In 1982 Nettuno was down 2-1 against Parma in the 9th with Dave Farina on the mound. Farina was probably one of the strongest pitchers ever to come to Italy, in a period, the 80s, when Parma was the dominant team in the league and also in Europe, like Nettuno in the 90s.
Tony Lonero (me) came to bat in the 9th with the bases empty and two outs.
I knew Farina from Pittsburgh where we grew up, so even though this was my first game against him in Italy, I knew what pitches he would use against me.despite his declared strength
The first pitch was a slider to the outside part of the plate that I sent between center and right field for a double. And so, with a man on second base, two outs and down by a run, I saw Giampaolo Mirra, our manager at the time, point to the dugout for a pinch-hitter.
To my surprise, from second base I saw him pick the young player, who at the time was playing with the “Primavera” team,(under 18) whose name I didn’t even know, since it was only my second month in Italy.
A blond boy who was playing one of his first games with the first team. The boy’s name was Marco Ubani, I think he was 17, about to challenge the best pitcher in the league.
I remember Marco swinging and missing the first two pitches, two fastballs; Farina was sure he was going to make a quick meal of the young man, so he threw him another straight ball that Marco sent to right for a hit that scored the tying run.
In the end we lost 3-2 in the 10th, but from that moment on Marco became one of the greatest players in the history of Nettuno, which recently retired his jersey number.
With this I want to thank Marco, both for that time, but especially because a short time ago he hit an even more important valid and helped me score again.
In the September of 2001, for the first time, I learned about my illness, multiple sclerosis; since I began my battle to defeat fate and make my life better.
On the days when I feel better, I and bike and as far as my body feels like going. Well, a year after I discovered my diseased I learned that there was a race that started in Rome and passed through the Castelli Romani, for a total distance of 130 km.
So I decided, on the one year anniversary of my illness, to go and try to finish the race. The day was very hot, and to tell the truth, I was afraid I wouldn’t make it. I just wanted to prove to myself and others that I can still do the same things I did before, even if a little slower.
After the start my legs weren’t responding at their best, and so my first thought was to stop.But in front of me I saw that blond boy, now without hair, looking at me and waving.
This made me think and remember twenty years earlier when I was on the second base waiting for Marco to get a hit to bring me home to tie up the game against parma with Dave Farina on the mound.
Well, Marco stayed with me for the entire race, 6 hours, he pulled me to the end and in a way helped me score again.
We finished last, but we didn’t stop like other runners due to the difficulty of the race and the heat. I wanted to write this article to thank Marco for what he did and to remind the players who wear the Nettuno jersey today, that against all adversity and all kinds of difficulties, all you have to do is get to the second, because a teammate, at the right time, will show up to help you arrive at home . On June 13, 2024 Marco left us until we meet again.
