=========================================================================== From marcelo@hplms1.hpl.hp.com (Marcelo Weinberger) Subject: C.A. Pen~arol, 102 years Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1993 21:34:26 GMT September 28, 1891 - September 28, 1993 Club Atletico Pen~arol, 102 years of glory Today is the one hundred and second aniversary of the big among the biggest. Founded by English railway workers in Montevideo, Uruguay, under the name of Central Uruguayan Railway Cricket Club (CURCC), it changed its name 20 years later to Pen~arol, after the name of the neighborhood where the railway repair factories were located. The neighborhood itself is named after the Italian town Pignarolo, from where its first settlers came. The list of championships and cups won by Pen~arol would be too long to detail. I will only mention its 5 Libertadores Cups (1960, 61, 66, 82, and 87), its 3 Intercontinental Cups (1961, 66, and 82), and its 5 consecutive national league championships (1958-1962, "el quinquenio"). Its gold and black jerseys were worn by names like: Jose Piendibene ("El Maestro"), Angel P. Anselmo, in the twenties; Lorenzo Fernandez, Severino Varela ("La boina fantasma") in the thirties; Obdulio Varela ("El Negro Jefe"), Roque G. Maspoli, in the fourties; Juan A. Schiaffino, Juan E. Hohberg, Oscar O. Miguez, Julio C. Abbadie, Alcides E. Gigghia, in the fifties; Pedro Rocha, Alberto Spencer, Nestor Goncalvez, Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, Jose "Pepe" Sasia, in the sixties; Fernando Morena, Ruben Paz, Venancio Ramos in the seventies and eighties among many others. Nowadays, Pen~arol is trying to recover from the worst period of its history. Its last league championship was in 1986, the last big tournament it won was the 1987 Libertadores Cup, and in the last 5 years it has not qualified for this Cup. The line-up is a blend of experienced players who are back from their European careers (Pablo Bengoechea, Nelson Gutierrez, Jose Perdomo) and promising but still less known young players (Reherman, Rabajda, Dorta). Tomorrow Pen~arol is playing Botafogo in the final game of the CONMEBOL Cup at Maracana after a 1-1 draw in Montevideo, and who knows, it may celebrate its aniversary with a victory. So once again we say: "PEN~AROL, SERAS ETERNO COMO EL TIEMPO Y FLORECERAS EN CADA PRIMAVERA" ["Pen~arol, you'll be eternal like time and you'll flower each spring" - in the Southern hemisphere, spring begins on 9/21.] --Marcelo Weinberger