1 Major League Umpire + 1 Foot Doctor = Encouragement

The Class of 1973 of Belleville High School in New Jersey produced many fine citizens. I knew one of these outstanding individuals since the days when the school’s athletes were still called the Bellboys.

His name is Phil Cuzzi, and he's a Major League umpire today, but in our day he was an outstanding football and baseball player.

Then one day, Phil called me and said, "You have got to contact Dr. Frank Arena."

Frank Arena? Hmmm. I remembered the name because my cousins Mark Corino and Mark Cervasio were also illustrious members of that seventies gang.

Frank Arena ... "What for?" I asked Phil.

"Frank's got something he needs to tell ya about Bad News on the Doorstep."

Phil had given me umpire's orders, so I had to make the call. Why move so quickly? Well, Phil Cuzzi is one of Belleville’s favorite sons, and now Nutley has even adopted him, because he lives there.

Everyone in the neighborhood remembers Phil's story! Even as a little boy, Phil dreamed of making it to The Bigs and calling balls and strikes. Waiting tables and picking up jobs that wouldn’t interfere with his singular ambition, Phil finally was invited to the Minors and put in a couple of good seasons there. Then the call came, and his dream came true.

But his time with the best of the best was shorter than a “cup of coffee,” as they say -- and a bit cold as well. Yeah, some politics entered in, but Phil refused to let the dream die.

Back to waiting tables and keeping his head high at the encouragement of his wife, one day he slipped a note under the hotel room door of the then-Commissioner of the National League, Len Coleman. Coleman, also an Essex County athletic legend at Montclair High and later at Princeton University, remembered Phil and gave him a second shot!

See how it worked? Growing up in these neighborhoods from Newark to Montclair, with Belleville, Nutley, and Bloomfield in between, is a force to be reckoned with, even in big league sports!

So back to being a Major League umpire, and even working the playoffs last season with his loyal crew! Phil has made it big, and we are all so proud of him.

“But what’s the story with Frank Arena, Phil?"

“Joe, just call him, will ya? He wants to talk to you about Bad News on the Doorstep.”

So a couple of days later I contact Dr. Frank Arena’s podiatry office in Belleville, and I find out his assistant has been waiting for my call! She insists on interrupting her boss.

“Is this Joe?” asks Dr. Arena.

“Yes, hi, Frank. Phil Cuzzi asked me to give you a call. What's up?"

"The book about the families here, and the stories of growing up in the fifties, and the music, and the football, and the food and stuff … well I gotta tell ya, Joe … you had me sobbing!”

“Dr. Frank, what was it? I asked.

“Joe, it was like my Dad’s stories came alive with your word pictures. They became so real. He talked about all that stuff when he was raising me. It formed my world. I could hear him all over again. And I just had to tell you that.”

“So, Dr. Frank, how's your Dad doing?”

“We lost him a while ago,” replied the doctor.

The two of us exchanged some other thoughts about our wonderful heritage, and Dr. Arena promised a more formal review of the book. I was flattered. Then we promised to meet for dinner when Phil would be in town. I finally had met Dr. Frank Arena, and it seemed we had known each other forever.

Of course, the journey Dr. Arena has taken in life, from his blue-collar roots in Belleville to his professional status today was fueled by his Dad’s memories and those stories of days gone by. He'd do everything to make his Dad proud. Frank and I know our Dads might not have attended parenting classes, but their upbringing was worth a thousand such classes.

Indeed, that Belleville Class of ’73 has been a source of profound encouragement to many. To me, the faithful commitment of Phil Cuzzi to his dream and the faith Frank Arena has had in his dad’s counsel have been like gold. With that, it is my deep pleasure to submit Dr. Arena’s review:

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BOOK REVIEW
Bad News on the Doorstep
by Joseph Rocco Cervasio                      

Family values, tradition, loyalty, heroism and even divine intervention – these timeless themes lay the groundwork for Joseph Rocco Cervasio’s very personal tale, Bad News on the Doorstep.

From the detailed scents and smells of Marietta’s loving kitchen, to the rank and file of Uncle Pete’s underworld of support, to the formidable exterior yet selfless pride of Rocky for his son, this novel weaves an emotional tale of dedication, friendship, love, tears and family pride. 

This is an epic of a family and community’s selfless dedication to each other, the inspiration it breeds, the pressure it implies, and the success it can invoke.  Cervasio’s colorful rendition entertains, inspires, and instructs its readers on how to continue these underlying themes into the next generation.

Bad News on the Doorstep is a sentimental journey for those of us who have been there, and a must read for those of you who have not.

Reviewed by Frank P. Arena, DPM (Belleville High School Class of 1973) Thanks, Dr. Frank.

And thanks to you, too, Phil Cuzzi!

Comments

[LeOgAhEr]

I Love you girls

Buy

[phil h]

phil cuzzi is the biggest douchebag in major league baseball. he is a sorry excuse for an umpire and an even sorrier excuse for a human being.

[joe cervasio]

Phil H.:

It was a bad day at the office for Phil Cuzzi. His body of work as an umpire, husband, friend, teacher, student, athlete, philanthropist, and citizen get him a pass on this one.
Read my book, especially Secret #3; it will help you with your perspective.

Sincerely, Joe Cervasio
PS: Thanks for visiting Good News on the Doorstep.