Franklin Square welcomes Little Leaguers home

When the Franklin Square Little League Junior Boys’ bus pulled into Franklin Square on Sunday, the boys thought they were headed to grab pizza for an early dinner. They expected to have one last meal together as a team, wrapping up their run in the Junior League World Series in Taylor, Mich. Instead the bus took an unexpected turn and headed to a place where the team has spent most of its time — Rath Park. They didn’t find their baseball fields empty for the weekend. In fact the boys were greeted by enthusiastic fans, fire trucks, bells and whistles.

Franklin Square residents joined together by the hundreds to welcome home the team that is managed by Jimmy O’Connell. O’Connell was aware of the welcome-party but said it was a complete surprise for the boys. As they exited the bus in their official “East” Champions jerseys the team wore in World Series, the crowd gathered outside cheered. Local children also lined up to take pictures with the team and snatch autographed baseballs. “They had a celebrity moment,” O’Connell said. “The younger kids are definitely looking up to this team.”

The team took the title at the Eastern Regional championships in New Jersey before jetting off to Michigan for the World Series. The boys knew the competition at the World Series would be tough but they were ready to test their bats and defensive game O’Connell said.

The team went 1-3 at the World Series and finished in 6th place out of the 10 best teams in the world. Even though the team didn’t win more games in Michigan, O’Connell said many of the games could have easily gone in its favor. When Franklin Square was playing against a team from Texas, the game was scoreless following the fifth inning.

The experience was like one neither the boys nor coaches had ever experience O’Connell said. The international teams made a lot of noise, cheering on their players with horns and drums. However, the boys’ calm demeanor helped them prepare for the big stage. “I knew the boys would adjust to the level of competition,” O’Connell said. “They adjusted and they played great. They were in every game.”

O’Connell also praised his fellow coaches Russ Weissheier and Rich Cinnamo for their ability to keep the team focused on the task at hand. “We couldn’t have done it without them,” O’Connell said. “All the positive input from them throughout this miracle run made it happen.”

The team is coached by O’Connell, Weissheier and Cinnamo. The players include Anthony Catapano, John Cimilluca, Michael Catanese, Robert Kelly, Mikey Castel, Robert Weissheier, Matt Cosme, Joe Filardo, James O’Connell, Anthony Lucito, Kurt Rissland, Julio Lizardo and Matt Cinnamo.