MLBI man profiled

The Journal Times of Racine, Wisconsin, has a profile of Dan Bonanno, who is a European Game Development Consultant for Major League Baseball International based in Italy:

"I was always fascinated with the opportunity to travel and, being an Italian-American, Italy held a fundamental importance in our family's history,'' Bonanno said. "I thought that being able to get a chance to play in Italy would satisfy my baseball needs, cure my travel bug and give me a chance to visit the country where our ancestors came from all at the same time.

"I found out that the Italian League allowed two 'import' players and three 'oriundi,' or Italian-American players who qualified as such through proof of ancestry. If an Italian-American could produce the correct paperwork to qualify as an 'oriundi,' he would have a very good chance to sign with an Italian club.

"I was playing at Grand Canyon at the time and my mom was stuck with the arduous task of gathering the paperwork and dealing with the Italian Consulates in Chicago and Los Angeles. The break came when an original birth certificate of my great-grandfather was found in the attic of my aunt's house.'' What a break it was for Bonanno. In Italy, he found a new and fulfilling life, not to mention a new home.