by Riccardo Schiroli
Former Major League Baseball (Dodgers, Marlins, Mets, Padres and A’S) superstar Mike Piazza, currently the hitting coach for Team Italy, took a chance to live his soccer fan dream while in Sicily representing the NIAF (National Italian American Foundation). Piazza met Palermo calcio (one of the top teams in the Italian soccer Serie A) vice president Guglielmo Miccichè and received a personalized (with his name and his number 31) Palermo jersey .
“We are the only team in the world with a pink jersey” commented Miccichè, who received from Piazza a Mets jersey and gave to Mike’s wife Alicia Rickter a couple of Kurò (the Palermo calcio mascotte) puppets as a present for the couple’s daughters Nicoletta and Paulina.
Miccichè enquired Piazza and NIAF President Jerry Colangelo about the possibility of organizing a Palermo tour in the States to face Major League Soccer teams.
Piazza, after asking information about the future of his favorite Palermo player (striker Fabrizio Miccoli), explained to Miccichè that he believes that baseball development in Italy has to include Sicily, because of the ideal weather conditions of the island.
Miccichè explained that Palermo calcio supports baseball and that one of the projects the team ownership has is about remodeling the Palermo baseball stadium in order to host main events.
For more pictures of Mike Piazza’s visit to Palermo go to FIBS.it.