Fifth round of the column concerning the athletes who have written the history of Fortitudo baseball. This time it is Stefano Landuzzi’s turn.
The new guest, the first in this 2022, of the column dedicated to the players who have made the history of UnipolSai Fortitudo baseball is the former white-blue captain Stefano ” Bidi ” Landuzzi. Born in Bologna, he started playing at the age of 8 at the ” Falchino ”, the children’s field adjacent to the ” Gianni Falchi ”. From that moment on, his path and that of Fortitudo did not separate anymore except for a single season, in 1993, when he played the championship with the Casalecchio Green Socks. The debut in the first team took place in 1991, at the age of 18, with a home run in his first round of bat with the greats. Since joining the first team, Bidi has played over 700 matches between championships and cups, winning 3 league titles, 5 Italian Cups and 1 Champions Cup. His farewell to baseball came after the historic 2010 Barcelona European title when, as captain, he lifted the European cup before hanging up his glove. During his career, he also wore the national team uniform at the 1998 World Cup, the 1999 European Championships and the Sydney 2000 Olympics. After completing his career as a player, he began his career as an executive in the Blue Girls before joining, last year, in the ‘ UnipolSai Fortitudo baseball.
What do you remember of that day of your debut in the first team back in 1991 and what was it like to make a home run in the first round of batting among the greats?
Making his debut in the first team for an 18-year-old boy is a great emotion and a dream that comes true. Specifically, on that afternoon at the Kennedy, I remember when the manager at the time, Toro Rinaldi, looked at me and said: ” go take a shift “, I didn’t want to believe it. With a lot of emotion and ingenuity I entered the garage to face the great Cherubini, Mediolanum pitcher. I don’t remember the bill well, but I remember the joke that flew to the left fielder, off the pitch. I was incredulous of what I had done but inside me I had immense joy. You can imagine the beers that I had to bring.
In 18 years with the biancoblu shirt, what are your best memories and which ones are the worst?
In my 18-year career I have lived through many beautiful moments. Winning the first Scudetto in 2003 after a 19-year abstinence and the Champions Cup as captain are 2 of these. The worst moment, for me and all of Fortitudo, was the death of Robert Fontana. I’ll never forget it.
