Little League: Key differences in Locks' time.

August 10, 2008

By NICK CARBONI

The Hartford Courant

On a summer day in 1965, Russell Mattesen was reminded just what Little League baseball was all about.

In a tie game at the East Regional tournament in Staten Island, N.Y., with a trip to the Little League World Series at stake, Windsor Locks right fielder Ted Holmes ran into the dugout after his team had not done well in the field.

"The first thing he said was, 'Are we going to have hot dogs and soda after the game?' " said Mattesen, the team's assistant coach.

In many ways, the enormity of the situation may have been lost on the 16 players from Windsor Locks, which became the third state team to win a Little League World Series when it defeated Stoney Creek (Ontario), 3-1. In today's world, it would be tough to find any player in the field of 16 teams at the Little League World Series who doesn't know how high the stakes are.

When the tournament begins on Friday in Williamsport, Pa., all 32 games will air on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC - not to mention last week's regional tournament coverage on NESN and MSG. Promos will be cut, highlight reels will be packaged, and 12-year-olds, including those from Shelton, the newly crowned New England champion, will become national media figures.

"It seems like it's almost glorified too much," Mattesen said. In 1965, the only televised game was the final, which was called by Jim McKay and Jackie Robinson on ABC.

"Now it seems like a two-week Hollywood show," said Mike Roche, the 1965 team's ace pitcher.

The differences don't end there. There were also no aluminum bats, no substitution rules and no second chances. The entire Little League postseason was a single-elimination tournament, though there were consolation games.

"You played to win," said 1965 center fielder Fran Aniello Jr., whose father served as president of the town's Little League in 1965.

Despite their reservations about the atmosphere surrounding today's Series, the surviving members of the 1965 team are sure to tune in for at least some of the coverage because they know one thing hasn't changed.

"To me the kids are all the same," said Dale Misiek, the first baseman. "If they let them be kids, it's enjoyable to watch."

The 1965 team featured a thumping lineup, led by the 5-foot-10 Misiek, and dominant pitching from Roche and William Boardman, who combined for an 0.53 ERA that summer.

Manager Robert O'Connor, whose son Michael was the team's left fielder, was assisted by Mattesen, whose son was too young to play Little League. They arrived in Williamsport confident, unaffected by any of the pressures that come with winning a world championship.

"It was just hanging out with kids your age," Misiek said. "It was fun."

The players knew about Williamsport, but were unaware of the actual structure of the national tournament. After Windsor Locks defeated Stamford in the state final, the coaches were told to get the team on a plane to Lodi, N.J., for the regional qualifier. It wasn't until the team won that game that it was told that the East Regional was in Staten Island, N.Y.

"I think there was less stress," Mattesen said. "We didn't know what was ahead of us."

The kids lived inside their own little bubble and never lost their innocence. "We just played baseball and wondered when we'd get fed," Aniello said.

Mattesen and O'Connor kept the team prepared, seemingly having an answer for everything. At practice before the regional final, they realized they needed to go over how to properly appeal that a runner had not tagged up, something the team botched in New Jersey. The next day, Windsor Locks wiped a run off the board for Danvers (Mass.), using a successful appeal to complete a triple play, and won, 4-3.

"They did an outstanding job in getting us prepared and keeping our focus," said Phil Devlin, an outfielder on the team. "Everybody had trust in the judgment of Mr. O'Connor and Mr. Mattesen."

After a whirlwind of travel and baseball, the team found itself in Williamsport with a chance to follow Stamford in 1951 and Norwalk in 1952 as World Series champions from Connecticut.

Windsor Locks stayed in tight quarters with the other seven teams, allowing for unique cultural experiences, especially when it came to the team from Tokyo.

"They used to call me Mount Fuji," said Misiek, who hit .419 with six homers and 20 RBI in the postseason.

Despite the language barriers, the teams bonded. The Japanese players were known for waking up the earliest, dominating the pingpong table, bowing to umpires and constantly rubbing Devlin's head.

"They had never seen a human being with blond hair," Devlin said.

With no pool play in 1965, Windsor Locks defeated Maracaibo (Venezuela) 5-3 and Waco (Texas) 1-0 to earn a spot in the final. When Roche, who struck out 79 batters in 42 innings that summer, took the mound, there were a record 21,000 spectators at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. That was nearly twice the population of Windsor Locks in 1965.

"That was quite a surprise," he said.

Roche struck out 14, and Misiek hit a two-run homer as part of a three-run fourth inning against Ontario, giving the kids from Windsor Locks the World Series title. The players barely had time to realize what they'd done. They were whisked home, where a party with Gov. John Dempsey at Bradley Airport and a parade through town awaited them. They soon met Mickey Mantle and played catch with the Mets.

"It was surreal," Holmes said. "[Understanding what we did] came later."

Forty-three years later, the team has had time to take it all in.

"All little kids have dreams about doing what we did," Devlin said. "It makes you realize that dreams can come true."