West Covina making it to the California State Tournament was a Very Big Deal back then. No sports team from the city had ever reached this level of competition before. In the decades since, West Covina has become renown for producing major sports talent, but its American Little League All-Stars of 1957 were the very first to achieve anything resembling recognition or fame. It was also the first West Covina team to appear on live television.
My first memory of the 1957 post-season wasn't any of the games, though. It was seeing my own dad on my favorite TV show, Engineer Bill!
During the tournament, the teams were staying at the Ramsey Military School in Santa Monica. On the morning of their opening game, the young West Covina ballplayers received these telegrams of congratulations and encouragement from city officials.
All local eyes were on the boys from West Covina when they took the field against Ontario, and as fate would have it, the game would be a major turning point in the team's fortunes.
