L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano J oe DiMaggio was a f i r s t - g e n e r a t i o n Italian kid, work- ing the shores of F i s h e r m a n ' s W h a r f i n N o r t h e r n S a n F r a n c i s c o f r o m d a w n t o dusk with his four brothers. Due to difficult economic conditions, Joe had to help his fisherman father, but from an early age, his obses- sion was baseball. It was this p a s s i o n t h a t m a r k e d t h e career of this Sicilian-born young man who would later be called "the greatest living baseball player." When he took the field for the Yan- kees in 1936, he was greeted b y 2 5 , 0 0 0 t r i c o l o r f l a g s hoisted by his countrymen. On the day of his passing in 1999, President Bill Clin- ton voiced these defining, memorable words to honor the venerable Joe DiMaggio: "This son of Italian immi- grants gave every American something to believe in. He became the very symbol of American grace, power and skill." Names like Joe DiMaggio, Y o g i B e r r a , P h i l R i z z u t o , D a v e R i g h e t t i , a n d J o h n Franco still resonate today among baseball enthusiasts. The Italian-American Base- ball Foundation (IABF) is adamant about adding new names to the list of Italian- A m e r i c a n B a s e b a l l g r e a t p l a y e r s . W h i l e c o u n t l e s s p r o u d I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n o r g a n i z a t i o n s a c r o s s t h e country fight for the preser- vation of Italian-American h e r i t a g e a n d c u l t u r e , t h e Italian-American Baseball Foundation carved a niche in baseball and, to do so, they promote not only schol- arships for college baseball and softball players but also events like Italian-American heritage nights at stadiums across the country. In 2023, the foundation partnered with many clubs to offer Italian-American H e r i t a g e N i g h t s , w h i c h s t a r t e d o f f w i t h a M i a m i Marlins game in April and w i l l w r a p u p w i t h a D i a - mondbacks game in Septem- ber. This month, the event reached South California. On August 9th, the Angels played the San Francisco Giants at the Angel Stadium in Anaheim. On this occa- sion, a portion of ticket sales benefited IABF while in oth- e r s , o t h e r l o c a l I t a l i a n - American organizations in that city will benefit. Either way, we're supporting the culture through baseball. Italian footballer Giorgio Chiellini was the special g u e s t o f t h e n i g h t a t t h e c r o w d e d A n g e l s S t a d i u m w h e r e h e t h r e w h i s f i r s t p i t c h . C h i e l l i n i , n o w a d e f e n d e r f o r t h e L A F C , played in two World Cups, w o n a n O l y m p i c b r o n z e medal, was the captain of the Italian soccer national team, and won nine Serie A titles with Juventus. Today, he's happy to call Los Ange- l e s h o m e a n d h e h a s j u s t signed to play in the MLS championship for another year. "I am very happy about the experience I am having here, both for me and for my family," Chiellini tells us. "After so many years playing u n d e r a d i f f e r e n t t y p e o f pressure, I am enjoying it here. The first few months were difficult because it was a very big change. For us Italians, baseball is perhaps the most American and cine- m a t i c o f a l l s p o r t s . I w a s telling the Angels catcher b e f o r e p i t c h i n g t h a t , i n Livorno, we built a baseball arena that never took off. I'm happy to have been cho- sen for the Italian-American H e r i t a g e N i g h t , a l s o because, as soon as I moved here, I found a lot of Italians w h o w e l c o m e d m e a n d helped me get used to fitting into a totally different cul- ture." IABF president Joe Qua- gliano says that "Our focus on developing young talent both in the US and Italy is a top priority. Each year, we sponsor training sessions and masterclasses led by for- mer MLB players and top college coaches. We invite professional scouts and col- lege recruiters to attend and evaluate potential talent. We are working closely with sev- eral colleges and are deeply committed to helping those who qualify academically achieve a college education through baseball and soft- ball." "The IABF provides citi- z e n s h i p d o c u m e n t a t i o n a s s i s t a n c e f o r A m e r i c a n s who want to play in the Ital- ian Olympic team and WBC team. We also donate equip- ment to individuals, teams, a n d l e a g u e s t h a t q u a l i f y : helping families by giving their children the opportuni- ty to have proper equipment i s v e r y i m p o r t a n t t o u s , " President Quagliano contin- ues. And what is the goal of the IABF in Italy? Quagliano gives us an answer. "Baseball", he says, "has long been America's favorite sport. Its rich and proud his- tory is steeped in folklore and tradition. Plus, some of the most legendary players, who contributed to making the game great, have been the sons and grandsons of Italian immigrants. Howev- er, not many Italian played in the MLB. "In Italy, baseball strug- gles to gain popularity as soccer is and will continue to b e i t s n a t i o n a l s p o r t . W e know we can't change that but we are determined to bring awareness of the game to Italian youth throughout the country. We will travel through Italy with former MLB players and carry out training sessions. We have an agreement with the Fed- eration of Italian Baseball & Softball (FIBS) so that our camps will benefit from the best facilities and support. F o r m e r M L B p l a y e r s , including Frank Catalanotto, J e f f N e l s o n , F r a n c i s c o Cervelli, and Bobby Valen- tine will be our coaches and instructors. T h e I A B F w i l l s p o n s o r camps for high school stu- dents to showcase their tal- ent in front of top college baseball and softball pro- grams in the United States. Having a student be award- e d a c o l l e g e s c h o l a r s h i p through one of our showcas- es is our ultimate goal!" T h e I t a l i a n H e r i t a g e Night was also promoted by Little Italy of Los Angeles Associaton (LILAA). SILVIA NITTOLI Italian heritage night celebration with soccer legend Giorgio Chiellini Soccer icon Giorgio Chiellini with the Angels' uniform (Photo: Silvia Nittoli) Chiellini on the diamond (Photo: Silvia Nittoli) LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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