Dombo and Angel

Dom started his first game that day. I don't remember much about the game. All I really remember was seeing my Dombo out at his position – Shortstop, and remembering way back to when I first saw him play. That was the day I first saw the transformation from Dombo to the Dominator. I saw it again that day in Wrigley Field in Chicago. Dom was at home and everyone in attendance that day saw it too.

He finished the season with the Cubs and was offered a big league contract! Dom had finally achieved his dream of becoming a major league ballplayer.

I was ecstatic because I just knew we could get married now. We talked about it that fall and decided that we would get married during Christmas break. I was still in school finishing my degree in nursing. This was something Dom wanted me to do.

Da, of course, was against the timing. Why couldn't we get married in the spring or the summer like normal people? Fortunately, as we all know, women are in charge of weddings. The groom's job, and in this case the father of the bride's job, is to "Shut up, Show up, and Pay up. Mom, Dom's Mom and I made sure of that.

The one thing that we 3 worried about leading up to the wedding was the interaction between Dom's large Italian family and my large Irish family. Leave it to Dom's Godfather to defuse the situation before it even became one.

It was the evening of our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. My folks and Dom were all at the church waiting for Dom's folks. Where were they? Da was getting more and more upset. You could see the color rising out of his collar and up his neck. Where were they, and how dare they keep everyone waiting!

Finally the rear door to the church open and in walked all of Dom's family. The men were dressed in black suits, black shirts and white ties. They had taken them off as they entered the church, but he men also had black fedoras with a white satin band. The women all had black peasant dresses, with black lace scarves covering their heads.

Da was flabbergasted. We could see the steam rising as his facial color stared to match the red of his hair. Finally, with steam coming out of his ears he exploded: "What the hell is going on here! What are you all supposed to dressed up as?"

Dom's Godfather calmly walked up to Da and answered "Why we're the Hooterville Mafia."

There was dead silence and Da's complexion, if anything got darker. I thought to myself "Why me, why now? I'm so screwed!"

Suddenly Mom exploded in laughter. She remembered Da's comment from so many years ago. Mom ran into Dom's Godfathers arms Exclaiming that was the best joke Da had ever had played on him. With that the tension of the moment was gone. Everyone laughed, Da included, and we became one REALY big family. How did Mom get so smart?

After that the wedding went off like clockwork and Dom and I started the next chapter in our life.

We must have done something right because exactly 9 months later Dominick junior was born. Over the next 8 years we had five more children. Just like I knew we would, we had our large family. Dom was the best father a kid could have, yes he was on the road during the season, but there wasn't a night gone by, when he didn't call us and make time to talk to all of us. Some of those calls would last 2 hours or more, but Dom always made sure that each and every one of us got his full attention.

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Back to the present:

"...All-in-all Dominick played 13 years for the Cubs. He was an all-star 12 of those years. He also won the Gold Glove for shortstops 12 years in a row and hit over .300 12 of the 13 years he played. Dom retired with a lifetime .328 batting average. Oh, by the way, he also won the National League MVP award twice.

Dom also set up a foundation for children in need. Dom being Dom, never specified what that need should be. He donated money to the Make-A-Wish folks. He bought a whole section of season tickets so disadvantaged kids could come to a ballgame. He never charged any child for an autograph and he always made himself available before and after games. He visited pediatric wards and hospitals in every city we visited. In all Dom made sure that every child he came in contact with was made to feel special. I can't think of a better legacy..."

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Angie reminisces:

Our lives were wonderful. As soon as the season was over Dom would come home to New Madrid, after all this was our home. He spent as much time with our children as was possible. It's funny, but even when our kids got old enough to know what Dom did for a living, and how famous a ballplayer he was, to them he was always Dombo. Not Dad, not The Dominator, but Dombo. And Dom reveled in it, he would spend hours wiggling his ears and telling stories of how he could fly with his ears, but the ball club wouldn't let him. He also told them I was an angel and would sometimes fly with him but we had to do it at night because we would scare people. Fortunately, none of our children inherited his ears or his imagination! One Dombo in our family was enough!

Through the years we continued to spend a lot of time with the children of St Jude. We never failed to be humbled by the courage and tenacity of these wonderful kids. We always made sure to have plenty of Dombo t-shirts for all the kids. It always amazed me, but no matter how famous Dom the Dominator became, the children always wanted Dombo.

Then came the day we found out Dom was sick. He'd been uncomfortable for some time but it was nothing he could put a name to: he was just uncomfortable. He finally noticed some blood in his stool. When we got to the doctor we found he had colon cancer. The doctors were hopeful that with treatment, Dom would be able to recover.

I was devastated. My Dom was only 34 years old, he couldn't have cancer. Of course, we told our children and the rest of our family. Everyone was concerned, but we all believed that Dom could beat this just has he has always beat everything else.

So, we started chemotherapy. When Dom's hair started falling out, all six of our kids shaved their heads too, even our girls. Dom laughed when he saw them, pointing out that with their bald heads, our kids seemed to have Dombo ears.

As word got out, some of our St Jude kids started coming by to visit. Dom never refused a child wanting to see him. The irony of the role reversal was not lost on us. Of course cards and letters were coming in by the truckload. We tried to acknowledge everyone. The ratio of correspondence for Dombo beat out that for the Dominator by a good 3 to 1.

As time went on it became apparent that Dom was not getting any better. If anything his cancer was spreading. Dom never gave up. He still made his appearances both for baseball, and for the children. He was always positive and upbeat.

At home Dom spent as much time with each of us as he could. Our children always understood that their dad loved them wholly and unconditionally. Dom's and my time together became my whole life. I couldn't bear the thought of a life without my Dombo. But Dom would reassure me that no matter what, I would always be his Angel and his life would always be full because we were together.

I found that I could draw strength from his strength. I learned that we would always be together in spirit if not in body and I was able carry on secure in the knowledge of our everlasting love.

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Back to the present:

"Dominick Carvoli was forced to retire from baseball at the age of 34. Not because his skills had diminished, but because he contracted colon cancer. Dom felt it was in the best interest of his family that he retire to be with them and together they would fight this cancer.

He and his family fought his cancer for 3 years before succumbing this past April 22nd. He was 37. Baseball lost one of the greatest players of all time. The world lost one of its greatest ambassadors for children. I lost a friend. Ladies and Gentlemen, you do me great honor by allowing me to present Dominick Carvoli for induction to Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. Dominick I love you."

"Thank you John. Accepting for Dom is his lifelong friend, his wife and the mother of his children: Angie Carvoli."

As they called me to the dais to accept for Dom, they unveiled his bust. I looked at it and smiled. It was perfect. It was at that moment I knew what I was going to say. First I pinned on my pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness and my brown ribbon for colon cancer awareness. I dropped my prepared speech on the table and looked to my family sitting in the first few rows. There must have been a hint of the devilment in my eyes because when my six children saw me, they stood as one and started whooping and waving their fists in the air. Mom's hands flew to her mouth, but then she smiled and winked at me. Da, the man who gave Dom so much hell over the years, simply sat there and with tears running down his cheeks gave me a thumbs up.

I got up and went to stand behind Dom's bust. I looked out over the crowd. There was Dom's family led by his irascible Godfather who was grinning like the cat that got the cream (how could he know what I was up to)? In the back were 5 of our St Jude kids brought here from Dom's induction as part of their Make-A-Wish. Tears were flowing freely as they chanted "Dombo! Dombo!"

Others in the crowd that day looked around in wonder at what was happening.

As I rubbed my hands lovingly on Dom's ears I began. "You've just heard all about the Dominator; Let me tell you about my Dombo..."