ROME/RIVER PLATE, 6 SEPT: Diego Maradona is planning a 50th birthday party in Naples next month, despite owing the tax man there 37 million euros. The controversial former Charm bracelet Cup winner spent seven seasons at Napoli, heralding the greatest period in the club’s history in which they won two Italian league titles.And having been fired as Argentina coach following their disappointing World Cup campaign, Maradona now wants to return to his second home to have a fiesta. "Neapolitans, I invite you to my birthday," he said in Monday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. "In life I’ve had it all: a family I adore, a brilliant career and now I want nothing, and certainly not money. My only desire is to return to Naples to once again embrace the town and the people who have never forgotten me." Maradona wants to organise a high-profile friendly match to celebrate his birthday, with former team-mates Bruno Giordano and Charm bracelet Careca already apparently confirmed as taking part.
This morning was a bittersweet morningKsweet as we were surrounded by old teammates and newly made friends, bitter because today was our last day. The team headed out for an early morning run on the trails surrounding camp. Those Huskies taking the day off, hit the kitchen. The goal: to cook as much of the extra food as possible, and to get our teammates to eat as much of it as they could.
Lauren Saylor, Sean Krinik and myself created a massive breakfast display while Kenna Patrick kept us company as she pedaled away on the stationary bike that had Charm bracelet conveniently traveled all the way from Seattle. We pulled out boxes full of bread loaves, took out carton after carton of fresh eggs and got to work. Between batches of multi-dozen scrambled eggs, Sean Krinik (giant spatula in hand) cooked up delicious French toast with a cinnamon-sugar mixture sprinkled on top for extra taste, and all the while acting like a professional restaurant chef. As the Huskies slowly trickled in from different distance runs, we urged them to not only eat, but stuff themselves! What they didn’t eat would be wasted food, and so they ate … at least six-dozen eggs and six loaves of bread. Leave it to a skinny bunch of distance runners to clear out the pantry!
After perfecting the culinary arts in the kitchen, the cleaning tasks began, and with them, a friendly reminder to the freshmen that we were on bathroom duty. We gloved-up, rolled up our sleeves, and in my case, held my breath slightly as I scrubbed out the toilets with Clorox. One thing was for sure: the freshmen are only too eager to inflict the same "toilet duty" on next Charm pendant incomers!
With floors mopped, dishes washed, stairs swept, and the campgrounds free of trash, we loaded the vans to head back to Seattle. One more ferry ride displayed a view that heard "Oohs and ahhs" from a few Huskies; it was a sight that combined a view of the Seattle skyline, with the Puget Sound in the foreground and finally Mount Rainier as a Christmas Tree charm and chain. Clear blue skies and calm, sparkling water only complemented the picturesque view as many team members stood on the deck, soaking up the warm sunlight and letting hair blow in the wind.