Before I begin to tell you about two key points that came from the interview, I figured some of you may have been wondering what in the world bocce ball is. So I’ll tell you that first. Bocce Ball as defined by www.iBocce.com is a sophisticated Italian lawn game. The match begins with the flip of a coin between the captains from each team. The winner of the toss can choose between the color ball they want, or having the first toss of ‘pallino’. The pallino is a ball that is tossed to start the game, and must cross the center line of the court without hitting the back wall. If a player fails to toss the ball correctly, the opposing team gets to throw it. The idea is to then toss the bocce balls at the pallino, without letting them touch the back of the court. The team that comes closest to the pallino first, simply sits back and waits as the opposition tries to better the position with its four balls. That’s pretty much the jist of it. There are certainly more rules that can be read at the URL supplied above.

While at the tournament, Mariucci did in fact sit down to be interviewed by the The Best Damn Sports Show Period. One significant point Mariucci made was that relations have indeed improved between he and Terrell Owens. The reason that’s so significant is that while both sides agreed to work on things, it was unclear the impression Owens left on Mooch when he went to play basketball.