El argentino Lionel Messi, del Barcelona, recibió el premio otorgado por el diario deportivo español Marca denominado Trofeo Di Stéfano, que distingue al mejor futbolista del año en todas las competiciones, nacionales e internacionales.

En la ceremonia, que tuvo lugar en un lujoso hotel de un suburbio residencial de la capital española, Messi estuvo acompañado por el propio Alfredo Di Stéfano, leyenda viva del fútbol español y argentino, y por el actual entrenador albiceleste, Diego Armando Maradona, en vísperas del partido amistoso del sábado entre España y Argentina en el estadio Vicente Calderón.

“Estoy más nervioso y orgulloso que nunca de estar al lado de Maradona y de Di Stéfano, y estoy muy contento de que (el premio) me lo hayan dado ellos”, declaró “La Pulga”, que sucede en el palmarés al español Raúl, galardonado en la primera edición del premio.

Messi superó a jugadores como Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, y el uruguayo Diego Forlán, en la elección realizada por un panel integrado por personalidades del fútbol.

Fuente: AFP – NA

What a great day in Woodinville.  Dad, Vegas and I hit TEN wineries yesterday and each one was (as usual) friendly and full of great wine.  Even Vegas had a good time.  One of these days I’ve got to take his picture while we’re there…I’m just so distracted by the wine that I keep forgetting.  Here’s a run down of where we were:

• Cuillin Hills - We started with one of my favorites.  The winemaker (Derek Des Voigne) is a blast, as is his brother who we saw later at Des Voigne Cellars.  And the wines are not only fantastic, but really well priced.  There aren’t many “screaming deals” here but just about everything is priced under $30.  The news here is not only the new releases, but the birth of a new wine club!  I think I might actually join this one; dad is a member everywhere else so I guess it’s my turn.  My favorite wines - Cab Franc, Riff Raff, Claret, Shackled.
• Smasne - There are several wineries in this tasting room and all of them have the winemaker (Robert Smasne) in common.  There is a huge line up to taste here.  We were very selective b/c we knew we had such a full day.  Very good wines, very good prices…in fact, we found the “screaming deal” of the day.  A case of his Rose for $50!  I was planning to buy that anyway so when I heard of the sale I gladly bought a case.  So perfect for summer.  My favorite wines – Rose (two kinds), Riesling (two of them) and the Cabs – all of them.
• Red Sky - We stopped to do a wine club pick up here and were (thankfully) quickly escorted to the back/barrel room because the lobby was packed.  We sipped the new wines with the winemaker (Carol Parsons) and avoided the crowd up front.  The wines and the people are always so nice here.  Dad is especially fond of the girl behind the tasting bar that speaks German with him; Michelle I think is her name? My favorite wines – Sunrise (with a new screw top!), Serendipity, Merlot Rose, Bordeaux Blend.
• Barrage - The is one of (if not the only) winery that does not do blends.  The winemaker (Kevin Correll) likes to make varietals.  And I like to drink them.  This tasting room is very laid back, super friendly and LOVES dogs.  They usually have their dog, a Chocolate Lab named Murphy, hanging around greeting people.  Vegas is not a fan, but he’s getting used to bigger dogs so visiting this tasting room often is good for Vegas…and Vegas’ mom.  Ha!  But I must admit, I was so busy talking about dogs while I was here that I somehow managed to pick up someone else’s bag when I left!  The lovely Merlot that I paid for turned into a Chardonnay from a completely different winery by the time we got home.  Bummer!  My favorite wines – Merlot, Cab Franc, Double Barrel Cabernet.  UPDATE!  I sent Kevin an email to apologize for basically stealing somebody’s wine.  He told me that they’d realized it right after we left and since we were nowhere to be found, he put my wine off to the side for me and bought a replacement one from the other winery for the other customers.  Great customer service and a great guy!
• Patterson - This place is another one of those little gems that has great pricing and super wines…and the people – oh so much fun!  There isn’t a wine snob for miles.  The tasting room has a couple great windows that look into the barrel room.  Quite often the winemaker (John Patterson) and/or his dad (Jack) can be found doing barrel samples back there.  If you ever have the chance – do this – I’ve never had a wine I didn’t like.  My favorites – WoodsLake Sangiovese, BDX, Recession Red, Volterra Red
• Des Voigne - Finally, the new San Remo (Sangiovese) is out!  It was well worth the wait; the wine is excellent.  No real surprise there, it’s wonderful every year.  Heck, everything in that place is good.  The winemaker here (Darren Des Voigne) is the brother to the winemaker at Cuillin Hills.  There must be something in the genes – these boys know what they’re doing, know how to have a fun atmosphere in their tasting rooms and know that wines don’t have to cost a small fortune.  And have I mentioned the labels here yet?  All jazz inspired and gorgeous!  My favorite wines – San Remo (Sangiovese), Emcee (Merlot), The Duke (Zin Blend), Montreux (Syrah).
• Alexandria Nicole - It’s so hard not to go into this place every time I’m in the Warehouse District.  The winemaker (Jarrod Boyle) makes some terrific wines and the people in the tasting room really treat customers like family.  I almost expect them to call out my name when I walk thru the secret passageway into the members-only area in back…kind of like “Norm!” in Cheers.  Kathy is always back there and always quick to greet us with a smile, a hug and a glass that she’s willing to fill with anything we desire.  The tastings back there aren’t done by a set list; they’re done by what you want to try.  Believe me, it’s hard not to ask for one of everything!  My favorite wines – Cab, Rock Star, Syrah, Merlot.
• DiStefano’s - This was one of the first wineries I fell in love with in Woodinville.  Because they aren’t in an area with a bunch of others, I don’t always get out to see them.  I was glad we had to pick up wine for some friends; what a great excuse to go in and enjoy their wines.  Their tasting room is so pretty and really holds a lot of people.  Speaking of people, the ones working behind the tasting bar are so friendly and so knowledgeable about their wines.  My favorite wines – Sogno (Cab Franc), Syrah, Cab, Merlot.
• Bookwalter - This is a relatively new tasting room in Woodinville.  It’s located right behind Hollywood Schoolhouse and has a huge space for tasting.  One of the things that sets them apart from other wineries is the literary theme that can be found in the titles of their wines.  In addition, they are very nice, have super wines and have started a great wine club (I think they call it a book club – ha!) with nice discounts.  Yes, dad joined.  My favorite wines – Couplet (Riesling), Subplot (Blend), Foreshadow Merlot.
• Mark Ryan - What luck, we were there for the first day of business in the new tasting room!  Rock star winemaker (Mark McNeilly) is open for business behind the Hollywood Schoolhouse.  The tasting room is big and bright and was full of people when we were there.  There is a $10 tasting fee which is one of the highest, but is fully refundable if you buy a bottle.  Trust me, you’ll find something you like.  I love, love, love his wines; I just can’t often afford them.  That being said, when I want to splurge on a really special bottle, it’s usually one of his – the Long Haul in particular.  My favorites - Long Haul, Dead Horse (don’t be fooled by the name), Red Dissident.

This Kaká business got me thinking about team building. This whole “galáticos” concept has been making the rounds for decades. Even the Real Madrid of the 1950s with Alfredo DiStéfano, Ferenc Puskás and Paco Gento was built on that concept. But if one team is to blame more than any other, I think it’s the 1970 Brazilian World Cup squad, And the biggest problem with them is that they won.

Getting the best players in the world no matter the cost and then recouping the investment based on their success, and the marketing of that success, sounds good in principle. In reality, it doesn’t necessarily work that way. There are several factors that can cause problems:

* the players do not get along personally
* the players do not get along in footballing terms (differing styles)
* the players are too used to being the dominant member of the squad and cannot share the limelight
* the coaching staff doesn’t provide an appropriate scheme to make use of the talent
* injuries, suspensions or any other type of absences prevent the team from developing any continuity

Often, it’s several of these factors together that bring about the downfall of the super-team. In the case of Brazil ‘70, two of these factors were so overwhelmingly positive that they overcame the other two.

The sense of team spirit and the coaching staff’s understanding of the talent at their disposal created a monster, literally, as Brazil crushed the opposition all the way to, and including, the FIFA World Cup final against Italy, a rare 4-1 drubbing in the tournament’s final match.

But the most unusual thing about the team was not it’s hugely talented roster, which included Pelé, Jairzinho, Gerson, Rivelino, Tostão, it was the fact that all of these players were what in that time was referred to as No. 10’s (creative centre-forwards).

Mario “Lobo” Zagallo, Brazil’s manager at that time, deployed his various No. 10’s in different positions across the pitch, with Pelé getting the benefit of his fame and experience and occupying his natural position.

Shockingly it worked, and no one complained. It’s hard to believe that would happen nowadays, can you imagine getting Kaká, Diego, Ronaldinho and Juninho Pernambucano in the Brazil squad all together and convicing them that they all need to share? It would never happen. Just getting Kaká and Ronaldinho playing together proved to be a problem at the last World Cup, with ‘Dinho completely disappearing from the game once he was asked to drop back or into the wing.

But that doesn’t stop Brazil or anyone else from trying. People like Florentino Pérez at Real Madrid figure that the best players equal the best team. Unfortunately the equation is not that simple. Even the Brazil of the 1970s had Carlos Alberto and Clodoaldo doing tough work behind the No. 10s (though it didn’t stop either of them from scoring as well).

Add to that, the hard work put in by the Big 5 in terms of defence. Tostão was an influential in his marking as he was in attack. Try asking Robinho to mark somebody these days. Everyone seemed to be playing out of position. Centre back Wilson Piazza was actually a midfielder for his club side in Brazil.

Finally, Brazil had a tremendous amount of motivation in 1970. A poor showing in 1966 had left the country hungry for more success, and a third World Cup win would mean not only that they would have the most of any country at that time, but also that they could permanently keep the Jules Rimet Trophy. Add to that a very player-friendly coach in Zagallo and a dash of dictatorial pressure from Brazil’s central government and it all adds up to one of the most unique, unusual and beautiful displays of football in the history of the game.

If Real Madrid gets all the players it wants, we’re possibly going to see Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Franck Ribery in the team, trying to find a way to coexist. I have a hard time seeing any of those four finding the motivation to step back and let someone else be the focal point for a while.

But even if it doesn’t work, it certainly won’t be the last time someone tries to build a super-team chock-full of attacking talent. After all, there’ll be plenty of people to blame on the pitch for bad results. It certainly wouldn’t be the fault of the person who put them together,

El Barcelona y su estrella Lionel Messi rindieron hoy a sus pies a toda la prensa española, encandilada por el histórico 6-2 de los azulgrana ante el Real Madrid en el estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

“¿Cuántos blancos serían titulares en el Barça?”, se preguntó el diario “Marca”, que señaló al argentino como el gran ganador de los duelos individuales y destacó su respuesta satisfactoria en un duelo de tal magnitud, informa la agencia de noticias dpa.

“Este año se lo va a comer todo: el Balón de Oro, el FIFA World Player, el Di Stefano. Un ’number one’ que le ha costado cero euros al Barça”, destaca.

“Messi puso en jaque a la defensa madridista durante todo el encuentro, desbordando con velocidad y regates”, explicó el diario “As”.

Para gran parte de la prensa, la clave del gran papel del delantero estuvo basada en su peculiar ubicación dentro del campo de juego. El entrenador Josep Guardiola optó por posicionarlo apenas unos metros detrás de Thierry Henry y de Samuel Eto’o y por el centro del ataque visitante.

Así, el rosarino encontró las facilidades en las espaldas de Lassana Diarra y Fernando Gago y la diferencia de velocidad y reacción respecto a los centrales Fabio Cannavaro y Cristoph Metzelder.

“El técnico sabía las ganas que tenía Leo de hacer un gran partido. La ansiedad no forma parte de su vocabulario, pero los fenómenos se consagran en los partidos importantes y Messi tenía ganas de un encuentro así”, esgrimió el periódico “Mundo Deportivo”.

El ’Pulga’ co-protagonizó, además, una jornada histórica, en lo que a números refiere. Con sus dos tantos convertidos en el derbi llegó a un total de 23 goles anotados en el campeonato español. De tal manera, junto a los 27 que cosecha Eto’o y los 19 de Henry, ya forman parte del trío más efectivo de la historia de la Liga, con 69 goles.

El tridente ’culé’ superó a la histórica sociedad del Real Madrid de la temporada 1960-61 conformada por Ferenc Puskas (28 goles), Alfredo Di Stéfano (21) y Luis Del Sol (17), que acumularon 66 tantos. Incluso, el único rival de la competición actual que supera en cantidad de goles a los tres delanteros del líder es el mismo Real Madrid (79 tantos).

“Messi sentó cátedra con otro de sus goles catedralicios. Uno más para su colección”, explicó el diario “Sport”, en referencia al segundo tanto anotado por el sudamericano, que significó el 5-2 del resultado global.

”Es el triunfo más importante de mi vida”

Hombre clave en el histórico 6-2 del Barcelona sobre el Real Madrid, el argentino Lionel Messi reconoció haber vivido una noche única, informa la agencia dpa.

“Éste es el triunfo más importante de mi vida”, dijo a la edición de hoy de “Clarín” el delantero, que anotó dos goles, un pase gol y participó en otros dos.

“En el arranque estaba con bronca porque no me salían las cosas y erré un par de goles, pero después demostramos por qué debemos ser campeones. Creo que hicimos historia, ¿no?”, se preguntó el propio Messi, que anotó por primera vez en el estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

El argentino ya tiene la mira puesta en el choque del miércoles en Stamford Bridge ante el Chelsea. En juego está el pase a la final de la Liga de Campeones tras el 0-0 del Camp Nou en la ida de las semifinales.

“Ojalá Chelsea sea más abierto esta vez. Quizás este partido ante el Madrid les saca las ganas de eso, pero nosotros siempre buscamos ganar”, concluyó Messi.

Guarda un po’, Daniè…
www.distefano.com

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Istituto italiano per gli studi filosofici – Associazione etnea studi storico-filosofici – Società filosofica italiana – Dottorato di Scienze Umane – Università di Catania

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Mercoledì 9 aprile 2008 – ore 16,30 – Monastero dei Benedettini  − Facoltà di Lingue – aula A8 – piazza Dante − Catania: Guernica, 1937 – Le bombe, la barbarie, la menzogna di Angelo D’Orsi Donzelli Editore.  Intervengono: Giuseppe Giarrizzo Accademico dei Lincei; Nunzio Famoso  Preside della Facoltà di Lingue e letterature straniere (Università di Catania);  Francesco Coniglione  Professore di Storia della filosofia nella Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione (Università di Catania); Salvatore Distefano Associazione etnea studi storico−filosofici - sarà presente l’autore.    Attività realizzata in collaborazione con il bimestrale SCUOLAINSIEME.