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Bocce players gather to remember Cassese
Inaugural Carmine Cassese Memorial Bocce Tournament opens at MVR
By RYAN Buck
youngstown
The inaugural Carmine Cassese Memorial Bocce Tournament, sponsored by Greenwood Chevrolet, kicked off Friday at Cassese’s MVR with 48 teams of four players filling the famed Youngstown institution’s courts.
When Carmine, the third-generation owner of the 86 year-old MVR, died of pancreatic cancer in late June, the competitive bocce tournament the restaurant hosts every summer was postponed.
Friends of “Carm,” as he was affectionately known, decided that, after a bocce match this summer, that the man with a larger than life personality needed to be honored in a fashion befitting his memory.
So Rocco DeLisio, Darren Landis and Bob Ferraro went to work.
“This was our annual tournament and those guys came up to me and said, ‘There are so many people asking about us not having the tournament’ and ‘Hey, can we do one in honor of your dad?’” said Joe Cassese, Carmine’s son. “They did and they really got it going and then as it grew bigger I really jumped in with them.”
When registration opened, the group had to turn away a dozen teams.
“This will be the tri-county’s largest competitive bocce tournament ever,” Cassese said. “The community’s support has been overwhelming.”
The tournament champion will earn the largest share of the $5,000 purse, but the rest of the proceeds have other destinations.
“It’s going to be a great weekend. All of the proceeds, besides what we pay out for the tournament, will all go to the CarmStrong Foundation. Those funds are split evenly between a scholarship to YSU in Carmine’s name and pancreatic cancer research at the OSU Medical Center.”
The event, open to spectators, runs through Sunday afternoon as the tournament champions will be decided from the 48 teams.
Bocce is not the only attraction for spectators, however. Memorabilia and gift packages of all kinds are nearly overflowing the MVR’s outdoor bar and patio. There will be a 50/50 raffle, a Chinese auction and music come Saturday evening.
“Anyone can come in, get a cold beer, grab lunch or dinner and see some great bocce or watch some great sports on TV,” Cassese said. “We have teams here from Western Pennsylvania, from Cleveland, Buffalo and our five county area.”
Above all, Joe, his mother Patty and the organizers want to continue Carmine’s legacy.
“It’s one of the reasons we know we’re able to do things like this is because we’re able to raise a lot of money and it’s for a great cause. We love my dad. We miss him. We wish we didn’t have to do something like this, but if he’s not here with us, it makes you feel good to know that, in his name and in his honor, we’re doing a lot of great work.”