At the invitation of We the Italians founder and president Umberto Mucci, Italian American Baseball Family director and producer Roberto Angotti traveled to Italy to share his Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum Award-winning documentary with an enthusiastic audience at the Center for American Studies in Rome on September 26, 2018.
Among those in attendance were representatives from Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS). FIBS Academy head coach and residence coordinator John Cortese was accompanied by pitching coach Luis Hernandez Aguila and seven FIBS Academists currently enrolled for the 2018/2019 academic year at the new FIBS Academy Acquacetosa on the campus of the CONI “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Training Center in Rome, Italy.
Immediately following the screening of the movie, Italian American Baseball Family producer Roberto Angotti was joined by FIBS Marketing and Communication Director Marco Landi and University of Padova Professor of American Studies Stefano Luconi for a panel discussion. We the Italians’ Umberto Mucci served as moderator and helped facilitate questions from the audience and responses from the panelists.
Garagiola went on to do television broadcasts for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in 2004. The beloved Italian American from “The Hill” was also given his own star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. He retired from broadcasting in 2013 and was named as the 2014 recipient of the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, presented once every three years by the National Baseball Hall of Fame for positive contributions to Major League Baseball. Garagiola passed away at age 90 in 2016. The Arizona Diamondbacks wore a patch, a black circle with “JOE” written in white in the center with a catchers’ mask replacing the O, in his memory on their right sleeve for the 2016 season.
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Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Department of Modern Languages and
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. He is excited to bring the movie to Cleveland, hometown to Italian Sons and Daughters of America President Basil Russo and the Russo Brothers. Angotti said, “Cleveland 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 Lew Fonseca, Johnny Berardino, Rocky Colavito, Tony Cuccinello, Mickey Rocco, Johnny Romano, Don Mossi, Tom Candiotti, Mike Napoli, or Tito and Terry Francona, there will be something for everybody during our celebration of Italian American baseball at CWRU.”
Angotti will be joined by panelists Scott Longert, Joseph Wancho, and John McMurray. Filmmaker Roberto Angotti is the English language editor for Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) 
Strosacker Auditorium is located at 2180 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. Parking is available in the Veale Athletic Center Parking Tower, located at 2138 Adelbert Rd. Tickets are FREE and can be found at 
The proud Italian American slugger credits many influential people for his success including: his father, Lou Colabello; his Milford High School coach, Charlie Stand; his Milford American Legion manager, Rich Piergustavo; his Assumption College coach, Jamie Pinzino; and his Worcester Tornadoes manager, Rich Gedman, who garnered much respect in MLB for being a two-time American League all-star Boston Red Sox catcher. His former Indy ball skipper was always impressed with Colabello’s work ethic and tenacity in never giving up on making it to the Big Leagues. After hitting .300 in seven straight seasons and being named Independent League Player of the Year by Baseball America, Gedman wrote an impressive scouting report on his 28-year-old slugger. Like a fine Italian wine, Colabello got better with age and agent Brian Charles knew the time had come for Chris to get one more crack at making his MLB dreams come true. Charles attached Gedman’s promising scouting report to his emails in search for a Minor League deal to all 30 MLB organizations. Unfortunately, 27 of the clubs replied “No Thanks” while two others did not even offer a response. However, the Minnesota Twins were looking for a first baseman to play for Double-A New Britain. A January 2012 tryout led to a Minor League contract for Chris Colabello, who made his MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins at age 29 on May 22, 2013. 
The Italian American Baseball Family documentary makes its world premiere at Milford High School in Milford, Massachusetts on Saturday, January 27, 2018.
Fast forward to the first pitch of the 2013 World Baseball Classic warm-up game between Team Italia and the Los Angeles Angels. Halos skipper Mike Scioscia looked out at the sea of Azzurri jerseys and said, “I’m proud to be Italian, and I think everyone on that field is proud of their roots and where they come from.” Then Scioscia asked, “Where’s Sal?” He wanted to know where Sal Varriale was. Sal was the first “oriundo” or immigrant with Italian ancestry recruited by Aldo Notari, the former Italian Baseball Federation President from 1985 to 2000. The Brooklyn native enjoyed a successful playing career in Italy and coached Team Italia in the Olympics from 1992 to 2004.
The Italian American Baseball Family grew organically when 
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