#let Castilla kids play in the first team

[gulski2]

At least with the whole squad injured we might stop deluding ourselves that this team is going to amount to anything this season

[addc10]

Real Madrid promote Antonio Blanco challenge

[thebeautifulgame7]

Reputation

CHAPTER INDEX

CHAPTER TWENTY:

Sergio’s POV:

Iris cuddled into me, leaving the bedsheets a mess and our bodies covered in a thin layer of sweat. My laptop somehow managed to not fall off the bed during all of our shenanigans and was still playing the Avengers movie at a low volume. 

“I missed that so much.” Iris broke the silence between us as we both still tried to catch our breath. I gulped and nodded, shifting to kiss her head. 

“Me too, babe.” I replied. “I can’t believe I lasted two and a half weeks without that.” I joked and heard Iris giggle. It made my heart swell to hear and see her laugh right in front of me again. 

“So round four?” Iris eagerly looked up at me. I kind of knew she was kidding, but even if she wasn’t I didn’t have it in me anyways. A full 90 minute match followed by our fight and three rounds of make up sex all in the span of a few hours had me spent. 

I laughed a little and cuddled her closer, “I really wish I could babe, but I’m gonna need a little bit of time before we do that.” I answered. There was no way I could get it up again right now. 

“How about we just kiss? I missed that too.” She responded cutely. I happily obliged her request and our lips locked. My hand gently caressed her cheek, brushing some hair out of her face as we slowly kissed. 

It was times like this that I was reminded of the simple pleasure of kissing someone you care about, someone you love. It wasn’t better or worse than sex, it was something uniquely wonderful and all its own. 

Every touch shared was intimate and amplified because it wasn’t a precursor to sex, it was the main event at this point. I savored every second of it because I knew it wouldn’t last forever. I was reassured in these moments of my deep feelings for Iris and of hers for me. 

I pulled away slightly, watching her eyes gently flutter open, “I love you.” I whispered and saw her smile. 

“I love you too.” She answered back before leaning in for another kiss. Before we could get any more involved I heard my phone go off. I pulled away from Iris and grabbed my discarded shorts from the floor, pulling my phone out of the pocket. 

“It’s Iker.” I said to her before answering. 

“Where are you?” Were Iker’s first words when I picked up. 

“Huh? I’m in Iris’s room, I told you that.” I answered him, confused as to why he was calling me. 

“Did you lose track of time Romeo? We have curfew checks, it’s preseason, remember?” Iker explained and I exhaled frustratedly. 

“Fuck.” I mumbled, moving to get out of bed and pull my shorts on. 

“You’ve got maybe five minutes to get down here, it would not look good if one of the captains was caught out late.” He lectured me. 

“Yeah, yeah I know. I’ll be down in two.” I replied with an annoyed tone before I hung up. 

“What was that about?” Iris asked me as she watched me get dressed. 

“We have room checks during preseason and ours is like right now.” I explained as I searched around for her shirt. 

“You guys are adults, why do you need room checks?” She questioned from the bed. 

“Because, we bring a lot of the castilla players who are young and can get into trouble, so the coaching staff checks rooms every night at like midnight or one in the morning.” I replied. “Here, get dressed, if you think I’m not sleeping next to you tonight you’re crazy.” I added, handing her her clothes. 

“But why can’t they just check on the younger players?” Iris asked as she quickly got dressed. 

“It looks like they’re singling them out, we’re a team so we have to keep things consistent. Plus, I’m a captain so I really have to be there for this. It would set a bad example if I got caught out with my girlfriend late at night before training.” I said, taking her hand as we exited her room. 

“Why? I’m your girlfriend, not some random fan.” She replied, albeit a little frustratedly. 

“It’s just, it’s not a good look for the club. They’ll take it to mean that I’m putting sex with you over getting a solid night of sleep for training.  Preseason is really important, it sets the tone for the rest of the season.” I explained.

“But isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?” Iris asked as the elevator dinged. 

“Oh of course, but they don’t need confirmation of that. As long as they think I’m sleeping alone, in my hotel room, before 1am we’re all good.” I smirked as we stepped in and she cuddled into me. 

***

Iris’s POV:

Sergio cautiously peeked out of the elevator before I stepped out. “Okay they just went in to check a room we gotta go.” He hastily whispered and yanked me with him to his room.

“Hey you two.” Iker smirked knowingly from his bed as we entered. 

“Hi, Iker.” I smiled and walked over to give him a hug. “We gotta hide you before they come check our room.” He replied as he released me from a hug. 

“Why couldn’t I just come down in ten minutes when all these room checks are done?” I asked, it seemed pretty obvious to me. 

“Because, they have someone in the coaching staff or they hire security to sit out in the hall to make sure no fans are bothering us and no players are sneaking out.” Iker explained. 

“Babe let’s hide you in the bathroom,” Sergio whispered behind me, quietly closing the door. 

“I heard they’re checking bathrooms now, one of the Castilla players got caught with a girl in there.” Iker answered him. 

“Shit where can we hide her?” Sergio furrowed his brow as he frantically searched around the room.

“I’ll just hide behind your bed, between that and the window.” I offered, gesturing to the spot. 

Sergio looked unsure and glanced at Iker, scratching his beard. “What do you think dude?” He asked. 

“It might work, what if we just make your bed look super messy and we cover her with the pillows and sheets too while she hides there. You know, so you look like a super restless sleeper” Iker replied, moving over to Sergio’s bed. 

“Yeah that’s good, like this.” Sergio nodded and removed the sheets and pillows, making a large pile on the floor between his bed and the window.

“Yeah but we have to make it look less conspicuous though, so go into the bathroom and wet your hair and put on a towel like you’ve just showered.” Iker directed and Sergio nodded quickly. I couldn’t believe how fast Iker and Sergio thought on their feet. I guess it came with them working together for years, they knew how to anticipate each other’s next move. 

“Yeah so then when they come in they’ll just think I haven’t made my bed yet.” Sergio said, removing his shirt as he entered the bathroom and closed the door.

“Now you.” Iker turned to me, “They should be here in a minute or so, let’s get you hidden.” He gestured to the big pile of sheets and pillows. 

I nodded and burrowed in, doing my best to stay still and flat as I felt Iker rearrange it all on top of me. “If this works, I will be shocked.” I mumbled to myself, though I couldn’t help the feeling of my heart racing. The idea of getting caught sneaking around with my boyfriend was exhilarating. I would also owe Iker a huge thank you if this all worked out. 

I laid quietly, listening and waiting in anticipation. I didn’t have to wait for long, shortly after Iker covered me, there was a knock at the door. He calmly made his way over and welcomed the coach in. 

“Hola, buenas noches.” Iker greeted him warmly. 

“Dónde está Sergio?” The trainer asked, I could hear footsteps moving towards me. He must be checking the room for girls and other forbidden things. 

“Está en la ducha.” Iker replied calmly as the staff member slowly moved around the room. I held my breath and tried to be as still and quiet as possible, despite my thudding heart. 

Slowly I heard someone approach me, I bit my lip and waited to be caught. I was sure of it at this point. 

“Qué es este desastre?” The trainer questioned, I could only imagine him gesturing to the pile of pillows and blankets I was under. 

“Sergio tiene sueño áspero, supongo.” Iker said nonchalantly. I gulped, hoping the trainer would not try to clean up. I had to bite back a laugh at Iker’s comment however. Sergio, when he was really tired and dead asleep truly was the roughest sleeper I’ve seen. He would flail out across the bed and smother me sometimes. 

“Ah sí, él debería limpiarlo.” The staff member replied. Oh don’t you worry, he will most definitely clean this mess up. 

“Pues, todo es bueno, sin embargo, tengo que verlo antes de salir.” The trainer explained. It made sense, he had to see Sergio with his own two eyes before he could check off this room. 

“Sí, por supuesto adelante.” Iker allowed the staff member to move towards the bathroom and knock. I couldn’t hear if Sergio responded but I heard a door open. 

Sergio greeted the staff member after the door opened and from what I could hear, he was getting an earful about his messy bed. 

I listened to the shuffling of feet get more faint before the click of the door opening. The boys said goodnight to the trainer before softly closing the door behind him. I let out a huge sigh of relief before unburying myself and sitting up. 

“That was close babe.” Sergio smiled at me as he brushed his teeth in just a towel. He had nailed his part, looking convincingly like he had just gotten out of the shower and was getting ready for bed. 

“Tell me about it, before you came out, I thought he was gonna go through this pile.” I gestured to the mess around me. 

“Well we survived, without being written up.” Iker smiled before moving to get into his bed. “I don’t know about you guys but I’m exhausted so I’m going to bed, please do not do anything gross while I’m trying to sleep.” He instructed as he situated himself in the sheets. 

I couldn’t help the giggle and small eye roll that came out of me after he said that. “Don’t worry, I wore him out for the night already.” I glanced at Sergio who blushed, before ducking into the bathroom once more. 

“Already huh? That seems quick.” Iker teased and I laughed as I made myself comfortable, digging one of Sergio’s shirts out of his bag and slipping it on over me before getting into bed. 

“Alright you two, in my defense, it’s been a while and we already went three times.” Sergio came charging out of the bathroom in some old football shorts, sliding into bed with me.

“Well, you went three times.” I softly said, a small smirk on my lips. I heard Iker laugh from the other bed as he rolled over to face away from us. 

“Wait what, you didn’t… wait, how many?” Sergio looked at me confused. “Did you? Did you fake it?” He asked, I could tell he was already feeling disappointed in himself. That was one thing I absolutely loved about him, unlike a lot of men I had been with, Sergio took pride in making sure I finished too. He always felt bad when he couldn’t, not that that was a regular occurence. 

I sheepishly nodded at him. “You’re kidding, Iris why didn’t you say anything?” He asked, looking intently at me. 

“It was only on the last one, you seemed really spent.” I shrugged. It was all still kinda new to me in that department, to speak up when I didn’t finish. Who could blame me really? I tried with my last two boyfriends and they just brushed me aside, saying it was my fault I didn’t finish. 

“Babe, we’ve talked about this, I can’t always tell so I want you to tell me.” Sergio instructed, it was cute how much he cared about it. 

“I know but you just seemed so tired that I-” I tried to defend my actions but Sergio interrupted me. 

“So what, I still would’ve gone down on you to make it even.” He answered before I could even finish what I was saying. “Next time please just tell me so I know.” He added in a softer tone, kissing my forehead. 

I nodded at him and he smiled, “Good, then it’s settled.” Sergio said, reaching to turn the lights out. 

“Is this what you two argue about? Keeping your orgasm score cards even?” Iker interjected from the other bed. 

“I mean sometimes yeah.” Sergio answered nonchalantly. I guess there are far worse things in this world to argue about. I would take my boyfriend being mad that he didn’t make me cum over him being mad about most other things. 

Iker just chuckled and rolled his eyes before snuggling into his pillows, “You two are something else.” He mumbled, settling in to sleep. 

“Good night boys.” I whispered after Sergio turned out the light and cuddled into me. I felt him shift in the bed and place his head on my chest, nestling himself in and wrapping an arm around me. 

“You’re my pillow for the night.” He teased, snuggling in tighter against my chest. I smiled to myself in the darkness, gently playing with his hair until he and I fell asleep. 

***

I couldn’t stay with Sergio in America for long, no matter how much I wanted to and hiding from trainers and Real Madrid staff members was not on my vacation bucket list. The team was due to fly out to Chicago the next evening for their next few trainings followed by a couple matches on the east coast. 

I made sure to hop on the latest flight back to Madrid so we could spend more time together. It was hardly a day together, but something was better than nothing, especially when I woke up to Sergio’s head still on my chest and his arms wrapped around me. He had never really done that, so it was really cute and special for me to still feel him there in the morning. 

Sergio wasn’t able to spend much of the day with me because of training and other press obligations but we were able to grab a late lunch during his siesta time before I had to go to the airport. He decided to take the taxi ride with me, just so we could squeeze in some extra time together. 

He held my hand the entire drive, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. “Now you gotta remember to text or call me when you land, and when you get back to your apartment safe and sound.” Sergio instructed, looking at me as he did. 

“Of course babe of course, I will let you know.” I soothed him, placing my free hand on top of his. 

“And you can stay at my place if you want, you still have the key right?” He asked me as the driver slowed down at the departure terminal. 

Sergio and I both stepped out and I nodded again as he grabbed my bag for me. “Yes I’ve got the key.” I smiled at him, wrapping my arms around his neck as we said our goodbyes. 

“Have a safe flight babe, and I’ll see in a week.” He said, his thumb now rubbing my side as he embraced. 

“I love you, and I’ll text you when I land.” I replied, leaning in to give him a kiss. 

“I love you too.” He answered, before leaning in and kissing me once more. After he pulled away he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. “Don’t miss your flight.” He said gently as he released me. 

“I’ll see you soon baby.” I winked at him, grabbing my bag and heading into the terminal. 

***

Sergio’s POV:

It was a great surprise and much needed stress relief to have Iris surprise me like that. I can’t imagine what a last minute flight like that must’ve cost her. I guess that didn’t really matter though because she did it because she wanted to and she loves me, not because she felt like she had to. 

It would be at least four in the morning before I heard from Iris again, which was annoying, but that’s how it is when your girlfriend flies across half the globe to see you, she’s gotta fly back at some point. 

The rest of the day passed slowly, despite the fact that it was full of traveling and training. I kept checking my phone as if by some magic or miracle her eleven hour flight was cut down to six or seven. 

Iker and I chatted well into the night about Iris and I and him and Sara. It was really nice to finally relate to a lot of the relationship stuff he always talked about. Eventually, we did end up going to bed, until I was abruptly woken up by phone the next morning. 

I smiled as I saw it was Iris, she probably just wanted to let me know she was back safe and sound. “Hey baby.” I spoke into the phone. 

“Sergio.” I heard her whimper from the other end of the line. I immediately sat up, my full attention on her. 

“Baby what’s wrong?” I asked, shrugging at Iker who was gesturing asking what was going on. 

“S-someone broke into my apartment a-a-and trashed everything.” She stuttered through whimpers as she explained. 

“Have you called the police?” I asked quickly, scenarios running through my head. I wished I was there with her, and it killed me that I was three thousand miles away. “Does it look like stuff was stolen?” I asked. 

“No, not yet,” She sniffled. “And no, everything is just ruined.” She cried.

“Okay listen to me, leave the apartment, get away, get out, because whoever did that may still be there. You need to call the police and get them to sweep the place and check camera footage.” I instructed, my voice calm but firm. 

“Okay, then what?” The fearfulness in her voice made my heart ache.

Without hesitation, I replied, “You’re staying at my house. After the police sweep your place, pack a bag and have them escort you over. I have a security system and a gate you’ll be safe.” I answered. 

“Sergio, it was probably just a random break in, I don’t-” She tried to fight back but I was having none of it. 

“I don’t care and I don’t want to risk that, you’re staying at my house at the very least until I get back. Now go call the police and wait for them somewhere safe, like the building manager’s office.” I instructed. 

“Okay,” Iris sniffed. 

“I love you, call me soon.” I said. 

“I will, I love you too.” She weakly replied before hanging up.

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY GIVES EDDIE ALBERT THE OLD SONG AND DANCE

S6;E6 ~ October 15, 1973

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis

Synopsis

When producing a charity show, Lucy asks Eddie Albert to star in it.  At the same time, a woman meeting Lucy’s description has been stalking Albert.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter)

Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter) does not appear in this episode, nor does she receive credit in the opening titles. Despite her absence, the final credits do state “Lucie Arnaz Wardrobe by Alroe.”

Guest Cast

Eddie Albert (Himself) began his TV career years before electronic television was introduced to the public. In June of 1936 Eddie appeared in RCA’s first private live performance for their radio licensees in New York City, a very early experimental television system. He first worked with Lucille Ball in the 1950 movie The Fuller Brush Girl. Today he is perhaps best known for playing lawyer turned farmer Oliver Douglas on CBS’s “Green Acres” (1965-71). He was nominated for two Oscars as Supporting Actor, in 1954 for Roman Holiday and 1972 for The Heartbreak Kid. He died in 2005 at age 99.  

Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis, left) played Betty Ramsey during season six of “I Love Lucy. ” She also played Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and Evelyn Bigsby in “Return Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26). She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in 1999 at the age of 83. 

Vanda Barra (Vanda Barra, right) makes one of over two dozen appearances on “Here’s Lucy” as well as appearing in Ball’s two 1975 TV movies “Lucy Gets Lucky” and “Three for Two”. She was seen in half a dozen episodes of “The Lucy Show.” Barra was Lucille Ball’s cousin-in-law by marriage to Sid Gould.

Doris Singleton (Patty) created the role of Caroline Appleby on “I Love Lucy,” although she was known as Lillian Appleby in the first of her ten appearances. She made two appearances on “The Lucy Show.” This is the second of her four appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”  She was originally intended to be a series regular but was written out after the first episode.

The character’s name is not used in the dialogue but is listed in the final credits.

Jerry Hausner (Jimmy) was featured as Jerry, Ricky’s agent in the pilot and first three seasons of “I Love Lucy.”  He left the show after a disagreement with Desi Arnaz. He returned to work with Lucille Ball in “Lucy is a Soda Jerk” (TLS S1;E23), shortly after Desi Arnaz resigned as Executive Producer and President of Desilu.  This is is his only “Here’s Lucy” appearance and his last time on screen with Lucille Ball.  He was seen in three episodes of “Green Acres” with Eddie Albert.

“Green Acres” is mentioned in the dialogue of the episode. Eddie Albert’s co-star on “Green Acres,” Eva Gabor, guest-starred in two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Many other “Lucy” actors appeared in Hooterville.  Among them, Barbara Pepper (30 episodes), Eleanor Audley (19 episodes), Robert Foulk (16 episodes), Jonathan Hole (7 episodes), Shirley Mitchell (4 episodes), Parley Baer (4 episodes), Jerry Hausner (3 episodes), Jesse White (2 episodes), John J. Fox (2 episodes), Roy Roberts (2 episodes), Maurice Marsac, Lou Krugman, Bob Jellison, Norman Leavitt, Romo Vincent, Elvia Allman, Gail Bonney, Ray Kellogg, Irwin Charone, Bernie Kopell, Charles Lane, Alan Hale Jr., Robert Carson, Jerome Cowan, William Lanteau, Paul Bradley, Leoda Richards, Hans Moebus, and Rich Little.  

An office scene between Lucy and Harry was originally written for “Lucy, the Peacemaker” (S5;E3) but deleted for time.  It was re-staged for this episode.  

Lucille begins to wear longer wigs again after having worn shorter styles earlier in the season.

Lucy, Mary Jane, and Vanda are having a lunch meeting to plan their annual “Girl Friday Follies,” a show that raises money to send underprivileged kids to camp. Taking Lucy’s suggestion to find a “big name”, Mary Jane suggests Engelbert Humperdinck – the ‘biggest’ name she’s ever heard.  The English singing sensation was previously mentioned on “Lucy and Liberace” (S2;E16) and “Lucy and Ann-Margret” (S2;E20) where Lucy mispronounced his name as 'Pumpernickel’ and 'Dumperhink.’

Looking at his desk, littered with food items from the girls’ lunch, Harry laments that he “missed the Iowa State Picnic.”  The Iowa State Picnic is an annual event that started in 1900 and was held in Long Beach, California, which was nicknamed “Iowa by the Sea.” They were attended by Iowans who had transplanted to the area in order to share their common roots. With attendance dwindling, in 2014 the picnic moved from Long Beach to San Pedro where the USS Iowa is docked.   

To find a star, Lucy looks at Joyce Haber’s column in the newspaper. Joyce Haber was the gossip columnist of the Los Angeles Times. She made an appearance (above) as a member of the Hollywood Press when “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (S3;E1) in 1970.  

Haber’s column mentions that Frank Sinatra is coming out of retirement.  In 1970, the singer went into a self-imposed retirement that lasted until 1973 with the release of the album “Ol’ Blue Eyes is Back.”  Sinatra was first mentioned on “I Love Lucy” in 1955 and his named has been dropped on both “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” Sinatra inadvertently appeared on “I Love Lucy” when a clip of him in the film Guys and Dolls was inserted into the MGM Executives Show in “Lucy and the Dummy” (ILL S5;E3) when it was running short.  The clip has since been removed and has never been seen in the context of the episode after its initial broadcast.

Lucy says she saw Eddie Albert in The Music Man. In 1959, Albert replaced Robert Preston in the  Broadway production of The Music Man. Coincidentally, the show’s author Meredith Willson was from Iowa, where the musical is set, and attended the 1959 Iowa State Picnic to lead the Long Beach Band playing the show’s rousing anthem “76 Trombones.”

When a preoccupied Lucy is idle at her desk, she tells Harry she’s worried about Eddie Albert. Harry tells her to get busy and let Margo worry about Eddie Albert. Margo Albert was a Mexican-American actress born as María Marguerita Guadalupe Teresa Estela Bolado Castilla y O'Donnell – so she simply went by the singular moniker Margo. Coincidentally, he was related by marriage to band leader Xavier Cugat, as niece of his first marriage to Carmen Castillo. Cugat was a mentor of Desi Arnaz’s and often mentioned as a rival of Ricky Ricardo. Margo appeared in a 1958 installment of “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” with Eddie Albert which was hosted by Desi Arnaz. The following year, she was seen in another installment with Arnaz as a co-star.  

Margo’s black and white photo is behind the sofa of Albert’s living room. Next to it is a photo of Albert’s son, Edward Laurence Heimberger (aka Eddie Albert Jr.), age 23.  In 1972, he was launched to fame from his portrayal of blind Don Baker in Butterflies are Free, for which he won a Golden Globe. He died of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2006, one year after his father’s passing.

When Lucy unexpectedly arrives on Eddie Albert’s doorstep he believes her to be his stalker, so Patty is sent to phone for the police. She rushes from the room saying “I feel like I’m on 'Mannix’!”  “Mannix” (1967-75) was a Desilu-produced TV show that was saved from cancellation after its first season by Lucille Ball. “Here’s Lucy” hosted a cross-over episode with “Mannix” in 1971 that also featured Mary Jane Croft and Gale Gordon. It, too, was written and directed by Ruskin, Davis, and Carroll.  

Trying to convince Eddie to change his conflict date and do the show, Lucy breaks into “There’s a Long, Long Trail” and then Albert joins in, harmonizing. At the end of the scene Harry, Mary Jane, and Vanda all join in.  The song was written by Stoddard King and Alonzo Elliott in 1913. In an episode of “The Lucy Show,” Lucy Carmichael and Viv sing the first two lines of the chorus in a failed attempt to entertain their kids after their TV set breaks down. The song’s title may have also influenced the title of the Lucille Ball / Desi Arnaz film The Long, Long Trailer (1953). 

“The Girl Friday Follies”

Mary Jane: “Nostalgia’s so old fashioned.”

The Girl Friday Follies opens with Mary Jane and Vanda taking their bows as the team of “Crime and Punishment”.  We never see what the act consists of, but it is likely not connected to Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s 1866 novel of the same name.  

Eddie Albert: “To know Harry is to love him!” Lucy: “I don’t think we’re talking about the same Harry.”

For the finale, Lucy and Eddie Albert perform “Makin’ Whoopee” written by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson.  The song was first popularized by Eddie Cantor in the 1928 musical Whoopee!  For the first time since her skiing accident, Lucy dances on television.

In her DVD introduction of the episode, Shirley Mitchell calls the show “old home week.” 

Aside from Lucy’s reunion with Eddie Albert from The Fuller Brush Girl, she also shares the sound stage with three members of the cast of “I Love Lucy”… 

Shirley Mitchell (Carolyn Appleby)… 

Mary Jane Croft (Betty Ramsey)… 

and Jerry Hausner (Jerry the Agent).  

The episode is written by the “I Love Lucy” scribes Madelyn (Pugh) Davis and Bob Carroll Jr.

Lucy says she saw Eddie Albert’s house on a tour of the movie stars homes. Mary Jane asks Lucy if that was the tour where she sneaked into Rock Hudson’s backyard to steal an orange. This is a variation on when Lucy Ricardo took a tour of the movie stars homes and sneaked over Richard Widmark’s wall to steal a grapefruit in “The Tour” (ILL S4;E30). 

Rock Hudson played himself on an episode titled “In Palm Springs” (ILL S4;E26). Rock Hudson is mentioned again later, when Patty reveals that the same woman who has been stalking Eddie Albert has also been bothering Rock Hudson.

Vanda asks if it is the same tour where she saw Dean Martin in his bathrobe dumping empty bottles in the trash?  Although this even never happened on screen, Lucy Carmichael did date Dean Martin on “The Lucy Show.”  

Where the Floor Ends!  In the office, the camera pulls back for a wide shot that exposes where the wall-to-wall carpet ends and the cement stage floor begins. 

“Lucy Gives Eddie Albert the Old Song and Dance” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

This episode is enjoyable for “I Love Lucy” (or Eddie Albert) fans. It is good to see so many folks from Lucille Ball’s past in one episode!    

[cryptodictation]

Eight year old soccer players with agent | sports

According to the Real Madrid website, which signed him in 2013, P. “is a physical portent that overflows the band thanks to his speed and his vision of the game, and that in one against one he always wins.” P. is twelve years old and plays in children's games. In televised children's tournaments he has been seen celebrating goals unbecoming of his age and attending to the press with the speech he learned at the end of his games. In the Valdebebas residence, where he lives with 70 and so many promises of football and basketball, P. boasted last May, to the amazement of his colleagues, of “having a resolved life”. “Just by doing like that (a snap of the fingers) the bills will fall.”

Q. You don't need to pack your bag to go training. A utility man leaves it ready. His team and all those in the lower categories of Madrid have their own changing rooms at the Ciudad Deportiva, where the different fields are distributed on a ladder as a metaphor for effort and sacrifice. Above all is the goal, where the first team trains.

Almost none arrive. Neither Real Madrid, nor the elite of soccer. That is explained with statistics in hand by the psychologists and educators of Real Madrid to their youth squads: in Spain there are 700,000 soccer chips and only about 400 reach the First or Second Division. One in 5,000. But these formative talks may sound like science fiction to teenagers sponsored by sportswear multinationals with official Facebook page who have become heroes of their schools.

Valencia refuses to deal with agents under the age of 16

The case of P. is common in the quarries of large teams. It does not matter whether it is Valdebebas or La Masía del Barça, sanctioned without being able to sign during two periods of transfers for bringing foreign children in breach of FIFA regulations. The giants of the League pamper them from prebenjamines (eight years old) while they look at the competition to steal from the best. At the age of eleven or twelve, some already have intermediaries, each year they sign that they discard the following year to make room for new values. The sports press celebrates the landing of tweens, who they call “cracks” or “area killers.” Almost everyone ends up getting lost on the way to the elite and broken toys abound.

Xabi Alonso's legacy to Antiguoko

The modest quarry clubs dream of being the Antiguooko, a San Sebastián club with 10 teams and 93 members that in recent years has entered millions of dollars. Training Xabi Alonso as a footballer has earned him more than a million and a half euros. And the club continues to score many years after the San Sebastian midfielder stepped on the pitch there the last time. Basque managers were stunned this summer when their lawyer warned them that Bayern Munich should pay him 26,000 euros for winning the Bundesliga.

The key to Antiguoko is in the contracts that the club signed in its day with the Royal Society, where, in addition to the training rights that correspond to it by international regulations (5% of the amount of transfers between Leagues), Antiguoko is guaranteed an additional 10% (with a ceiling of 600,000 euros) on future transfers to other clubs. Alonso traveled from Real Sociedad to Liverpool and from this to Real Madrid, from where he left for Bayer. Of all those signings took a pinch the Antiguooko, who now waits for the Guardiola team to win the Champions League. It would be another extra income for the entity from San Sebastian, with an annual budget of 150,000 euros, which has not gone into madness. The pride of the club is a 400-square-meter venue with offices, foosball, and video games for their kids to spend the afternoon.

The directive works these days to build another artificial grass field and continue lighting figures. Soccer players such as Iraola, Aduriz or De Pedro have come out of its facilities. The first with whom he really made a box was Arteta, today Arsenal midfielder, when he left Barça to join the Scottish Glasgow Rangers. So, the tip for the Antiguooko was 900,000 euros.

“Not only does the club pamper them, but also journalists when they talk about pearls, stars, the new Messi. Expectations are generated that are not real. And most do not arrive. It does not happen suddenly, the transfers to other clubs begin, the discards … ”Ginés Carvajal, who has been in the business for 35 years and has led the career of legends such as Raúl, Casillas, Morientes, or Víctor Valdés, tells it. “There are some with a representative, but at eleven years old one cannot know if a child is going to be a soccer player. You can do different things with the ball, but nothing else. The problem is that you have to go to younger players every time to find one without an agent. For me it would be much better to wait until they turn 18, we would be much more correct. But the system is thus assembled. I tell the parents that at 12 years old, no representative is needed and I leave my card for when they need it. I usually work with children ages 14 and 15 because at 16 they can already sign professional contracts. ”

Carvajal advocates that families get advice so they can move in a complex and interest-filled world, where signing a form at age 16 ties a teenager to a club for five seasons without compensation.

The guild of agents usually invokes the story of Raúl Baena, now a Rayo Vallecano player. Baena's parents signed a pre-contract with Barça in 2002 when he was thirteen – up to the age of 16 no minor can sign a professional contract – for 10 seasons. When he decided to leave for Espanyol, Barcelona demanded the agreed compensation: 3.5 million euros. The case reached the Supreme Court, which declared the contract void, alleging that Baena's parents went too far in signing that clause since their “power of representation” did not entitle them to commit it for so many years. The Supreme Court reduced the compensation that Baena had to pay the Barça up to 30,000 euros.

In addition, there is the relationship with trademarks, one of the claims that intermediaries use with footballers. To those who stand out the most, the multinationals offer advertising contracts to show off their sportswear. Adidas, the official sponsor of Madrid, tried unsuccessfully a few years ago to get all the youth players to put on their boots. It was impossible because many of the minors had agreements with Nike. In exchange for these contracts, the multinationals supply sports clothing for 6,000, 8,000, 10,000 euros per year to teenagers and their families so that future stars can pose with it. The fine print of these sponsorships establishes, in some cases, millionaire clauses, if the kids decide to break with the brand.

“I wish we all waited at 18, says the manager of Raúl and Víctor Valdés”

Carvajal, who today represents some of the most projected international youth such as Deulofeu, Jesse and Alberto Bueno, highlights the importance of parents, who often want to retire at the expense of their children's soccer.

Pedro Bravo, president of the Spanish Association of Soccer Players Agents, underpins this opinion with his own experience: “A year ago, the principal of a school called me to talk to me about how good his son was. I asked him how old he was and he said he was six years old. I recommended that you let your son be happy. ” In Bravo's portfolio there are about 60 kids from different clubs. The agent neither pays nor charges them, although he does give everyone a pair of boots for Christmas.

Valencia, by decision of its former president Amadeo Salvo, this season prohibited intermediaries from accessing children's training. The club assures that it will not deal with any agent who claims to represent minors under the age of 15. “Every time they tried to capture younger children. In teams of eight or nine years old, attitudes that were against companionship were taking place, with a growing egoism of the children. Whoever has a representative receives the Play Station or Ronaldo's boots. We have decided to subtract influence from the agents. We do not receive any if the player is under 16 years of age, ”says an official spokesman for Valencia.

Bravo, in his personal capacity, understands that the representatives “and also the parents” are prohibited from accessing the training of the quarries, but he wonders how the legal right to advise a family can be prevented. And he asks to wait for a budding 15-year-old star to arrive from the hand of an intermediary to see if Valencia ends up carrying out his threat.

Some parents

they pursue a contract

that solves

your family finances

Villarreal has a reputation for being one of the midfielders who best works the quarry: it is the third Spanish club with more internationals in lower categories. Its facilities where 650 kids train are open to everyone. There, soccer begins at the age of three, with psychomotor classes. The city, with a census of 50,755 inhabitants, cannot supply all categories of footballers. Like most teams, it is supplied with catchment clubs in its surroundings while its scouts comb other provinces. The best come to the club on scholarships thanks to signings or agreements with other teams.

Figures vary from team to team. The Royal Society, for example, pays the clubs with which it has an agreement 600 euros for a child (13 years old), 1,500 euros for a cadet, and 3,000 for the transfer of a youth.

Real Madrid maintains collaboration contracts with amateur clubs that establish payments in kind: 100 balls a year for having preference in the selection of footballers and 25 more balls for each fry or child that is brought to Valdebebas. From there the money comes in and depends on each player. Norwegian Martin Odergard, arrived in the middle of the season at Castilla with a crack card, receives a one-million-euro tab at age 16. Halilovic, the star of the Barça quarry, enjoys similar privileges. Either one is still far from the first team. Much lower down, highlights Pipi, a Japanese midfielder of 11 years and 35 kilos, whose filigree in a match against Barça flood the YouTube videos, and whom the digital newspapers baptized as the Messi of the future.

The goalkeeper José Luis García Pozuelo signed with nine years for the prebenjamín B of Madrid. He spent five years in the sports city and at 14 they told him that they did not have him. “It is hard to overcome it, you are in the best team in the world, they treat you as if you were First Division. It impresses everything, the fields, the balls, the trips and one day you see yourself outside. My parents told me that football did not end there. ” He went to Alcobendas, he decided to work harder. Two years later another call came from Madrid, for youth C. “They told me they were wrong, I received a salary of 300 euros like the rest of the team,” he recalls. A season passed in which he barely played and he saw himself outside Valdebebas again: “I hardly had any opportunities, but I would return to Madrid, there with the best coaches you grow as a player and as a person”. Since then, he has passed through the youth teams of Elche and Getafe. Today he is waiting for his agent to find him a goal. He is 19 years old, he has not finished ESO but neither does he lose the illusion of returning to the elite. His snap of fingers does not drop bills. He settles for a Third party club that pays him 300 euros a month. Let it serve to make the jump and continue on the wheel.

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Real Madrid must play their cards right with dazzling 4-cap wonderkid - opinion

It was quite poetic really. Takefusa Kubo joined Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy when he was only ten years old. Even then, the Catalans knew they had a special kid on their hands. “The Japanese Messi”, he was soon dubbed by the media and his skillset and pure talent certainly radiated all things Lionel Messi – he was quick, small, agile, with impeccable technical and passing abilities and a mean left foot.

He could dribble past an opponent in a blink of an eye and then set up his teammate or even finish the action by himself. Needless to say, he was a true gem with a future and, from the looks of it, everything pointed out at it being a very bright one. But what no one really expected was that it would be in Real Madrid colours.

After a bit speculation, it really did happen: Los Blancos officially announced the arrival of the Japanese prodigy in mid-June, dubbing their newest signing as “one of the most promising young players in world football.” And they weren’t wrong. Kubo arrived with some experience already under his belt.

In 13 games in the Japanese top-flight last season, the youngster scored and assisted four goals while adding one more in the domestic Cup. At 18 years of age, he has already won four caps for the Japan national team.

It was pretty obvious for everyone to see: Real Madrid have dealt a huge blow to Barcelona and, for once, they now have a talent for the future just waiting to be unleashed.

But if recent reports are any indication, Kubo and the Galacticos will have to wait a bit longer until the Japanese starlet is introduced to La Liga while donning a white shirt. According to El Chiringuito, Kubo might be very close to joining Real Valladolid on a loan deal for the next campaign. This in itself is not a big deal. It’s difficult to incorporate such a relatively inexperienced youngster in Real Madrid’s starting XI that quickly.

He wouldn’t be the first youngster to go on loan and seek regular first-team football.

From that part, the decision to find him a club that are more likely to be in a position to offer him first team opportunities makes sense. Originally, that place was supposed to be Real Madrid’s youth team, where the youngster is currently registered. But in the end, playing for a La Liga team was seen as a better alternative for the youngster. And in essence, it really might be.

But there’s also that other side of the coin. The not so shiny one. It seems that Kubo is being shipped out not because of necessity or just so he could improve his game and bring it up to speed, but also due to some bad management.

La Liga have a strict policy that states no more than three non-European players can be registered in the squad. And as it stands, that final spot at Real Madrid was given to the newcomer Rodrygo, and it shut the door to Kubo even before the youngster could have a chance to prove his worth.

Was this planned in advance? Were Real Madrid aware of this situation surfacing before they decided to snatch up the prodigious jewel? We don’t know just yet but Kubo has already shown his quality and that he offers something different. Florentino Perez could probably use something different right about now.

Getting the youngster was brilliant business by the boys from the capital. Snatching him up in front of their rivals’ noses was an even better one. But now comes the more difficult part. Successfully incorporating him so that he fulfils his potential we know is there beneath those rough edges and inexperience.

Of course, all of this could potentially be fixed very quickly by just opening up a foreign spot in the team by either selling or loaning out someone else, which would let Kubo back in the team. But maybe the plan for the Japanese was to join the Castilla or go out on loan from the very beginning.

Kubo’s talent is huge and this is an opportunity Los Blancos must not miss. They’ve hit the bullseye and now it’s up to them to make it count and rub it in Barcelona’s faces.

It would be a great shame if this transfer ended up being just one of those we soon forget. The curious case of Martin Odegaard first springs to mind. Just like Kubo now, Odegaard was always supposed to be the next big thing. But it hasn’t turned out that way yet.

Success never arrived and the loans just kept getting extended over and over again. Now, their prodigy is getting a stint at Real Sociedad but there are no signs of him actually being close to the level needed in the Spanish capital anytime soon.

Real Madrid should start learning from those mistakes and they certainly shouldn’t let bad management ruin an opportunity like this one.

We all know those don’t come around often.

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