Opening Ceremonies a Success for New England Regional Cal Ripken Tournament

There was smoke, a taekwondo performance, music, fans, teams and of course Bob Nutile. It could only mean one thing – another major little league tournament was being held in Winchester.

The town has become a staple of the little league community. This year it's the Cal last year it was the World Series, next year it's another regional and the year after another World Series.

"The field, it's just a hunk of grass," said Nutile looking over the finely cut baseball diamond that's named after him for his devotion to the little leagues of Winchester. "It's more the people that make this tournament what it is. It means a lot that the tournament decided to come back. It means the committee thinks the tournament does well here. It's really an honor."

While it's certainly the fans and atmosphere that helped make last year's World Series the second-best Babe Ruth series of all-time, according to Babe Ruth Senior International Board Member and Historian George Lally, the field they play on certainly doesn't hurt.

"The town really goes above and beyond for these tournaments," said Assistant Tournament Director Jeffrey Janicki. "This field, you won't see this type of facility anywhere else. Within the region this is definitely a first tier organization. It's a special place, it's where we like to come."

Selectman Brian O'Connor is still in awe of last year's tournament. The field received extra stands from Quincy, and each night he came to the Series the stands were filled to capacity. He estimated there were about three or four thousand people at each game.

"Each night I was here last year it was unbelievable," O'Connor said. "You wouldn't think a small town like Winchester would have so many people at these games, but it was incredible."

The field and atmosphere have made Winchester the place to go for little league tournaments. But the 700 volunteers that help organize the event are crucial to the success of the tournament.

"A lot of work and a lot of people go into making this event a success," said Tournament Director Mike Creane. "The families of the teams and the volunteers are working for two months to get ready, whether that's the program book or ads, whatever was needed they've been fantastic.

"Every event's a moving target and they've been able to adapt to whatever we've needed. They've had incredibly high spirits and just go with the flow. I cannot speak more highly of them."

And, as expected, the show went off as smoothly as it always seems to in Winchester.

First it was Master Ku's Taekwondo performance that drew numerous reactions from the crowd as students from the school jumped, flipped and broke a few boards. The Dirt Dogs then got the crowd singing along to their songs Centerfield, Sweet Caroline and Creedance Clearwater Revival. The band donates all the money they make to the Jimmy Fund.

Voices of Hope got an opportunity to serenade the crowd to Take me out to the Ballgame before the Lexington Minutemen acted as the ceremony's color guard and led the eight New England teams onto the field. Before leaving, though, the Minutemen fired a volley into the sky.

And, like any baseball game, the tournament couldn't officially start before the opening pitch is thrown. This tournament had two – O'Connor and Rep. Jason Lewis (D – Winchester). While Senator Patricia Jehlen (D – Somerville) cheered the two righties on.

The games start Saturday at noon. Winchester takes the field for the first time in this double-elimination tournament at 7:30 p.m. against Raynham (MA).

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids," said Winchester coach Greg Fuccillo. "This is their opportunity to play in the big show, and it's something they'll never get to do again. It means a lot to the people, the volunteers and the community."

Be sure to check out Winchester Patch on Facebook to see a full photo album of the night's events.