Negron: Yanks Listening To Sal “The Voice”

Sal “the Voice” Valentinetti has been one of the most popular singers to come out of Long Island. Rightly so, he has one of the best voices in the world and when the girls hear him sing they act like the girls that screamed for Frank Sinatra in the 40s. 

In 1977, I met the great Sinatra at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant when I was there with the World Champion Yankees.  Shortly after that initial meeting, the great Yanks manager Billy Martin, who was like a father to me, took me back to Patsy’s to have a private dinner with Mr. Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. It was a meeting to help me with my low self esteem. It was a moment that was very important in my life, Something that I am eternally grateful to Billy for arranging and to Mr Sinatra for his words of wisdom. 

When I told Bucky Dent and Mickey Rivers that Sal  “the Voice” was going to play the part of Mr. Sinatra in the play BATBOY, they both said the same thing….”Perfect” 

Bucky and Mickey were there at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant more than forty years ago for the celebration dinner and met Sinatra. Mr. Sinatra actually got a big kick out of Rivers because he was so animated and was actually trying to act like Sammy Davis. 

Sal Valentinetti almost brings Mr. Sinatra to life for me so much that I actually asked Sal Scognamillo, the co-owner and executive chef of Patsy’s, to play the part of his father, Joe, who was there taking care of Mr. Sinatra.

Doc Gooden who saw Frank Sinatra in concert on several occasions, thinks that the voice and charisma of Valentinetti can’t be topped. Valentinetti also gets to stretch his acting skills by doing a scene where he plays the part of Yankee great Lou Piniella in a scene when the first woman reporter is allowed into the Yankee club house. The reporter is played by the very popular Yankee Podcaster, Dani Cipolla. 

The show is dedicated to an East Islip High School cheerleader, Carli Fragala, who is battling cancer. 

Get your tickets at:

Argyletheatre.com

For the show on Sunday October 27th at 2pm

 

 

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