Parma Give Up on Season, Turn to Gimmicks
By: Martha | March 23rd, 2007
When I saw a story in La Gazzatta dello Sport earlier today about Parma signing a middle-aged comedian, I figured Google translate was just having a laugh. It turns out, though, that the signing actually happened, which is a sure sign something more serious than a lack of ability is amiss at Parma. I mean, if your club is engaged in a desperate struggle to survive, where on the list of possible solutions, exactly, is signing a 52-year-old TV personality who has been publicly begging the entire top flight for a contract? Somewhere far below “let the kids give it a shot,” one imagines, and several places beneath even “start offering bribes to everyone.”
But it’s the solution Parma have chosen. Club president Tommaso Ghirardi finds the signing of Gene Gnocchi completely hilarious and inspired, and is already telling the press about how the comedian will not in any way be a distraction, but in fact will keep the team relaxed in the changing room, and may even become a sort of good luck charm for the club. Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that, Tommaso. I’m not even a Parma supporter, and this makes me furious. Call me crazy, but I think it shows a total lack of respect for the players and their struggle, as well as the fans who have been supporting them all season. Should they not be allowed to focus on survival, rather than turning into some sort of media slide show? Honestly. It’s insulting.
How does poor Claudio Ranieri feel about this? Well, he’s apparently not being allowed to speak to the press on his own about the debacle. (Which, if you’re the Parma brass, is a good damn idea.) According to Ghirardi, however, Ranieri’s reaction was something like “Why not?” He didn’t, of course, share the question that elicited that reponse, which was probably something like “We’ve signed Gnocchi. Does this make you want to kill yourself?”
Category: Serie A
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share
      |
Comments
-
They’ll be laughing all the way to Serie B.
Posted from
United States
-
sad
if i were a parma fan i would be pissedPosted from
Canada -
Seriously, who’s running things there? The spirit of Bill Veeck? (Martha, he is the marketing genius behind the ivy at Wrigley and Disco Demolition Night at the old Comiskey.)
Posted from
United States -
Muddia, I’m deeply insulted that you think I wouldn’t know who Bill “Veeck as in Wreck” is. Come on! I’m a baseball fan from way back!
Posted from
United States -
Mi dispiace Martha.
Posted from
United States -
Also, and more to the point, Bill Veeck was the guy that hired the midget to appear in a St. Louis Browns game. If any team provides a worthy template for poor Parma, it would be the Brownies. Said, er, sorry, stature-ly challenged individual batted once and drew a walk. (Really tight strike zone.) Ciao tutti!
Posted from
United States -
Name of Eddie Gadel, if I remember correctly — I think he was a batboy, actually, who Veeck signed to a one-day contract. The disturbing thing is that I can picture him perfectly in my head. (Yes, I sat inside and read about baseball as a child. So?)
Posted from
United States -
Gadel or Gaedel perhaps. One could probably hunt down the particulars in Wikipedia. The ultimate trivia question would be, who was the pitcher who had to pitch to him?
Posted from
United States -
If you have a minute, check out the story in Wikipedia. It’s a hoot. I had forgotten the details, and there’s a few in there that I don’t think I’d ever heard.
Posted from
United States -
“The best darn midget who ever played big-league ball.” Brilliant!
Posted from
United States
Comments are closed
Home 
