Laura Lasorda, daughter of Tommy and Jo Lasorda, will be attending the upcoming Fullerton Sister City Association Grand Tour of Italy Informational Meeting on Tuesday, April 9th at 5 pm inside Fullerton Library Osborne Auditorium. In 2021, Tollo (Chieti) in Abruzzo, Italy became Fullerton’s Sister City in honor of Tommy Lasorda, a 63-year Fullerton resident and Hall of Famer who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers for 20 seasons and led them to two World Series titles. Lasorda’s father, Sabatino Lasorda, was an Italian immigrant hailing from Tollo who came to the United States and met his wi ..read more

Laura Lasorda and Tollo Mayor Angelo Radica at the unveiling of Tommy Lasorda Field On September 22, 2021, Tollo, Italy became Sister City to Fullerton, California in honor of National Baseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, who had lived in Fullerton since the Los Angeles Dodgers headed west in 1958, won two World Championships, four National League championships, eight division titles, and amassed 1,599 victories as Dodger manager. His father, Sabatino Lasorda, was an Italian immigrant hailing from Tollo (Chieti) in Abruzzo, Italy. He and his wife, Carmella Lasorda, raised Tommy and his f ..read more

The 37th edition of the Euro Baseball Championship takes place in Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Trebic and Blansko. Team Italy begins Group B play in Trebic and competes against Hungary, Sweden and Great Britain. The two top teams advance to the quarterfinals in Brno. The Czech Republic welcomes the Senior European Baseball Championship for the third time after presenting the international competition in 2005 and co-hosting the Euros with Germany in 2014. Team Italy hopes to dethrone four-time defending champion the Netherlands and recapture the Euro championship after an elusive 11-year a ..read more

Former Toronto Blue Jays pitchers Sam Gaviglio and Joe Biagini are together again playing for Team Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic Once inseparable as part of the 2018 Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching rotation and again in 2019 while providing relief out the Jay’s bullpen, Sam Gaviglio and Joe Biagini have picked up where they left off three years ago together after being summoned by Team Italy manager and National Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza to lead the Italians to success in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Former Toronto Blue Jays manager  ..read more

VINCENZO AIELLO   Selected in the 17th round of the 2017 draft out of University of Oklahoma by the Miami Marlins, right-handed reliever Vincenzo Aiello played in professional baseball for four seasons (2017-21) in the Marlins and White Sox organizations. He recorded 11 wins and a 2.91 ERA in 93 outings in his stints between Rookie League and Double-A. In the summer of 2021, he was placed on the injured list while playing in Winston-Salem and elected free agency at the end of the year. Most recently the 28-year-old Aiello signed with his hometown team, the Atlantic League’s Staten Islan ..read more

BRETT SULLIVAN Selected by the Tampa Bays Rays in the 17th round of the 2015 draft out of the University of Pacific Stockton native Brett Sullivan remained in the same organization until late 2021 when he signed a short-lived minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. The veteran minor league catcher and outfielder was traded to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Victor Caratini on April 6, 2022.  During the 2022 season, he played Triple-A ball and compiled a .285 batting average with nine home runs and 81 RBI. Although catcher has been his primary position, he has also played ..read more

BEN DELUZIO Ben DeLuzio is a solid outfielder who made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on September 1, 2022 and subsequently made two appearances in the postseason. After signing as a free agent by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016, he later played AAA ball with the Reno Aces in 2019 and 2021. Then the St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the 2021 MiLB Rule 5 Draft. He recently signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs with hopes of landing an MLB roster spot.    SAL FRELICK Sal Frelick will represent Team Italy at the 2023 WBC as one of the starting outfi ..read more

(Basil Russo, Roberto Angotti, John Viola and Maria Bartiromo at the 2017 NIAF Gala)  Roberto Angotti is a cultural historian, writer, film director, curator, and radio DJ who blends his love of baseball, Italian American arts and culture, and music into multi-media creations. His film, Italian American Baseball Family, tells the story of how Italian Americans assimilated into popular culture through America’s favorite pastime, baseball, and how Italian Americans have circled back to Italy to grow the game by playing for Team Italy in the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic. His film ..read more

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