Jefferson Park - Hollywood, Florida...

{Publisher's comments in brackets...}

Debby Bussler writes about last week's passing of Bocce Bob Whitlow...

"Thanks for printing the articles on Bob Whitlow. He loved your publication. It will mean a lot to his family that he was remembered with such esteem. Before he passed away, he passed the torch of reporting bocce news to me. I will do my best. Debby Bussler - Publicity, Bocce USA.

{Debby sounds like she will do Bob Whitlow's memory proud.}

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United States Bocce Federation president Danny Passaglia updates us on the recent North American Cup...

"I just wanted to give everyone a brief update regarding our participation in the 5th North American Cup. It was hosted by the Ciociaro Club from Vaughn, Canada. They did a great job and made everyone feel at home. Very nice accommodations, friendly people, and some great food including Italian style wood oven pizzas.

I just received a very nice compliment from our hosts and they were extremely happy with the conduct of our players, coaches, and guests both on and off the courts. The highlight of the event was on Saturday afternoon, when play was stopped for an outdoor BBQ, and the Club hosted a Youth Clinic for around 90 kids. The children ranged in age from 5-16 and represented a very diverse ethnic group. They were exposed to bocce, many of them for the first time, and the parents seemed extremely happy with the treatment their children received. It was certainly heartwarming to see all the curious and smiling faces.

As for the results, we did very well. In the Men's Division, we were able to place one Team ( DaVinci #1) in the semi-finals but they had to face the "home" team from Toronto and lost. As for the Ladies, our National Champs made it to the finals against a very tough Montreal Team. A Team they had actually beaten once in the preliminaries. They tried their very best and almost pulled off a victory. They did however take home well earned 2nd Place trophies."

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Jim Capossela sends news of a tourney coming up October 4th & 5th in Milford, Connecticut...

http://www.joyofbocce.com/filecabinet/Ezines/Milford_flyer_2008.pdf

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Alvaro Bettucchi sends results from the 23rd Annual ITALIAN AMERICAN GAMES RAFFA TOURNAMENT held on September 13, 2008.

Says Bettucchi... "Great tournament! The final ended 14 to 15 with the last ball winning the point in a cluster of balls, all in a bersaglio situation."

1st Place = SOUTH CITY CAR WASH: Giuliano Brunelli (Capt.), Marino Lari, Sam Pretari

2nd Place = SAN FRANCISCO: Roy Bellafronte (Capt), Giovanni Napoli, Tony Randazzo

3rd Place = STOCKTON: Alberico Leonardi (Capt), Norman Freschet, Luca Fontana

4th Place = MARTINEZ: Bob Faraone (Capt), Denny Kinsel, Tracy Benetti

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Paul DiCicco sends results too (CLEVELAND CHALLENGE CUP OF BOCCE )...

"I wanted to tell you a little about our tournament last month (8-22).

We had 78 teams this year in our 25th Annual Tournament, with the grand prize of $5,000 going to Team Rochester for the second time in as many years. Second prize went to DaVinci Club out of Michigan. We paid out a total of $15,000 in prize money to sixteen teams.

The crowd for the weekend was treated to GREAT bocce, Italian Food, Music and Entertainment, and our inaugural cornhole tournament. We are already planning next year's event scheduled for August 28th - 30th. We'll get you more detailed info when there is more to get you...thanks for all your help and see you around the courts."

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Are you lugging 50- and 80-lb bags of Har-Tru or other material to top dress your bocce court? Here's a coupon good for a few bucks off a purchase at handtrucks.com.



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Martignetti Family Charity Bocce Tournament set for Sunday, October 12th in Derry, NH.

New England's largest charity bocce tourney. This year's proceeds go to kidney disease research at Massachusetts General Hospital. Come play and/or contribute. There's a big bonus: you get to meet me and my bocce posse who will serve as referees for the event. Contact Sandro Martignetti @ sandro@martignetti.us

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Here's a pdf file with all the info you need for the October 17, 18, and 19 bocce event in Phoenix, Arizona.

http://www.joyofbocce.com/filecabinet/Ezines/Arizona_2008.pdf

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Blast from the past...

It's fun to look at back issues to see where we were and where we might be headed.

Volume #2, Issue #11 - March 17, 2003

Bocce website featured…

Collegium Cosmicum ad Buxeas (located at http://www.bocce.org) gets my vote as the most impressive, informative and complete bocce site on the web.

The Latin translates as the “Universal College of Bocce.” The site is actually an affiliate of an organization by the same name headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Webmaster Ron Broglio has created a well-written, effective resource for bocce lovers.

There is an excellent, entertaining section on History…

“While bocce today looks quite different from its early predecessors, the unbroken thread of bocce’s lineage is the consistently common objective of trying to come as close to a fixed target as possible.”

We learn early on when viewing this site that we are in the hands of a master craftsman – a writer with class, style, and more than a touch of panache.

Exhibit A…

“Throw out a pallino and become part of the long heritage of the game from great thinkers such as Galileo and da Vinci, to rulers Augustus and Queen Elizabeth, to the noble Sir Francis Drake and even America’s own George Washington. Enjoy the world’s oldest sport, a sport known to revive the body and mind, and next to soccer, the most popular game in the world.”

The link to Rules goes into great detail and is very easy to navigate.

The Hall of Fame section lists Robert J. Barone (1941 – 1995).

“He ranks among the most respected and popular players and raconteurs in the history of modern bocce.”

Credit Broglio with perhaps being the first person to use raconteurs and bocce in the same sentence. A bit of a story-teller myself, Barone sounds like someone I would have liked to meet.

The Court Design section contains detailed drawings that are of incomparable value – anything else I have seen is “minor league” in comparison. Broglio is part of an engineering firm whose work appears to be exceptional. These intricate drawings are the highlight of this wonderful site…a must see!

While browsing, check out the Gift Shop which offers apparel and accessories - everything from bocce balls to bocce shoes and socks to referee shirts.

Warning - visit at your own risk – you will be drawn in and, if you love bocce like I do, you will likely spend hours soaking in the knowledge and the ambience.

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Get Ready For Football season



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Joy of Bocce 3rd Edition - Photos Needed

I’ve decided to do a third edition, re-doing almost all the photographs. I’ve got a great new digital camera and can re-take many of the shots. In addition, I’m asking readers to submit new pics – at least 300 dpi is the goal. I'm asking you and my friends like court builders David Brewer, Mike Grasser, and Tom McNutt to re-submit photos of their best courts. The new edition will probably not be much different in terms of text (although I may tighten it a bit – friends of mine say to me…”Leave it to you to write a book this thick on bocce”).

I'll need your help with this effort. Please submit high quality (300 dpi) pics (and permission to reprint) of bocce in your neck of the woods. This project will be my main focus for 2008 & 2009. Please help.

Color code your bocce event...

View this week's photos

View photos and info on the Bocce Caddy

Joy of bocce t-shirts, mugs, buttons, magnets, etc.