A Facebook Apology
1/31/2010 Edited By Claudio Kolega

I want to apologize for airing out some of my frustrations on Facebook last week. As a professional, I should have known better than to post a one sentence status about a touchy subject and not expect to get some confusion and controversy in return.  
 
It seems my short comments from last week’s status have been misconstrued as a personal attack on certain individuals and on the Church itself. This was truly not my intention and I need to set the record straight. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Croatian Church and everything the Church has done and continues to do for our community. I am a member of the Church; I was married in the Church and had the honor of having all 3 of my children christened there. My wife and her entire family have a long history there. All three Nanjara sisters danced for Kardinal Stepinac and used to teach kolo to the children. God willing, in the near future, when my children are a little older we will again be an intricate part of the Church Community and Daniela will again be teaching. Fra. Nikola, Fra. Stipe, along with Fra. Ivica before them, have shown nothing but support for our soccer club over the past few years. It was this support that helped make the inaugural Dalmacija Kup such as a huge success and for this we are truly thankful. Like their counterparts in the Astoria mission, Father Ellis Tommaseo, and Father Zubovic before him, the Croatian clergy in New York should be shown the respect and support they have all earned.  
 
My frustrations should have been aimed directly at the people of our community and not at the Church establishment itself. It’s the people behind the scenes that are responsible. We all know that our community is divided and has been so for far too long. Animosity exists between certain groups in the community. Animosity that was generated from things said and things done over a generation ago. With strong ties to both sides, it has always been a personal mission of mine (perhaps a stupid one) to keep this rift from transcending future generations. In my opinion, a united community is a strong one and the worst thing that we can do to the next generation of Croatians in NY is to give them a reason to stay divided. When I was asked to be a part of the Polet Soccer Club, I saw it as a chance to use the club to bridge the gap between two sides of the same Croatian community. There was a time, during the peak of the war, that this gap seemed to have disappeared. Those were the days of weekly youth parties at the Center and Church picnics at the Hrvatska Zemlja that attracted thousands. The entire community was driven by the same goal and we were never more united. But this isn’t the case anymore. The community is dispersed throughout the suburbs of a metropolis and it’s tough to keep us together just from a geographical reality. I mean let’s face it, if you live out on Eastern Long Island, you are not going to be going to the West Side of Manhattan every Sunday for Mass. Throw into this mix the old animosity that just keeps lingering and you have a divided and weak Croatian Community in New York. I truly believe (again, perhaps stupidly) that we can make a better and stronger community. That’s what our intentions were at the original Dalmacija Kup. Maybe people in our community didn’t see it turn out that way, and for that I am sorry. Let’s not continue the animosity. Let’s leave it where it belongs, with the ruins of a war that is already 15 years behind us. Let’s finally unite…for the sake’s of our children.

Twelve Days of a NY Polet Christmas
12/24/2008 Edited By Claudio Kolega

Okay, I have about a half an hour or so to put a Christmas blog together before Daniela and the kids find me. I have an idea, but you need to read this blog like you’re singing the damn song or else it will sound like crap. 
 
The Twelve Days of Polet Christmas: 
 
On the 1st day of Christmas New York Polet gave to me…1 Skara in a Polet Uniform  
 
(I had to throw Tommy in there first because he is a huge pick up and because I’m the reason why he came to play for us…let’s admit it people, if I wasn’t part of this club, would anyone want to be a part of it. Just because you haven’t heard from me in a while doesn’t mean I stopped being full of myself…remember you have to sing the song portion while your reading!) 
 
On the 2nd day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(Robi & Zoki, as much as I love my two bad blue boys, they can’t shoot with their right foot for shit (you can’t Zoki, so stop telling Nikica, “Pa sure da mogu”)…ha, and Dinamo still SUCKS!! TORCIDA!!!) 
 
On the 3rd day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(Evan, Brian, and Paul all played for Molloy College and have all become integral parts of the team. I had to throw the ‘gay’ thing in there because Evan is mentioned in the group. Sorry Brian, Paul, but he did go to College with you guys. What’s with shaving the pubes Evan? Are you a girl or something? Try not to run around the parking lot naked next tournament, please!) 
 
On the 4th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(tournament was a wild one this year, not to mention the quarterfinal finish for us...that’s right people, group winners and quarterfinalist! It would be great to see more of you in Cleveland next year…did I mention we were Group Winners!) 
 
On the 5th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…5 empty b-e-e-e-e-r c-a-a-n-s, 4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(beer cans on Chris’s head while he was passed out drunk in my hotel room in London. Did I mention the shaving cream? Okay, I will shut up now before he kills me. Oh, and don’t laugh Kendes, do you remember what you looked like at the banquet? How about before the banquet? Sleeping on the table? No, doesn’t ring a bell? I’ve never seen your hair so messed up…you must have been drunk, usually that shit looks like it’s painted on your head) 
 
On the 6th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…6 guitar strings strumming, 5 empty b-e-e-e-e-r c-a-a-n-s, 4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(on Zvone’s guitar of course! The team’s official musician…Zvone can rock! Sorry, Vlade, but you decided not to show up for tournament so your shit out of luck. Maybe we could get a Painkillers performance in Cleveland. Did you know that NY Croatia was going to steal Zvone’s guitar as a prank last tournament—bastards!) 
 
On the 7th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…a fat number 7 eating, 6 guitar strings strumming, 5 empty b-e-e-e-e-r c-a-a-n-s, 4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(Vicko has been wearing number 7 since I could remember…either that number 7 jersey is shrinking, or Vic, your stomach is growing…you decide) 
 
On the 8th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…8 Croatian babes a-dancing, A fat number 7 eating, 6 guitar strings strumming, 5 empty b-e-e-e-e-r c-a-a-n-s, 4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(the way I see it, this year Polet had 8 women who helped make us a great club: Kristina, Brankica, Julie Jurkovic, my wife Daniela, and Davor’s wife Mirela did a lot to make Dalmacija Kup a huge success…then there’s the two Skara girls, Natalie and Mariana, and Helena, who helped make the London trip another success...thanks for being a part of the team girls! Maybe next year we can get you girls to where some mini-skirts and wave a set of blue and white pom-poms around?) 
 
On the 9th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…9 Goals a-scoring, 8 Croatian babes a-dancing, A fat number 7 eating, 6 guitar strings strumming, 5 empty b-e-e-e-e-r c-a-a-n-s, 4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(the Over-30 squad has been having lots of success this first half of the season, albeit in the Over-30 ‘B’ division, thanks mainly to the 9 total goals scored by my main man, Mate Galovic. Mate has been super all season and deserves a call-up to the first team after his performance. He has become the leader on that O-30 team that should see some new recruits soon…Me in goal, Chris, Robi, Matt, Vicko…yes, you guys are all over 30 (or soon to be), so you can’t deny it anymore!) 
 
On the 10th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…number 10 forever remembering, 9 Goals a-scoring, 8 Croatian babes a-dancing, A fat number 7 eating, 6 guitar strings strumming, 5 empty b-e-e-e-e-r c-a-a-n-s, 4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(for those of you who don’t know, Polet does not have a number 10 on the field on Sundays. It has been retired in honor of Mirko Grgas who died at a young age in a car accident in the early 80’s. This one is for Mirko and all the Polet players of the past, those who are with us and those who have since gone. Davor did a tremendous job remembering all of them during his banquet speech at Dalmacija Kup. I am fairly new to this club and didn’t know most of these people, but I think it’s important to remember those who paved the way. Not just for Polet, but for all those Croatians who came to the United States and brought their heritage and culture with them. Be it soccer, church, kolo, or any other way, I am thankful for all those who keep us united and strong. I’ll say this time and time again, Neka Vide Da Nas Ima!) 
 
On the 11th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…11 players playing, number 10 forever-remembering, 9 Goals a-scoring, 8 Croatian babes a-dancing, A fat number 7 eating, 6 guitar strings strumming, 5 empty b-e-e-e-e-r c-a-a-n-s, 4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(we have a tremendous team this year, from our new additions the likes of Tommy Skara, Misin Shala, Sammy Stupicic…to our core of Captain Anthony Viskovich, Robert Pribanic, Tunstall, Santos, Guillermo Rios, Woodhouse…to our veterans of Christian Racic, Tommy Gelardi, John Ivankic, Matthew Princi, Vicko Sunjka…to our youth of Ante Kendes, Christopher Matura, Ivica Gasparic. We are truly like one big family and we are a lot of fun to be around. Thanks to all the Polet players for a great year and hopefully for a better one ahead.) 
 
On the 12th day of Christmas NY Polet gave to me…12 Polet Thank You’s, 11 players playing, number 10 forever-remembering, 9 Goals a-scoring, 8 Croatian babes a-dancing, A fat number 7 eating, 6 guitar strings strumming, 5 empty b-e-e-e-e-r c-a-a-n-s, 4 crazy nights in London, 3 former gay Molloy boys, 2 left-footed ONLY Purgers, and 1 Skara in a Polet Uniform. 
 
(well this is me running out of time. The wife is nagging, the kids are crying, and my half hour of free time is up. So, on behalf of the New York Polet Soccer Club I want to thank everyone who is reading my korner (hopefully at least a half dozen people or so), all those who supported us this year, especially those who came to Dalmacija Kup and helped it be a success, and to those who helped us in Canada, Ante Vooch, Zeljko and Melissa Faraguna, Frankie Radocaj…hopefully I didn’t forget to many other people today. But if I did, thanks! See you all at our next function.) 
 
SRETAN BOZIC I NOVA GODINA…MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

Dalmacija Kup 2008
4/7/2008 Edited By Claudio Kolega

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, New York Polet will be hosting H.N.K. Dalmacija Streetsville on Saturday, May 3rd. Dalmacija will be visiting us from Oakville, Canada. The event will be an all day affair, with a friendly soccer game set to be played between the two Croatian teams at 2 pm on our home field in Whitestone followed by a dinner banquet at the Croatian Center starting at 7:30 pm. The banquet will be highlighted with performances from both the kolo groups from Astoria and Douglaston (Kardinal Stepinac was also invited but were too busy to attend) along with a performance from Dalmacija’s tamburasi group, ‘Zvuci Hrvatske’. The banquet will continue with music from our own Grupa ‘Freedom’. We’ve (and by we, I mean the organizing committee of which I’ve done the least amount of work) has managed to pull together a fabulous lineup of performances for that day, including a “Legends Game” between old-timers from Polet versus old-timers from Rudar which will precede our 2 o’clock game (only over 50’s allowed to play in this game…that should be funny to watch)…plus, we will be selling t-shirts with the event theme on them, and a raffle that will include a free trip to Croatia. I have to admit, we have pulled this event together fairly well. When I started writing this blog, I figured I would take all the credit for this great event and tell everyone how this was all my idea. Actually, it was Dalmacija’s Brian “Capo” Capin who came up with the idea. It all started back in 2005 when I met Capo at our first ever Savez meeting. At the time, there were no teams from New York represented in the Croatian National Soccer Federation of Canada and USA (read more about the Savez and its teams at www.hnns.org) and Polet Club President Davor Rosini and myself flew up to Toronto for the Savez’s Semi-Annual meeting. While there, we gave the Savez a run down of who Polet was, where we came from, and what we were looking to accomplish in the future. You know, the usual stuff, promoting Croatian Culture through soccer…blah, blah, blah. Afterwards Capo came straight up to me and told me that he liked what we were about. He liked the fact that we were a small, but ambitious club with our roots based out of Dalmacija. “Claudio he said, get ready, because we’re coming to visit you in New York.” So what do I do, as usual, I ignored him. Finally, he got fed up with me constantly ignoring all his e-mails and went straight to Polet’s own Zvonimir Antolos with the idea…a few conversations between Zvone and Capo and the ‘Dalmacija Kup’ was born.  
 
The more we started to talk about the ‘Dalmacija Kup’ amongst ourselves, the more I realized the potential that this event could have on our own community here in New York. The event is a way to create a new bond between Croatians from New York and Canada, while at the same time trying to help strengthen the bonds within our own community. New York Polet Soccer Club was established, as was every other soccer club within any community, as a conduit to connect the younger generations to our cultural roots of Croatia through the beautiful game of soccer. Be it as a player, coach, spectator, fan, or club member...it doesn’t matter, just as long as we have something that we can use to keep us together, united, and strong for future generations to come. We have all felt the changes in our community over the past 20 years. In the early 90’s, we had several strong soccer clubs, the picnics in Jersey were filled with thousands of people, and there was a buzz in the community filled with Croatian pride…today things have changed, soccer is not what it was back then, if we can get a few hundred people at the picnics we are lucky, and Croatian pride is something that pops up only when the National team is playing European or World Cup qualifiers. Someone had suggested to me the other day that our community is just too spread out. That Croatians are scattered all over the tri-state area and that that’s the reason we have lost a lot of our unity and strength. Well, I miss the old days and have been looking for a way to bring some of that unity back. When Capo suggested bringing H.N.K. Dalmacija to New York for a game between two friends with a Croatian night afterwards, I thought it was an excellent opportunity to bring something back to our community, to create some new excitement. These Croatian-Canadians are coming a long way to see New York, it’s only fitting that we show them a good time. Polet has done its part to set this all up…now it’s up to you. So this is our chance, whether you have ties to the original Polet team of the 70’s and 80’s or with the “new” Polet of today, whether you’re a fan of the team or just a fan of soccer in general, or whether you’re just a Croatian looking to have a good time and meet new people, feel free…no, feel welcomed…to join us on May 3rd for a day of competitive soccer and a night of tamburasi, kolo performances, singing and dancing at the Croatian Center. We would love to have the entire Croatian community share in the excitement with both New York Polet and Dalmacija Streetsville.  
 
It wouldn’t be fitting if I didn’t take this opportunity to thank the organizing committee for ‘Dalmacija Kup 2008’. Thank you Davor and Mirela Rosini, Dragan and Julie Jurkovic, Josip Jurkovic, Zoran Sime Rendic and Nikica Majic, Kristina Nanjara, Brankica Orlic, Branko Kleva, Robert Pribanic, Zvonimir Antolos, and Vicko Sunjka. Oh, and of course…ME! They say in Canada that we have an unorganized community here in New York…well, let’s show them what New York is all about. See you all on May 3rd.  
 
 

We are with you Eduardo!
2/24/2008 Edited By Claudio Kolega

Unfortunately today’s korner is a short and not so pleasant one. I finally had the opportunity to watch the video of Eduardo Da Silva’s injury during the Arsenal-Birmingham City game yesterday morning. I have to be honest, I am just sick to my stomach right now. The foul was blatant and completely inexcusable. For those of you who didn’t hear the terrible news or who have no clue what I’m talking about, here’s the story: Croatian superstar striker Eduardo Da Silva had his leg smashed in pieces (and I mean it literally) today while playing for his club team in England, Arsenal, by a disgusting tackle from Birmingham City’s Martin Taylor. The low life piece of dog shit Taylor flew in on a tackle with his studs up and came down violently on Eduardo’s leg, a few inches above his ankle, smashing it in half causing the bone to rip through Da Silva’s skin. The tackle is so graphic that both Fox Soccer Channel and Sky Sports would not show any replays of the injury. Just take a few seconds to watch the videos and the photos in some of the articles I attached at the end of this blog and tell me you’re not sick to your stomach watching it. Eduardo is a young soccer superstar in the making, or at least he was before yesterday's game. He has done nothing but wonderful things on the soccer pitch since coming on to the scene in Zagreb when Dinamo swiped him away from the poor streets of Rio de Janeiro in Brasil at the ripe age of 16. Read my Korner from October, 2006 and you will feel some of the impact this young man had on Croatian soccer in his short career. He embraced Zagreb as his home, learned to speak Croatian fluently (watch some interviews with him on YouTube…he speaks better than I do), even married a Croatian woman. Forget about the fact that he has been Croatia’s best player recently and was gearing up to help us go deep into the upcoming Euro Cup and think instead of the fact that this young man’s career is more than likely over at the age of 24. 24! I’m not a doctor, but from the way they have described the injury, it’s going to be a long hard road for Eduardo to return to this level of soccer again. I know a bunch of you right now are screaming at the screen saying, “give me a break Claudio, it’s not like he’s dead or anything, he just broke his leg”. Maybe it’s the soccer player in me that can sympathize with an injury or the soccer fan in me who is going to miss him when Croatia kicks off at Euro ’08 this summer, but I am steaming right now. It’s not fair that this kind of talent is wasted for such stupidity. Was such a tackle necessary? What was Taylor thinking? He obviously wasn’t going for the ball…was he intentionally trying to hurt the player? Where’s the sportsmanship in sports today? Similar to a stick swinging incident in hockey, or using your helmet as a spear in American football, soccer players need to be held accountable for going into tackles with their studs up in the air. It is not necessary to stop the ball. It is just a blatant way to injure your opponent. Intent to injure…you dirty son of a bitch Taylor…that’s what it was, you intended to injure him, perhaps not that severely, but what did you expect. Taylor should get a ban from soccer the same way Chris Simon was suspended for 25 games for swinging his stick in the National Hockey League. But with all this said, does it really matter? Who cares if they suspend Taylor or not? Just look at Eduardo’s leg. Eduardo was a super talent. Anyone who has seen him play could tell you that. It’s just a shame that something like this had to happen to him. All he knows his entire life is soccer. It’s soccer that has connected him to Croatia and its people. Now the poor guy is laying in some hospital with his career, his life in essence, in question. 
 
Hang in there Eduardo…the Croatian people are with you.  
 
http://www.24sata.hr/sport/clanak/uzas-u-birminghamu-dudu-gledao-u-vlastitu-kost/51088/?context=naslovnica&web_page_id=main_page_sport 
 
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=510495&cc=5901 
 
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D3xLzrfioUA&feature=related 
 
 
 

Sine Moj
10/29/2007 Edited By Claudio Kolega

March?! Can you believe that I haven’t written a thing in my Korner since March? Well, there are way too many things going on around me these days for me to continue to stay silent. Add the fact that Brankica (or, as the “MyFoxNY” reporter so elegantly put it, “Bruan-kissa”) called me out under the Comments section...”Claudio, get a move on” she said…Da cu ti ja “get a move on”! Not to mention that Ms. Orlic (again, that would be our friend Bruan-kissa) had the ‘cojones’ to allow herself to be interviewed on “My Fox” to explain to the few New Yorkers who actually do watch the Fox 5 News that Thompson is a unifier and not a hater. Brankica said that the singer’s music was more a message of Croatian unity…she did a fine job on camera and we are all proud of her (I left the link of the interview at the bottom of this blog so you can all have a look), but I would have felt better if she just came straight out and told the reporter that they were all full of shit and that their attacks on the man are unwarranted and grossly misconstrued. The lies that are being spread by the Wesenthal Center and by the blinded media have become outrageous. Thompson's music DOES NOT glorify any Nazi regimes, DOES NOT call out for racism or hate. Maybe if they actually read through all of Thompson’s lyrics and understood their context, they would know better. Actually, PLEASE, I urge them all to translate the songs that he will be singing at the concert and read through them word for word. We are, in fact, the opposite of what these people are trying to make us out to be and we don’t need Croatia dragged through the mud…what we need is for the ignorant media and antagonistic organizations of this world to stop attacking a peaceful Croatian patriot for doing nothing more than singing about the love he has for his homeland and his family. Maybe they should start worrying about the real issues that create hate in today’s world…let’s see…the fact that the world sits idly by while mass murderers the likes of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic still roam the earth as free men may be more news worthy, don’t you think? Don’t get me started on this issue; I have other things to touch base on in today’s Korner. The truth of the matter is that these protests and allegations against Thompson don’t really deserve much attention. So do me a favor, let’s not give it the attention that they’re looking for…let’s be smart about this. You know they are just waiting for us to do, or to say, something stupid so that they could pounce all over it. They are inciting us and antagonizing us and we are slowly falling prey. Let’s not give them that pleasure…Let’s all get together at the Croatian Center come November 2nd and 3rd, let’s enjoy ourselves in a peaceful manner, let’s sing together and aloud…“EJ MOJ NARODE…EJ MOJ NARODE!”, and let’s give these idiots nothing more to write about. 
 
Alright, back to a few other issues. Speaking of ‘cojones’…for those of you who don’t know by now, my wife gave birth to a baby boy last Wednesday. That’s right!...Nikola Josip Kolega, was born October 17 at 11:40 am. The little bugger had 10 fingers, 10 toes, and 1 glorious ‘piso’…RODIJA SE SIN! Ladies and gentlemen, let the partying begin…the Croatian blood line continues to grow; a Kolega heir shall continue to lead the masses, play the beautiful game of soccer, and mesmerize all the pretty ladies with his devastatingly good looks and charm (both traits he received from his dad of course) well after his big papa grows old. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my daughter Kristiana to death and she will always be my favorite, but I can’t help but be overly excited for the birth of my first son. There’s a special bond between a Croatian father and his son that cannot be broken. No matter how many times your dad beats you to a pulp, or how many times he threatened your life when you’ve pissed him off, or how many times he sent you “u pizdu materinu”; you still loved the man and wanted to grow up to be just like him. Only a son could appreciate those stories of a father’s drunken, gambling ridden adventures, or the times he spent in jail trying to escape the communist regime back in the day. I’ll never forget when my old man told me the story of when he bought his first car here in the States. It was in 1964 and he was only in this country for a few years. At the time a new house in Queens cost you about $6,000 (today the same house would be about $800,000). Ante (my dad) tells it like this, “Vell, vi vurk like budale for the whole year to save up some cash. I say to my prijatelji, cujte, a novi 1964, 380 konj, Chevi Bonneville Speedster costs oko 4 towsend dollars….let us buy the son of a bitch.” My wife is sitting there listening to the story and decides to ask him, “Ante, why the heck would you buy a $4,000 car instead of using the money for a down payment on a $6,000 house.” Ante’s reply with a smirk on his face was, “shit, vi needed to get to Kentucky for the Derby, and vi needed to get there fast”. While my wife shook her head in disgust, I was never prouder…the man worked night and day for years and blew all his cash on a Chevy just so that he could drive his buddies down to Kentucky, get drunk, and bet on horses at the Derby…I had tears in my eyes. Now that’s what legends are made of. But I think for the most part, all of our fathers are legends in their own right. Here’s to all those dads out there and especially to the new ones who recently received baby boys; my man Zvonimir Antolos with his son Sime, Denis Lisica with Marko, Boris Ribaric with Matthew, Elvis Porokovic and his twin boys Filip and Karlo, etc. 
 
What would a birth be without a little celebrating? A few of us met up at Scorpios the night after Nikola was born. Scorps has been a mob scene ever since Denis took over again. It was a Thursday night so Zvone was playing (mark your calendars people, every Thursday night at Scorpios you get live music from the duet of Zvone Antolos and Vlade Grubisic…this is no laughing matter, the two of them together are very talented). I have some photos of that night that still need to be posted for your viewing pleasure. All the usual suspects were there to help me celebrate. Of course, my sister-in-law Kristina was there to lead the charge. I swear this girl never sleeps…she is friggin’ everywhere, she’s out all the time and works like 80 hours a week…simply amazing. She was there when Kristiana was born and she was only a few minutes away from witnessing Nikola’s birth…Teta Kiki, you are the best. The who’s who of Polet showed up starting with the Bad Blue Boys Connection of Zoran Rendic and Robert Pribanic followed by my favorite fullback in this whole wide world, Tommy Mazor. The kid is a rock on the field. The only Zablacanin playing on the first team, Vicko Sunjka, also made a quick cameo before he whisked off to go sleep in his Con-Edison truck (the Union calls that work). Sammy Stupicic was the gentleman he always is and made sure he came to have a few drinks for Nikola. Thanks Sammy, ti si pravi covjik. What would the night have been without my three pillars in life, Frankie “Shorty” Radocaj who got drunk and started singing “Dodi u Vinkovce”, Robert “Cro-NassauCop” Bacich who tried to put his ugly looking mug into every photo…that was until Vinko Coce (that would be the dude with the Croatia scarf on and the microphone in hand) got pissed off at him, and my brother “Big” Ante who had at least 2 beer bottles in his hands at all times. Actually, there should have been a fourth pillar, but my cousin Joe decided that the birth of my first boy wasn’t important enough for him to make an appearance…oh well. You’ll see Goran Visnjic in one of the photos…oh shit, wait, sorry that was Goran Spadina, not Visnjic…but I swear, if you look real quick he looks just like him, just better looking. I’m telling you, Spadina would play the ER doctor role a million times better than Visnjic. We can’t forget about Brankica…she was there partying with the rest of us. This one appearance has taken her officially off the “naughty list” of this year’s Polet Christmas List. Dina was at home watching little Sime, so she gets a pass. As for Skara and Sumera…looks like more coal in your stockings this year…no excuses girls, where were you? There’s a great before and after photo of Brankica’s chest if any of you guys are interested (be careful though, the second photo of her chest was taken after she had a few shots of whiskey…not pretty!). And muoja Kualjka Maria Kolega was finally allowed out for a change...one more shot and she would have been dancing on the bar. Oh yeah, and Ivo Skibola came straight from work to have a drink with me. He did this knowing that when his ass got back to Jersey, his fiance Adrianna would be waiting there to kick it…it’s not too late dude, the funeral, sorry, I mean the wedding is not until June. All joking aside, I just want to thank everyone for being there to help celebrate and I especially want to thank my wife for giving birth to Nikola (8lbs-9oz)…she did it naturally, the woman’s got great child bearing hips.  
 
Just a quick side note on the Windsor trip. I know I promised to write something about the trip and especially on the great time we all had drinking and singing while overlooking the Detroit River. Sorry, I missed that opportunity. We had a great time and I think the photos show it. Polet would like to thank the entire team for a well played tournament and a successful weekend. We conducted ourselves with class like we always do. Thanks to some of our guests, including Nikica Majic, Melissa and Zeljko Faraguna (Zeljko, I have all the paperwork prepared. So just let me know when you’re ready to join Polet and it’s a done deal), Dragos Herinean, Pete Iucionelli, Frankie, Joe, and my brother. All of you helped make it a great weekend. We lost on a last second goal against Zrinski Chicago (1-0) and tied on a last second goal against Norval Croatia (1-1). Both those teams made it to the Semi-Finals. Hopefully we’ll be more successful next year. 
 
That’s all I got for you today, I think this should be enough for at least another 7 months or so.  
 
Brankica’s interview on “MyFox” can be seen here: 
http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=D56DDBCCE9C2EA7F9358E5B4A122B407?contentId=4734535&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1  
 
The following song is dedicated to my new son, Nikola Josip. I figured with Nikola being born combined with the Thompson controversy it would only be appropriate to use the lyrics from one of his songs, “Sine Moj”. Maybe the media and the Wesenthal Center should translate these lyrics. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwNt6-oG5_E 
Nikola Kolega Party 
 
Sine Moj (Thompson): 
 
Šutnja je često jača i od riječi,  
ali pjesma ruši sve.  
Tuku na me vjetrovi razni,  
al' ne dam se zbog tebe,  
sine moj. 
Znam da sa tvojim pogledom toplim  
vidiš u meni sve,  
al' i ja tebe gledam k'o nebo  
i živim za tebe,  
sine moj. 
Neka na putu tvom vodi te Bog,  
izdati nećeš tad ti roda svog.  
Samo je vjera sačuvala mene,  
ljubio sam Boga, a on mi dao tebe,  
sine moj. 
Neka u tvom srcu uvijek ima mjesta  
za dobre ljude sve,  
koji pod svetim barjakom idu  
kroz javu i kroz sne. 
Šutnja je često jača i od riječi,  
ali pjesma ruši sve.  
I tebe će tući vjetrovi razni,  
al' ne daj da slome te,  
sine moj. 
Neka na putu tvom vodi te Bog,  
izdati nećeš tad ti roda svog.  
Samo je vjera sačuvala mene,  
ljubio sam Boga, a on mi dao tebe,  
sine moj. 
 

Windsor Tourament 2007...Coming Soon!!!
9/4/2007 Edited By Claudio Kolega

Yes, we (me, especially) came back from Windsor all in one piece. No broken bones, no busted legs...our pride more than in tact...and our team feeling good. We turned Riverside Drive in Windsor into the Zadarska Riva for one night and Zvone's guitar filled up the Detroit skyline for hours with Croatian music. Sorry you'll have to wait a few days for all the details, I'm still trying to sober up a little bit.

March Madness
3/17/2007 Edited By Claudio Kolega

Ahh, the month of March. There’s something special about the month of March. I think it’s safe to say that March is my favorite month of the year. That’s right, March is my favorite. I know what you’re thinking; “March? March blows, there’s nothing going on in March, it’s the worst month?” It’s most definitely a valid argument. You could easily argue that March is probably the worst month of the calendar year. I mean, there really isn’t much of anything going on in the month of March. There are no true holidays…the weather always sucks; one day it’s a sunny 60 degrees outside and the next day you’re cleaning ice and 3 inches of sleet off of your windshield. March is not like any other month. In November we're eating fat injected, factory farmed Turkeys, in December we’re opening Christmas presents and drinking eggnog by the fire; January is the start of a new year and February is a great month to be on the ski slopes, while April and May give you gorgeous Spring weather; June, July, and August are all about the beach and going to Croatia on vacation; September brings the excitement of a new school year. Heck, even October is better than March, with its beautiful Fall foliage and Halloween candy. What exactly does March give us? 
 
Well, for starters, March is the month in which my wife was born…it’s NCAA College Basketball (frigin Winthrop screwed up my Midwest bracket already and it’s only the 2nd day of the tournament, damn Irish!)…it’s Women’s History Month (bet you didn’t know that one)…it’s the time of year when hockey games start to get that playoff vibe (and the N.Y. Rangers start driving me to the point where all I want to do while watching a game is stab myself in the eye with a sharpened pencil dipped in poison)…it’s drinking a pint of Guinness on St. Patty’s day…oh yeah, AND it’s the start of the second half of the soccer season…the most important half of the soccer year. In the second half of the season, your team is either fighting not to get relegated to a lower division or fighting to finally win promotion to the higher. It doesn’t matter what age group you’re in; you could be playing club ball for your youth under-13 team or for N.Y. Polet’s senior first team; in March it's back to soccer. It’s the end of the long ass winter break that seems to last forever. It’s time to take the beautiful game out of the muggy, sweaty, corn-ball smelling indoor gymnasiums and back outdoors; onto the green grass (or turf) fields, under the chilly but sunny skies, where the game belongs. Unfortunately for me, at the age of 32, the spring season means that there is one less for me to make a statement, one last chance to leave something behind for people to remember…one last chance to leave my mark on the game that I love. It’s another season closer to being forced to go and play for the Over 30 team. It’s another season closer to putting the old soccer studs up on the top shelf and buying a good set of golf clubs. When you’ve been playing soccer every Sunday for the past 27 years or so of your life, it’s tough to imagine a Sunday in the middle of March without it. This year’s Polet team has done me a favor and finished the first half of the season in the top of the division standings and put us into the quarterfinals of the State Cup (all without me on the field). Last weeks crazy come from behind victory at home put us into the next round of the League Cup as well. Three quarters of the chapters in my long soccer book have been written, the time has come to write the final one. Will the story tell a tale about how I squandered yet another opportunity to win the important game, or will the final chapter end with Glory!  
 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
12/20/2006 Edited By Claudio Kolega

Jingle Bells—Zoki Smells—Robby Laid an Egg—oh what fun it is to laugh at the Purgeri on my team—Yay-- 
 
Don’t you just love Christmas music? Don’t you just love everything about Christmas? A time of giving…a time of healing…a time to get drunk and sing sappy songs together around a fire place (or your stove, if you live in Queens). The beautiful lights and decorations, Santa and Rudolph, the Angels Singing, the Three Wise Guys and the Manger, the Birth of our Lord. It’s all so much fun and so spirited.  
 
After my last blog, my buddy Branko told me that I needed to get motivated again, like I was for my original Kolega’s Korner (you all know the one, when John almost killed me on the soccer field with his blatant disregard for the life of his goalkeeper and busted up my knee). Branko thinks that anger is a great motivator for me. He seems to think that when I’m angry I sound like a buffoon and in return my buffoonery comes off to be pretty funny. Me, sounding like an absolute jackass actually makes some people laugh. That’s cool, I’m all into making people laugh, and for those of you who know me, you know that it has never been hard for me to act like a jackass, I’m actually pretty good at it (just ask my wife). So I tried to get angry…I really, really tried…I’ve been trying for a whole month now…And…I just can’t do it…I can’t get angry. It’s Christmas, who could get angry at Christmas time (unless of course, you’re waiting on the cashiers line in Target for an hour and the service really sucks bad; so bad that you almost want to take the Christmas lights you’re purchasing for your Home Depot Christmas tree and wrap it around the cashiers neck and pull the wires just hard enough so that you could watch the stupid bitch die a slow, slow death…but then you realize you’re the dumb ass who waited ‘til the last minute to do you’re Christmas shopping and that the stupid bitch behind the counter is only making like $3 an hour, so she really doesn’t deserve to be choked to death on Christmas Eve). People are not supposed to be angry during Christmas; even Ebenezer Scrooge couldn’t resist the Christmas spirit and ended up buying a Turkey for the tiny crippled boy, and better yet, the Grinch’s peanut sized heart grew to the size of a grapefruit when he heard the Whos down in Who-Ville singing a Who-Song after he stole all their Who-Ornaments and Who-steaks and Who-fries. If the Grinch was able to grow a heart for Christmas, then how could I expect myself to get angry during this time of year?  
 
So I’m putting my anger aside and using the Christmas spirit as my motivation for a “Kolega’s Christmas Korner”. Today I am going to be the Polet Santa Claus and let you all know who on my list of naughty and nice is getting a gift this year and who is going to get a lump of coal put in his or her stocking. Well, actually Davor Rosini is Santa Claus because he’s a lot fatter than I am and it’s Rosini Engineering that’s funding the purchasing of these gifts (I can't wait to see the look on his face when he gets the bill), so I’ll be the Elf. We checked the list twice already, so there is no need to complain…you had you’re chance to be nice this year, kissing my elf ass now is not going to help you. 
 
Polet’s 2006 Christmas List: 
 
My daughter Kristiana...my little princess...I’m going to give her the world for Christmas. 
 
My wife Daniela...she gave me Kristiana this year...so she gets the moon (sorry honey, but I already gave the world to Kristiana). 
 
My sister in law Kristina...a bit naughty and bit nice this year, just the way Vicko likes her to be...she’s getting an I-Pod because my wife’s a sucker, but also a lump of coal for only coming to one game the entire season.  
 
My other sis-in-law, Natalie and her hubster Jere...you guys get new clothes for the little girl you’re expecting in a few months…congratulations to the both of you! You also get a special gift for being Polet’s only fans in Florida. 
 
Robert Pribanic and Ariana…new clothes for the little one you’re expecting as well...congratulations to you guys (more friends for Kristiana to play with). 
 
Zoran Sime Rendic...a lump of coal for you because you’re a Dinamo Zagreb fan…the only reason Robby was let off the hook this Christmas is because Ariana is pregnant; unless you and Nikica have some good news to tell me in the next few day, you’re stuck with the coal...BBB Sucks!  
 
Vicko Sujnka...him and cousin Marino are the only players from Zablace left on the squad…Vick is the heart and soul of this club...Vick, for Christmas you get Kristina…do as you wish with her. 
 
Christian Racic...came back from injury with a vengeance against Cosmo Damiani with a superb game and the game winning goal…since you are the second oldest on the team after Zoki (and 13 days older than I am), you get a big jar of Ben Gay for Christmas. 
 
John Ivankic…a whole bucket of coal...shit, make it a whole truck load, I’ll just dump it on your front lawn...my knee still hurts, you bastard. 
 
John’s wife...John, make sure you buy her something really nice for Christmas because she has to put up with me ripping you in all my blogs and it’s not fair…plus she might get upset with all the coal in front of your house on Christmas Eve. 
 
Polet’s newcomers, Tommy Mazor, Mate Galovic, Thomas Gelardi, and Anderson Osorio, who fit perfectly into the line-up this year...you all get Polet warm-ups. 
 
Marino Vucenik...took over in goal after John almost killed me in Florida…terrific job all season long by the kid...new goalie gloves for you. 
 
Polet’s defense including our Captain Anthony Viskovich, Matthew Princi, Brian Tunstall and Mazor...great job defending…you all get new cleats. 
 
The midfield led by Gelardi and Galovic, including Freddy Rodriguez, Pribanic, Sujnka, Steve Ditusa, Racic, and the forwards, Guillermo Rios, Rendic, Osorio...6-2 record in the division and the quarterfinals of the State Cup...more cleats for you guys. 
 
Evan Woodhouse was left off the “nice” forwards list above on purpose...he is playing well up front and scoring goals for a change, but he just can’t keep his big, fat mouth shut on Sundays, so he gets a lump of coal for diarrhea of the mouth. 
 
Cogi, Vuc, Stupicic, and Kazo all get Polet t-shirts at half price because they actually showed up to watch one game this year...more than I could say for Dina, Brankica, Sumera, and anyone else who has promised me they would come and watch at least one game this season and never showed up...lumps of coal for all of you. 
 
The over 30 team...you all get a lump of coal for being in last place in your division. 
 
Except you Jack, of course...no coal for you Jadro, you would probably smoke it...you get you're own Blogging Link on this website titled Jack in the Box...what do you think? 
 
To the rest of you... 
 
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  
 
 
 
 

Neka Vide Da Nas Ima!
10/14/2006 Edited By Claudio Kolega

Croatia 2, England 0!!  
 
For those of you who decided to leave work early last Wednesday (or take a long lunch break the way I did) to watch Croatia play England in a Euro 2008 qualifying match in Maksimir Stadion in Zagreb…well, you definitely got your money’s worth. New coach Slaven Bilic, the packed house in Maksimir, and the rest of us who were watching the game on television got to see a new group of young Croatian players, the likes of Niko Kranjcar, Luka Modric, Mladen Petric, and Eduardo Da Silva, give the English a beating they won’t soon forget. Wait! Did I just say “Da Silva”? Let me check that real quick…no, it’s not DaSilvic…no, it’s not DaSilac…not DaSilic. Yup, it’s definitely Da Silva! For those of you who don’t know, Eduardo “Dudu” Da Silva Alves was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, came to Croatia to play for Dinamo-Zagreb at the age of 17, and is now a naturalized Croatian citizen scoring game winning goals for the Croatian National Team. And when he scored on Wednesday he became, forever, a Croatian icon. A Croatian icon?…but isn’t he Brasilian? Yes, it’s true, he may be Brasilian, but on Wednesday he wore a jersey with the Croatian Grb on his chest; and after he scored the goal and ran towards the thousands of fans draped in their own red and white checkered jerseys sitting in the front rows of Maksimir, I could guarantee you that not one of those fans could see past that Grb on his chest to question his nationality or where he was born. He wore the Grb on his chest, close to his heart, and therefore he was representing Croatia and Croatians everywhere.  
 
So why does it have to be different in our own local community here in New York. Why is it that in our community, even if you are wearing a Croatian Grb on your chest, it always seems like you’re still not good enough…or not Croatian enough. In our community, you don’t even have to be Brasilian or a non-Croatian, but instead you could be Croatian and still the same rules that apply to Eduardo Da Silva, for some odd reason, don’t apply for you. So, you want to know what the hell I’m talking about (I, myself, am not sure where I’m going with this one, but let’s hope I have a point to make somewhere).  
 
Well, it has to do with the constant dislike that we as Croatians in our own community seem to have towards each other. It’s about the guy last week (thanks Boris) who was telling me that he would never play for New York Polet because we are not Croatian enough for him and that he hopes we lose every game this season. It’s about those Croatians who have boycotted Café Scorpio, or Café Luna, and would rather watch a world cup game in an Irish bar, it’s about this silent indifference that members of both Croatian Churches in Manhattan and in Astoria seem to have towards each other. Most of you know exactly what I’m talking about and personally, I don’t like it. Sometimes it feels like other communities in our area, such as the Greeks or the Italians, and other Croatian communities in Canada, Chicago, or Cleveland, appear to support each other a lot more than we do here in New York. When I used to play soccer for New York Croatia people used to tell me, “why are you playing for them, they are a bunch of Hercegovci”. Then I join New York Polet and I hear almost the same exact thing but from different people, “why are you playing for them, they’re from Zablace”. It’s pretty stupid when you think about it. If I listened to these idiots, I’d be better off playing for the Hungarians or Ukranians. Last year New York Polet made it to the State Cup Semifinals and played against Frosinone (Italians) for a chance to go to the State Finals. The majority of people who knew anything about the game were rooting against us. Against New York Polet? Why? A Croatian team versus an Italian team and all my Croatian buddies wanted us to lose. Does this make any sense, a bunch of retards if you ask me. And by the way, for all of you idiots reading this right now who just smirked and said to themselves, “huh, Polet a Croatian team? Don’t make me laugh”, well, you could go and kiss my Croatian ass. Every Sunday we go out on that field wearing a Croatian Grb on our chests and like it or not, every Sunday we are representing the Croatian community of New York. When I walked off the field a few Sundays ago after we beat Five Towns Soccer Club 9-1, I overheard one of their players say, “damn, these Croatians are pretty good”. And that is my point (I knew I had a point to make somewhere in this blog, I knew I wasn’t rambling on for nothing.). He didn’t say these “Zablacani” or these “Hercegovci” or these “Kukljicani” or these “Zagrepcani”. He said these “Croatians”. You see, it’s really all about the Croatian Grb. The Grb…a symbol of our heritage…a symbol of our nationality…of who we are and of where we came from. The one solid distinguishing symbol that separates us from all the rest and at the same time makes us all the same. A symbol that is shared alike by all Croatians from all around the world, regardless of whether you’re from Zablace, or Kukljica, or Labin, Split, Zagreb, Rijeka, Imotski, and so on. If you’re wearing the Grb on your jersey, or hanging it on the wall in your bar, or representing it while dancing kolo for either grupa ‘Kardinal Stepinac’ or for ‘Hrvatska Ruza’, you are making our community bigger and better. You are helping establish and strengthen the community not just for today, but for our children and for our future. Now I’m not talking about politics here. I don’t need someone to turn this into some kind of political discussion. We all know how much political strife there is and always will be in Croatia. I wouldn’t even know what the hell I’m talking about politically. I’m simply talking about soccer, and kolo, and friends, and church, and the community in which we live in here in New York (not 30 years ago, but today). 
 
So next time there is a local Croatian soccer team playing a Cup final, or a Croatian kolo group performance, or a Croatian sponsored golf outing, or a Croatian picnic, or a Croatian National Team game being shown in Scorpio or Luna, let’s get out there, let’s get united, and let’s show some support. Neka Vide Da Nas Ima! 
 
Kad se sjetim suza krene 
Zamirišu uspomene 
Svake stope rodnog kraja 
I narodnih običaja 
 
Prepoznah ljepotu tvoju 
Što probudi ljubav moju 
Kad sam s tobom srce moje 
Kuca jače, veliko je 
 
O Zagoro, lijepa li si 
Slavonijo, zlatna ti si 
Herceg-Bosno, srce ponosno 
Dalmacijo, more moje 
Jedna duša a nas dvoje 
Pozdrav Liko, Velebita diko 
 
 
Kad Neretva moru krene 
Ti se tada sjeti mene 
Mojoj pjesmi budi tema 
Za sve one kojih nema 
 
Ajde, Istro i Zagorje 
Podignimo sve tri boje 
Zagrlimo se pred svima 
 
Neka vide da nas ima 
 
Lijepa li si 
 
(Thank you Thompson)

Why am I surrounded by a bunch of idiots?
9/10/2006 Edited By Web Admin

Don't you hate it when you're limping around with a set of crutches and a busted knee and some idiot with his cleats and shin guards on sprints over to you and asks you, "how you feeling, Claudio?" How do you think I'm feeling you f#@$ing d%$&head...are you f$#@ing blind or something. Can’t you see the f$#@ing crutches or the f#@$ing knee brace…you f$#%ing idiot! For those of you who don't know, I hurt my knee at tournament last weekend in Florida...and I'm not at all happy about it. With less than 5 minutes left in a meaningless game against Toronto-Croatia, my own defender (I won't even acknowledge his existence by giving you his name) came barging into MY goalie's box and violently collided into me, hence injuring my knee. So now I’m stuck with my knee brace and on the sidelines for God-knows how long. When you get to be my age you grow this natural bitterness towards the world around you because you see that 19 year old idiot running by you in practice, or you start to realize that your days are finally numbered and it’s only a matter of time until you go and play on the Over-30 squad. Add an injury and that bitterness grows exponentially. So to keep me involved with Polet on a week to week basis while I (hopefully) heal from my injury and to give me a forum to vent my frustrations about idiots who take out their own goalkeeper, or even worse, the idiots who see me with my crutches and wants to know how I’m feeling (next time just ask me how long am I out for), Robby decided to set up my own forum “Kolega’s Korner”. 
 
Okay, okay…soccer is a contact sport and I got injured and maybe I should stop crying about it…well F$#K YOU! Let’s talk a little bit about the Florida tournament. Well, we looked really good in our new pearly white uniforms, we were somewhat organized, and we did battle. That’s all we could ask for at our first ever tournament. We did a good job and I think the club deserves some congratulations on a successful trip (except for me getting hurt). The local Croatian population in the Coral Springs area is very small so the parties were really weak and no where close to the partying that happens when the tourney is somewhere around Toronto or Chicago. But we managed to have a good time. There were some moments, such as the shop lifting incident, which someone still has to explain to me. What about Vicko buying that hottie a drink at the bar while she decided to go dance with some other guy (wearing white shoes no less), and then she blew him off two more times after that…props for being persistent, Vick, but just because a girl orders a "sex on the beach" it doesn't mean she's going to put out. Hey Zoran, if you put the high beams on, kick the back tires three times while the hood is open, you could probably get the radio to work right, what?…you were educated in Zagreb University…I’m impressed. Next year should be much better…we’re heading to some huge farm in Windsor, Ontario...that should be fun. Oh and I would like to welcome a few new names to our Polet family. Tommy Mazor finally got daddy’s permission to come play for us. The best thing about Mazor is that along with him comes Sammy Stupicic (you’re always in for a good time with Sammy, just ask Natalie, Kike, and Amanda). Mate Galovic is back for another tour of duty, as is Daniel da Rocha Correa and Tommy Gelardi. The problem with Gelardi is that he changes his mind about who he’s playing for more times than we change my baby’s diapers...it all stinks if you ask me. I also want to take this chance to thank some of the guys behind the scenes; Robert Pribanic, who does our website, Davor Rosini, who finances all, Dragan Jurkovic, who runs the Over 30 squad…good job guys, keep it up. Oh, one last note, where the hell was my sister-in-law Kristina, "Scary" Naty, Helena, Daniela S. for tournament…these girls never miss an event where guys from Canada and Cleveland are present…but they decided to miss our inaugural tourney in Florida, what’s up with that? Welcome to a new season with New York Polet…sorry to any other Croatian teams in New York…but we are definitely the coolest. 
 
All in fun boys...no harm intended in this blog and I hope no one has been insulted...not even you John Ivankic (this is the guy who took me out), you know I still love you man. Go Polet!!