Tollo Mayor Angelo Radica and the Tollo
City Council assembled in the Municipal Council Chambers in Tollo (Chieti)
on Monday night, October 25, 2021 to approve and sign the Sister
City relationship with Fullerton, California in honor of Tommy Lasorda
(longtime resident of Fullerton) and his parents Sabatino and
Carmella Lasorda (both born in Tollo).
The online video conference call included
Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker, the Fullerton City Council, Fullerton
Sister City Association President Michael Oates and Sister City
International Ambassador Roberto Angotti. In addition to members of
community attending the town hall meeting, Tollo Baseball and Softball
Coordinator Graziano Primavera and players from his teams were also in
attendance. Tollo has
begun construction in building youth baseball and softball fields in Italy
named in honor of Tommy Lasorda. A dedication ceremony featuring members
of the Lasorda family and those close to them is expected to take place early
next year in Tollo.
After the passing of Tommy Lasorda, FIBS media representative Roberto Angotti proposed to Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker that the city pay tribute to the Lasorda family and the late and great Dodger legend by adopting Tollo as its Sister City and honoring Tommy Lasorda every year on his birthday. The Fullerton City Council unanimously approved the motion. Angotti then traveled to Italy to get a signed letter of intent from Tollo Mayor Angelo Radica.
Fullerton paid
tribute to the Lasorda family on September 22, 2021 when it celebrated its
inaugural Tommy Lasorda Day. Attendees
included Mike Scioscia, Eric Karros, Mickey Hatcher, Lenny Randle, Jim Hill,
Vince Ferragamo, Fred Dryer, Laura Lasorda, Ann Meyer Drysdale, Drew Drysdale
and Joe Buscaino.
Former Dodger catcher and two-time MLB All-Star Mike Scioscia, who played for Lasorda on two World Series winning teams before leading the Angels as manager to a 2002 World Series championship title, represented the Italian American Baseball Foundation at Tommy Lasorda Day.
He said: “Tommy was the most competitive person I ever met in my life. I think that anyone who played for him felt the same way, but that is what it took for us to become world champions and he knew it and he instilled it in all of us. He made us better baseball players, but most important, made us better men.”
by Roberto Angotti
