It was August 31, 1952 when, present the then Undersecretary to the Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti and the Minister of Education Guido Gonella, Gregory Peck, in town to shoot the blockbuster 'Roman Holidays' movie, performed from the stands of a crowded Flaminio Stadium in Rome, the first pitch ceremony of Italy-Spain, official debut for a blue baseball selection, led by the couple William Parmiggiani (Technical Commissioner) and Sam Corallo (manager).
“That was a decisive step - reports the FIBS President Andrea Marcon - for the recognition of the Federation by the Olympic Committee. A great success of public and visibility that brought many positive developments, even if it did not go well on the field. Today we wanted to celebrate the seventy anniversary of Italia Baseball in one of the capitals of our sport and against the most classic opponent that all these years of challenges have decreed, and I want to thank both the Dutch Federation on behalf of the whole movement for accepting the invitation, and Parma Baseball for hosting our birthday party and for the precious organizational support. "
In fact, the Netherlands, or rather the Kingdom of the
Netherlands as the oranje selection is officially called on the international stage,
will cross the bats with the Azzurri on Sunday 17 July at the 'Nino Cavalli' in
Parma, at 20:30, for a 7 inning game. Entrance ticket set at 5 Euros. Free
admission for all player under the age of 15 who will show up in game uniform.
However, it is advisable, for all the fans (and not
yet fans), to go to the diamond well in advance: the gastronomic and commercial
village will be open from 5.30 pm, while the teams will be in the field for the
warm-up program, with various collateral activities organized for the occasion by
FIBS and Parma Clima, such as the postmark dedicated to the anniversary, which
will be available from the afternoon at the special temporary office, and the
presence of many champions of the first 20 years of life of the national
baseball team that will be celebrated before the start of the game.
A stand will be set up in the central square of the Quadrifoglio complex in which the Azzurri will sign autographs to those present. Musical animation will be offered by the young musicians of Verdi Off, who will entertain the public before the game and who will play the national anthems live. The Italian one will be performed by the actress and singer Mascia Foschi.
Parma Baseball President Luca Meli said: “We are very proud that the Federation's choice fell on Parma and the Cavalli stadium. Our city deserves this, because in these 70 years it has actively contributed to the success of our national team. The history, the facilities and the fan base make Parma and Parma Baseball one of the most important realities of Italian baseball".
Marco Landi
