Hey,

Don't these dates conflict with the high school summer league?

The USA Athletes International Team left for Italy today on an American Airlines flight from New York to Rome.

The team is staying at the Hotel Aldobrandeschi Roma, located in the center of the city. The players and coaches will tour Rome on Wednesday and Thursday morning, visiting the Vatican, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica.

The USA team will be wearing red, white and blue on the field and will play its first game in Rome on Thursday afternoon. The team transfers to Tuscany on Friday morning. Two upcoming games are scheduled against the Italian 17-U Junior National team. The Italy National Baseball team is the team that represents Italy in international baseball competition. Along with the Netherlands, the Italian national team is viewed as the second strongest in Europe

nc42dad....Here in Illinois, most of the really good programs encourage the players to "play up" during the summer.

Many starters play little or no summer ball.

Seedthrower....obviously you know nothing about Italy or Italian baseball. (Known as "bollate").

rosy said it all...a great country full of smiling people, beautiful scenery and wonderful food.

Baseball is very popular in Italy and has been since I attended school there in 1969. Even then there were posters (like bull fighting posters in Spain and Portugal)everywhere in Florence and all over Tuscany announcing the next game of Bollate!

Currently Joe Mazzuca (Holy Cross,Creighton, Northern illinois and the Marlins organization) is a big star, playing on the National team and the First Place Division 1 pro league team in Bologna.

Bologna,Florence,Genoa,Milan and Venice rival any city in Europe for culture and civilization in general. Shame on you for the misinformation...our kids are reading this stuff!

By the way...I'll take any top rated Italian team over any Kenosha team of the same age....and give 5 runs...NO CONTEST!

Has Kenosha ever fielded a top team of ANY kind...SHEESH.

Soxnole,

My best friends are Italian.....I get an education about Italy everytime I visit. The s****r over there is tremendous though. We also do have many great Italian restaurants in Kenosha, try one the next time your here for a tournament.

Sorry you misunderstood my statement about good teams here. On a weekly basis tournaments are played at Nash Park. Many really good teams play in Kenosha weekly from around the midwest. I did overhear a couple scouts last year say we have some of the best hot dogs and brats in the midwest.

Most of the good players from Kenosha don't play in Kenosha. Our baseball programs are not that strong. Although, one of our high schools did win the D1 State tournament.
I spent plenty of money on my son while coming up through the travel programs. I never would pay for my son to go play abroad if he didn't earn it through a tryout or some strong recomendations. He did have the opportunity with Coast to Coast Athletics when he was younger (14). Even then I kinda saw through what that whole deal was about. If the trip is taken for cultural reasons, so be it. If it is about paying to go play abroad to say you were on a national team....that is another.

For my money's worth, I'll stay in the states.

Seedthrower....Fine and Dandy!

My problem was your 3rd world misinfo.

and PUULLLEEEEEASE don't compare any kind of wiener to the best cuisine in the world!

If I want wiener or sausage of ANY kind I'll visit Germany. That is where Kenosha's roots are and brats come from. Brats are a poor substitute for good German sausage and a 40 OZ REAL beer!

Dolphin,

Thanks for all the great info. I especially like knowing the colors of the uniforms. Did they board the plane in casual clothes or did they have to wear a suit and tie? Also, on non game days will they be able to travel and see the sights. If so, what type of shoes will they have to wear? Can't wait to hear the results, it's been awhile since you last signed on.

Team USA won today against the local Rome team that was scheduled as Game I. The team transfers to the Tuscany region in the morning. For the next several days the team is based out of the Villa delle Rose in Pescia, which is in close proximity to the beaches of Versilia.

On July 11 team USA will play the Arezzo Baseball team in Arezzo. The following day the team will visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

See the following link for an article from the St. Petersburg Times about the USA Team Head Coach Dave Vincent.

Linked from the St. Petersburg Times:

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseballpreps/article692032.ece

Where are they going to stay in Tuscany? I hear the maestro says that there are no rooms in Tuscany.

Team USA won Game II played today versus the Arezzo Baseball Club in the Tuscany Series Edizione 2008 ages 21 and under. Jason Ormond was the winning pitcher going 7 innings and allowing one run.

Arezzo (Latin Arretium) dates back to the 11th century and is the capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km (50 miles) south-east of Florence.

Link:

http://www.tuscanyseries.it/risultati_2008/ARUNDER21.htm

Norfrank - The team is staying at the Villa delle Rose in Pescia for the next several days. No problem with rooms.

This is truly unbelievable.

No need to watch the Travel Channel for a while. LOL.

La tua Squadra non partecipa?

No, né lo sono.

My baby boy was invited to make that same trip after his freshman year. But, for about the same money , I took the whole family to Orlando. We went to EPCOT and did six countries in less than a day. Then did Universal and rode the movies. Even went to a character breakfast and had my picture taken with Mary Poppins. I think my son got about as much exposure there as the J man is getting in Italy.

This last post you put up was deleted yesterday. As you should know, every day an athlete steps onto the field, his career changes in some way. Whether it be stats, the schedule, contacts, references, etc. The kid is working hard to improve his game. How about you? For all of these kids playing in Italy is something that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

SD 9....I suggest you give it up and bury the hatchet. Glad you remember your photo op with Mary Poppins, but far better to live life in the now than to be living in the distant past. The amount of animosity you seem to carry has got to be really getting you down.

Too many downers on this Board. Life is way too short and passing you by.

I agree with Dolphin. SD9 please bury the hatchet. I know dolphin is doing his best to get a nice college gig for his son. I would love for my son to have a chance to get the exposure he needs on one of these trips. Think about all of the scouts that are seeing his son play over there. Should definately translate into a big time scholarship offer. And dolphin, I don't think anyone really cares about your son's stats. We all see you as the pompous fool that you are.

Whatever.....the kid has to have the desire to do it. Whatever it is. That is the way life goes.

A parents job is to provide support and opportunities. The kid has to decide what he or she wants.

I see SD 9 deleted his "My Bad" apology.....typical....his rant continues.....and Norfrank we will just have to wait and see how it all plays out. These kids have their destiny in their own hands. There is nothing that can be done now to change anything in the past. The grades are in the record books and the test scores are what ever they now are. The degree of separation on the playing field is nearly immeasurable. The reality is that it is all about today not yesterday and the future is what most counts.

Lots of doors to open....each kid has to make the effort and create his own opportunity.

Dophin Mom your posts are not meant to enlighten or inform, but to brag and promote. Every parent here loves their kid and think that he's the bees' knees. People with alot more to brag about than you are on this site every day, but have the class and good sense not to do it. Give it a rest.

Dolphin,

Stop providing excuses for your inane behavior. You are pompous and you are a braggard.

I'm sure your son appreciates the opportunities you are providing to him and who wouldn't. Travel overseas and to nice camps are great; but, do we all really need to know about it? Do we really need to know about everytime he laces his shoes and beats an Italian team that probably has the talent of a struggling Chicago Public School team?

Look back at this board and see how other parents and athletes talked about their performances. I don't think you will see Soxnole bragging about his Florida State/OPRF student or Boomer bragging incessently about his Lyons township/Rochester University all conference player or Sulltiger or BBalldad going on and on about their students. Show some class and display at least an ounce of humility.

Not sure why you guys are so upset with this guys posts. Just don't read them if you find them nauseous.
Certainly we all know that the Italian trip is not exposure in any shape way or form. It is a cultural experience.
I have a friend who just graduated from Niagara U and is playing in Italy. Not sure what he thinks but there are opporunities to play in europe. Some you pay for and some you don't. The BB doesn't compare to over here in the US and Canada. We all know this.