Telemarket Rimini
The 24-year-old Czech southpaw Jan Rehacek is not going to return to the Hoofddorp Pioniers, but instead will join the Italian Baseball League club Telemarket Rimini. He is supposed to take over as reliever of Enorbel Marquez-Ramirez in game two each week. Rehacek had a short stint with the Minnesota Twins organization, playing in the Gulf Coast League in 2009. He got released in the following spring training and returned to Arrows Ostrava in the Czech Extraleague. A few weeks ago the Pioniers announced that he would come back to the Dutch Hoofdklasse, where he already played in 2008 and 2009. But it seems now that the Pirates made a better offer. He is the third new player on the Rimini roster for 2011 after Dushan Ruzic and Max De Biase. Laidel Chapelli, Lorenzo Avagnina, Clinton Balgera and Claudio Signori are not coming back.
Italian National Umpire Committee
The Italian Baseball and Softball Federation (FIBS) has named Sante De Franceschi new president of the national umpire committee. The position wasn’t filled since Antonella Garofalo had resigned due to other obligations in February of 2009. The 65-year-old De Franceschi had ended his active career as an umpire in September after 40 years umpiring in the Serie A. The committee also consists of Andrea Marcon, Alessandro Cappuccini and Paolo Campagna.