TAMPA, Florida. – Two friends from Tampa are following the Little League World Series from a special perspective, in 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 at the time.

“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.

In 1967, they won one game after another, including the regional championship played at Al Lang Field, and the victory secured their trip to Williamsport.

“From St. Pete, we wanted to go 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 ever been on an airplane. West Tampa was a working-class neighborhood where cigar workers raised their families. But in West Tampa, they lived for baseball.

“A lot of fans came to the airport to say goodbye to us,” said Ciccarello.

They are both following this year’s series and supporting the team from Lake Mary near Orlando.

West Tampa finished 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. This team was built on the talent and experience of the 12-year-olds who went to Williamsport.

“We were just excited to be there,” Ciccarello said. “We went to Williamsport. It was a big deal.”

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

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