We have finally managed to stage, or rather on the table, the 2024 edition of the Donnabella prize, originally scheduled at the Kennedy, but postponed several times in the rainiest October of the last 70 years and finally reorganized this year too at the shooting clubhouse. About seventy were also present at yesterday’s evening with many exes and the two top baseball and softball teams. Many memories and also a bit of emotion, thanks to a wonderful initiative by Bruno Vicentini who wanted to remember Ivan Guerci by giving his former teammates and all those present a pin with the writing Ivan 15, in memory of the great captain who recently passed away with his historical shirt number.
Presenting the Donnabella prize plaques, in the absence of Doriano’s family for the first time, unfortunately unable to do so due to other commitments, was Angelo Novali, who in addition to being the captain of the great Europhon of which Donnabella was secretary, was also Doriano’s team in the year of his debut in the first team, when the founder of Milan was in his last season as a player.
The actual award went to another great captain, Maurizio Brusati, rossoblù for 458 games between ’80 and ’95, then coach for a long time, but above all the player who lifted the two Mediolanum Cup trophies in ’91 and in ’92, in addition to the European Super Cup. In keeping with his reputation as a captain of few words, “Brusti” limited himself to recalling his famous mottos: from “prima tacum, prima finisum”, to “mej strike out what a double game”. Much more talkative was Paolo Omiccioli who, bordering on emotion, recalled the sporting parable of his brother Marco, catcher for Milan between ’76 and ’85 with a three-year stint in Parma where he won two championships and two European Cups. Paolo wanted those he defined as Marco’s “other brothers” with him to collect the award, namely Paolo Braga (with whom Omiccioli formed a famous team, the most close-knit in the history of Milan, with 61 matches started as a pair, after that composed of Piazzi and Anedda, with 80 matches, and ahead of Folli-Cameroni with 60), and Leo Schianchi, former Italian player, with whom Omiccioli shared the years of Parma and the national team Probable Olympics. Even Braga and Schianchi, who came from Courmayeur and Parma respectively to honor the evening dedicated to Omiccioli, wanted to remember some anecdotes from the many seasons spent with Marco.
During the evening, special awards were also given to the active rossoblù, with the softball girls who came close to promotion to A2 awarded by their male colleagues: Max Sanguedolce, Milan’s best hitter of the season, awarded his softball counterpart Chiara Pizzi; the pitcher Davide Pizzi awarded the best pitcher Federica Baule, Marco Pasotto awarded the best defender Camilla Giamminola, while the current captain Nicola B Ancora awarded the utility player of the rossoblù season, the softball captain Daniela Tesini. Finally, president Selmi presented Sabrina Monti, leader of the Milanese softball group, with a plaque commemorating the season.
Moving on to baseball, the rossoblù super captain Piero Allara presented Nicola B Ancora with the plaque for his 200 appearances for Milan, a plaque which unfortunately Luca Fraschetti was unable to collect, as he was absent due to other commitments. And Raoul Pasotto, in the role of former rossoblù manager, rewarded Marco Fraschetti for his 200 “bench games” in Milan, recalling that he was surpassed just this year by his former teammate in terms of appearances at the helm of the first team.
The evening ended with the usual greeting from President Alessandro Selmi who recalled Ivan Guerci at the beginning, then announced that “after having celebrated the first ten years of presidency, I am now ready to open a new cycle. But now we need more resources, to involve more and more people. And now we are heading into a season in which we want to continue to be protagonists, as Serie A did this year, making a big leap forward. Next year we want to see even more people following our matches.”
