The Sopranos is coming to Somerset County — and the Italian buffet is included

On The Judi & EJ Show, we do a thing called the Sopranos Reference of the Day. The premise is simple: no matter what's happening in the news — politics, weather, sports, crime, relationships — there's always a scene from The Sopranos that maps onto it perfectly. It works every single time. That's how good this show is.

So when I heard that two of the surviving cast members are coming to TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater this August, let's just say I cleared my calendar before I finished reading the press release.

Johnny Sack and Furio Giunta — coming to a ballpark near you

The Somerset Patriots, the Yankees' Double-A affiliate, will host Vincent Curatola ("Johnny Sack") and Federico Castelluccio ("Furio Giunta") on Thursday, August 27, for a Sopranos-themed night at the park. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. against the Akron RubberDucks, Cleveland's Double-A team.

In terms of Sopranos obsession on our show, the order goes: me first (I've watched the complete series three times), then Kyle, then Judi. And I'll tell you, two of my favorite characters in the whole series were Johnny Sack and Furio — and these guys played them so brilliantly.

Johnny Sack was the calculating, quietly menacing underboss of the Lupertazzi crime family in New York — Tony's equal across the river. Curatola played him with a chilling calm that somehow made him more dangerous than the guys who yelled. He rose to power, then fell hard, ultimately dying in a federal prison from lung cancer after a plea deal stripped him of everything except his fierce devotion to his wife Ginny.

Furio Giunta was Tony's imported Neapolitan enforcer — old-world, stone-cold, fiercely loyal. Castelluccio made him magnetic in a way that was hard to explain. He developed a silent, tormented love for Carmela Soprano that he could never act on, and rather than cross that line, he vanished back to Italy — never seen again. It remains one of the most haunting exits in the show's history.

SEE ALSO: Politician who banned Sopranos from NJ ended up in prison 

Two Jersey guys, one great night at the ballpark

Here's what makes this even better: both actors are New Jersey stories. Curatola was born in Englewood. Castelluccio was born in Naples but came to Paterson at age three. These aren't Hollywood imports — they're part of the fabric of this state, same as the show they made famous.

The event includes a pre-game VIP Meet & Greet in the SK Club for $150, which gets you an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet (naturally), a photo, and autographs from both guys. There's also a $60 package for a ticket plus a photo with both of them on the main concourse during the game. The first 1,000 adults 18+ get a themed bowling shirt.

Why this matters more than a typical bobblehead night

The Sopranos ran on HBO from January 1999 to June 2007 — 86 episodes, 21 Emmy Awards, five Golden Globes. The Writers Guild of America named it the best-written show in television history. Rolling Stone and TV Guide both called it the greatest TV series ever made.

That's not nostalgia talking. That's just the record.

The fact that members of the surviving cast keep showing up here — in the home state of the show — to spend time with fans says something. They know where home is.

And for one night in August, home is a minor league ballpark in Bridgewater with an Italian buffet and two very famous wiseguys throwing out the first pitch.

Proud to be New Jersey.