A big "High Five" to Super Mario!!!

The first time I met this guy, he was about 3 feet tall, skinny and wore a huge smile on his face! Though we spoke different languages, I was able to share with him a little of my home culture. I taught him how to "high five". With his energy and spirit as a child, I just knew that he would one day be an all-star player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States. Wow! Was I ever wrong!

I take pleasure in introducing you to Mario Balotelli who resides near Milan, Italy. Mario, it seems, has become quite a star, but from the image above, you can see that his stardom lies in the game of soccer ("football" to the world outside the U.S.). Mario is the brother of my Italian son, Giovanni. I first met Mario on a trip to Italy years ago. He had just been adopted by Giovanni's family. I hope that I can visit Giovanni, Mario and the Balotelli family again soon. Mario has posted his own web site. I invite you to visit it. http://www.mariobalotelli.it/ Good Luck, Mario!!! I hope to be on the sidelines one day to capture images of you playing "football"!!