Larry Baldassaro Interview collection
Scope and Contents
The collection contains interviews conducted by Larry Baldassaro as part of the research for his book, Baseball Italian Style: Great Stories Told by Italian American Major Leaguers from Crosetti to Piazza. The interviews date from 1993 to 2017. The interviews were conducted with a variety of Italian American baseball players, including Tony La Russa and Tommy Lasorda.
Dates
- 1993-2017
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions but viewing materials does require an appointment. Please contact the Giamatti Research Center, research@baseballhall.org, 607-547-0330.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials are open without restrictions but viewing materials does require an appointment. Please contact the Giamatti Research Center, research@baseballhall.org, 607-547-0330.
Biographical / Historical
Lawrence Anthony Baldassaro was born on June 25, 1943 in Holyoke, Massachusetts to Gerald R. and Olive Baldassaro. He attended Union College where he graduated with a BA in English in 1965. He went on to receive an MA in English and PhD in Italian from Indiana University in 1967 and 1972, respectively.
Baldassaro holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Italian at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; he is also the former director of the Honors College.
The grandson of Italian immigrants, Baldassaro has a particular interest in researching Italian-American baseball players. He is the author of several books including, Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball, Baseball Italian Style: Great Stories Told by Italian American Major Leaguers from Crosetti to Piazza, and Tony Lazzeri: Yankees Legend and Baseball Pioneer. In addition, Baldassaro has published articles in sports encyclopedias and journals.
Baldassaro is a member of the Society of America Baseball Research and the Dante Society of America.
Extent
62 Gigabytes (in 46 digital recordings)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection contains interviews conducted by Larry Baldassaro as part of the research for his book, Baseball Italian Style: Great Stories Told by Italian American Major Leaguers from Crosetti to Piazza.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically by the interviewee's last name.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Due to copyright restrictions, recordings must be accessed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's Giamatti Research Center.
Other Finding Aids
Item-level records for recordings available in the Museum’s Digital Collections at https://collection.baseballhall.org/groups/baldassaro-interviews/results
Custodial History
The materials in this collection were created by Larry Baldassaro as part of the research for his book, Baseball Italian Style: Great Stories Told by Italian American Major Leaguers from Crosetti to Piazza. Baldassaro transferred the recordings to a digital format in 2018-2019 and the digital recordings were donated to the Museum in 2019.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift (BL-2019-00024)
Appraisal
No materials were removed during accessioning or processing.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals were retained by the donor.
Dimensions
46 digital files (62 gigabytes)
Processing Information
Original order of the materials was retained. Digital file names were updated to reflect the Museum's naming conventions. The original file name was documented before the change was made.
- Title
- Guide to the Larry Baldassaro Interview collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Kelli Bogan
- Date
- September 2021
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Archives Repository