Table of Contents
- Baseball – Why Do I Love Thee?!
- Nebaletan Word of the Day – BASANAGOL!?
- Pizza Review – Flavio’s – Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, FL
I continue my sabbatical away from talking about my jobs. This next series of posts will be about baseball! I’ve been trying to write about baseball cards for a couple years now. Baseball cards were a ubiquitous part of my life growing up. But with each writing session, the post extends well beyond just baseball cards.
The series will be in multiple parts. I’m not totally sure of its direction yet, but it might look something like this:
- Baseball – Why Do I Love Thee?
- Baseball – Baseball Cards
- Whiffle Ball and the Cocini Bros!
- Baseball – The Pros and The Cons (the cons of statistics that is…)
- Maybe another….
Baseball – Why Do I Love Thee?!
What is it about baseball? I lust for football—I played it into college. Soccer? I geek out over tactics and technique. But baseball? Baseball makes me emotional. An emotion that I can only call love!
Picture this: It’s early fall. The Browns and Guardians are playing at the same time—I watch the Browns. Now, it’s early spring. Napoli and the Guardians are on—I watch Gli Azzurri!
But no matter what, baseball lumbers on, so I always have time to flip back and catch the end of the Guardians game. It pulls me back. Every time.
But why? Why is a baseball movie my favorite movie? Why does this particular scene from Field of Dreams hit me like a fastball to the heart?
I can’t watch this without thinking (and, crying) about my dad (Grandpa Tony) and my grandfather (Grandpa Rocco, aka Raffaele “Ralph” Valeriano). What wouldn’t I do for 10 more minutes to play catch with my dad?
Growing up, baseball was king. It was so important to me that I insisted that Grandpa Tony come home for lunch just to play catch. I was relentless – a trait that I pridefully carry on with today – although, unfortunately, sometimes to my own demise.
Grandpa Tony easily gave in to my harping. Maybe because he never had that with his dad—Grandpa Rocco spent much of Grandpa Tony’s youth battling tuberculosis, meaning Grandpa Tony never lived with his dad and grew up bouncing between relatives’ homes with Grandma Rocco and Aunt Nina.
Aside – Because of his lung issues, Grandpa Rocco insisted that Grandpa Tony leave a well-paying factory job. This led Grandpa Tony to work outside as a mailman. This meant… LUNCH BREAKS AT HOME! Which meant… PLAYING CATCH WITH ME! That TB diagnosis shaped my childhood in unexpected ways.
Chip with Grandpa Rocco – Chip’s first hair cut
He’s crying because we’re both now bald!
likely by Tommy Laveck at Dege’s Barber Shop,
Lake Avenue, Ashtabula- 1965
The Love Affair Begins
Now, while my great-grandfather Lucio has received much attention on this blog, his son—my Grandpa Rocco—was my baseball guy. He took me and my cousin Richard to our first Indians games at Cleveland Stadium. And how did we get there? The train. For free – Grandpa Rocco worked for the New York Central Railroad (see here).
Because of Grandpa Rocco’s lung problems, he was relegated to low grade jobs working outside as a crossing guard adjacent to Chestnut Street Elementary school. We’d visit him there at his guard house adjacent to the road that crossed tracks behind the school.
He’d get a signal in the guard house that a train was approaching. He’d grab the long steel pole, bent in multiple places, that held a white “stop” sign, and we’d walk across the tracks to the school side. He’d plunk that pole into a divot that he’d made in the pavement from holding that pole for years there, standing there until the train passed to ensure no kids would try to cross while leaving school.
Other than the Indians, Grandpa Rocco led a very simple life. The guard house was only two blocks from his home that he shared with his sister (Aunt Vera). His other stomping grounds was the fire station only two blocks in the other direction. I’m not sure if this was due to his TB. I only wish I’d asked when I could.
A Nebaletan Family Tradition
Despite his lung problems, Grandpa Rocco rarely missed a broadcast of an Indians game with his transistor radio glued to his ear. Grandpa Tony took it a step further, watching most games on TV—while I, of course, watch 100+ games per season like it’s my second job.
ASIDE – Although, Grandpa Rocco was born in Ashtabula and baptized at Mt. Carmel, what’s most interesting is that his parents, Great Grandpa Lucio and Great Grandma Carmela, took him BACK on the boat to Campania as an infant to have his baptism registered and recognized within the Italian system – with his real name, Raffaele Valeriano!
We didn’t see each other often; Grandpa Rocco would always ask if I listened to last night’s game and talk to me about the Indians, especially his favorite player – Rocky Colavito. Rocky was my favorite too and my dad’s too. I reached out to my Capos Carm and Donnie – Rocky was their favorite too!!!!
It’s genetic. Rocky was a Nebaletan!
In Grandpa Tony’s case, any player with an Italian surname became his favorite player at that moment, even if he was playing AGAINST the Indians! I follow the same (il)logic today!
And, in my normal obsessive-compulsive manner, I took it a step further last spring paying to watch the Italian National Team (with mostly North American born players) in the World Baseball Classic!
Grandpa Rocco took me to this game
Five Generations (and Counting)
In any event, Grandpa Rocco started a five-generation affair with baseball. For me, it’s a love affair, hopefully, my children and grandchildren will continue the tradition!
So tell me, how can you not get emotional about baseball?
Nebaletan Word of the Day – BASANAGOL!?
I’ll start with a, mostly true, story. The scene, I’m in the backyard playing whiffle ball with friends.
- My mom (Grandma Joanne) yells from the house, “Michael, I am making sauce! I need some BASANAGOL!”
- The pitcher, an Amerigan friend, looks perplexed and says quietly, “We’re not playing BASEBALL, it’s whiffle ball!” Fearing that my mother will hear and be banned from her sauce!
- Donnie, an American-Italian Capo, doing his best Rod Carew imitation to remain quiet, is also a little confused, but knows mom too well!
- Carm, another American-Italian Capo, shutters and thinks to himself, “I only came across town for the sauce! You better hurry and get that BASANAGOL!”
- Me? Immediately dropping the bat, walk over to the nearby bush-like BASIL plant that my father meticulously tends, stunned by its overwhelming pleasant peppery fragrance, and snip a dozen leaves with my fingers, and bring to Grandma Joanne!
- Grandma Joanne, although it’s only 2 minutes since her bellow, “What took you so long? Sauce will be ready in about an hour!”
So, if you haven’t figured out by now, BASANAGOL (which kind of sounds like BASEBALL!) is the Nebaletan Word for BASIL.
Doing a Google search, you’ll find that BASANAGOL seems ubiquitous in the American-Italian lexicon from the East Coast to at least the mid-west. You’ll find:
“BASANAGOL/BASANICOL’ – basil ([in Italian, it’s] BASILICO) [pronounced [baa-zaa-naa-GOAL]]” from (https://americanitalian.net/2009/04/14/italian/)
But the searches don’t help with how the Italian pronunciation of BASILICO [baa-seel-ee-co] became the Nebaletan – BASANAGOL [baa-zaa-naa-GOAL].
After wracking my brain, the hint maybe in the 2nd choice word from americanitalian.net above “BASANICOL” which likely was pronounced baa-zaa-nee-COAL which is much closer to BASILICO [baa-seel-ee-co]. And as with most Nebaletan words, took on a life of its own once it reached North America.
And, despite it’s ubiquity in both Italian and American-Italian homes to this day it is “originally from Africa, [and] was brought to Italy from Persia by the Greeks, who must have thought highly of it. Basilkos is Greek for “king.” From – https://sundaypasta.com/italian-food/about-basilico-basil/
Sorry, I gotta’ go cut some BASANAGOL, I’m making pizza tonight!
Pizza Review – Flavio’s – Siesta Key Beach, Sarasota, FL
I have a cycling buddy, Frank, who’s been to our house with his wife to test my pizza. Frank has been trying for a couple of years to get us to try Flavio’s. With our daughter in town, we decided to try their Happy Hour – it didn’t disappoint!
BTW – if you see Frank, please congratulate him on attaining his US citizenship! Congratulations, Frank!
| Date | 2/12/25 |
| Pizzeria/Website | Flavio’s Brick Oven & Bar – Siesta Key |
| City/Neighborhood | Sarasota, FL / Siesta Key Village |
| About Us | It’s all in the family at Flavio’s – Siesta Sand |
| Style | Neapolitan |
| Ambiance | Very large restaurant and bar. We eventually settled into the bar area since the very well-priced happy hour menu was only served there. The bar was packed, and the only available spot was a high table (I don’t like high tables…they hurt my back!). The bar area was nice, but the service was slow – likely due to the crowd there. |
| Beverage Pairing | Local IPA |
| Rating Criteria | |
| Shape | Round |
| Dough/Crust | Tickness – Thin Cook – Soft, nice char Flavor – slightly “charry” and yeasty, it had little “Neapolitan” flavor, not the best I’ve had in town. The dough / crust was either over proofed (“old”) or had too much yeast (reminiscent of a same-day-dough). I’d guess the latter since the cornicione was almost too puffy (see Balance section below). Both cause the dough to be less flavorful. Dough is very fickle…especially in Florida in the winter. The humidity can go from dry to highly humidity in the course of a few hours as it did that day. It takes a master pizzaiolo AND DETAILED ATTENTION throughout the day – to keep from over proofing |
| Cornicione | Crispy with a great chew, large bubbles as what I’d call a “normal” Neapolitan – an indication of a nicely made dough (but given the lack of flavor depth, I’m guessing it was a young or same day dough) |
| Toppings | Cheese and fresh basil – although the distribution of the basil leaves was a little wonky Fresh – basil – Yes, cheese – unsure |
| Sauce | Tangy, savory, thin, but some chunkiness Excellent fresh tomato taste, not overly seasoned which is a great thing! |
| Cheese | Cheese Type – Moozedell, but no hint of other cheese like saltiness that you’d expect from a Pecorino or Parmagian – too bad, the extra zing of those cheeses was missing since moozedell (unless highly fresh bufala) is not highly flavorful, which these moozedell was not Cheese Distribution – All over Greasy and highly stringy |
| Cheese to Sauce Ratio | Sauce – A little to Medium Cheese – Medium, but unfortunately, it pooled to the center, causing there to be too much cheese there. This was probably caused by the overactive cornicione pushing the cheese to the center. Balance – because of the cheese pooling, it’s thickness in the center took it out of balance |
| Value | Excellent – Happy Hour Menu! $12 for a 12″ Margherita! That’s $12 for a 12″ inch equivalent — if you’re wondering about my calculation! |
| Overall Rating | Good (although nearly Great!). The outstanding sauce could not overcome the lack of dough flavor and cheese pooling to the center issues mentioned above. |
| Would I Go Back? | Yes – at Happy Hour – FOR SURE! |
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