the football stadium, I believe there are some office towers now  .