Chicago Celebrates Italian Baseball and Softball
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Paul Petricca, author of Hitting with Torque: For Softball and Baseball Players, along with The St. Joseph Club of Italian Americans are proud to present a “Celebration of Italian Baseball and Softball” on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights beginning at 11:00 am. The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum award-winning documentary, Italian American Baseball Family, will be shown. Immediately following the screening of the movie, a Q & A discussion with filmmaker Roberto Angotti and a panel of past and present Italian baseball and softball players will interact with the audience in an engaging discussion on playing baseball and softball internationally.
Recipient of a $7,500 grant from the National Italian American Foundation, the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, and the Russo Brothers, Angotti documented the Italian American experience on how Italians assimilated into popular culture through America’s favorite pastime, baseball, and how Italian Americans have circled back to Italy to help grow the game abroad by playing for Team Italy in the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic. He is excited to bring the movie to Chicago, where a large part of the movie was shot at the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and Piazza DiMaggio in Little Italy. Angotti said, “Chicago has a rich Italian cultural heritage, and as a proud Italian American, I am delighted to share the film with lovers of baseball and history. Whether you are a fan of Ron Santo or Anthony Rizzo, there will be something for everybody during our celebration of Italian baseball and softball at the Metropolis.”
Angotti has invited a group of ballplayers who have playing experience in Italy to join him on the Q & A panel. Invited panelists include: Erika Piancastelli, two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American and current McNeese State University/Team Italy softball player; her mother, Loredana Auletta, former softball all-star who played for Team Italy in the 2000 Olympics; her father, Pier Piancastelli, who played in his hometown of Modena in the Italian Baseball League; Fabio Milano, former pitching all-star who played for Team Italy in the 2001 World Cup, 2004 Olympics and the 2006 World Baseball Classic; Joe Mazzuca, former Marlins prospect who played for Team Italy internationally from 2006-2014; Barth Morreale Jr., who began pitching in Bologna in 2006 and led his team to victory in the 2011 European Cup; and Brent Consiglio, who played in baseball in Poviglio after graduating from the University of Chicago in 2004. Filmmaker and panel moderator Roberto Angotti is the English language editor for Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) www.FIBS.it/en and a Top 10 MLB.com Fan website www.MLBforLife.com.
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at the door by cash or check. Admission includes a pizza party reception beginning at 1:00 pm at Armand’s Pizzeria (next door to the Metropolis). The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre is located at 111 W. Campbell Street in Arlington Heights (847) 577-2121 www.metropolisarts.com. Attendees are encouraged to participate in a silent auction featuring premium Chicago Cubs tickets, private pitching and hitting sessions and more. All net proceeds from this event will help purchase equipment for the Italian national softball team and the Arlington Heights Youth Athletic Association (AHYAA). For more information, please contact Paul Petricca at 847-533-8474.
