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Vol. I, Issue 28 July 22, 2002
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The Joy
of Bocce Weekly
The FREE weekly Ezine for bocce aficionados
everywhere
Volume #1, Issue #28 July 22, 2002
Publisher: Mario Pagnoni
Copyright 2002 http://www.joyofbocce.com
Come visit us often at
www.joyofbocce.com. We have bocce info, merchandise, links to other great bocce
sites, and the best selling bocce instructional book in the USA.
http://www14.mawebcenters.com/striker/orderform.ivnu Order Now @
$12.95.
WELCOME TO THE 84 NEW SUBSCRIBERS SINCE LAST WEEK!
I hope
you will like this electronic newsletter. To be deleted from my list, you can
Unsubscribe at the end of this issue. One of our enthusiastic readers suggested
that “…bocce and unsubscribe were mutually exclusive terms.” Conversely, if you
know others who would enjoy and benefit from this Ezine, encourage them to sign
up. You could forward this issue to them so they can decide for themselves if
they want to "opt in". I promise that I will never be in the business of selling
or trading your email address or other personal information.
A word about
ads: Like any entrepreneurial type, I'd love to turn a profit from something I
really enjoy. For now, I have decided not to accept paid advertisements. If I
pitch a product here, it is something I have examined and tested and deem it
beneficial to our readers.
PLEASE – we are always looking for bocce
photos and feedback from all over the USA. We want to connect bocce fans
everywhere. You can email (author@joyofbocce.com) or snail mail (Mario Pagnoni,
P.O. Box 608, Methuen, MA 01844.
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Publisher's comment in brackets {}
Jim Mancini of Visalia, CA
writes…
“I’m about halfway through your book – I skip around – and it is
terrific. Everything I wanted to know and then some. And you write clearly and
concisely.
{Thanks Jim…I’m blushing now}
I am almost done with my back
yard court. I’m waiting for my feed supplier to get some oyster flour for the
top layer. I have 4 inches of DG and then 2-3 inches of red clay now. The clay
turns into concrete after you wet it and is difficult to work
with.
Anyway, the main reason I am writing, besides congratulating you
for a fine book, is that I’m wondering if you know where I can purchase a
scoreboard. I’ve scoured the Internet and haven’t found much at all, except some
nice looking ones starting at $250. I really didn’t want to spend that much for
a simple clock face with numbers but I want something that will look nice. I
like the dual dial idea, one red one green. Why do the numbers only go to 12? I
understand now from your book that you recommend 12 as a good length game and
it’s the most common, but wouldn’t it be easy to make the numbers go to 15? I
guess if you want longer games you just keep going past 12 to 1 and on. {People
who use the clock type scoreboard generally play games to 12}
So can you
help me find a decent-looking scoreboard for not a lot of money? I guess I could
make one myself, I’m kind of handy that way, but I was envisioning a more
professional looking one.”
{There are pictures of various scoreboards in
my book – some home-made, inexpensive, and quite serviceable – also, there is a
neat one pictured on This Week’s Photos from Baltimore’s Little Italy – a handy
guy like you could make one that could look pretty professional – do any readers
have other ideas? Please
REPLY}
***********************************
Arizona’s Andrew Calev
sends this…
“Well, the courts have been approved by the community. Now we
need a designer/contractor. Do you know of anyone in Arizona? The location is in
Scottsdale.”
{Can any reader help? Please
REPLY}
***********************************
Perry Michienzi of
Downey, CA says…
”I can’t tell you how much we enjoy your letters on the
email and they mean a lot to my club. I post all and let them read the issues.
Keep up the good work!
I would like to see bocce on TV to promote it
more, show it to the general public for more exposure. Let’s wake this sleeping
giant and get it on board where it belongs. We have enough people and clubs all
over the USA. Maybe you could start something for national TV. I have been
pushing bocce now for 7 years since I started my club. I was raised on bocce in
Pennsylvania…love the game. But it needs a lot of support to get up in the
ranks. Put this out on your email and see what support you get.”
{Perry
is not only passionate, but he is correct too. Television exposure is just what
this game needs. There is a groundswell of activity with this wonderful sport
that needs to be harnessed and pointed in the right direction. A couple years
back I officiated a big money tournament run by the World Bocce Association and
hosted by Las Vegas’ Golden Nugget Casino. Organizer Phil Ferrari came up short
in his bid for TV coverage after negotiating with ESPN and Fox. The championship
game between a veteran club from Toronto and a team that featured Dr. Angel
Cordano and three fine young players from the San Francisco area was a thing of
beauty. Every player made the shot that he needed to make in virtually every
situation. If televised nationally, this single match would have elevated the
game’s popularity and communicated its appeal directly into this country’s
collective consciousness.}
*************************************
Ray Dicecca of Wilmington,
Mass. sends this…
“I very much enjoy your weekly newsletter, and look
forward to reading my e-mail every Monday morning, knowing that the latest "Joy
Of Bocce" will be waiting for me. It's great to have one location collecting as
much information as you do on such an enjoyable subject.
Which brings me to
the point of this e-mail: Having found you and receiving my first issue, which
was 3/24/2002, Issue 12, I was wondering if it was possible for you to email
Issues 1 through 11, so I can catch up on what I've missed. If possible, I would
greatly appreciate it. But if not, Thanks anyways for the promotion of a great
game, and keep up the good work.”
{Thanks for the kind words, Ray. I am
talking with the list manager, Topica, about archiving back issues. Will let you
know as soon as I know}
***********************************
Steve
Kahn from Banning, CA …
“Us old codgers are having a mild argument. One
side says that all team members shoot from one end of the court, then all walk
to the other end and shoot again. This is obviously a must for
singles.
The other side says that for two-person teams one member of each
team is at each end. For four-person teams two members of each team are at each
end. In either case, nobody walks. Which is right?”
{Whichever way you
decide to play is right. There is no hard and fast rule for this. I prefer a
little walking to get at least some exercise. Also, there is more camaraderie
when all four of the players are at one end…and you are playing every frame
instead of every other one. The only time we stay at one end is when we play 4
vs. 4 - two teammates are stationed at each end. This weekend I visited
Baltimore, Maryland’s Little Italy – see This Week’s Photos. They were playing 6
vs. 6 and using 12 bocce balls. Three teammates were stationed at each end – no
walking – and each player rolled 2 balls, making it possible to score 6 points
in a single frame. Games were played to a score of 12}
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Click the link below to read about this very powerful
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supply.
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