Rocky Colavito made a point of spending time with his fans when he played in Cleveland. Soon, those fans will have more than memories to remember their beloved hero. A life-size statue of Colavito is being created by noted sculptor David Deming and will be placed in Tony Brush Park at University Circle — about five miles east of Progressive Field. It's an appropriate setting for the image of Rocco Domenico Colavito, in the Little Italy neighborhood of the city that still embraces him.

Mark Sommer, whose biography on Colavito came out this year, is part of a committee making the statue a reality. Sommer brought Colavito to town for a meet-and-greet days before the All-Star Game was played in Progressive Field. Scores of fans turned out at Playhouse Square to meet the former Indians slugger.