Soon after I’d watched the “A Field of Dreams” movie six times, I began to receive strange messages, something like the ones Kevin Costner had in the movie. But I didn’t know how to respond. I don’t speak Italian.
However, I have many Italian friends. So after a week or so of these weird dreams I called my buddy Frank Savino and asked for his help…… “Sounds like whoever is contacting you wants you to do something important,” Frank said, “But I think you’re supposed to wait. “
The same message was delivered every night. Frank finally gave me his take on the translation after I repeated some of the phrases: “They want you to build something to do with a game.”
“Build something? “I can’t build a baseball field like in the movie, my lot is only a quarter of an acre.”
” I think they want you to build a bocce court. I looked it up. The smallest court is about 10 feet by 60 feet. You can fit that in, can’t you?”
“I guess so, if I move the picnic table, the old swing and the St. Anthony and Buddha statues. I’ll ask Google about bocce court construction and order the material. “
I did some bocce checking and was surprised to learn it’s the third most popular sport in the world. Imagine that! It follows soccer and golf. How come I’ve never seen a game played on TV?
I gave my order to Joe at Parsippany Lumber the next day. “What are you building?” he asked……..”A small bocce court. Do you know anything about bocce?……”Oh sure, I play it all the time. You’re going to need more than lumber, like a pallino target ball and eight other balls. I’ll give you my cousin Anthony’s number. He can get you everything you need. I’ll insist on a discount.”………Three weeks later, I had a legitimate bocce court and the dreams became less frantic. But they didn’t go away.
I’d installed a hanging light bulb over the court and looked out there every night, but no one showed up, only moths. Then one night, around 1 a.m., I heard clicking noises. There was one player out there, an old guy who seemed to be playing a serious solo game. I raised the window and shouted “Buona notte!” He looked up, smiled, waved and resumed his bowling. It was like interrupting Rip Van Winkle in his game with the little Dutchmen.
One night later, with Frank Savino at my side, I looked again. There were two players! They were shouting and arguing at 2 a.m. and none of the neighbors lights were coming on. Apparently, only Frank and I could see the players and hear the shouting.
“I’ve done more research, “Frank said. I think I know who those two players are. I’ve got photos. The taller guy is Umberto Granaglia , once called ‘The greatest player of the 2oth century’. He died in 2008. The other is Jose Botto, the USA’s most highly decorated bocce player. He died the same year, but these two never got to play each other. It must be a match they wangled out of St. Peter, a last wish of one or both of them.”
“Now this is probably a wild guess,” Frank said, “But maybe the deal had to be a secret match with no audience. Botto had a Jersey connection and might have suggested a backyard midnight tournament here.”
That may or may not be the background for this weird series, but after a dozen or so games in the seesaw battle, the two champs calmed down and accepted a few bottles of excellent chianti and three extra large everything pizzas. Umberto and Jose drank and ate heartily and so did Frank and I. Frank told me, according to his translation, the match ended in a tie. I hope the rematch is in Italy. By the way, not one of Frank’s many photos turned out to include the two champs.
Imagine That 