The Bocce Bros: Recent Episodes
The Bocce Bros
Ava Della Croce) making a statement defeating powerhouse Italy in the co-ed doubles opening match. While Joseph Della Croce defeats France in the Singles division.In this Interview, we talk about:-Nicos experience on the courts and competition in France-The mindset behind the first game-How the momentum of U.S. bocce is growing stronger than ever -Game schedule for the week
episode is one for the history books! We welcome our youngest guest ever—Carlo Melaragno Jr., aka Bubba, aka the Mayor of Club Molisani. At just five years old, Carlo Jr. steals the show with his big personality, proving that bocce (and great storytelling) runs deep in the family.Of course, his dad, Carlo Sr., jumps in and out of the conversation, adding to the fun, and we even get a surprise appearance from Nonna! This episode has everything—laughs, wisdom beyond years, and a whole lot of Italian spirit.Don’t miss it! Watch and listen now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. 🎧🎥 #TheBocceBros #ClubMolisani #Bocce
In this Club Molisani Session, we sit down with Alessio DiFranco, Luciano DeSensi, and Matt Lippa for an in-depth conversation about the club’s history, growth, and bocce legacy.Alessio takes us back to the early days of Club Molisani. Luciano dives into the club’s improvements over the years and the importance of keeping bocce organized for players and tournaments. Meanwhile, Matt Lippa gives us insight into his Worlds of Bocce experience and how it’s shaped his perspective on the game.From stories of the past to the future of bocce, this episode is packed with great insights, passion, and a few laughs along the way. Tune in and enjoy!Listen to episode on YouTube, Spotify, Apple & SoundCloud
In this episode of The Bocce Bros. Podcast - Club Molisani Sessions Val Frabotta and Aldino DiFranco share their journey from Molise, Italy to East Cleveland at age 20. They take us back to the early days of Club Molisani, revealing how it all began and sharing some unforgettable and entertaining stories along the way. Join us for a mix of history, humor, and heartfelt memories!
Welcome to the Club Molisani Sessions, where we bring you the voices and vibes straight from one of the most iconic bocce clubs around.In this episode, we sit down with our friends Andy Zimmerman and Alex Gara from the American Bocce Company in Chicago. They’ve got some big news to share—something that promises to reshape the bocce scene in the Windy City and beyond. From their grassroots beginnings to their latest exciting ventures, Andy and Alex dive into what makes Chicago a bocce hotspot and how they plan to take it to the next level.
Sean New & Mike Pisano of Koppel, PA sit down for a quick conversation about their bocce beginnings and more at the Mauro Frate doubles tournament at Club Molisani
This interview took place in NOvember of 2023 at the Lone Star Open Bocce Tournament in Dallas, Texas. Maurizio Perrelli from Highwood, Illinois who is coming off back to back wins at the Fall Classic at Club Molisani Charities. We talked about his bocce upbrinding as well as his recent trip to Italy to learn from the professionals.
Pat Pezzin is no stranger to the game of Bocce. In fact, it runs in his blood. Pat grew up watching his father not only play the game, but have great success. The apple doesnt fall too far from the tree, as Pat has been at the top several times throughout his career. We sit down to discuss the recent USBF Tournament, how Pat started his bocce career, different styles of play, and more!
Lou Nocera is from Koppel, PA and is no stranger to the game of Bocce. He's been in and out of the game for 20 years and has several wins under his belt. Lou is known for waking up at 4am, jumping into the cold plunge, working out, and practicing his bocce skills all by the time most people wake up in the morning. On this episode we talk the IMBS Club, the mental and physical of the game of bocce, the practice he puts in, our favorite wrestlers, and more!
2024 here and it's off to a great start. The Bros get together to discuss a jam packed January, the growth of the game, the 2024 KURENTOVANJE Bocce Tournament, and more!
The 32nd Annual JAC Bocce Tournament is this weekend 7/21-7/23. In honor of Michael Cipullo's brother, John Anthony Cipullo. Groups from all over come to the Alta House in Little Italy, Cleveland to celebrate the life and memories of John. A great atmosphere and tournament put on by a great man and his family and friends. We talk about this years tournament, what to expect, some favorites, where to eat in Little Italy and more! Sponsor: Foreverlawn
The 2023 Lowellville Mt. Carmel Society Festival is here and we have special guests, Mike Romoe, Justin Romeo, and Zach Harklerode on to discuss one of the best Italian Festivals and Clubs around. We talk about younger guys stepping up in their italian clubs, carrying on traditions but also creating new ones, all that's involved in the festival, the bocce tournament, and much more!Sponsor: Foreverlawn Inc
Season 3 is here and we start it off with the one and only, Rocco DeLisio. We sat down with Rocco at the MVR located in Youngstown, Ohio. Rocco is highly involved in the bocce operations at the MVR, including running leagues, maintaining the bocce courts, assisting with The Carmstrong Tournament, and more. We discuss the beautiful updates to the MVR, changes to the Carmstrong tournament, Rocco's start in bocce, the Nationals, and much more!
The one and only, Big E, joins us on this episode to discuss the 1st Annual Lone Star Bocce Open located in Dallas, Texas. Big E started the Dallas Bocce Club and has been traveling all over to play the game he loves so much. After experiencing tournaments in Ohio, PA, Vegas, etc. Big E decided to throw a tournament of his own. "Everything is bigger in Texas"...and Big E definitely plans to prove this by throwing a tournament for all November 11th weekend.
We appreciate you tuning in. Unfortunately, we experienced minor technical issues on this episode. We plan to get those fixed moving forward.
On Episode 28 we have Dante DeLisio and Danny Catullo from Youngstown, Ohio. This was our first live podcast which can be viewed on our Youtube page. After working through some volume issues, we dive into the Youngstown vs PA Ryder Cup match that Dante was a captain of and Danny was co-captain. We then touch on THE MAIN EVENT, several bocce topics, BING BONG rapid fire, and much more. We had a blast with these two as you will be able to tell and cant wait to do more live shows for you all.
Dante, Chris and Anthony meet to discuss the last month of BIG bocce tournaments, upcoming tournaments, BING BONG segment, our Italian heritage, and much more. Please do us a favor and head to our youtube page and subscribe to our channel as we are trying to hit 1k followers so we can stream directly to Youtube from our phones.
Carmel
We remember Carmine Cassese this week as we head into the 10th Annual Carmstrong Tournament. Special guest, Darren Landis, joins us to talk about the history of the tournament, how it started, how it's grown, and what to expect this weekend. He brings in Carmine's nephew, Patrick Kiraly, who touches on just how special of a human Carmine was. We are honored to have these two on the podcast today and are looking forward to seeing all of you this weekend(August 18 - August 21).
We'd like to give a special shout out to our sponsors for this episode: Wickliffe I/A Club, Overall Paint Company, and Bo Wetzl Realtor. If you'd like to be a sponsor, please contact us via email at TheBocceBros@gmail.com
During Episode 24 with Mike and Giuliano Romeo, we had special guest Matt Taylor call into the podcast. The conversation was so well we decided to make it a separate episode. Matt is from Pennsylvania and has been playing bocce for about 5 years. In 2022 he's won four tournaments and is rapidly climbing the ladder of top bocce players in the area.
Giuliano and Mike Romeo are from Youngstown, Ohio and are members of the Mt. Carmel Society located in Lowellville, Ohio. On this episode we talk about the Mt. Carmel Society Festival, Bocce, Morra, previous Bocce tournaments, BING BONG rapid fire segment and much more. As always please follow us on social media @theboccebros and head to TheBocceBros.com for you apparel and tournament needs.
1:52 -13:32 - Recap of previous tournament winners. The MATCH. Dante's volo shot, and more
13:32 and on we bring in special guest, Lou Fatica. Lou is the Vice President of Club Molisani and has been running the Club Molisani Invitational Bocce Tournament for several years. The tournament is considered the first major of the year and deservedly so. We had a great time learning more about Club Molisani and why it's such a great club, bocce talk, PRV, and much more. Thank you guys for tuning in and please rate, subscribe, and review!
On his episode Chris, Dante and Anthony start off singing la bamba and talking about last weeks Devil's Trucking Tournament at Jerry's house. Around the 8 minute mark we bring in our guest, Chris Federico, the VP of the Wickliffe Italian American Club. We discuss Chris' start in bocce, the Memorial Tournament, the best bocce player in Wickliffe, BING BONG segment, questions from the followers, and more!
This Episode is sponsored by Club Molisani
On this episode of The Bocce Bros Podcast, Chris, Dante, Anthony, and Carmen hop on to discuss several topics including the ambassadors cup recap, NEO singles tournament happening this weekend, The National ‘The Champion” Tournament we in charge of, upcoming events, Bing Bing Rapid Fire, questions from our followers and more.
On this episode we have special guest Dennis Strnad. We recorded this in the Lovell’s parents basement because all 4 of us were in town for the Crickets Bocce Tournament located in Youngstown, Ohio. Dennis is a well known and well decorated player in the sport of bocce. He and his crew, ABV, have won several major tournaments and are considered a top team by many.
On this episode the bros briefly talk about the upcoming Crickets tournament, last weeks NEO 2 man, and more. At the 11:15 mark we bring in the one and only, Guy DeSantis. Guy has been heavily involved in bocce for many years. His father played professionally over in Italy and he made sure to carry on the tradition here in the states. He’s a big advocate of the game and wants to do all he can to see it grow. He throws one of the best bocce tournaments in the country in Las Vegas, Nevada which we cannot wait to go to next year. Thank you guys for tuning in!
Jimmy P started his bocce career at an early age and is no stranger to winning tournaments. Starting when he was 15 years old, Jimmy understands the ins and outs of the game and wants to see it continued onto generations after us. We touch on his start in bocce, his competitive nature on the courts, his favorite tournaments, and our new segment, RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS. As always please follow us on all social media accounts @theboccebros
Peter is a bocce enthusiast and a previous VP of the USBF. We had the pleasure of speaking with him about all things bocce, the Olympics, the American Bocce Club which he started, and more!
On this episode we talk to Mike Cipullo about his start in bocce, growing up in Little Italy, the Alta House, the best teams in the sport, the high stakes tournament, and successfully throwing one of the best Bocce tournaments around in remembrance of this brother, John Anthony Cipullo. We are very grateful Mike took the time to speak with us today, as he is one of the great figures in this sport.
The Bros are back with a recap of The Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce and American Bocce Open with special guest Paul Cugini. We also discuss the upcoming Carmstrong Tournament in Youngstown.
Frank Gambatese and Paul DiCicco from The Wickliffe-Italian American Club join us to talk about the Super Bowl of Bocce..... The Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce Tournament. It takes place this weekend at the Wickliffe I&A Club with over 100 teams and $21,000 in price money. We had a great time talking about the history of the tournament, some of the favorites leading into the weekend, what it takes to build such a great event, their favorite bocce memories, and more! Check out some live bocce on their Facebook page which is The Wickliffe-Italian American Club.
Charles Albertone is the current President of the Wickliffe Italian American Club in Wickliffe, Ohio. We sit down to talk about the history of the club, the Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce, attaining new members, battling through a year of covid 19, and much more!
Frank DiCillo and Russ Meraglio live and play Bocce where many consider the ‘Bocce mecca of the America’…Northeast Ohio – we sit down with the well-known Bocce Champions and talk about how they got started in the game, their many victories, but more importantly, the home-made wine and sandwiches they bring to Bocce tournaments! @theboccebros
A few years ago Carmine decided to quit his job and go back to school to chase his true passion in becoming a Chef. He sits down with the Bros to discuss the process it took to make such a big leap and has a BIG announcement at the 37:45 mark. We also touch on his relationship with the game of bocce, a tournament announcement at 51:04, his families Butcher Shop in Youngstown, Ohio, and much more.
Andy Zimmerman is head of the Developmental Committee for the American Bocce Company. With over 10 years of Bocce experience Andy has done much more than just ‘play’ Bocce as he oversees leagues and tournaments, referees, recruits, and plays a key role in bringing the game of Bocce to the forefront!
We have Frank and Jim from Extreme Bocce League join us to discuss how they started their movement in Canada, league play, tournaments, favorite mafia movie character!!, and more....
@extremebocceleague @theboccebros
The Bocce Bros meet Bocce Bellas, Aria and Tara, on International Girls & Women in Sports Day to discuss their experience as an all female team in a predominantly male sport. We discuss all things bocce, some of our favorite Italian traditions, and more! Please give them a follow on Instagram @boccebellas and follow their parents Pizza & Bakery located in Cleveland @Messina_Pizza_and_Bakery
The Bros link up with Nico and Jeff from Maestros Bocce Club to discuss all things bocce! We dive into their tournaments, league play, growing the game organically, the bocce community, and more! Please subscribe, rate, and review!
The bros get together to discuss recent tournaments, our plans for 2021, the first Bocce Bro Tournament, upcoming podcast guests, and more! Please follow us on all platforms @TheBocceBros
Rodney Rinks is a celebrity hair and make up artist currently working with Mario Lopez & more on Access Hollywood. He’s also an Actor, Content Creator, Creative Executive, Director, Filmmaker, Producer, Screenwriter, and MOST IMPORTANTLY.... a hell of a Bocce player. Rodney’s been nothing but supportive of our movement and has proudly repped our Youngstown Bocce crewneck out in Cali. On this episode we talk about Bocce:), his profession, the movies he’s worked on, being at the recent Tyson fight, and much more. We can’t wait to have him on again!
The Bocce Bros talk with the Writer and Director of Team Marco, Julio(Giulio) Vincent Gambuto. Julio grew up in a large Italian family on New York’s Staten Island. He graduated from Harvard and completed his training as a film director at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. We had a great time getting to know more about Julio, the movie, sharing stories about our Italian upbringing and more. Team Marco can be found on all major movie streaming platforms as well as on demand on all national cable providers throughout the country. Please check him out on social media @JulioVincentGambuto and on his website JulioVincent.com
The Bocce Bros sit down with the Founder of @AmericanBocceCo and @Oddball_Sports, Alex Gara, to discuss turning his bocce ball vision into a reality. Alex lives in Chicago by way of Detroit, and embodies that Midwest hustle and pride. He has dedicated his career to bocce ball, with the goal of getting bocce in the Olympics in 2028. At a party, he’ll almost always try to push for a game of Catchphrase, which he considers the second greatest game of all time.
Chris, Dante, Anthony, and Carmen get together for the first episode of The Bocce Bros Podcast. We sit down to discuss who we are, why we are doing this, and what to expect in the future. Please throw us a follow on social media @TheBocceBros Youtube/Facebook - The Bocce Bros