Luca Capriglione

#10 - 1B, 3B, C, DH (profile)

Luca joined the taxmen in April of 2002, alongside fellow rookies Gloria Axiotis, Marc and Don Greguoli, Don Harrison, and Sandi Isner. Luca was not only new to the team, but also new to the agency, having only been hired by DRS a few months earlier.

A native of New York who grew up in the city, Luca had never before played slow-pitch softball. However, while a bit rusty, he was a good fielder and decent hitter, a product of his stickball-playing days as a youth in the Bronx streets back in the 1960’s.

An avid aficionado of the New York Times crossword puzzle, Luca is always one with a witty quip off the bench, dating back to his first game with the team. He’s taunted and razzed opposing teams, argued with opposing captains, and nearly got thrown out of a game by an umpire. Never afraid to speak his mind (he’s a New Yorker after all) he was once told by an umpire he could not smoke while coaching first base. Instead of snuffing out the butt, Luca simply walked off the field leaving the DRS baserunners on their own. (And to be honest, they were probably better off.)

But it wasn’t until midway through the 2004 season, following an investigative piece by The inDRStructible Sporting News, that his nickname “the Godfather” was coined and stuck. From his monthly trips to New York to play poker with ‘associates,’ to his uncanny knack for hitting on Connecticut lottery’s scratch-off tickets, to his sojourns into Boston’s North End to buy cappicola, provolone, and Italian bread, which he smuggles into the bleachers to make sandwiches during the team’s bustrips to Fenway Park, there’s always something a little shady in Luca’s dealings.

But despite all the kidding he takes, Luca is one of the most dependable and dedicated players on the DRS roster. In the field, he has played first base, third base and catcher, and in rare occasions, has spent time in the outfield. But playing time is not an issue, as Luca truly seems happy just being out with and part of the team.

Luca has played in 167 of the team’s 181 games since first joining the club. In those games, he’s stroked 232 hits, scored 134 runs, racked up 116 RBIs, and had 18 doubles, 7 triples, and a homerun. His best game was a DRS win over the Rocky Hill Vets in 2003. Luca went 5 for 5, scored 4 runs, drove in 6 runs, and swatted 3 doubles and a triple.

Very tragically, Luca lost a courageous battle with cancer and passed away November 4, 2009. He will be dearly missed.