Baseball #3 – Baseball Cards, Alvira’s!

Table of Contents

1. Baseball Cards – Part 2 – Alvira’s!
2. Nebaletan Word of the Day – Padine/Padeen!?
3. Pizza Review – Mangia Che E Buono #2, Sicilian Pizza, Sarasota, FL

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The series will likely include:

1. Baseball – Why Do I Love Thee?  (here)
2. Baseball – Baseball Cards!
   1. Walking the Line (last post)
   2. Alvira’s (this post)
3. Whiffle Ball
4. Cocini Bros!
5. Baseball – The Pros and The Cons (the cons of statistics that is…)
6. Maybe more…!

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Baseball Cards – Part 2 – Alvira’s!

In my previous post, I shared my passion for baseball cards and how the statistics on the back of each card significantly influenced my youth and likely shaped my career path.

I believe it was my cousins, Ronny and Nicky, who first sparked my baseball card interest.  I became obsessed with collecting every Cleveland Indians player card, convinced that Topps intentionally limited local team cards in regional packs to encourage avid collectors like me to buy more attempting to complete the full checklist.

A few years ago in this blog, I mentioned that I would help my Grandma Maouri make the beds whenever I stayed over at her house.  As a reward, Grandma would give a dime to me.  The moment that dime touched my hand, I would pester Ronny or Nicky to take me to Alvira’s Store. 

Alvira’s was just 404 feet up the Columbus Avenue hill from Grandma’s house, according to Google Maps. I can almost see and smell the place in my mind’s eye (does one’s mind’s eye have a nose too?).

The building is (see picture above) my vision of a joint with an inset front door and windows on both sides.  It’s across the street from Guerriero’s Funeral Home (also the home of my mother’s (Grandma Joanne’s) best friend, Caroline) and Steve’s Barber Shop.

Upon walking in, you’d find two rows of glass cases running the length of the narrow store reminiscent of scenes from classic movies.  The case on the left had candy and the precious packs of baseball cards.  Alvira was always sitting behind the case on the right.  Other than the candy and the baseball cards, I have no idea what else Alvira sold!

I asked Capos Donnie and Carm if they had ever been to Alvira’s.  Donnie admitted that he was too scared to go, even though Alvira’s was just a short block from his grandma’s house.  Carm, on the other hand, never visited, despite riding his bike the eight-tenths of a mile to Steve’s, which seemed like a long distance back then.  It’s surprising they didn’t know about the treasures hidden in that store!

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Nebaletan Word of the Day – Padine/Padeen!?

I have been studying Italian in order to qualify for Dual Citizenship.  I primarily use Duolingo, but I also watch YouTube.  One in particular is this young woman (see here – https://youtu.be/FdStnRd-_z4?si=9TYNH7aReeRibYQ7)

This video introduces family structure and naming.  She says “some people who…are not blood relations…[they] are:

• Padrino – Godfather
• Madrina – Godmother

These people [have a]…very important role in Italian culture, society, and…families.”

My family never used “Padrino” or “Madrina”.   We used Padine (or Padeen) – pronounced paw-deen.

For us, Padine was only used with one, specific person, Padine Mary who was my mother’s (Grandma Joanne’s) Godmother.  Neither Chip nor I used this term for any of our own godparents.  Therefore, Padine Mary held a unique place in our family, and the name was exclusively hers.

Both Capos Donnie and Carm used Padine for their respective godparents.  But like Chip and I, and unlike the “real” Italian definitions above, Padine was used for both male and female godparents.

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Pizza Review – Mangia Che E Buono #2, Sicilian Pizza, Sarasota, FL

In my previous post, I introduced Mangia Che È Buono in Sarasota, FL.  When I first visited, Cathy was out of town, so I wanted to ensure she could experience the restaurant as I did.  Naturally, I returned without hesitation – no arm twisting needed!

This time, I ordered both a Sfincione, like my previous visit, and their Sicilian pizza. Here, I’ll share my thoughts on the Sicilian style.

Date	March 19, 2025
Pizzeria	Mangia Che È Buono
City/Neighborhood	Sarasota, FL / Southgate neighborhood at the corner of Bee Ridge and Tuttle
Website	https://mangiache.com/
About Us	See last post
Style	Sheet – Sicilian
Ambiance	Newly built out restaurant, but quaint and inviting!
Beverage Pairing	Red Puglian Wine

Rating Criteria
Shape	Square, Rectangular
Dough/Crust	Tickness – Tick Cook – Soft, Crispy, Spongy/airy, Bubbly, Chewy, some sweetness (possible from the tomato) and buttery (likely from a well-seasoned and oiled pan)   Flavor very good – Yeasty bread like, Brown from twice baking
Cornicione	Not “well defined” as the sauce went up to the edge of the pan.  Bubbly, Chewy, and Sweet
Toppings	Oregano, Cheese   Fresh – likely since I could see the oregano cheese
Sauce	The Sfincione, which has anchovy, was much different than the sauce for the Sicilian.  It was close to great as it was sweet with chunks of tomato although it was a little thin.  It was a “proper” pizza sauce that you’d find on a Sicilian style pizza.
Cheese	Cheese Type – Moozedell and Parmagian   Cheese Distribution – Stripes of moozedell reminiscent of a Detroit Style although on top of the sauce.  Highly stringy, slightly smokey, and salty
Cheese to Sauce Ratio	Sauce – Medium   Cheese – a lot   Balance – even though a lot of cheese, since it was high quality cheese, it didn’t bother me as much as others might

Value	A 3″ x 6″ cut (18 square inches) for $7.  This is a whopping $43 for a 12″ equivalent round.  At best this is MEH, at worst a bad deal.
Overall Rating	Despite the high cost, the Sicilian was pretty good, although not great.
Would I Go Back?	Yes – but I’ll need to be more cognizant of their pricing.