Just when Angelo Navetta thought he had heard the last of South Shore National’s magical ride to last summer’s Little League World Series, he recently received another pleasant reminder.
And it’s going to be hard to top this one.
Navetta recently discovered his image had made the back cover of the newly released XBOX 360 Little League World Series (LLWS) 2010 Baseball video game.
The game can also be played on PlayStation 3.
Now the 14-year-old knows he’s hit the big time.
"I was really surprised, especially because we didn’t make it to the (LLWS) final," said Navetta, a southpaw hurler who also did plenty of damage with his bat. "But it was nice of (XBOX) to put me on there.
"I’m used to seeing superstars on the cover," added the Pleasant Plains resident. "Seeing it reminds me of all the good times we had going to the World Series. There’s a lot of good memories."
In the image, Navetta peers in at the plate as he goes into his windup. The picture is in the upper left corner and surrounded by animated images.
On the front cover, the Little League World Series 2010 Baseball logo is in the middle, flanked by images of players from Texas and eventual champion California.
"Of course I’m proud," said Mike Navetta, who added he wasn’t informed his son’s picture would be on the cover, but does remember signing a waiver during tournament play a year ago giving gaming companies permission to use any images. "This is a global game. I didn’t expect anything like this, but it’s nice knowing he’ll always have this under his belt.
"I don’t know why they picked him, but he was one of the top players and I’m glad they did."
The Navettas didn’t learn of Angelo’s addition to the game cover until Mike Zaccariello, the son of South Shore National manager Mike Zaccariello, discovered it recently while visiting a store.
"We went right out and bought one," said Angelo Navetta, who plays for the Richmond County Baseball Club, played basketball during the winter for St. Joseph/St. Thomas parish, and will attend St. Joseph by-the-Sea in the fall. "Everybody loves it. My family and friends think it’s really cool.
"They wish they were on (the cover) themselves," he laughed.
"It’s exciting," added Mike Navetta. "Hopefully something like this will inspire some other kids (to go out and perform).
"I hope it does."