Forza Orsi! ('Go Bears' in Italian)
February 4, 2007
Alberto Poggi was just a kid when he fell in love with the Bears team that won the 1986 Super Bowl, so when this year's squad earned a trip to Miami, Poggi bought a plane ticket and flew here alone in hopes of seeing the big game.
The major difference between Poggi and thousands of others in the same boat is that Poggi traveled from his home in Forli, Italy.
"I want this moment for 21 years," said Poggi, 34, explaining that NFL games were new to European television in 1985 when Mike Singletary and the gang captured his imagination.
By late Saturday afternoon, though, the free-lance interpreter/volunteer fireman had yet to score a ticket, and with what he was prepared to spend -- $300 to $400 -- his prospects didn't look good.
"I think this is the last time in my life," Poggi said.
We all hope not, Alberto. We all hope not.
Mark Brown