Page 8 POST-GAZETTE, JULY 3, 2009

S imple TIMES . . . by Girard A. Plante “Unless we remember we cannot understand” EDWARD MORGAN FOSTER Remember the tune the best player “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon possible. Manny’s tardiness and Garfunkel? The song at the famed ball yard proved became a smash in the 1968 legendary. Manny was being film “The Graduate” starring Manny when on a swelter- Dustin Hoffman, and some of ing 100-plus degree day the song’s lyrics refer to one game in Chicago in 2005 he of the 20th century’s sports didn’t play. He’s paid $15 icons, million dollars a season. Yet Joe DiMaggio. Manny sits! Enablers Epstein “Where have you gone Joe and Francona looked the Davide Girola interviews DiMaggio, our nation turns other way — no fine, no sus- Vincenzo Capogreco of East its lonely eyes to you. What’s pension. Boston. that you say Mrs. Robinson, Manny’s first full sea- Dominic Campochiaro Joltin’ Joe has left and gone son with the Los Angeles “Unless we remember Barbara Summa of the chats about his childhood, away.” Dodgers arrived as expected: we cannot understand” North End discusses the war time memories and Joltin’ Joe was DiMaggio’s showing up three weeks EDWARD MORGAN FOSTER North End, her grandpar- more. nickname. And Joe’s younger late to this year’s spring ents and simple everyday brother, Dom, played all 13 training. You see, over the This phrase can summa- life as a child. of his major league seasons winter Manny was being rize the challenge that four with the . Manny, demanding a four- Italian youngsters have site, provided by sponsor con- Dominic passed away May 8, year deal worth a whopping decided to undertake with tribution, will be entirely 2009. He was 92. Accolades $42 million. But he’s dealing the Memoro project — the devolved to associations in poured in for Dom from with Los Angeles, not Bos- Bank of Memories. What favor of the elderly and child- across America, the Red Sox ton. Manny and his greed- is Memoro? It is a non profit hood. The Bank of Memories organization, and the base- agent held out project dedicated to the is a project that can gener- ball world. Dom epitomized for a four-year deal that collection of testimonies, of ate wealth, both in cultural the qualities of not only a never came. Instead, the free flow of memories, emo- and economic terms. This true professional athlete but cash-rich Dodgers foolishly tions and stories of a specific wealth though is not meant a wonderful human being: handed over $3 million more portion of society: the third to be accumulated but quiet strength topped with a than their original offer. But age. To be precise the people rather shared. To become gracious demeanor. Manny’s always full of sur- that are considered and sustainable, the project con- Not the great athlete like prises. He drew contempt described are born be- templates the inclusion of Carmine Cafasso of East his brother Joe, Dom’s work from Dodgers’ officials and fore 1940. The site, that is ethically coherent sponsors, Boston talked about the ethic made him a solid base- teammates alike when in thought as a space of collec- that will obtain visibility in- Korean War, dating and ball player with a mix of May he tested positive for a tion and fruition of audio- side the portal through a dancing back in the day stellar defense and clutch banned drug that drew a 50- video content, was launched space in which the compa- and community. hitting. He played in the game suspension without on June 15, 2008. A con- nies will see their history shadow of , and pay. tainer of life and lives, ex- retraced through the contri- older brother Joe. He never Weeks of silence proved pressed for the absolute first butions of those who have complained about that dur- deafening as Manny cow- time through images: short always been a part of their ing his baseball career, but ered in the confines of stories from a minimum of history: the workers and years later in an interview his multi-million dollar 3 minutes to a maximum of employees that have lived he revealed the angst of crib. Ordered by Dodgers of- 8 minutes, spread on the their life and spent their playing in the midst of his ficials to “publicly” apologize internet through our site careers along with them. superstar brother. “It fol- to his teammates, Manny www.memoro.org in an ab- The main newspapers, peri- lowed me all through my thumbed his nose. Soon af- solutely cost-free manner. odicals, radio and Italian major league career. I was ter the suspension began his The videos are produced television stations have always Joe’s kid brother,” he ego deflated like a lead bal- for the most part by an in- spoken of the project (press said. But Dom’s intelligence loon and he met in Dodger ternal editing staff, but the review: www.memoro.org/it/ as a chemical engineer in- Stadium to pour out his soul intention is to interact di- rassegna_stampa.php) and cluded other skills he per- to his teammates. rectly with the users. It is in the site has obtained refer- formed superior to Joe: “I can I doubt Manny missed get- fact possible to send videos ral from 1,100 external sites. do two things better than ting up early and going to the in terms of spontaneous Our community counts over Tommy Flaherty of South Joe. Play pinochle and speak ballpark to shag balls under stream through the upload of 2,000 users, to whom we Boston recounts his memo- Italian.” And Dom’s speed the searing Southern Cali- ries of South Boston, The the users. The videos are add the 3,000 of Facebook oftentimes aided Williams’ fornia sun. And he definitely viewed and selected by the groups. The project, from the Vietnam War, and sports. leftfield position. didn’t fret over losing money editing staff in order to guar- beginning, has been planned Let’s move forward to a dif- as millions of Americans antee consistency with the to be expanded on an inter- ferent era in Major League lost jobs, homes, pensions project. Memoro is a classi- national scale: memory is Baseball. The year is 2004 and health insurance since fied collection of content; a heritage that transcends and is a the end of last summer which makes it unique in national boundaries. The big cog in the wheel that while Manny headed west to the nature of the content it- project has already been drives the Red Sox to its Mannywood. His suspension self. Memoro has the objec- launched in the English, first title in nearly over, Manny’s playing tive, the mission of becom- Spanish, German and 86 years. Manny also played Class A minor league ball ing the trait d’union between French languages. The Por- a huge role in helping before rejoining the Dodgers one generation that wants to tuguese, Russian and Roma- the Red Sox win their sec- this month. speak and one that needs to nian versions will be online ond World Series title in To the displeasure of listen. Memoro makes it pos- around September 2009. Lo- three years in 2007. Dom the groupies still infatuated sible for the elderly to reach cal editorial staffs are active DiMaggio would have given with the ego-inducing an- the younger people through in order to collect content in much to experience those tics of Manny Ramirez, we the use of their most direct Barcelona, Munich, London, exciting accomplishments! baseball purists yearn for Fran Rowen of East Boston and accessible language: the Paris, Denver, Los Angeles. Athlete-heroes in this guys like Dom DiMaggio, and discusses politics, Wood- internet. Through the free The USA Tour 2009 This sports-crazed town abound. his older brother Joltin’ Joe stock, growing up on a farm spread of testimonies whose journey is intended to re- But Ramirez is the consum- to return us to the simpler and settling in East Boston. content is as ample and real peat the success obtained by mate antihero. I’ll give him times in major league as possible, we accomplish a the event that took place in American people. This first just dues for putting out big baseball’s heyday. concrete valorization of the Italy in August of 2008 step of our program intends numbers in hits, homers, Redeeming qualities such third age. where, reaching 30 cities in to cover a part of the East RBIs and percentage as quiet strength, a tireless This way the elderly can 30 days, from North to South, Coast, 15 days from Boston to during his eight years in work ethic, self-respect and regain the role that they we have tried to describe Washington, seeking tales Boston. But that’s where the respect for his teammates have been losing only in Italy through the memories and experiences. Local ad- celebratory calls end. And and fans, won Dom a place this last century, being a of its people. ministrations, universities, it’s where adulation for in their hearts for genera- source and a channel of ex- Just like then, our inten- homes for the elderly of the the scholarly Dom DiMaggio tions. That’s more than will perience, knowledge, wis- tion is a trip in constant mo- designated cities will be con- begins. ever be anointed to Manny dom and moreover they be- tion, with the goal to collect, tacted, leaving time and Dom arrived at Fenway despite two World Series come closer to a world, that classify and spread through space for those who will con- Park to work at becoming titles. of the web, from which they the web, life experiences and tact us to be interviewed or often seem to be left out. The memories of people born be- to let us interview a grand- The Federal Commission Bank of Memories is char- fore 1940. In this case our parent or a dear one. The trip acterized by a strong ethical goal is : 1) collect will be reported in real time works for the consumer to prevent fraud and deception. connotation, an example of memories of Italians that in a blog where, along with Call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) Web 2.0 with social goals. emigrated in the US and the journey log, at least one or log on to www.ftc.gov. The operating profit of the 2) collect memories of the video will be uploaded daily.