Our Mission
The goal of Land Park Pacific Little League (LPPLL) is to implant firmly in the children of our community the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage and respect for authority so that they may be well adjusted, stronger and happier children and will grow to be good, decent, healthy and trustworthy citizens.
Our History
Land Park Pacific Little League is nestled at the end of a quiet street in Sacramento, between William Land Park, the Sacramento Zoo and Holy Spirit Parish School. Founded in 1954 and originally called Pacific Little League (Pacific merged with Land Park Little League in 1994, then Curtis Park Little League in 2000), we serve area youth from the Land Park, South Land Park, Curtis Park, Hollywood Park, Little Pocket, and other surrounding areas. To ensure eligibility in our league, it is best to refer to the league’s boundary map prior to registration
In the late 1930s, Charles “Charley” Schanz met Lawrence “Dooley” Bertolani when Bertolani scouted him while playing baseball for Christian Brothers High School. A native Sacramentan, Bertolani pitched in the local semi-pro and winter leagues. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
Schanz played professional baseball for several years, including with the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston the Red Sox. After returning to Sacramento in the early 1950s, he played for the Sacramento Solons, then dedicated himself to creating a place where children could play baseball.
Schanz and Doc Oliver created Pacific Little League in 1954, originally playing games in William Land Park.
In 1958, after retiring as a firefighter, Bertolani joined Schanz in the effort to build fields dedicated specifically to little league baseball. Their vision was to provide kids with fields and facilities that were like the “big league,” and their efforts were instrumental in working with the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento to secure the land and develop the fields behind Holy Spirit Parish School.
Bertolani, whose backyard opened up to the fields, remained involved in the day-to-day maintenance of the baseball diamonds for more than 30 years. He was legendary for growling at players for spitting sees on his immaculately kept field one minute, then teaching a boy how to get more spin on his curveball the next. The fields bear his name in remembrance and appreciation of his decades-long service. The facility, known today as Dooley Field, touts some of the nicest little league diamonds to be found.
Originally, Dooley Field was the home solely of Pacific Little League. Through the years, some of the area little leagues merged. In 1994, Dooley Field also became the home to Land Park Little League. In 2000, Curtis Park Little League merged into the league.
Thousands of area youth, many multi-generational, have played through the now-combined LPPLL. The league has had many successful teams, including the 1983 All Stars team (Pacific) that went to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; the 1973 All Stars team (Pacific) that made it to the final game of the California State championship series, and the 1975 All Stars team (Land Park) that made it to the California State championship series. Recent seasons have had more than 500 players and teams in Juniors, Majors, AAA, AA, Rookie, T-ball and softball divisions. In addition to Dooley Field, LPPLL’s home fields are the baseball fields located in William Land Park.