Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Woo, woo, woo. What’s that you say, Mrs. Robinson? Joltin’ Joe has left and gone away. Hey, hey, hey.” Simon & Garfunkel sang those words more than half a century ago, and DiMaggio died in 1999. But the words have taken on a literal meaning again – as a statue of Joltin’ Joe...
READ MOREWhat was taken down can be PUT BACK UP. What was destroyed can be REBUILT. We can start the healing process now with our Italian American leaders doing what's right for our Little Italy, by returning the Joe DiMaggio statue to its dedicated Piazza on Taylor and Bishop, that's been desolate for over 2 1/2 years now. The last thing Chicago's Little I...
READ MORELong before Joe DiMaggio earned the Joltin’ Joe nickname, he was just a kid from San Francisco who wanted to play shortstop. Dan Daniel — himself a Hall of Famer who built his reputation, in part, with his unforgettable reporting on Yankees legend Babe Ruth — was there for DiMaggio’s first spring training with the Yankees. It's safe to say Daniel w...
READ MOREBCsicilia Isola delle Femmine, in collaborazione con l’Associazione Isola Pittsburg Forever, inaugurerà domenica 6 giugno 2021 la mostra permanente dedicata a Joe Di Maggio, origini, vita e successi del campione di baseball da Isola delle Femmine alla California. Sarà possibile visitare l’esposizione di via Cutino n. 14, presso i locali Associazion...
READ MOREThere was a proud group of first generation American ballplayers that carried the pride and heritage of their Italian roots with them to the big leagues. Players like Frank Crosetti, Tony Lazzeri and Joe DiMaggio — among many others — never forgot where their families came from. They brought nothing but their blue collar work ethic, distinguishable...
READ MOREFor my entire life, I have been lucky enough to be a fan of the New York Yankees. There are pictures of me in pinstripes as an infant and I will always love the team. Like so many Yankees fans, rotting for the Yankees goes back multiple generations. My dad is a huge Yankees fan and so was my grandfather, who I can thank for shaping my sports fandom...
READ MOREFor millions of Americans, hope springs eternal every April when baseball returns! In this craziest of years, fans of the national pastime are gearing up for the first-ever July opening in baseball history. We’re so excited to have baseball back that in this week’s episode our entire team is taking YOU “out to the ballgame” with our special guest,...
READ MORESince their large-scale influx from the homeland in the late 19th century, Italian Americans have rendered their distinct pattern on the cultural fabric with their food, fashions, expressions and mores. Many have gone on to prominence in sports, academia and public service, overcoming perceptions of their limitations along the way, while a select f...
READ MOREHow does an immigrant, Italian fisherman rear, endear, and ultimately prepare his gifted son to rewrite most of American baseball records and somehow rise up from the murky depths of the unforgiving sea to net and symbolize America’s, baseball best in grace and power? That’s the incredible story of Joe DiMaggio, a first-generation Italian kid, wor...
READ MOREMany times my interviews have given light to people and institutions born in America who work to help Italy, improve the bridge between our two countries, and represent in an excellent way an aspect - territorial, thematic, professional or cultural - of being part of the Italian American community. The friend who is today the protagonist of this in...
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