Tampa Little League World Series players share fond memories 57 years later

TAMPA, Fla. - Two friends from Tampa are watching the Little League World Series through a special lens of time and distance. Tony Ciccarello and Angel Lopez were members of the West Tampa Little League team that traveled to Williamsport to play in the World Series 57 years ago, in 1967. They were 12 years old.

"We didn't brag or anything, but we knew we had a good team," said Ciccarello, a star Little League pitcher who is now 69 years old.

In 1967, they won game after game, including the regional championship that was held at Al Lang Field, the win that earned them the trip to Williamsport.

"From St. Pete, we were going to Williamsport. That's a big jump," laughed Lopez, a longtime Tampa dentist who is still a fan of youth baseball and softball.

Neither Lopez nor Ciccarello had been on a plane before. West Tampa was blue collar where cigar workers raised families. But, in West Tampa, they lived for baseball.

"We had a bunch of fans come to the airport and see us off," said Ciccarello.

They're both watching this year's series and backing the team from Lake Mary, near Orlando.

West Tampa placed fifth in the 1967 Little League World Series. Four years later, at age 16, they won the World Championship in the Senior League series in Gary, Indiana. That team was built on the talent and experience of those 12-year-olds who went to Williamsport.

"We were just excited to be there," said Ciccarello. "We were going to Williamsport. That was a big deal."

Nearly 60 years later, the memories and the spirit live on in West Tampa, where some boys from the neighborhood started a journey to their field of dreams in Williamsport.

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