Dinosaurs

It must be a hard thing to know when your end is near. They no longer rush to see you. They say your days are long gone. To grow old is to me, a privilege and a bane. I was raised by my grandparents and I know first hand the savagery of age. I sat and watch as they went from stern bodies and objects of might to things less than shadows. Their fall was only seen by my eye but for athletes it must be a soul wrenching experience. From being the prodigy to the contender to the champion and in a whim to a fading star. I am not a tennis expert but in no sport it is more evident. Unlike team sports like football and rugby, the fading star can still contribute to the goal of victory by letting the younger legs do his running for him but in solo sports like tennis you stand alone. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and now even Roger Federer star fades, it is saddens me to see what men like these were but time has no pity.






Name: Tommaso Rocchi


D/O/B: 09/19/1977


Place Of Birth: Venice, Italy


Position: Striker


Height: 5'9 1/2 ft/inches


National Team: Italy


National Team Debut: Italy vs Croatia 2006


Club Team(s): Juventus 1995-96, Pro Patria 1996-97, Fermana 1997, Saronno 1997-98, Como 1998-2000, Treviso 2000-01, Empoli 2001-04,  S.S. Lazio 2004-present




Tommasi Rocchi for me is a one club man. Discount the string of teams you see above you except one. S.S. Lazio is where he has made his name, found a home and the place where he gartered my attention. Rocchi a Venetian can be said to be the greatest asset that Roman side has ever produced. Quick and hardy and all those nice words associated with a workman like footballer but there is something about Rocchi that not only endears him to the Lazio masses but anyone who watches him."Rocchi Balboa," as he is affectionately known to his fans began his footballing career as a youth player at Juventus in 1995 and made his way into the full senior squad quickly after. Although full of potential at the time the Juve higher ups wasn't sold on him so much so much so that he never made his senior debut for the Turin side and was shipped off to Pro Patria the following year. Little known Patria gave Rocchi his first opportunity as a professional albeit in the lower leagues of Italy but a start was start notching 27 appearances all while racking up six goals  for the side. 

 Then came a move to Fermana in 97. I don't know a lot about Fermana, all I know is that they float around the regional leagues and they didn't give my boy here Tommaso Rocchi a ton of chances. Three appearances in a whole year? That was unacceptable. His Serie C adventure continued with Saronno and Como from 1997 to 2000. His hard work paid off when he got the jump up to the gauntlet that is Serie B. Treviso  handed the dynamic forward his first stint in the Italian second division. Nine goals in 37 appearances for the outfit had Empoli snuffing around. 

 At Empoli is where Tommaso really came into his own as a striker. He was the prolific scorer and the man with all the answers, 29 goals in over just a hundred appearances earned him a switch to S.S Lazio in 2004. Just a mere four million euros, has to be a steal considering what he has lend to the Romans. To date he has made 221 appearances and hit the net 77 times and in the 2008-09 season delivered the Coppa Italia to the "Biancocelesti." The following year Rocchi guided his side to the Supercoppa Italiana when Lazio defeated Inter Milan. You really saw the man sparkle when he was paired with the Macedon Goran Pandev. Any tandem you can think of, Batman and Robin, The Green Hornet and Kato , my Goddaughter Kassie and any inanimate object with fur, burger and fries all pale in comparison to the force that Rocchi and Pandev could generate. They were the quintessential hammer and nail but with all great duos one moves on. As Robin left Batman to become Night Wing and so will my goddaughter leave her fetish for stuffed animals behind, Pandev left Rocchi for Inter Milan but in typical Rocchi fashion he soldiered on. Today he is joined by the likes of Mauro Zarate and Matuzalem and I with every confidence will say whoever the Lazio Avant-garde decide to bring in, Rocchi will still be there. In Italy unlike other leagues teams reward their aging stars and respect them they just won't farm them out so Rocchi I want to bet will be the only one who decides his own fate. 

Il Capitano