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Results tagged ' Alex Maestri '
MLBblogger's MLBforLife.com ranks #7 among MLB.com Fan Websites
MLB.com Blogs Central has announced its July 2015 Latest Leaders, and MLBforLife.com has ranked seventh as the most visited MLB.com Fan Website. Providing a global perspective where baseball meets history and pop culture, DJ and blogger Roberto Angotti has written nearly 150 articles to date since 2011. MLBforLife.com prides itself for giving readers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at high profile events such as the Asia Series, the European Baseball Championship, the World Baseball Classic and the upcoming Premier 12 in Japan and Taiwan. Working closely with Team Italia manager and LA Dodgers international scout Marco Mazzieri, MLBforLife.com is dedicated to everything Italian. Inspired by Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball author and former Team Italia interpreter Lawrence Baldassaro, MLBforLife.com strives to continue documenting the Italian American Baseball experience. From former Twin and current Blue Jay Chris Colabello's dream to become a major leaguer to Cubs' slugger Anthony Rizzo's battle to beat cancer, MLBforLife.com supports the plight of the underdog–especially the efforts of Team Italia and its nurturing coaching staff (including Marco Mazzieri, Bill Holmberg, Tom Trebelhorn and Mike Piazza). Products of FIBS Italian MLB Academy in Tirrenia, Italian-born and developed players Alex Maestri and Alex Liddi have paved the way for MLB prospects Marten Gasparini (Royals) and Alberto Mineo (Cubs). MLBforLife.com pledges to support them and future prospects with Italian blood unconditionally.
Rangers' Anthony Ranaudo tweets interest in pitching for Team Italy in response to prayer to Saint Anthony
One should never underestimate the power of prayer. Saint Anthony has miraculously helped believers find lost things and people when all else has failed. So when the Texas Rangers selected 6-foot-7 right-hander Anthony Ranaudo out of New Jersey's Saint Rose High School in the 11th round of the 2007 draft and failed to sign the promising Italian American pitcher, they looked to Saint Anthony to bring him to Arlington. After eight years of intensive prayer, the Rangers acquired Ranaudo in January from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for lefty pitcher Robbie Ross. The miracle worker Saint Anthony was once again called upon over two years ago when prayers went out for divine intervention for Team Italy prior to the start of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. When hitting coach Mike Piazza had successfully recruited Cubs' slugger Anthony Rizzo to join la squadra azzurri, it was time to pray to the great Saint Anthony to find the "missing" Anthonys to complete the Italian roster.
A simple tweet exchange two years ago could very well be a blessing to Team Italy from Saint Anthony should Major League Baseball allow franchise players to participate in the 2015 Premier 12 Tournament in Japan and Taiwan. With Ranaudo's positive response echoing his desire to pitch for underdog Italy, Italian MLB Academy director and Team Italy pitching coach Bill Holmberg can possibly bolster his pitching arsenal alongside Braves' All-Star reliever Jason Grilli, Blue Jays prospect Tiago Da Silva, Diamondbacks prospect Tim Crabbe and former Cubs' minor leaguer Alessandro Maestri. Coach Holmberg deserves credit for Team Italy's upset victories over Mexico and Canada in the 2013 WBC. By keeping some of MLB's finest hitters guessing what was coming their way next when calling for a slew of off-speed pitches from the dugout, many big names including Adam Jones (.167), Carlos Beltran (.143), Alex Rios (.125), Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Votto (.000) never felt comfortable at the plate.
Patience has always been a virtue for Ranaudo. Instead of signing with the Rangers out of high school in 2007, he played baseball at Louisiana State University, where he was third in NCAA strikeouts and led the LSU Tigers to become 2009 National Champs. Four years after being chosen by Boston as a supplemental first-round pick in the 2010 draft, he made his MLB debut with the Red Sox last year and won four games with a 4.81 ERA in seven starts. Ranaudo started the 2014 season at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he compiled a 14-4 record and was voted the International League's Most Valuable Pitcher. Anthony is currently competing at Rangers Spring Training Camp in Arizona for an Opening Day roster spot as their number five starter.
Why Mike Piazza is Italian American of the Decade
Mike Piazza is a baseball immortal regardless of what a pack of bitter, jealous sports writers think. Everyone knows he was The Man.
— Thomas Wilkinson (@RosenblattsBoss) January 8, 2014
"We just want to continue to draw attention to the fact that we believe baseball is marketable in Italy. We think it's viable. We think there's a lot of upward growth. We can produce players over there. I'm convinced of it," said Piazza. 17-year-old switch-hitting shortstop Marten Gasparini–compared to a young Derek Jeter–and 19-year-old lefthanded-hitting catcher Alberto Mineo lead the charge of the Italian baseball revolution spurred by Dodgers scout/Team Italia manager Marco Mazzieri and coaches Holmberg and Piazza.
Just spent amazing week at Dodgertown with @FIBSpress Italian National team preparing to defend European title. Thank you @Mets for tix 2day
— Mike Piazza (@mikepiazza31) February 28, 2014
International baseball ambassador Mike Piazza traveled to Veneto, Italy recently to speak to an enthusiastic audience at the 29th Annual Coaches Convention. Piazza said, "We all overteach and overanalyze hitting. Everyone has their own opinion, but in actuality–just as Ted Williams explained in his book The Science of Hitting--the number one rule is to get a good ball to hit. Gaining an understanding of the strike zone and what you can and can't hit is the key. Simply spoken, you can't hit what you can't see." Twelve years ago in 2002 Piazza met FIBS President Riccardo Fraccari while visiting Italy on a MLB International mission to help the game develop in Europe. Fraccari asked Piazza if he would be interested in representing Italy in international competition, and the proud Italian American responded that it would be privilege to play for the Italian national team in honor of his Sicilian ancestry. During a 2006 World Baseball Classic press conference, Piazza addressed reporters who questioned why he chose to join Team Italia and said, "You may not understand it, but for Italian Americans getting a chance to finally play for Italy is like a duck chick getting close to the water for the first time." The Italians have since fared well in the World Baseball Classic, nearly upsetting 2013 WBC Champion Dominican Republic and runner-up Puerto Rico. Piazza's influence swayed Cubs' slugger Anthony Rizzo to play for Team Italia alongside other MLB Italian Americans including Padres' Chris Denorfia, A's Nick Punto, Twins' Chris Colabello and Pirates' Jason Grilli. Piazza's power of persuasion even impacted the Team Italia coaching staff as former MLB journeyman Frank Catalanotto joined the Italian baseball revolution. Team Italia's homegrown talent held its own and contributed to the overall chemistry of the squad. Alessandro Maestri–the first Italian-born-and-developed pitcher signed by MLB in 2006 and infielder Alex Liddi–the first Italian-born-and-developed player to make his MLB debut in 2011 have benefitted greatly from Piazza's guidance and mentorship.
Grazie di nuovo @FIBSpress! Had an amazing time in Veneto. Great coaches convention. Forza Italia!
— Mike Piazza (@mikepiazza31) January 19, 2014
Maestri said, "It's great to have him around in the dugout. He's like doing this for fun. He enjoys working with us… That's why we appreciate it so much. I think he is positively influencing the program that we have. The fact that the team is winning and improving proves it. So that's why he keeps coming back." Liddi echoed the sentiment and said, "When you have coaches like Mike Piazza and Frank Catalanotto—guys who have been in the big leagues for a long time—it makes it fun just to be around them. You're able to ask them questions and learn from them."Piazza has been a proponent of uplifting and preserving his Italian cultural heritage by supporting the efforts of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), George Randazzo–founder of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and Roberto Angotti–curator of the Artists' Tribute to Italian Americans in Baseball Exhibition. Piazza befriended Angotti during the two weeks Team Italia spent in Phoenix preparing for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. When Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda dropped in on Team Italia's practice at Dodgers' Spring Training Camp in Glendale to address the team, Roberto knew he was on the frontline of the Italian baseball revolution. Lasorda's emotionally-driven speech coupled with Piazza's serious commitment inspired Angotti to share the experience with others through a traveling exhibit paying tribute to Italian American baseball.
GREAT READ from @ABLblogger: http://t.co/UALj2T8U Team #Italy hitting coach Mike Piazza believes in the #WBCBaseball
— WBC Baseball (@WBCBaseball) January 10, 2013
Piazza said,"This commitment I have with the Italian Federation is something I really care about. I feel a strong tie to Italy, since my heritage is there. My grandfather Rosario came from Sciacca, Sicily, to the United States and my father grew me up following the Italian tradition pretty much. I think it's in our DNA to strive to work hard and persevere. Most our ancestors came over to the United States with just the clothes on their back. I think that was the case with my grandfather, who had nothing in his pocket to start a life here in the U.S. When we have the strength and pride of the Italian family with the support we can give one another, it builds character and allows us to achieve our true potential. I don't think there are a lot of Italian American families that don't have strong support behind them. I do not pretend to say what is not true, I grew up as an American boy. Now, getting older, I understand the value of my heritage and I want to give something back to Italy."
Setup man for Team Italia's Grilli, Nick Pugliese closes for Unipol Fortitudo Bologna in Asia Series
Euro Cup and Europe's first-ever representative in the Asia Series, Pugliese takes on the champions from the pro leagues in Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea and Australia.
Siamo ancora una volta CAMPIONI D'EUROPA!! Foto: Simone Amaduzzi Photographer http://t.co/YdsT5hAjE0
— Fortitudo Baseball (@FortitudoBC1953) August 3, 2013
We spoke with Bologna's closer prior to the start of the Asia Series in Taiwan (which runs from November 15-20).
Roberto: Having experienced MLB-affiliated ball with the Angels organization, you were a welcome addition to the Italian baseball fraternity. Explain the transition from Fortitudo Bologna to Team Italia.
Nicholas Pugliese: When I got the call to go to Bologna to play, I shot right over. I didn't waste any time. I saw it as an experience to travel and to play on an international level. It's kind of given me a second life in terms. Because I would never be in this position if I wasn't involved with Italy to begin with. Team Italia manager Marco Mazzieri would have never seen me so I have nothing but good things to say to my GM that found me, Christian Mura, and Marco Mazzieri for giving me a shot to play on this team.
Roberto: After pitching at Lake Sumter College, you transferred to Steton University and made the 2008 All-Conference team after issuing only 11 walks in over 65 innings. Although you were not drafted, you still managed to be signed by the Los Angeles Angels.
Nicholas Pugliese: It was awesome. Tom Kotchman of the Angels gave the opportunity to play some professional baseball. I am forever grateful for that. I loved the three years I played for them. It was a great organization. I learned a lot, and I give a lot of credit to them for where I am right now actually.
Roberto: Having played at Tempe Diablo Stadium during Angels Spring Training and later return to play against your former organization as a member of Team Italia must have been a homecoming.
Nicholas Pugliese: It was a homecoming because I hadn't seen these guys in a couple years. You're talking about 300 guys! We all got close, we worked together, we played together. The whole coaching staff I got to see when we played the Angels. It was an awesome feeling. To see their faces light up when they saw me. Not expecting to ever see me out here again. It was a great experience.
Roberto: Through the blessing of Italian baseball, you have received a new lease on life. Out of all the minor leaguers that you played with in the Angels organization, how many of them can say they have pitched against MLB All-Stars at Chase Field and Marlins Park in the World Baseball Classic?
Nicholas Pugliese: Not a whole lot. They actually all called me and told me how jealous they were. It's kind of bittersweet how things turned out, but I wouldn't trade in this experience for anything. It was unbelievable.
Roberto: Getting the win against Mexico must have been one of your most memorable moments in baseball.
Nicholas Pugliese: The whole tournament was the highlight of my whole baseball career obviously. It was short, but it was amazing. The competition we were able to see, the guys we were able to meet. We proved that we can play with anyone. Roberto: Let's talk Italian heritage.
Nicholas Pugliese: I'm sort of split between an Italian father and a German mother. My dad's side is the strong Italian side. It's always been about family and cooking. It actually goes back all the way to my great grandparents, who were born in Italy. So the actual paperwork wasn't easy to find to go back and get all that stuff going. My Italian heritage will always be there, and I'm proud to play on this team.
Roberto: Did your mindset and pitching philosophy change when you crossed the Atlantic?
Nicholas Pugliese: It changed a little bit. International baseball…the whole set, the rules, the hitters…everything changes a little bit. So you adapt. You either adapt fast or die pretty much. But you're constantly adapting. That's what baseball is all about anyways. Coming back to the World Baseball Classic, we had to constantly change to these hitters from country to country, team to team.. I mean you learn to adapt fast or none of us would be here in the first place.
Roberto: What was the initial reaction by the Italian-born players to have an Italian American like you join their team?
Nicholas Pugliese: Playing on Team Italia is a little different because I have been playing for the Italians for two years in row now. I've gotten to know a lot of these guys since we've been playing together for a while. Initially coming to this team was a little standoffish. You know, these American guys coming in. And it would be the same way the other way around. But as long as you are there to win, and you're giving your all then they take you in. That's how it should be.
Roberto: Playing for the Italian National team, you have assumed the role of closer when Italia won the 2012 European Championship.
Nicholas Pugliese: It started out where Alessandro Maestri was the guy to go to in the ninth, and him being away in Japan kind of opened that role for me. It kind of just worked out, and I'm glad that I could fill the spot at the time. For Team Italia in the World Baseball Classic, I set up for Grilli. I got a long way to go before I take his spot…Roberto: What was the vibe like in the clubhouse when the MLB-affiliated players
(Punto, Denorfia, Liddi, Rizzo, Colabello, Grilli and others) joined the Italian National
team for practices in preparation for the World Baseball Classic?
Nicholas Pugliese: It was a totally different energy when they showed up. We were practicing for about a week without them. We were working hard and everything. But as soon as they could all come, it was just a total new energy. We've meshed obviously and you could see how we play the game. We've meshed very well. A quick mesh..which is important. That's why a lot of these teams got upset because they hadn't played together, and they were kind of playing selfish. I mean instantly we played well together…we meshed. You can see the result from that. What it really comes down to is baseball is universal. Whether you were born in Italy or you were born here, you speak Italian or not, it's universal. You have a passion for the game. I mean you are going to give it your all. Everyone sees that. It's easy to come together and win some games.
Roberto: Easier said than done. Look at Team USA in the WBC. Team Italia literally gifted them a win so that they could qualify for the second round in Miami.
Nicholas Pugliese: We had a chance to take them. We had them shaking in their shoes a little bit. It was just one bad swing. We did take it a little different. It wasn't a must-win for us. We kind of used it as an opportunity to get all our guys in, get the experience going. If it really came down to it into a must-win situation, the outcome might have been a little different. But I mean for what it was worth, we played them tough and they were playing really tight for a while.
Roberto: Having already qualified for the second round prior to game time against Team USA, you have got to admit Team Italia was playing for fun.
Nicholas Pugliese: We definitely had a big weight lift our shoulders. We had a lighter energy going in there, but at the same time when it comes down to it we're going to grind it out. It was good. We had a good time. Roberto: Especially with Jason Grilli around…
Nicholas Pugliese: I picked Grilli's brain a lot. He's probably sick of me by now. But every chance I had to go up to him and ask some questions, I'm just all ears. I'm a sponge with him. I love talking to him. He's got a lot of awesome knowledge. He's a great guy to be around. All the pitchers really look up to him. I mean I don't have the stuff that someone like Grilli has out there. I don't have the 96 mile per hour fastball so I have to just go with straight aggression and go after these guy–not wasting any time and pitching to contact. That's my game plan, and that's what I'm going to go out with there every single time. I'm just hoping that I can help the team keep moving on.
Roberto: While interviewing Mike Scioscia, I asked if he would consider joining the Team Italia coaching staff, and he said that would be dependent on how the Italians played.
Nicholas Pugliese: I don't know how many more stars we can add to this coaching staff, but adding him would be amazing. I don't know what else he wanted to see from us at this tournament. All he had to do was turn on the TV and enjoy his Italian heritage. It would be awesome to see Scioscia on the staff at any time. Roberto: I feel that Team Italia is blessed to have such a talented coaching staff featuring Bill Holmberg, Mike Piazza and Frank Catalanotto to take Italian baseball to the next level so that the team can compete with the game's elite in MLB.
Nicholas Pugliese: Pitching coach Bill Holmberg has always been great. Mike Piazza has been awesome. He is just one of those special guys. He and Frank Catalanotto, you see them on TV and you look up to them. The next thing you know you're in the dugout making jokes with them like everyone else. It's awesome that they can relate to us on that type of level and share their knowledge with us.
Roberto: Team Italia is a very special team. In fact, two of your Italian teammates–Juan Carlos Infante and Alessandro Vaglio–will be joining you on Unipol Bologna in the Asia Series. What are your chances of doing what Team Italia did in the 2013 World Baseball Classic?
Nicholas Pugliese: I know all the Asian teams will be coming off of their seasons and will not only be baseball ready but highly talented. So it would be nice to head out there and surprise some guys with a few sneaky wins.
Roberto: Best of luck to you, the team and manager Marco Nanni. Thank you for your time!
Nicholas Pugliese: Thank you Roberto!
Home team Unipol Fortitudo Bologna hosts Korea's Samsung Lions, winner of the 2011 Asia Series, in the opener of the 2013 Asia Series on November 15 at Taichung Inter-continental Baseball Stadium in Taiwan. Local Taiwanese favorite
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of Tainan welcome visitor Unipol Fortitudo Bologna on November 16. The European Cup Champions will get a well-deserved day of rest on November 17 before continuing on in the tournament should they qualify for the semi-final and final rounds of action with competition ending November 20. Italian supporters will have the opportunity to listen to Radio Arena Sportiva live broadcasts of the 2013 Asia Series with host Daniele Mattioli by clicking HERE.
Canberra's Nick Pugliese & Jon Berti add amore to ABL left behind by Alex Maestri & Adam Buschini
Adam Buschini was awarded the first-ever ABL Triple Crown for his heroic 2012-13 ABL regular season. The Triple Crown–awarded to a player who has the highest batting average, the most home runs and driven in the most runs in a season–is one of the game's rarities. The Triple Crown has only been achieved 16 times in over 130 years of MLB history. The Northern California Italian American slugger claimed the ABL Triple Crown with a .363 batting average, a league record-tying 15 homers, and an ABL record-breaking 50 RBI in just 45 games. He was named ABL Player of the Week twice. In ABL Round 10 action, Buschini went 8-for-17 (.471) with a double, three home runs and 9 RBI. He exploded in ABL Round 13 when he went 9-for-15 (.600) with four homers and 9 RBI to help the Canberra Cavalry claim the top playoff spot and eventually win the ABL Championship. Adam Buschini's success continued as he led the Padres AA affiliate San Antonio Missions to a 2013 Texas League Championship.
Hayden "Big Dog" Beard, a member of the 2012 San Antonio Missions and local resident mentor of the Canberra Cavalry pitching staff, now serves as pitching coach for the 2013-14 Canberra Cavalry. With over four years of experience in the Mets and Padres organizations, Beard knows talent when he sees it. The Big Dog is thrilled to have Nick Pugliese on the team roster after watching the former LA Angels prospect pitch for Team Italia in the 2013 World Baseball Classic as well as his stellar ABL debut performance.
"It was good to get Nick in there during the first game of the year and get him a feel for the league," said Beard. "He had a solid outing punching out two without yielding a hit. He threw both his sinker and slider for strikes from different arm angles with good life on his pitches. We project him as a back end of the bullpen arm at the moment." Pugliese did not disappoint in his second ABL lights out appearance.
He struck out three more in 1.1 innings of relief, placing him third in the league in strikeouts (5 K's
in 2.1 innings pitched). Pugliese is enjoying his time playing in a Cavalry uniform knowing full well that he could come face-to-face with his Aussie teammates in the upcoming Asia Series when he suits up for the European Cup Champion Fortitudo Bologna squad. Nick said, "So far everyone is awesome, and the country is super nice. It's a strange scenario for the Asia Series because I play the first two weekends here in Australia then join Bologna in the same tournament my Canberra team will be going to." Although Pugliese may be conflicted on the real prospect of facing his Aussie teammates in the Asia Series–which features the champions from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Australia and Europe–Canberra pitching coach Beard looks forward to the opportunity of his team facing its own relief pitcher. He said, "Our boys would relish the opportunity to play against him in Taiwan. It's always fun playing against your mates!" Despite the loss of Pugliese's services in the Asia Series, the Cavalry charge abroad will be mighty indeed with the addition of Toronto Blue Jays prospect Jon Berti–who he led the Single-A Advanced Florida State League in games played (128), at-bats (505), runs (85), hits (126), triples (5), walks (57), and stolen bases (56). Replacing Adam Buschini at second base, Berti is up for the challenge. Voted the Florida State League's top base running prospect by Baseball America and Team MVP by the Dunedin Blue Jays, Michigan's Jon Berti is a welcome addition to head coach Michael Collin's international all-star lineup. In the case of Florida's Nick Pugliese, who rubbed shoulders with Collins in the LA Angels organization when both aspired to play MLB, it's a reunion of two grinders who desire to keep the ABL throne in Australia's capital. "We started last season with the goal to bring the Claxton Shield to Canberra," Collins said. "Our goal hasn't changed coming into this season. This year we will be defending the Shield from the top and not chasing from the bottom. Cavalry General Manager Thom Carter is proud of his team and coaching staff as well as the baseball supporters in Canberra. "This is a milestone to be celebrated," said Carter. "It shows just how much baseball has grown as a sport within the capital city. Each coach brings strong expertise to the table and as a team we couldn't be more excited."
Dodgers' Punto and Butera honored in San Diego at Convivio's Italian American Baseball Exhibition
Tried and tested as "Azzurri" teammates on Team Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, utility infielder Nick Punto and backup catcher Drew Butera quite naturally bleed Dodger blue. Butera was reunited with Team Italy leadoff hitter Nick Punto when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2013. Destined to get the most from one of MLB's finest pitching staffs, Drew is a valuable asset to the dream team of Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti. Born on August 9, 1983, the Florida-native is the son of Sal Butera—a journeyman catcher who played 359 MLB games for the Blue Jays, Twins, Reds, Expos and Tigers from 1980-1988. Drew was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2002 MLB Draft but instead opted to play college ball at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Ironically, father Sal now works as a scout for the only Canadian MLB franchise.After throwing out 48% of potential base-stealers and hitting .325 in his last season at UCF, the right-handed catcher was a fifth round pick by the New York Mets in the 2005 MLB Draft.
A big opera fan who used to listen to Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti in the clubhouse before games while in the Mets' minor league system, Drew was named Florida League All-Star and later promoted to Double-A ball in 2007 before being traded to the Twins—where Butera family history was made as Sal and Drew became the first father-son combination to play for Minnesota when he made his MLB debut on April 9, 2010. Known for being able to handle pitches with grace rarely seen at the major league level, he became the exclusive catcher for Carl Pavano. Having a producing a calming effect on his pitching staff while calling a great game from behind the plate, Butera kept Francisco Liriano focused on every pitch which garnered the lefty a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on May 3, 2011. Known as a pitcher's catcher, Drew even went as far as taking the mound to throw a scoreless inning (including a strike out) against the Brewers in 2012.
Drew Butera was a big hit for Team Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Delivering a two-run home run that helped defeat Mexico and a two-run double that buried Canada. Butera was instrumental in each of Team Italy's victories to earn the team the right to advance with Team USA to the next round of play in Miami. Dodger teammate Nick Punto was just as important in the WBC. Punto led off in every one of Team Italy's five games and raked at the plate (.421 batting average, 8-for-19, two doubles, two walks and five runs scored). Both players along with Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Tony Lazzeri, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Ernie Lombardi, Ron Santo, Tommy Lasorda, Tony Conigliaro, Craig Biggio, Tony La Russa, John D'Aquisto, Ken Caminiti, Mike Piazza, Frank Catalanotto, Joey Votto, Jason Grilli, Anthony Rizzo, Chris Denorfia, Dan Serafini, Alex Liddi, Chris Colabello, Brian Sweeney, Mike Costanzo and Reid Rizzo are featured in the Artists' Tribute to Italian American Baseball Exhibit at Convivio, 2157 India Street in San Diego. Artists' Tribute to Italian American Baseball showcases original artwork, photographs, uniforms, articles, and other related artifacts related to baseball players of Italian descent and those with strong ties to San Diego. Works by nenowned Italian American artists Christopher Paluso, James Fiorentino, Vincent Scilla, Professor John Giarrizzo, Warren Reed, Zack D'Ulisse, and Rob Monte will be on display alongside sports artists Chris Felix, Vernon Wells, Jr., and Jeremy Nash at the Little Italy Heritage Museum at Convivio Center. For more information on the exhibit and special events–including player and artist appearances, visit www.ConvivioSociety.org or phone 619-573-4140.
San Diego's Little Italy and Sanremo's Alex Liddi share a love for baseball and its rich Italian history
While attending Beverly Hills High School, Agostino Liddi played baseball before repatriating to Italy after graduation. It was there that he met his future wife, Flavia, who played softball competitively in Italy.
You could say that Alex was a truly a baseball baby since it was reported that Flavia played first base for the first three months of her pregnancy carrying Alex. When Alex was old enough to play, his mother coached his baseball teams. As a teenager, his father drove him long distances to compete in games throughout Italy. With the addition of their two sons, Thomas and Alex, the couple shared their love of the game to transform the Liddi's into the archetypal Italian baseball family. Alex Liddi was honored last year by the Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) for his valuable contributions to the game. FIBS president Riccardo Fraccari called
Liddi "the real ambassador of Italian baseball" after he became the first player from Italy to play in the Major Leagues since 1954 and the first-ever Italian-developed player in MLB. Liddi, the face of European baseball, has the opportunity to spur the growth of baseball back home by playing at the sport's highest level. By watching Liddi on MLB.tv and reading the nightly box scores, young Italian athletes are now inspired to think that playing Major League Baseball is a viable option. Currently at Triple-A Tacoma with Team Italia pitcher Brian Sweeney, Alex Liddi is playing with conviction
in anticipation of his return to the Mariners for his third consecutive season. Now leading the Rainiers in home runs (8), runs (34), and RBI (32), the sheer power of Italian
24-year-old Liddi will be a welcome addition to the Seattle lineup when MLB rosters expand to 40 players in September. The European baseball ambassador was kind enough to sit down for an interview at the 2013 World Baseball Classic in Phoenix.
Roberto: You were signed in 2005 by Mariners' scout Wayne Norton and current WBC Team Spain manager Mauro Mazzotti. Isn't that a good sign for Italian baseball when two Italian managers, Italy's Marco Mazzieri and Spain's Mauro Mazzotti, are leading two of Europe's finest ballplayers in the WBC?
Alex Liddi: Yeah, I'm happy for him that he is able to participate in the World Baseball Classic with another team. I wish him the best.
Roberto: Has the journey with the Seattle Mariners organization been a good experience so far?
Alex Liddi: Yeah, I enjoy my time in Seattle and in the minor league system. I think that it's a pretty good system. I've enjoyed my years playing with them. I've got to thank them for giving me a chance to play in the big leagues. So I'm really thankful.
Roberto: You began your professional career in 2006 with the Peoria Mariners and then were then promoted to Single-A Wisconsin. You remained there until 2008 at which time you were batting .313 and enjoyed an eight-game hitting streak when you nearly hit .500! That must have been memorable?
Alex Liddi: Yeah. At every level you go, you try to make adjustments. I was trying to show them that I could play in the states.
Roberto: In 2009 playing for Single-A Advanced High Desert, you led the California League with a .345 batting average, 23 home runs, and 104 RBI. You were selected as a Cal League All-Star. In addition, you were awarded the Cal League MVP, Topps Cal League Player of the Year, Mariners Minor League Player of the Year and MLB.com Mariners Organization Player of the Year. What an accomplishment!
Alex Liddi: Yeah, it we kind of my break out year. We had a good team that year so it was a little easier for me to put out good numbers plus it was a good hitter-friendly park. But that gave me the confidence, and it gave me the chance to keep going for the rest of that year. All these things combined made me have a really good year.
Roberto: How did it feel playing on Team Canada at the Toronto's Rogers Centre in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and beating the home team on their own turf?
Alex Liddi: Yeah, it was a good time for me. It was probably one of the biggest memories of my life, of my career. I had the chance to beat Canada at the highest level of competition. It will always be something that I will bring with me. I am happy that I was there.
Roberto: In 2011 you were invited to your first Spring Training camp with the Seattle Mariners. It was special because you hit back-to-back grand slams in consecutive games and produced impressive numbers: .385 batting average and a .429 on-base percentage. Your stellar 2011 campaign at Triple-A Tacoma (30 home runs, 104 RBI, 121 runs scored, 32 doubles and 61 walks) led you to your MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners on September 7. 2011. When you got to the big leagues, you hit three home runs and drove in six RBI in 40 at-bats while playing 15 games as a September call-up. Did you ever have to pinch yourself to make sure you were not dreaming anymore and come to the realization
that you were actually a big leaguer?
Alex Liddi: Yeah, for sure. I remember that I had a good spring, but I was still young.
So I had to go back down to Triple-A and develop myself a little more. But then it was getting really close to when the roster expanded to 40 in September, and I was getting really pumped. I maybe had the chance to get called up. Somebody would say 'yes'
that I was going to get called up and somebody else would say 'no'. Until they called
me and told me that I was getting called up. It was kind of like all the dreams came true, and it was a big day for me.
Roberto: You also played in the 2011 All-Star Futures Game. That must have been an
eye-opener playing in the front of the MLB media under the watchful eye of a worldwide televised audience.
Alex Liddi: It was a real honor. I would have never expected that to have come to me.
I was really happy to go there. It was really fun.
Alex Liddi: First of all, I have a lot of respect for him
as a person and as a player. He's a really good friend
of mine and probably one of my best friends. He's one
of those guys who always works hard and fights for everything. He never got anything easy in his life and always had to fight for it. That's why I give him a lot of respect as a person. Plus he's a really good pitcher with really good stuff. It was a shame when he got released by the Cubs, but at the same time I remember when I called him to tell him to keep his head up. I thought he could have pitched in the big leagues for sure, and I
still think he can. And then he got a chance to pitch in Japan and make it to the big leagues there. I'm really proud of him. Hopefully, he will have a long career.
Roberto: He actually was selected as the inaugural Fan Choice Award in the Australian Baseball League when he pitched for the Brisbane Bandits in 2011. Wherever he decides
to play, he always makes a major impact.
Alex Liddi: He has charisma. He has a really good attitude on and off the field that makes him a complete player. Good tools, good person, good teammate…so all these things combined together make him a really good player.
Roberto: What is different about Team Italia in the 2013 WBC from the previous team in 2009. What is different in the chemistry which makes the team such a dominant player in this year's World Baseball Classic?
Alex Liddi: Last time in the World Baseball Classic we had a good team, but this time we have been playing together more. I mean we already know Chris Denorfia, Nick Punto, Anthony Rizzo–I've known Rizzo for a couple years now. He's been a friend of mine since I have been playing against him for a long time. The other guys have been playing together for a while now so the team is really together now. Instead of the other teams, they might bigger names but they have never played together like we do.
Roberto: You could have a bunch of big names on a lineup card, but at the end of the day you look at the box score and the team with the biggest desire to win the game will actually succeed.
Alex Liddi: I think we showed them already that we came here to win. We're not joking and you can see it on our face…our enthusiasm on the field. We're playing hard right now. We're playing real baseball so everybody has to be careful.Roberto: You are going out there playing nine one-inning games every contest, opponents should not take Team Italia lightly.
Alex Liddi: We're playing as a team. Everybody can come up with the big hit. Nobody has got to do too much. Everybody's got other people's back, you know. We keep playing like this, and we'll do a lot of damage.
Roberto: Having a stellar coaching staff which includes future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and Frank Catalanotto, it must have a tremendous impact on your entire approach to baseball.
Alex Liddi: For sure. I mean when you have a chance to have coaches like Mike Piazza and Frank Catalanotto—guys who have been in the big leagues for a long time—it makes it fun just to be around those guys. You're able to ask them questions and learn from them so that's another big part of the team right there too.
Roberto: How proud are you being an Italian playing Major League Baseball and providing hope for Italian athletes that they too can play baseball professionally?
Alex Liddi: I'm really proud to have accomplished being the first Italian-born-and-raised player in the big leagues. It was something that I was always looking forward to coming up through the minors. That was my goal ever since getting signed. Getting closer to it, I could actually understand what it meant. As I got closer, and I was really excited about it. There was no pressure for me. It's something I'm happy about that happened to me–getting to the big leagues. I'm really thankful to everybody for giving me the opportunity.
Roberto: I love what you represent to Team Italia, your family, friends and fans.
Alex Liddi: I respect this game, and I respect my family. You always got to remember where you come from. So I will always be there for my friends, and a lot of my friends are my fans too. They're there for me so I got to be there for them. The fans are what make
the game fun. So you have got to be thankful for the fans. I really appreciate the fans. Without the fans, this game would be nothing…
Team Italy's Chris Colabello is ready to join the Twins and kiss Minor League Baseball goodbye
try, try again…" Perhaps appropriate to sum up the life story of 29-year-old Italian American MLB hopeful Chris Colabello, the best is yet to come for this Massachusetts native. The slugger is poised to make his presence felt on the big league level this year when the Twins call him up from AAA Rochester. Colabello's strong performance in the World Baseball Classic catapulted Team Italy into the second round of play this year. At Chase Field in Phoenix, he went 4-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored against Canada to help Italy clinch a spot to move on to Miami and become the Chevrolet Player of the Game. While at Marlins Park, the Italians nearly posted an upset over 2013 WBC Champion Dominican Republic when Colabello clubbed a three-run bomb that rivaled any one of Giancarlo Stanton's many web gems. The Team Italy clean-up hitter lived up to his title by finishing the WBC with a .333 BA, seven RBI and a 1.035 OPS in 18 at-bats.Colabello made a strong case to be on the 2013 Twins Opening Day Roster after hitting .294 with three RBI in
nine spring games for Minnesota. He received words of encouragement from Twins stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau despite being sent down to Triple-A ball to begin the season. Manager Ron Gardenhire had nothing but
praise for Colabello. "He did fine," said the Twins skipper.
"He played great for Team Italy and really well for us. First base is a place where we don't have a ton of depth. We have Morneau and then ad-libbing from there. So if he's down there (AAA) swing the bat good, he could go right into the big leagues after all that time (seven years) in Independent ball. So it's a good story." After spending seven seasons in the Can-Am Independent League, Chris Colabello was signed by the Twins and spent last season at Double-A New Britain, where he put together a .284 BA with 19 home runs and 98 RBI. In 46 games this season at Triple-A Rochester, Colabello commands a .360 BA and leads the Red Wings in hits (63), doubles (17), runs (29), home runs (12) and RBI (42).
Team Italy pitching coach Bill Holmberg has known how special of player Chris Colabello is for nearly two decades. The former Chicago Cubs European scout and current Italian MLB Academy director Holmberg said, "I've known Chris for maybe 20 years because he used to come over to Italy with his dad. His dad pitched in the Italian Baseball League. His mom is Italian. Chris is just a great kid. He loves to come over and play for us. We enjoy having him. We like him. He's a very energetic, tremendous kid." A star player in Italy for eight years who also pitched for the Italian national team in the 1984 Olympics at Dodger Stadium, Lou Colabello brought along his family during his international baseball career while playing and managing abroad. As a result, Chris spent several of his formative years overseas and even played with Team Italia teammate Alessandro Maestri as a youth. Like a fine Italian wine, Chris Colabello gets better with age. Let's hear his story:
The happiest man in baseball? Chris Colabello. Twins infielder, Mass. native, Team Italy for WBC. Story: bit.ly/15AYt6a @mlbonfox
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 22, 2013
Who needs Disneyland when you have #Twins #MLB hopeful Chris Colabello playing for #TeamItaly in the #WBClassic? mlbbuzz.yardbarker.com/blog/mlbbuzz/a… #WBC
— Roberto Angotti (@ABLblogger) February 23, 2013
Twins win 5-4. Pablo Hernandez gets the save. Morneau with the three-run double. Colabello with game-winning hit. Attendance: 5,048
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) February 25, 2013
Roberto: Having shadowed Justin Morneau in Twins Spring Training and having torn the leather off the ball with your hot bat, you really made a statement playing against your Canadian colleague in a Team Italia uniform during the World Baseball Classic by beating Team Canada 14-4 in a mercy rule victory.
Chris Colabello: Yeah. It's been a pretty interesting journey to get where we are right now. Especially for me personally coming from independent ball and all that stuff. But it's been great. I've been trying to take everything one moment at a time and just try to embrace it to the best of my ability. I think that when I was younger I would probably let moments that this speed up on me, and it would have been a little overwhelming. But I think with maturity comes the ability to just kind of embrace it. It's great. I got to talk with Justin a bunch when we played him. I don't think he's too happy with us because of the final score that day. But it's pretty neat and obviously a great experience for the Italian team.
Big day for Chris Colabello ( @cc20rake ) as he goes 4-5 with a 3-run HR to lead Italy past Canada. #WBC #MNTwins twitter.com/Twins_morsecod…
— Dustin Morse (@Twins_morsecode) March 8, 2013
Roberto: Showing up to Twins camp and finding out you would be rubbing shoulders with former American League MVPs Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer as a result of being assigned
a locker next to two Minnesota baseball icons must have given you goosebumps?
Chris Colabello: Yeah, for sure. I really did think my locker was in the wrong place (laughter) or they had forgotten me or something like that. It's been really neat and obviously I'm so thankful for the organization for giving me the opportunity to get in the door last year, to be in big league camp this year and the opportunity to play up here in the WBC. In terms of stars in the Minnesota Twins for the past 15 years, you can't really think of a guy or two that are bigger than Joe and Justin. They are just tremendous people, tremendous players. They've made it an easy transition for me and kind of made it a little
bit less nerve-racking than I thought it would be.
Will Mauer and Morneau be back at camp before @drewbutera and @cc20rake ???
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) March 9, 2013
Did I just see my boy @drewbutera go deep?!?! That's what I'm talking about..
— Ben Revere (@BenRevere9) March 8, 2013
Big day for @drewbutera as he lifts Team Italy to a win over Mexico with the clubs first HR since 2006. twitter.com/Twins_morsecod…
— Dustin Morse (@Twins_morsecode) March 8, 2013
Roberto: You also have Twins' Drew Butera watching your back. He was outstanding in
the WBC with his two-run homer against Team Mexico. The chemistry in the Team Italia clubhouse was uncharted because at the end of the day the other team's big league names on a lineup card didn't translate in the game-ending box scores. Team Italia's spirit, desire, passion, drive, and commitment to win games day-by-day under the leadership of manager Marco Mazzieri along with the coaching staff of Tom Trebelhorn, Bill Holmberg, Mike Piazza, Frank Catalanotto, Alberto D'Auria, Gilberto Gerali and Claudio Vecchi.
Chris Colabello: Yeah. It's a testament to the staff and the organization. You know, being able to put together a group of guys that first and foremost would mesh well together. There was not a single ego in that clubhouse. It's pretty unbelievable. We kind of embraced the role of underdog that everybody pinned on us. We certainly didn't believe we were the underdog coming in. I think we obviously proved that to people playing strong baseball games in a row against some really good teams. Drew and I started talking when camp just opened. Every day we'd see each other at spring training. 'Paisans', you know, it's kind of like that comradery came with it. Having played the European Cup last year, I saw what a great group of guys it was. It's truly amazing to bring a guys from a big league camp and have them join with IBL (Italian Baseball League) guys and some guys from other walks of life and to have us all feel like we've been playing together for years is pretty amazing.
Here's a picture of Albert Pujols and Mike Piazza during today's BP taken by someone twitter.com/fcat27/status/…
— frank catalanotto (@fcat27) March 7, 2013
Roberto: You could not have had a better guidance than Italian MLB Academy Director and Team Italia pitching coach Bill Holmberg as well as Team Italia hitting coach Mike Piazza.
Chris Colabello: Yeah, for sure. Even on that end, you've got a guy who in my opinion
is a Hall of Famer in Mike Piazza, and a guy like Bill Holmberg–who is probably more prepared than any coach I have ever met in my entire life in terms of being able to scout, gather information and help guys out. Obviously, Marco is the leader of that group. It's pretty amazing stuff because I think a line I remember hearing is 'Attitude reflects leadership' so it's obviously a testament to them and the ability they go about teaching the game and helping guide us who we are.
Chris Colabello (Worcester 2005-11) receives a major-league spring training invitation from the #Twins: canamleague.com/cgi-bin/dist/n…
— Can-Am League (@CanAmLeague) December 18, 2012
Chris Colabello & Edinson Volquez are both trending worldwide @wbcbaseball #WBC @mlbnetwork
— MLB Public Relations (@MLB_PR) March 12, 2013
Roberto: How did you make the transition from Independent baseball to MLB-affiliated ball and what were the expectations that went along with it?
Chris Colabello: It was all new to me at that point. Obviously not being drafted initially kind of hurt a little bit, and I really didn't know where the road was going to lead. Baseball is a big part of my life. Worcester was probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my career. The manager I played for, Rich Gedman and the people I was around, some of my best friends for the rest of my life are some of the guys I played with in Worcester. After that 2005 season, we had a great experience. It was our first year. The city was really excited about it. I got a real taste of how the best minor league places are run because we were certainly treated like royalty. I had the opportunity to sign with Detroit (in 2006).
I really didn't know what to expect. It was all new to me. I had never been to Spring Training camp. I was really excited. I didn't know how many guys there would be. Coming in as a free agent signing, I think at some point you have got to stand out. Again, I had mentioned before, when I was younger I used to let things speed up on me a little bit.
I think that was probably part of what happened in camp unfortunately. I thought I had done a pretty good job performance wise and in terms of work ethic. And I think I had some good reviews from coaches before I had left, but things didn't work out for whatever reason it was and back to Worcester it was.
2011 Independent Leagues Player Of The Year: Chris Colabello: Chris Colabello is the 2011 Independent Leagues Pl… bit.ly/vwXlKo
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) October 27, 2011
Roberto: At age 27 during your 2011 season with the Worcester Tornadoes, you put up impressive offensive numbers which earned you Can-Am League Most Valuable Player and Baseball America magazine's Independent Baseball Player of the Year honors. How could the Minnesota Twins not take notice? They saw something special in you and shortly thereafter offered a minor league contract.
Chris Colabello: Yeah. It was kind of a whirlwind. I finished the 2010 season on a tough note. I broke my hand. I got hit with a fastball and missed the final two weeks of the season. I think I was really, really hungry at that point. So I started working a lot earlier than I normally would, especially in the cage with a good friend of mine, Bobby Tewksbary–
who is one of my best friends in the world. We'd start getting after it in the cage…talking about timing and rhythm things, swing stuff that really changed my life (laughter). It allowed me to free myself up as a hitter a little bit which turned things around in my 2011 season. It was pretty magical in terms of finish. And of course all those nice accolades I was able to receive…I think helped me kind of break into affiliated baseball. I couldn't be more thankful to the Twins organization for giving me that chance.
#Twins sign 1B Chris Colabello of the indy Canadian-American Association to a minor league deal:telegram.com/article/201202…
— Parker Hageman (@OverTheBaggy) February 5, 2012
"Taking a Moment to Appreciate the Underdogs" – A great look at Indi League Player of the Year Chris Colabello… fb.me/1mKQyKO9K
— Jesse Lund (@TwinkieTown) February 16, 2012
First baseman Chris Colabello is one of the reasons I enjoy covering the minors. bit.ly/IlxMtJ
— Kevin Thomas (@ClearTheBases) April 29, 2012
Rock Cats' Chris Colabello hanging on to his major league dream. cour.at/Paz0tC
— Hartford Courant (@hartfordcourant) July 4, 2012
New Britain's Chris Colabello, a 28-year-old rookie and refugee of independent league, is having MVP type season. twincities.com/twins/ci_21292…
— Tom Powers (@TomPowersPP) August 12, 2012
#TwitNewsNow Minnesota Twins: Aaron Hicks, Chris Colabello, Deibinson Romero make Eastern League all-star team dlvr.it/23Kq56 #MLB
— TwinsFanZone (@TwinsFanZone) August 25, 2012
Assumption baseball alum Chris Colabello '05 sets Double AA New Britain single-season RBI mark! bit.ly/OmmWm3 #NE10 #NCAAD2
— ACgreyhounds (@acgreyhounds) September 5, 2012
Roberto: The accolades continued to mount as you were a 2012 Eastern League All-Star team selection in addition to being chosen as the Eastern League's Most Valuable Player runner-up. You must have broken some hearts when your 98 RBI single-season club
record for Double-A New Britain in 2012 surpassed the previous 1998 record set by Doug Mientkiewicz (88). Quite an accomplishment in consideration MLB veterans and former
Rock Cats Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Jacque Jones could not reach the prior plateau during their minor league careers.
Chris Colabello: Yeah (laughter). It was a lot of fun. I think 2012 turned out to be,
I couldn't have imagined it, just as good if not a better year than 2011. I was on a little bit of a different stage. There was little more riding on it, but it was awesome. I reminded myself about having fun and the game doesn't change no matter where you are. Once I started having fun, things began to free up for me. In both places early, I ran into some trouble. Again that mental maturity…aging has kind of helped me along the way. It reminded me how to battle back from situations like that so the numbers turned out to be what they were. It was a lot of fun.
Roberto: You have trying to beat the odds in breaking in the big leagues your entire career with the same conviction to succeed despite getting older everyday. What keeps you moving forward in achieving your life-long dream?
Chris Colabello: Ultimately, I think if you are passionate enough about something in life it would be irresponsible not to pursue it to the fullest extent. Baseball is such a big part of my life for so long and obviously a huge part of my family, huge part of my childhood. It's a part of me. People say baseball doesn't define who I am. Well in a lot of ways I feel like it does for me. Obviously it doesn't define the type of person I am, but there's always a huge part of me that will be in love with this game for the rest of my life. I think I just got really good at not taking 'no' for an answer. Every time I heard someone say 'no', it kind of made me want it much more and maybe work for it that much more. It allowed me to do things that I could take to that next level. Here we are today. Persistence and not taking 'no' for an answer are the way to do it.
Chris Colabello: He's about passion, persistence, desire. Ultimately, I don't know what makes us different. I think
we all just have a deep-rooted love for
the game. I can't imagine my life without the game of baseball. It's nice to be around someone who has gone through the
same things and thinks the same way.
Roberto: You also have a very strong connection
with Team Italia pitcher Alex Maestri and his father,
Dr. Paolo Maestri. Let me get this straight. You were 14 and playing baseball in Italy when Dr. Maestri was
at the right place at the right time to save your life. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were lounging on the back of your baseball coach's car when your coach took off down a hill at 30 mph without seeing you in the rear. You jumped off and landed face-first, resulting in a deep gash near your mouth and severe bleeding to the point where you were choking on your own blood. Dr. Maestri helped you get the blood out so you could breathe again. What a nightmare! Thank God there was a doctor nearby to render first aid and save you.
Chris Colabello: Yeah, it was a pretty unbelievable experience. I'm very, very fortunate to (have) the Maestri family. Without them, I firmly believe that
I would not be here today.
What an incredible baseball game to be a part of! #TeamItaly #letsgo
— Chris Colabello (@CC20rake) March 8, 2013
thank you for all the support! #teamItaly #letsgo Glad to be able to share this with great people!
— Chris Colabello (@CC20rake) March 9, 2013
and on to the next one… #Round2 #Miami #TeamItaly #letsgo
— Chris Colabello (@CC20rake) March 10, 2013
So this is what charter flights to Miami are like… #TeamItaly #letsgo twitter.com/CC20rake/statu…
— Chris Colabello (@CC20rake) March 10, 2013
Thanks for all the Twitter love today… Still have work to do and a lot of heart in that clubhouse #TeamItaly #letsgo
— Chris Colabello (@CC20rake) March 13, 2013
Thank you to all the fans who supported us and to the group of guys in that clubhouse who made this experience so incredible #TeamItaly
— Chris Colabello (@CC20rake) March 14, 2013
Now that Chris Colabello is with us,
Enjoyed my time with #TeamItaly but happy to see all the guys back at camp today #Twins
— Chris Colabello (@CC20rake) March 14, 2013
it is time for the call-up to Minnesota and his long-awaited MLB debut at Target Field. Looking ahead at their schedule, it would be ideal to bring Colabello up on May 29th when the Brewers visit the Twin Cities. That way the Italian American slugger will have the chance to share with Milwaukee's Jeff Bianchi all the special moments that he missed. Unfortunately, the Brewers feared their infielder–who recently returned from the 15-day DL–would be injured if he played for Italia in the World Baseball Classic.
Chris Colabello (@cc20rake) Quick Update (see picture) twitter.com/TewksHitting/s…
— Bobby Tewksbary (@TewksHitting) May 8, 2013
Denorfia is a hit in Little Italy and the Big Leagues
The sentiment for Denorfia's return to Team Italy after a remarkable 2009 WBC campaign was echoed by the first Italian-born pitcher signed by MLB, Alessandro Maestri. The former Cubs' minor leaguer said, "A guy who had an unbelievable WBC tournament was Chris Denorfia. At the tournament, he really gave everything he had. He made some great plays defensively and had some clutch hits so it's going to be good to see him again." During Italy's 6-2 upset over 2009 WBC host Canada, Denorfia led the team in hits by going 4-for-4 with three doubles, a single, a walk, two runs and two RBI.
In their 2013 WBC opener versus Mexico on March 7th at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Team Italy began the ninth inning with odds against them facing the reliever who closed out the 2012 World Championship–San Francisco Giants' Sergio Romo–and trailing by a score of 5 to 4.
After Romo got a quick out to start the top of the ninth, the enthusiastic Mexican fans in attendance responded with precisely-timed chants of victory and fiesta-like antics. Team Italy leadoff hitter Nick Punto silenced the premature postgame celebration with the crack of his bat for a double.
The small Italian contingency prayed for a miracle with Chris Denorfia up next. The right-hander Romo ignited the crowd once again after throwing back-to-back strikes. Down in the count 0-2, Denorfia exercised extreme plate discipline by taking three pitches just off the plate to work a full count. What happened next was unbelievable as Denorfia fouled off four straight pitches before lining Romo's 10th pitch of the at-bat for a base hit. Anthony Rizzo endured a similar fate as Denorfia by falling behind 0-2 to Romo with the crowd on its feet. Italy had runners on the corners and one out. Mexico's infield was set up for a double play to end the scoring threat and win the game. However, left-hand hitting Rizzo was thinking otherwise and drove Romo's slider on the outside part of the plate deep to the left field warning track. Whether Italian divine intervention or merely a Mexican mishap, the ball miraculously went in and out of the glove of Mexico left fielder Edgar Gonzalez for a two-run double and a 6-5 Team Italy victory.
"The win over Mexico really got us going," said Denorfia. "I think we surprised everyone in that game. We didn't want to be that also-ran, the token team that everybody beat up on, and everyone responded. We had instant chemistry. The whole thing was amazing. It was like we were the road team the entire tournament. Some of crowds were a bit hostile to us. It seemed like every game we played, the crowd was against us — Mexico, Canada and the United States in Phoenix and then against the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in Miami. I'm there any time they'd like me to represent Italy. It was one of my best experiences in the game." Chris Denorfia went 8-for-21 (.381) with two doubles, five runs scored and an RBI in five games for Team Italy.In the process of making Team Italy hitting coach Mike Piazza very proud, Chris Denorfia currently leads the Padres' everyday players in batting average (.395), on-base percentage (.465) and on-base percentage plus slugging (.965). Affectionately called "Deno" by his teammates and colleagues, the agile and versatile 32-year-old San Diego outfielder is poised to have his best season of his major league career. Leading off for the Friars in Tuesday's game at Chavez Ravine against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Denorfia racked up a season-high three hits in his six at-bats with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored. On Wednesday Deno homered against Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw and the tweets began:
Here's Chris Denorfia launching a solo homer, his first of the season, in the 5th: atmlb.com/11yVV67 #Padres
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 18, 2013
Chris Denorfia is awesome.
— Zach Palmer (@OrlTankCommandr) April 18, 2013
Chris Denorfia (of #TeamItaly fame) leads #Padres' everyday players in BA (.395), OBP (.465) and OPS (.965). #MikePiazza must be very proud!
— Roberto Angotti (@ABLblogger) April 17, 2013
When are people in San Diego going to start respecting Chris Denorfia?#Deno
— Brad Hering (@bradhering) April 17, 2013
@lobshots Chris Denorfia, Yonder Alonso, Mark Kotsay and Chris Denorfia.
— UTKevinAcee (@UTKevinAcee) April 16, 2013
Chris Denorfia is one of my favorite ballplayers. The man never complains, always hustles, and contributes in every way possible.
— Jason Ki Joon Byun (@jvl101993) April 17, 2013
chris denorfia will be an all star this year
— Alex Kirkwood (@kirkwood24) April 17, 2013
Chris Denorfia for #MVP @padres
— Anthony Sannipoli (@AntwonSannipoli) April 17, 2013
Chris Denorfia is our new Angel Pagan. #Dodgers
— Logan Post (@LoganPost) April 17, 2013
Nick hundley and Chris Denorfia are seeing the ball well.
— IG: MJDUZIT (@MJDUZIT) April 17, 2013
It's sad that we're 12 games in and the only reasons to watch the Padres are Chris Denorfia and the Fox Sports San Diego girls.
— Charlie Madruga (@Charles_XM) April 14, 2013
Chris Denorfia with a 8 game hitting streak. #Padres
— Mickey Koke (@mickeykoke) April 13, 2013
Chris Denorfia with a nice cutoff and throw to nail a would-be double. #SpinAndThrow #Padres
— Mickey Koke (@mickeykoke) April 11, 2013
Chris Denorfia would have had that.
— Mo Egger (@MoEgger1530) April 10, 2013
Oh, and now Denorfia has scored the Padres' first run of the year on a single by Carlos Quentin. So far, so good. #denostar
— UTKevinAcee (@UTKevinAcee) April 1, 2013
With Opening Day comes my renewed campaign to get Chris Denorfia to the All-Star game. All I'm gonna say is he is 1-for-1 with a walk so far
— UTKevinAcee (@UTKevinAcee) April 1, 2013
And we're underway. Leadoff single for Chris Denorfia off Jon Niese. First pitch.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) April 1, 2013
There's another home run for Chris Denorfia. Two home runs today. Went the other way, looked like it wasn't even on sweet spot. #285Feet
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) March 30, 2013
Chris Denorfia has a lot to offer any team in MLB. Having already spent two year stints with the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics, the seasoned Italian American is now in his fourth season with the Padres. Should Chris Denorfia be given the opportunity to become an everyday player in the San Diego lineup, he
Chris Denorfia se puso la 'azzurra' del béisbol! #Italia twitter.com/mundialclasico…
— MLB en Español (@MLBespanol) February 22, 2013
has the tools not only to become a National League All-Star but also a 2013 Gold Glove Award winner.
Italy calls on pitcher Alex Maestri in 2013 World Baseball Classic win-or-go-home showdown
by MLB is experiencing a renaissance. The two-time MiLB All-Star spent five seasons in the Chicago Cubs system. Alex Maestri later ventured Down Under, where he would be named 2011 Australian Baseball League (ABL) Team World All-Star and given the inaugural ABL Fan Choice Award. When I first met the 27-year-old right-hander at the Italian MLB Academy near Pisa last year, he told me that the Kagawa Olive Guyners wanted him to pitch in Japan. He took on the the role of the team's closer and was a knock out from day one. In each of the two months he played for Kagawa in 2012, he was named the indy league's pitcher of the month. On July 9, 2012, Maestri's contract was purchased by the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) League. He worked diligently to advance from the farm team to the top-ranked league in Japan. In his NPB debut for the Orix Buffaloes, the international baseball ambassador from Italy pitched 6.1 innings to earn his first victory while allowing just one run with four hits and striking out five. He went on to dominate in the NPB and made seven more starts for the 2012 Orix Buffaloes. Posting a 4-3 record with a 2.17 ERA,
Alex Maestri averaged nearly one strikeout per inning
(49.2 innings/40 K). He was equally impressive during his 2011/12 ABL campaign. The Brisbane Bandits pitcher finished third in the ABL in innings pitched (63.2) and strikeouts (53), fourth in WHIP (1.16) and sixth in ERA (3.25). In Round Eight of the regular season, he earned Australian Baseball League Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing a stellar complete game two-hitter against the Canberra Cavalry. Team Italy starting pitcher Alex Maestri faces Team Puerto Rico today at 7pm (EST) in a win-or-go-home showdown televised live on the MLB Network from Marlins Park in Miami. He and his fellow Italian teammates are ready to show the world that the defending European Champions are loaded with talent ready to lock and load in the competitive 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Roberto: Welcome back to the USA!
Alex Maestri: How are doing Roberto? It's nice to talk to you. I'm feeling good. It's been a long journey coming here. Everything is good. I'm glad to be with the Italian national team now. I'm looking forward to this WBC tournament and this year coming up.
Roberto: After your successful campaign for the Japan Professional League's Orix Buffaloes, the team has really stepped up its efforts in recruiting players from overseas.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, you know, every year the team signs foreign players. This year we got seven so we're probably going to have to rotate. That's stuff that I can't control, but it's going to be fun. The team looks very good. We have a lot of Japanese players that are pretty good and young so I think it's going to be an exciting year.
Roberto: Did you enjoy the food in Japan?
Alex Maestri: The food there is great. It's so good. I heard good things about Japanese food before I went there, and when I got there I really appreciated it. Their cuisine is not all about sushi like we think. That's what I thought too before I went there, but they actually have a huge variety of good food. It's all very, very good.
Roberto: Did you find a good plate of pasta there?
Alex Maestri: Actually, you know what, they are very good at cooking pasta too. They can reproduce everything very well. They are very good at learning about other cultures and making it theirs.
Roberto: The Japanese have the longest life span. So they must be doing something right.
Alex Maestri: They are doing a lot of things right.
Here is a postgame interview with Alex Maestri after his debut with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan! youtube.com/watch?v=snddjR… #MLB
— MLB Europe (@MLB_Europe) August 13, 2012
Roberto: Your Japanese YouTube video is amazing. Have you ever been in the spotlight like that before?
Alex Maestri: Not at all. That was like the first time. After the game, the player of the game gets interviewed in front of the fans in the stadium and put on the big screen. My debut was actually a great game. I got to do that right on the field. It was cool. This fan had this Italian flag with him, and he came all the way close to the dugout. He passed the flag to one of the reporters who gave it to me. So it was good, it was good seeing the colors of Italy in Japan.
I was very proud too to represent those colors in a good way.
Roberto: It almost had an Olympic feel to it.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, you see those gold medal runners walking around the track with their flags. I was just standing around though. It was a really a weird day. I really didn't feel uncomfortable. I really didn't know what was going on.
Roberto: It must have been an adrenalin rush.
Alex Maestri: It was during the game. Afterwards, I was just relaxed and happy. I was done pitching, and we won the game.Roberto: Tell me about what you remember most about playing Minor League Baseball.
Alex Maestri: I was here in the states for six years, and five of those six years were with the Cubs. I have a lot of great memories with that team. The game that I remember the most was a Cubs Spring Training game, and I was with the big league team against the A's. They gave me one inning, and it was pretty good.
Roberto: And you got to face Italian American Jason "Giambino" Giambi.
Alex Maestri: Actually Giambi is the only one who actually got a hit off me. I faced four guys, and three (Orlando Cabrera, Matt Holliday and Eric Chavez) of the four were strikeouts.
Roberto: Since he is Italian, were you giving him a free pass to first base?
Alex Maestri: (Laughing) Yeah, I guess so.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, I mean in Italy we have a lot of good players. It's a shame that there is not much money supporting baseball so it's not easy to develop guys. But we have the Italian MLB Academy now, and you know it's doing very good. There are some young players that are doing some really nice work. And there's more and more scouts going down there to look at them. It's a pleasure for me to represent the country all over the world. And even if I just play for myself on the team that I play with, I always play for my colors, I'm always proud of that. Roberto: Forza Italia! Forza Azzurri!
Alex Maestri: Yeah, per sempre Forza Azzurri!
Roberto: You don't take any prisoners when you pitch, and you proudly wear your colors on your sleeve. It shows that you pour your heart and soul every time you step on the mount to throw.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, I think that's what you have to do on the mound. You're not always going to succeed. But that's the attitude you've got to have to pitch.
Roberto: Italy pitching coach Bill Holmberg has changed the mindsets of many on this staff for the better.
Alex Maestri: Bill has been my pitching coach forever. He has known me since I was a kid And you know I started working with him when I was 18-year-old and started to go to the Italian MLB Academy. But even before that he was working with me. He's my main pitching coach. I always try to go the Academy during the offseason and have a few workouts with him. I really like the way he teaches pitching. I think everybody, all the pitchers that get to work with him, they appreciate his work.
Roberto: He was the one who wrote your name on a scouting report for the Chicago Cubs, and the next thing you know you were signed to MLB.
Alex Maestri: At the time he was an international scout for the Chicago Cubs, and you know I was doing pretty good. I was young and I was doing good for my team. And he said that he was going to take a chance and sign me. He said that I could make the Big Leagues. He really believed in me. He gave me a great opportunity to come over and gave me a chance to play in the states.
Alex Maestri: We really love that. It's great to have him around in the dugout. He's like doing this for fun. He enjoys working with us… That's why we appreciate it so much. I think he is positively influencing the program that we have. The fact that the team is winning and improving proves it. So that's why he keeps coming back.
Roberto: Coach Piazza helps pitchers as well, right?
Alex Maestri: Oh definitely. We always have meetings in the morning.. He comes in with Bill and always says his opinion on our pitching. He was one of the best catchers in the game so he obviously knows a lot about pitching too. It's just great having him around.
Roberto: Being the underdog, Team Italy plays like there is no tomorrow.
Alex Maestri: I guess it's kind of normal since baseball is not so developed in Italy. People don't really respect Italian baseball, but you know it's kind of like the fun part of playing. Nobody really thinks that we are strong. But I think we are a very good team actually, and we should again surprise a lot of people around the world.
Roberto: It this also an opportunity to play on the world's stage to show MLB what they missed out on?
Alex Maestri: I don't think I have to have any sort of revenge, I just want to play good for myself and my country. I was here in the states, and they gave me a great opportunity to play here. I had a lot of great experiences here so it's not like I'm mad at anybody. Things just went that way. I had a tough year in 2010 so it's normal that I got released. You know I'm still playing baseball. I've got a great opportunity now in Japan. I just love what I do so like I said before I am just going to play for my country and not for anybody else.
Roberto: You look healthy and happy. With this Italian team playing to win, I know you are going to give it your all.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, I think a few years back, the Italian national team just went out playing a few tournaments to kind of like participate. But now with manager Marco Mazzieri, you have a very good attitude and it rubs off on all the players. Now you have a very strong group that won two European Championships back-to-back. And now everybody is starting to feel confident about themselves. And in baseball that's what is about—confidence. You know we got ability so we need to be confident and just go out there and play baseball.
Alex: I've got my pitches like everybody else. I just got to keep working on them and make them as confusing as I can for hitters.
Roberto: In prior in WBC competitions, you have been stellar. I hope that you will continue to shine in the upcoming 2013 WBC.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, you know, that's the plan. We always try to do our best. And that's what I'm trying to do this time around. Right now I'm getting ready and going day-by-day. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'll definitely give my best effort.
Roberto: Are there any players in the WBC that you know from you days in MiLB?
Alex Maestri: The only guys that I remember is catcher Chris Robinson from Canada. We were in the same organization. We never really played together. I have played against many of the USA players like Mike (Giancarlo) Stanton and Jonathan Lucroy. It's cool facing them again in the World Baseball Classic.
Roberto: Every pitch has to count with the WBC pitch limits in place.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, that's kind of like the plan every time you go out. You know it's a team sport so everybody is going to have do his own thing. I know that I will do my part with my pitching, but once I'm done with my pitches then there is someone else coming in to take over. We just all have to do this together, and it's going to be touch. We're playing the best teams in the world, and it's going to be hard work. So we're going to have to be really focused.
Roberto: You have to execute.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, you've got to be able to execute and if you don't you just lose games. That's why we play this game. You know, we enjoy that part of it.
Roberto: What does it mean to be an Italian playing baseball?
Alex Maestri: I just started to play baseball because of my brother. At the time I wasn't really watching any baseball on TV. I started doing that later on, but it was cool seeing all those guys with Italian names written on the back of their jerseys. I just grew up hoping that one day that I would be able to take their place.
Roberto: With the influx of MLB players now joining Team Italy, how will it change the personality of La Squadra Azzurri.
Alex Maestri: I think it's going to be the same. We have a good personality now. Those players are going to definitely improve the level. Because obviously they are Big League players and they have more experience than we do. It's going to make the team better, but I don't think it will change the personality of the team.
Roberto: You are representing Italy on all corners of the earth wherever you compete.
Alex Maestri: I feel like it. I always travel the world and play baseball in different countries. But my roots are always with me so I feel very proud of that. I'm sure all the other guys feel proud of that too—even the Big League players that are going to play for us. We already had a bunch of them in the World Baseball Classic, and they play as hard as we do. They want to win, and it's just going to be great to do it all together.
Roberto: Any favorites? Has the Dodgers' Nick Punto lived up to his name as the shredder by tearing the jersey off walk-off heroes after Team Italy victories?
Alex Maestri: I don't know about Punto, but another guy who had an unbelievable WBC tournament was Chris Denorfia. At the tournament, he really gave everything he had. He made some great plays defensively and had some clutch hits so it's going to be good to see him again. Jason Grilli has been with us for the first two World Baseball Classics. He's just a great guy. He loves to come and play for us. Alex Liddi, of course, is one of my best friends.
I haven't seen him in a long time. I saw him the other day, and it was just great seeing him again. He's really family. I feel like his brother. And all the other guys that are going to come are going to be very welcome.
Roberto: You will be in the capable hands of catchers Drew Butera from the Minnesota Twins and Tyler LaTorre from the San Francisco Giants. Have you ever worked with them before?
Alex Maestri: Actually not. I haven't had the pleasure to work with them yet. It's going to happen in the WBC.Roberto: Since you were in the same organization as the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo, it will be sort of a Cubbie reunion with two Italians on the same team.
Alex Maestri: Yeah, I heard really a lot of good things about him. We both played for the same organization so it will be good.
Roberto: Anything else you would like to say before we sign off?
Alex Maestri: I'd like to say hi to everybody. I would like to thank the great people all over the world. I really enjoy what I'm doing now. I might not be enjoying this for the past seven years if it had not been for them. Thanks!
Roberto: I really enjoyed meeting you at the Italian MLB Academy and talking with you today here in Arizona prior to the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Thanks for your time!
Alex: Thank you very much, and thank you for the work you do for Team Italy. It's good to have somebody who really cares about this team and tries to promote the team as much as you do. Thank you for doing that.
Roberto: Thank you. It's my pleasure. I believe in you and Italian baseball. God bless Italia!


text:
In this issue:
1. January barometer
2. What the S&P Euro downgrades mean
3. Investor Strategies for a topsy-turvy world
The January Barometer suggests that when the market rallies in January, then the entire year should show a gain. The so called Barometer also includes an early warning system that suggests the first five days of trading indicate the direction of the market for the year. According to the Stock Trader's Almanac, this early warning system has been accurate thirty-three times over the past thirty-eight years, an 86.8% success record.
All the major indexes showed gains in the first five trading days, ranging from 1.43% on the Dow to 2.74% for the NASDAQ Comp. It gets even better when the first five day indicator comes in an election year, which has a 13-2 record. Although in this era of unprecedented government intervention, extraordinary volatility and voodoo economics, investors should be as conservative as possible and take the least amount of risk possible to get the returns they need.
Never before has the market cheered more for worse economic numbers, all for one reason… more stimulus (absolutely sickening). Eventually however, the free ride and deficit spending will have to stop. At that point we will get to see a great game of musical chairs on the deck of the Titanic. I hope we'll be on shore together.
The S&P downgrade of nine European nations last Friday simply shows us that the problems are far from over, and is more fully explained in Taking Out The Euro-Trash edition. In simple terms, there are three main problems in Europe:
1. The first is that most of the banks are insolvent. They were allowed to leverage their balance sheets 30-40 times their capital invested, most of it in other nation's debt (sovereign debt) which was supposed to be unshakable.
2. The second problem is that this sovereign debt is anything but unshakable. Many countries are going to have trouble paying their debt and the massive unfunded liabilities, and it's just going to get worse. Banks will eventually have to mark down the debt to what its real value is. This is what happened here in 2008, ultimately destroying Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns (Do I need to keep going, it hurts). When this happens, many will go bankrupt making 2008 look like a puppet show.
3. Print money, raise taxes and/or cut spending: those are all the choices there are folks and none are going to be fun.
Central Banks know that countries cannot function normally without viable banking systems, which is why so much effort has been made towards them. This is what the Occupy Wall Street crowd is so angered about. Point blank, if banks can't make loans, then businesses can't operate and need to cut back, translating into fewer jobs, less consumer demand and lower output, which quickly becomes an ugly spiral.
Unfortunately, this all comes on top of an already massively over-leveraged and rapidly aging population which naturally spends less as it gets older. The government can stimulate all it wants to offset this, but it eventually catches up to you. Debt eventually has to be paid back… imagine that.
Investor Strategies for a Topsy-Turvy World
Obviously, nobody should be sitting in cash awaiting the end of the world and earning nothing on their money. These issues might take years more to reach a boiling point, if at all. On the other hand, things could hit the fan tomorrow, so investors should simply take advantage of what is available but have a plan in mind. At the moment, things don't look too bad out there between recent positive economic surprises, the January Barometer and the cycles, but things change quickly.
The economic strength we are witnessing is most likely the effect of the QE (Quantitative Easing) programs. Government stimulus takes 6-9 months to feel and lasts for about 6-9 months. Therefore, things may appear deceivingly good for a few months before they get bad again, as QE2 will run out in the end of the first or middle of the 2nd quarter.
There are plenty of places to make money in this market if you know where to look. Growth investors can focus on Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), General Electric (NYSE:GE). Gold and silver look attractive at current levels whether we get sustained growth or a QE3 if the recovery fails, so buy SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD), Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA:GDX), Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE:NEM), Goldcorp. (NYSE:GG), Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE:FCX), Silver Wheaton Corp. (NYSE:SLW) and ProShares Ultra Silver (NYSEARCA:AGQ). I would still avoid the banks at all costs. Even though earnings for JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM), Citigroup (NYSE:C), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) have not been too bad, trading revenue is slowing and there will be many more mortgage foreclosures set to hit the market.
While some nimble traders might attempt to time the short-term swings in the market, we prefer to remain alert to the primary trend and focus on investments that get the best returns with the least risk possible for our clients. Yields of 8-10% are available, so why take all the risk if you don't need to. Keep in mind the mantra I reiterate on the radio every week – Invest for need, not for greed.
Great opportunities exist is corporate bonds, preferreds and MLP's, such as:
Solo Cup (SOLO) - 8.5% of 8/15/14 – yielding 15% (cusip 834260AB7)
Broadview Networks Holdings (BDVU) - 11 3/8% 9/1/12 yielding 16%
Geokinetics Inc (GOK) - (cusip: 372910307)
Breitburn Energy Partners (BBEP) – yielding 9+%
Legacy Reserves LP (NASDAQ:LGCY) –- yielding 9+%
CVR Partners, LP (NYSE:UAN) – yielding 10+%
Terra Nitrogen (NYSE:TNH) –10 1/4% yield. Makes and markets farm products. One of the few hot sectors in our economy. It is yielding 8%.
Ally PrA – 11.5% There are three very attractive Ally Bank Preferreds yielding around 10%. Ally is 91% government owned, so they're not going anywhere.
Click to enlargeClick to enlargeClick to enlarge
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Skip to comments.Dimensional Door - Freeople Thread 18
Posted on 09/19/2004 9:25:02 PM PDT by Mo1
Neither of the above....Use to have a 'hot mamma' to keep me warm nights, now I just turn up the electric blanket a few more notches....So there...lol...
Oh, but I probably WON'T get to FReep while I'm there, I mean unless I happen to go someplace that has internet access. Dang! I need a laptiop for these occasions!
You could sit on my laptiop...
I would love to be able to stay home and work on my house and garden. I don't have a husband to torment....yet and no kids at home. Of course, in my work there will always be the temptation to adopt. LOL!
I think I'm becoming agorophobic and even more anti-social as I get older. Or, maybe the world is just getting more crowded. At any rate, we may adopt one of these days. Whenever I hear about the poor orphans (like in the Sudan), I just want to take one in my arms immediately. That could be why we are up to nine cats.
This unmarried mother must have been 14 when she got pregnant, and the father 19 or 20.
I see things every day that would break your heart. There was a girl that had to go before the judge this morning, wasn't my case, but a co-worker's. This girl is 15 years old (barely) and just as cute as can be. Her mom abandoned her and her dad is in prison. She became very promiscuous, presumably to make herself feel like she mattered. She's been trying to stop that behavior and she likes a boy at her church, and now she is hoping that she can still be adipted. She wants to go in the Navy and is already in ROTC at her school. Not only does she want to go in the Navy, but she wants to go to college so she can go in as an officer.
Staff from the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) could not find the island of 26,000 people while flying over the region by helicopter
Ohmygosh, I do not know how you do it. You must be an angel. I would LOVE to help someone like that. We even have a spare bedroom AND a Catholic high school that is very nearby.
I'm sure there are plenty of kids with similar stories in your area. It is very sad the effects of immoral living, interchangeable partners and self-serving adults on the children that are produced by such relationships.
I know this is my fantasy-world, but wouldn't it be good if birth parents, prior to being able to have children, had to answer as many questionnaires, background checks, interviews, etc. as adoptive parents must? I get so sick and sad when I am at a store and see how some parents treat their children. I could not do your job.
If I baked a cake, it'd try to take over.
Not as painful for me as having to read some of the *cough* 'literature' my old English teacher had us read.
Ah, understood.
I honestly don't remember how many threads we ran through before doing the combined thread.
And, as the combined thread, we really do have the longest running series since the combined thread can claim the heritage of both thread runs.
It's a real balancing act sometimes. You really want to help the parents be more effective at parenting their kids. Some of them really work at it and really turn things around. Then there are others you just want to b*tch slap for the things they put their kids through.
Ananova | 20 Sep 2004 | Unknown
Some people may be genetically programmed to be unfaithful, a scientist claims.
Professor Tim Spector, of the Twin Research Unit at St Thomas's Hospital, London, says sutdies of twins suggest a genetic component to infidelity.
If one of a pair of women twins has a history of infidelity, the chances her sister will also stray are about 55 per cent, he claims.
And the tendendy for the pair to be either faithful of unfaithful is strongest in identical twins, who have the same genes, he says.
In general he claims the proportion of women as a whole who are unfaithful to their partners is around 23 per cent.
He stresses that genes alone do not make someone unfaithful, as social factors play an important role.
But he says it makes good evolutionary sense to get a good mix of genes - so women may choose a better option if one comes along.
He also thinks it unlikely that infidelity is down to just one gene.
"But there are likely to be genes that participate in it, a number of genes working together," he told BBC Online
I wonder about Spector's method of research. Did he ask each of the married twins in hos study to sleep with him?
There is NO "Justification" for such an act of Barbarism.
To "Broadcast" such Despicable Behavior is Tantamount to "Approval!!"
ANY Rational Human Being would have attempted to STOP such Barbarity; to Simply "Film It" is an act of SUCH COWARDICE--or Complicity--that the "Recorder" MUST BE CONSIDERED "Part of the ACT!!"
The SCUM, the Utterly, unspeakable subhuman slime who Murdered that man (& Filmed it & Showed It) DO NOT DESERVE a "Place" at ANY "Table of Discussion" about the "FATE" of ANYONE.
Quite The Contrary;--ANYONE who has Performed such an act has IMMEDIATELY DISENFRANCHISED ANY they "Purport to Speak For!!"
In SHORT, the "Iraqui's" HAD BETTER FIND a CIVILIZED VOICE--FAST, or-- seeing the Barbarism of their "Fellows,"--, Americans will regard ANY, Disgusting, Genocidal Fate Visited on the Iraqui People as "Self-Inflicted By Ignorance!!"
It's TIME that the Iraqi People DEMONSTRATED Their Potential for SOME SEMBLANCE of CIVILIZATION.
The Iraqi People NEED TO DEFINE which "ACTS" are "IN THEIR NAME--" & Which acts are NOT "In Their Name!!"
The "Prospect" now Exists that there IS an "Independant Iraqi People.
The "Iraqi People can NOW repudiate--Permanently--the actions of "Barbarians."
If NOT, they are welcome to the coming "Nuclear Winter."
"Islam" will NOT "Rule the World,"--EVER.
oops! hos = his (not the plural of ho)
Do you know anything about Lexapro?
It's a sacrifice for science...
Nope. Nothing.
Thank you do fell the Serotonins help?
BIG time.
Hello Doc. Touche' in your post 169.
But, I also hold Kerry and his campaign and his 527's responsible for the beheadings. Once again, Kerry is giving the enemy aid, comfort and confidence by insisting that President Bush is not handling the war of terrorism in Iraq well.
Guess I'll wander off into the sunset once again..
Goodnight all...
And are you going to turn up the electric blanket a couple of notches tonight?
Good guess.
Good afternoon. I just remembered that I wanted to post a grocery buying tip. Geez, I might have read it on this thread, but I don't remember. Anyway, here it is.
All major bread companies in all of the USA use the same system. Fresh baked bread is delivered to the stores on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And they all use the same color twist ties on the loaf to denote days of delivery.
Monday is blue
Tuesday is green
Thursday is red
Friday is white
Saturday is yellow
So, if you want the freshest bread, look at the color of the ties.
IT's a beautiful day here also .. Mike is home on call again this week and he's out back reading. Tuff job he has there huh?
Hope you enjoy your day West
LOL...is hubby still getting in your way trying the help you with the housework?
Thanks for the trivia!
No .. he's out back reading and every once in a while he comes in and give me a look if I'm sitting at the computer
And then there is the phone ringing non stop
I'm having one of those days ... grrrr
Back at ya!
Understanding Bar Codes
Beginner's Barcode
This one might be better!
Aaaah, a new thread :) Thanks for the ping.
Afternoon, catpuppy :)
Lock the back door and take the phone off the hook. :)
Jess just reminded me there is a parent teacher open house tonight
It's a MUST attend .. and then I have to go again tomorrow for Dana ... groan
These people are invading my space and taking up my freep time ... I'm not a happy camper
I'm here!
I think..
WEll, duuuuh! How else are we going to have our hopes dashed other than the time/space continuum sucking us into believing these teams could become winning programs?
Hope is vastly overrated!
Apparently I need to yell louder cause no one is listening
Oh Great .. Carly is now having her 12th melt down of the day
fun fun joy joy
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