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Citrus Park Little League Makes Lifetime Memories

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By B.C. MANION | The Tampa Tribune,

Published: August 28, 2008

TAMPA The bus played "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" as it rolled to a stop in front of Wild Wing Cafe, and the Citrus Park Little League All-Stars filed out to greet their fans.

People cheered and applauded, while the boys made their way through the crowd into the restaurant at 9210 Anderson Road – the spot where many had watched the team on national television as they competed at the Little League World Series last month.

The party was the latest of special moments for the team – one of just eight across the United States to make it to the international tournament in Williamsport, Pa.

It's been a hoot for the boys.

They played on a professionally groomed baseball field, in games carried live on ESPN. They stayed in an Olympic-style village. They signed autographs and baseballs, and rode on a float in a parade down Main Street in Williamsport.

It's a long way from those manicured fields in Pennsylvania to the community where the Little League team got its start in the early 1960s.

Verlyn Spivey and Bob Temple got the ball rolling, when they got a group of nine boys together to form a team.

"Verlyn and I were the first manager and coach," recalled Bob Temple, who now lives in Lutz. "Verlyn was the manager and I was the coach. The next year we switched."

The league evolved from that first team, which played at Keystone Park, competing against a team from Oldsmar. The teams went back and forth.

"We used to have to shake these palmetto bushes to find enough boys to play," recalled Sandy Spivey, Verlyn's wife. They'd pick up the boys and cart them back home.

As time went on, more teams formed, and Spivey, Temple and others petitioned Hillsborough County to buy the land where the Little League plays today.

Back then, the community took care of the fields, and there wasn't any money for uniforms or equipment.

"The first uniforms, we got old uniforms from other fields and took all of the lettering off with razor blades," recalled Sandy Spivey.

To get a catcher's mitt, they set a gallon jug on a table and begged for donations.

"We used to buy cold drinks wholesale and sell them," said Lydia Temple, Bob's wife. "We had them in wash tubs in ice that we paid for ourselves. We got candy from Hav-A-Tampa. We got candy bars and we sold them. We made popcorn. We had fish fries."

The Spiveys and Temples are delighted by the success of this year's team.

They aren't the only ones who have been impressed.

"They acted like gentlemen. They acted like professionals," said Matt Ross, co-owner and general manager of Wild Wing Café, who arranged the welcome-back party.

"We're all so proud of them," agreed Dianne Burke, whose grandson, Brennan Garcia, plays on the team.

Watching the games was fun, but tough on the nerves, she said.

"Some of them were too nail-biting. I had to have an extra bottle of blood pressure pills beside me," Burke said.

Bob Wilkosz was in the stands in Williamsport, when his son, Brett, and the other Citrus Park players took on teams from South Dakota, Hawaii, Connecticut and Louisiana.

"It was just a bundle of butterflies in my stomach, starting hours before the game," Wilkosz said. "Your life is hanging on every pitch and every swing of the bat."

There was a sublime moment, when his son knocked one over the fence in an extra-inning game against Connecticut.

"To have your son hit a homerun in a World Series game was just the absolute best thing that could ever happen to a dad," Wilkosz said.

Bob Merrell, whose grandson, Kevin, plays on the team, had a blast watching the games on television and fielding calls from people all over the country.

"We've had people call from California, Colorado, Tennessee. I haven't heard from this one guy for 40 years, (He said) 'I've seen Kevin on T.V., is that your grandson?'"

Even though they didn't win, making it to the World Series was a huge accomplishment, Merrell said. They beat numerous tough opponents to get there, he noted.

They made it because of outstanding coaching and the ability to play together as a team, Merrell said.

"They're always on cue. Every boy knows just exactly what they're supposed to do."

Steve Miller, whose son, Darren, plays on the team, said a lot of teams work hard – but this team was blessed with excellent coaching and depth of talent.

"Our team was deep in hitting, pitching and defense. This team wasn't built around two or three kids. It was 12 strong," Miller said.

Getting to the tournament was the prize, he said. The memories they made will last for a lifetime.

"I can't think of a moment in time in their future in sports that'll be better than this. That includes the pros," Miller said. "They'll only be kids once."

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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