Campioni d’Europa! Campioni d’Europa!

The chant rose louder and louder a little more than a month ago in every Italian neighborhood from Boston to Los Angeles. The chant certainly was much louder on the other side of the ocean, shaking a nation in joy as Italy’s national team, Azzurri, defeated England for the European Football Championship.

For Italy, the country where soccer is considered a religion, it was a victory with many meanings. Primarily, it was a win for Southern Europe against Northern Europe. Also, it delivered immeasurable happiness to the first European country to be devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the field, the victory symbolized triumph of David over Goliath. The English invented soccer, and, according to some people, the country’s national team benefited from some arbitral favor in the semifinal against Denmark to reach the final match. The English had a team of international stars. Its roster featured a market value of more than US$1 billion while the Italian team consisted of young and unknown players. Azzurri’s players were considered wingmen, outsiders and underdogs. Prior to the tournament, English newspapers ranked Italy as a mediocre team that should not even dream of reaching the final.

But, according to an Italian journalist, “Italy, which often is denigrated, provided lessons in democracy, efficiency, beauty, fantasy and team spirit to all of Europe with its victory at Wembley.”

The journalist then commented on the strength and intelligence of the team to reach its goal and showcase the nation’s redemption after its war-like destruction from a virus. On the field, Azzurri demonstrated its strength by first winning the three matches in the group against Turkey, Switzerland and Wales. Then, the team defeated Austria in the round of 16. Azzurri marched on by defeating Belgium (number one in the world in the FIFA — Federation Internationale de Football Association) in the quarter finals. A win over formidable Spain in the semifinals was capped by defeating the host country in the final on penalties.

After almost two years in which the pandemic sowed terror and created a social depression throughout the nation, Azzurri allowed Italians again to joyfully sing its national anthem with emphasis on the words “L’Italia s’è desta” – Italy has awakened!

As a young man, he starred in basketball at Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. He also played baseball for an amateur team in the Coney Island Sports League, informally known as the Ice Cream League, and then enrolled at the University of Cincinnati to pursue a career as an architect.

Sports, though, tugged at him. He played for his school’s varsity baseball team as a freshman. He struck out 51 batters in 31 innings with his fastball.

He had a tryout with the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. He was so nervous that he forgot to bring his glove. His pitches were wild and the Giants passed on him. He then traveled to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, where Branch Rickey watched with a scout. A former major league catcher crouched behind the plate. The young man threw harder and harder until one pitch broke the catcher’s thumb though it was protected by the mitt.

Rickey said that he thought the pitcher had the best arm he had ever seen in the game, and considered providing the young man with a generous signing package of approximately $15,000.

The star of the Ice Cream League and Lafayette High School chose to think about it. He went home and then decided to try out with the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. The team’s chief scout, Al Campanis, stood in the batter’s box. The moment was memorable, with the scout indicating that only twice did the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up. The first was when he saw Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and the second was when he saw that fastball.

The young pitcher, who received a $20,000 package from the Dodgers, figured that at least it would cover tuition for college if baseball timed out too soon. His arm finally forced him to retire as a young man, but not until his sports career lasted longer than he had expected and hoped. He had pitched so dominantly that he quickly entered the game’s Hall of Fame.

For one of the few times in baseball, Branch Rickey did not get his player. The man who promoted Jackie Robinson, despite all the backlash hitting him square on the jaw as he tried to right a wrong in the game and society, just could not sign one of the few Jewish players at the time.

Sandy Koufax would take Rickey’s former Dodgers, though mostly in Los Angeles now, to new heights during the 1960s.