Dan Dipace Jr.
First Sydney, now Athens for local baseball player
Dan DiPace Jr., who played for Martin County, will compete in the Olympics again for Italy.
By Jonathan Santucci staff writer
July 14, 2004
When one door closes, the optimist believes that another door is opening.
Dan DiPace Jr. talks like an optimist.
But the former Martin County High School baseball player never thought that when major league baseball seemingly slammed the door on his career, the door opening would be to the Old Country.
"I would love to play one game in the big leagues," said DiPace, 30, who will represent Italy in the Olympics for the second time in August. "That has always been my dream. But sometimes those dreams don't happen and sometime others come true. I'm very content, now.
"When dreams don't come true, others arrive. I can't be picky — I take what life gives me. This has been great."
The Olympics were never part of the dream for DiPace. He wanted to play professional baseball — just like his father.
Dan DiPace Sr. spent a decade in the minor leagues playing for Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers affiliates. He even led the Midwest League in hitting in 1965. A solid shortstop, he struggled to match the power expectations when he was moved to center field.
It looked like DiPace Jr. also was destined to be a career minor leaguer.
He was drafted out of high school by the Montreal Expos, but the former high school football player wanted to try his hand at quarterbacking in college first. He made stops at Fork Union Military Academy and Southwestern Louisiana — where he initially was ahead of Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme on the depth chart.
After returning to baseball at Oklahoma State, he started for the Cowboys in the 1996 College World Series.
He went undrafted after college, but played in the Kansas City Royals organization and reached the Double-A level before being traded to Milwaukee before the 2000 season.
That's when the phone call came.
"We get a call and I figured it was some of my buddies from New York playing a joke," DiPace Sr. said. "It was a guy named Sal Viriale and he asked us if Danny would be willing to come and play in Italy and then he would able to play in the Olympics. It turns out the guy was legit. ... I didn't even know there was baseball in Italy."
The DiPaces later learned Italian baseball officials trolled through the rosters of Double-A and Triple-A teams looking for Italian-Americans as potential players.
DiPace Jr. didn't take long to jump at the chance. He moved to Parma and played professionally for a few months to be eligible to play for the national team in the 2000 Games in Sidney, Australia.
"I had to come here and had to learn the language," DiPace Jr. said. "It's weird. My grandfather, when he came to America, he needed to speak English to get a job. I came here and I mingled and I interacted. Trust me, when you have to eat, you'll learn the language quickly. You just have to adjust to the lifestyle."
'What more can you ask for?'
Fortunately, he didn't have to adjust to the game.
DiPace batted .200 for Italy in 2000, with two RBI and four runs scored. In a game against South Korea, he hit one of the longest home runs in Olympic history. DiPace was told by officials at the Games that it went at least 460 feet — DiPace Sr. calls it 495.
"No one believes it when I say 500," he said.
The hardest part of the Games was when Italy played the United States, which ended up winning the gold medal. For the first time, it really sank in that he was playing against the only nation he'd known as home for a 26 years.
"I remember, we were warming up before the game and Chris George, who I played with in Wichita, and he asks me what I'm doing playing for Italy," DiPace said. "He said 'I knew you were Italian, I didn't know you were this Italian.' It was strange, but it was really cool. I'll never forget him saying that."
Now, DiPace is comfortable with his life in Italy. He's playing for and living in Rimini, a city on the northern Adriatic coast. His condo is mere blocks from the beach. He plays in just three games a week and is making more money than he did in the minor leagues.
DiPace made one final attempt at the major leagues, playing in the Boston Red Sox organization in 2001, but returned to Italy in 2002.
"The baseball is about Double-A level, but you're treated like you're in the big leagues over here," he said. "It's a whole different lifestyle. It's good food, good wine, beautiful women ... what more can you ask for? I'm hanging out on the Riviera every day. It's like a dream and I'm content."
Best of all, DiPace is preparing for his second Olympic Games. He is expected to play either first base or left field and could also see time as the designated hitter.
"It's a blessing to play in two Olympics," DiPace said. "This whole things, it's a dream come true. I'm very fortunate, very lucky. I never thought this would happen, but it's been great."
- jon.santucci@scripps.com
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