(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos courtesy of FIBS & Rimini Baseball)
IN MEMORIAM
...Cesare 'Rino' Zangheri...
(1932 - 2019)
(© Photo: FIBS) |
 Iconic Rimini-President Cesare Zangheri passed away
Nederlands
 RIMINI (Italy) -
Cesare Zangheri, who for decades has been an icon in the history of baseball-club Pirati dei Rimini, passed away at age 86 on Saturday (February 16).
Mr. Zangheri, who was known as 'Rino' by everyone and was a well-respected personality in Italian baseball, led the club as its President for a record 45 years.
On Tuesday (February 19), fans, players and club-officials said farewell to their beloved Rino.
After a memorial in the crowded parish of San Giovanni Battista, Mr. Zangheri's casket was moved to the Casa dei Pirati, the home-stadium of the baseball-team.
The casket was adorned with wreaths of flowers, which were in the orange club-color, accompanied with a flag with the club-logo.
Covering the flowers were two baseball-shirts.
At the mound of the baseball-stadium, another memorial ceremony followed to say a final farewell.
Amongst the attendees was Italian actor Fabio De Luigi, who in 1995-1997 was an outfielder of the Rimini baseball-team, before turning to an acting career.
Since 1996, De Luigi, who also is a voice-actor, appeared in many Italian movies and several TV-series.
Cesare Zangheri was born on June 5, 1932 in Rimini and has worked and lived his entire life in this coastal city.
He attended the Technical Institute (Istituto Tecnico Commerciale) and loved baseball, which became his passion.
Zangheri quickly became involved with the local baseball-team, which became one of the best in Italian baseball.
However, the last few years, the club encountered some problems and it is unclear at the moment whether or not the team can play in the highest league this year.
Last year, Dutch National Team-pitcher Kevin Kelly played for Rimini.
Also playing for Rimini last season was Curaçao-born catcher Phildrick Llewellyn.
Cesare Zangheri became President of Rimini Baseball in 1973 in which the team returned to Serie A, the highest league.
That was also the year when the new stadium ('Casa dei Pirati') was opened and when another club-icon joined, player Mike Romano.
Five years later, in 1978, the stadium was improved with a new stands and a lighting installation.
The new improved stadium was ready in time to host games of the World Baseball Championship, which then was held succesfully for the first time in Italy.
Bologna and Parma also hosted games of the global event back then and Zangheri was President of the Organizing Committee.
Thanks to Zangheri (and others), the World Championship was also organized in Italy in 1988 and 1998 and Rimini again belonged to the playing sites in both years.
The team still plays at the same site, which was designed by Zangheri, who led a manufacturing timber-company that also was successful internationally.
When Zangheri became the President of the club, he introduced a more professional approach.
That led to a successul improvement of accomplishments and in 1975, the team won its first Italian Championship-title.
Thereafter, the team went on to capture the title twelve more times (1979, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2015, 2017).
Rimini also won the European Cup Winners Cup three times (1976, 1979, 1989) and the European CEB Cup once (1994).
...Cesare Zangheri (center) celebrates a title...
...with standing at left players Beppe Carelli...
...and Mike Romano...
(© Photo: Rimini Baseball) |
Through the years, many wellknown players played for Rimini wearing the characteristic club-colors of orange and black.
Amongst them are Mike Romano, Lou Colabello, Ed Orrizzi, Paolo Ceccaroli, Giuseppe 'Beppe' Carelli, Elio Gambuti, Roberto Cabalisti and Andrea Evangelista.
They also played for many years for the Italian National Team.
Playing in the successful team in 1987, 1988 and 1989 was American pitcher Rick Waits, who played in the Major League for twelve seasons before coming to Italy.
In 1988-1989, Waits was player/manager of Rimini.
Waits played for Texas Rangers (1973), Cleveland Indians (1975-1983) and Milwaukee Brewers (1983-1985).
In 2017, Waits was the Pitching Coach of Chinatrust Brothers in the professional league in Taiwan.
In an interview with my Italian colleague Riccardo Schiroli in 2012, Zangheri looked back to the beginning:
,,I lived next to the football stadium and in the early seventies, a baseball-game was played on the football field.
I think the team was playing in Serie B.
At first, I thought they were playing golf, from the sounds I heard.
Then I saw they had different equipment and I stopped to watch.
I quickly found it a very interesting game.
I got involved and I joined the club as Vice President.''
In the interview, he also looked back to the first Championship-title in 1975.
Zangheri: ,,We weren't expecting it.
But come to think, we were a society that was so structured that it needed to win.
I had something like 30 councillors, all volunteers and all available.
Today, such a structure would not be possible.
Who's doing things as a volunteer today?
Also, the relationship with the players back then was very different.''
Several American players joined the club in those days, including Mike Romano.
Zangheri in the interview: ,,Every day, I had one of them to eat at my house.
They lived together, but if they had an argument, they asked me to come and then slept in my house.
My wife and my mother-in-law were happy to have them.
That were other times, today, this would not be possible.''
...Cesare Zangheri sits in the middle when Rimini...
...celebrates another Championship...
(© Photo: Rimini Baseball) |
Thanks to his close involvements with the baseball-team, Zangheri got several nicknames, including 'Father of Rimini Baseball' (Padre del Baseball Riminese) and 'Pres' (short for President).
In 2017, after having led the club for 45 years, Cesare Zangheri, decided to step down for health-reasons and handed over the presidency to Simone Pillisio.
A few days ago, it was announced that Pillisio will be succeeded by Ciro Esposito.
Zangheri's tenure is the longest ever in Italian baseball by a club-president and probably the longest ever in the world in any sport.
Since 1992, Cesare Zangheri was a member of the Council of the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation (Federazione Italiana Baseball e Softball).
The Municipality of Rimini issued the following statement:
,,With Rino Zangheri a piece of history leaves Rimini and all of us.
And with him, one of the most extraordinary men of sports that Italy has ever had.
He was at the helm of Rimini for forty-five years with many memorable baseball-moments, epic successes and also defeated crisis.
He was always there to cultivate his passion that nobody cherished, loved and promoted as he did.
Rino Zangheri always amazed us and never gave up.
He has had a major contribution in Italian sport.
He was the soul of the Pirates, who chose to invest in his sport and often chose with his heart rather than reason.
He had a big heart and therefore, in 2000, it was time to honor Zangheri with the Sigismondo d'Oro, the highest honor by the City of Rimini for his career and many contributions.
Baseball in Rimini can survive and rise again in the name, passion and legacy of Zangheri.
The Community of Rimini says a big 'grazie' to Rino Zangheri.''
Andrea Marcon, the President of the Italian Federation, was asked for a reaction by Filippo Fantasia, another longtime Italian colleague of mine.
Marcon stated:
,,It's a very sad day for the Italian Federation and all of us.
With the passing of Rino Zangheri a giant of our baseball has left us.
We lose a person who brought forward with incredible passion a beatiful reality in Rimini.
On behalf of the entire Federation and the entire community we offer our condolences to the Zangheri family and thank them for giving us a person who will not have an equal.''
As mentioned, in 2000, Cesare Zangheri was awarded the Sigismondo d'Oro, the highest honor by the City of Rimini.
In 2015, he was elected into the Italian Baseball and Softball Hall of Fame.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family of Cesare Zangheri and to the Italian baseball-community and wishes them a lot of strength with this loss.
(February 20)
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