REMEMBERING A TAMPA ICON

On of the greats of baseball history and the man considered by many to be the patriarch of Tampa sports, Hall of Fame catcher and manager Al Lopez, passed away Sunday morning at St. Joseph's Hospital after suffering an apparant heart attack Friday. He was 97.

Al Lopez was known as an ironman during his 19 year career as a major league catcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cleveland Indians. While breaking every finger on his catching hand --- some twice --- he set the record for most games caught with 1,918 which stood for decades until Bob Boone broke it with the Boston Red Sox. His highest playing salary: $16,500. Back then, you didn't play for the money, you did it for the pure love of the game.

After he retired in 1947, he became a coach and eventually a manager with the Indians and Chicago White Sox, becoming the only manager to defeat the New York Yankees for a divisional pennant during their dynasty from 1949 to 1964.

Lopez was a member of two World Series teams. As a player, he caught for the 1954 Cleveland Indians, which were swept by the National League champion New York Giants. He managed the White Sox in 1959 to their last World Series appearance before this year's championship. The Sox lost that Series in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The City of Tampa build Al Lopez field in 1954, which became the spring training home for the Cincinnati Reds. Al Lopez Field was razed in 1989, and is located in what is now the south end zone of Raymond James Stadium.

There are several stories today remembering the man known respectfully as El Senor:

Tampa Tribune: Story, Special Report, Guestbook
St. Petersburg Times, Chicago Sun Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer