'The Sopranos' Legend Bobby Baccala Shows Up At MSG For St. John's Matchup Against Creighton

Keep the basketball; pass the gabagool.

It's a wonderful morning for college basketball — here to fill the void left by the failing NBA — notably in New York, where Creighton takes on St. John's at Madison Square Garden.

Things got delightfully ‘Italian’ at MSG Sunday morning as The Sopranos' well-known and beloved Bobby Baccalieri (Steve Schirripa) made an appearance at the CBB matchup.

And when a character from the GOAT television show appears, you kiss the ring. Bobby B. (or Schirripa, specifically) is a fan of NY hoops — frequently seen at New York Knicks games. He even landed next to Kay Adams at a game one time, but the lovely NFL commentator sadly did not recognize the TV idol.

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 10: Steve Schirripa is seen attending HBO's "The Sopranos" 25th anniversary celebration at 'Da Nico' Ristorante on January 10, 2024 in New York City.  (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Remembered as the husky errand boy who graduated to Tony Soprano's chain of command (no huge spoilers there), Bobby Baccala is easily a top-five character on an all-time television series; some would say, the GOAT?

(Is ‘Sopranos’ the best show of all time? Make your case for the GOAT: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)

Famed Tommy DeVito agent Sean Stellato also showed up at the game to ramp up the Italian flair, making New York Giants fans yell Oh! at their screens.

As Barstool's Bobby Reagan put it on X, ol' Baccala, Stellato and St. John's coach Rick Pitino represented a Holy Trinity of Italian cast members. The Household Saints showed up at MSG.

As OutKick's Trey Wallace wrote, St. John's will need to win on Sunday and go on a hot streak to sustain hope of landing in the tourney this March, sitting at 15–12 overall and 7–9 in Big East conference play coming into the Creighton matchup.

As for Bobby Baccala, few Sopranos appreciators give the character credit for (light spoilers) not only beating up Tony Soprano but never having a goomar and still landing in Tony's inner circle despite all the acrimony created by Uncle Junior. 

By the end of the series, Tony envied the life the soft-hearted Bobby Baccala [sic] created until it all came to a screeching halt like a halting train on a track. 

'Sopranos' remains the GOAT of TV shows, leaving all other shows sleeping with the fishes.

Follow along on X:@AlejandroAveela