In their own league

If Ron Mento could step into a time machine, he’d go back to 1964.

Forty years later, he still enjoys walking down memory lane — or, in his case, the 2500 block of South Percy Street. He recalls the days when 29 boys ages 9 to 12 spent their summers playing baseball on the block where they lived.

The youngsters didn’t know they were setting the foundation for the South Philadelphia Sabres organization, now based at Seventh Street and Packer Avenue.

Although the group was too small to form an organized league, the boys just enjoyed spending their Saturdays practicing at The Lakes and competing against other Philly squads. The team played a seven-game schedule, shuttling between 13th and Bigler streets and West Philadelphia.

In 1964, the squad’s 3-4 record had little meaning. Mento and his teammates had a blast as they proudly wore the Sabres jerseys, which were white with red sleeves and depicted crossed sabres.

"It was a phenomenal year," recalled the original team member, now 51. "It was definitely the best year of my childhood. This league was the first league [in South Philadelphia] to give kids the opportunity to play, good, bad or indifferent."

Two people in particular helped the young team take the field.

Squad founder Louis Riccelli, 17 at the time, was known for organizing street teams to play touch football. To get the Sabres started, he called on Johnnie Johnson, a probation officer for the city juvenile division.

Johnson — whose job included getting kids involved with youth leagues — had the city contacts to get the ball rolling

Johnson was more than a league organizer. In a time when racial barriers were more pronounced, he was a black man who immediately became part of a largely Italian community.

A former player in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor-league system, Johnson became a mentor and role model for the young athletes.

Mento, the captain of the original team, said the boys would bring extra sandwiches for their new friend and took turns inviting Johnson for dinner. "Literally within five minutes, he had every kid in the palm of his hand," Mento said. "We loved him. He could do no wrong. We wanted to be in his company 24 hours a day."

After practices, the coach would take his players for nickel cups of water ice.

On game days, all 29 boys played. It didn’t matter if they were future high-school all-stars or just mediocre players looking to have fun — everybody got his playing time.

"He believed that every kid deserves a chance and that every kid deserves to be recognized," said former manager Riccelli. "The kids that are good, you know they are good. Let’s make the kids that aren’t so good better."

Johnson even welcomed little sisters to be scorekeepers. Rita Riccelli, Lou’s younger sibling, still remembers Johnson taking the girls to a Phillies doubleheader at Connie Mack Stadium so they could learn how to keep score.

"We didn’t get home until 12:30 a.m.," said the 52-year-old, who still keeps score when she attends Phillies games. "It was a great time during our lives. It was a special time where you felt important."

The family-oriented organization also called on moms to bake cakes, which helped raise money for equipment and transportation.

In 1965, so many kids wanted to sign up that the Sabres formed an eight-team league. The games were played at Bigler and Randolph streets, a field Mento described as "Death Valley" because it was filled with rocks. The Sabres also added a board with a commissioner and president.

"When we really got organized that second year, we went under the governing rules of Little League," Lou Riccelli said. "I must give a great deal of credit to Johnnie Johnson."

With the organization up and running, Johnson moved on to his next league. Occasionally, Mento and Riccelli, who stayed involved as coaches, would run into Johnson, but it wasn’t often enough.

"He didn’t want any glory or no pats on the back," Mento said. "He did what he had to do."

The former player has lost touch with Johnson, but he would like to find his mentor to convey his gratitude.

"First I would hug him and then I would tell him what a great inspiration and role model he was," Mento said. "There are a lot of things he taught me that I’ve taken through my whole life. I can’t thank him enough."

The Sabres have changed and grown over the past four decades. The organization moved to Seventh Street and Packer Avenue in the early 1970s. More than 300 kids, ages 4-19, participate in the league.

The original players are proud of what their team of 29 began.

"It’s more meaningful now," said Tom Smedile, now 50. "At that time, we didn’t know what we were in the midst of."

Some of the original teammates have passed on, but Mento and Riccelli are hoping to find enough members of the Percy Street gang for a reunion.

"It opened the door for all kids to learn baseball the right way," Riccelli said.

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Members of the original South Philadelphia Sabres interested in taking part in a reunion should call Lou Riccelli, 856-232-8316, or Ron Mento, 610-591-7645.