For those of you who know me well, would know just how sad it makes me to say good-bye to this man. For many years, he was âMr. Kellyâ to me. He was my softball coach, and sadly he passed this weekend. To say he was a coach does nothing to express just how much he meant to me and my team.
After being given 3 brand new, beautiful, rather large for our young hands, Rawlings baseball gloves as young kids, my sister, brother and myself really didnât know how to âuseâ them? We are right handers so we naturally thought to wear them on our right hand. Wrong.
After playing 2 years house league softball, I was asked to try out for a Rep team. Tryouts were exciting for me, and what I clearly lacked in talent and experience, I made up for in enthusiasm and awe of the whole thing. By the grace and âpick of litterâ by Norma, also pictured here; one of the other coaches and the team manager aka the âHeartâ of our team), I was chosen to be part of the Cawthra Carleyâs Softball Team. It was then, at 10 years old, I had the pleasure of knowing our Mr. Kelly, or âVicâ to some.
For the next 7 years (or so) we were not only a team, but we grew as a baseball family, with some of the same players who started in 1985/1986, playing together until most of us left. Baseball for us wasnât a couple of months in the summer, far from it! Baseball meant indoor clinics starting in the the fall, going through the winter, resuming our season in the spring, playing all through the summer, several times a week, including tournaments all weekend, and continuing until playoffs in the late summer. We repeated this year after year. Mr. Kelly, dedicated countless hours, days, weeks, months to us. In our first year, he took us from a team of 10/11 year old girls who never played together before, all the way to becoming Ontario Champions!
As a team, we were awesome, I can honestly say that! He left all of the personality grooming and nurturing to Norma, and she fulfilled her role in taking care of that aspect of our team, and much more. He made sure we took ball seriously, making it to practices, running drills, being at every game, tournament etc. I remember after games, we would all gather in our usual post- game circle, sitting on the grass together listening to his words. Heâd tell us how incredible that game was, and if it was a close one, heâd take off his baseball cap and showing us the few hairs remaining on his head, and blamed that on us đ.
I remember him standing in the 3rd base line giving us signs as we went up to bat. I like remembering him like that, I respected and admired him greatly.
Mr. Kelly was a Fireman, a Chief as a matter of fact (someone please correct me if Iâm mistaken). Though he had his fair share of commitments with work, he also had 3 children of us own, and still managed to spend a considerable amount of time with us.
While he did our team proud as a whole, I appreciated him that much more for what he did for me as an individual player. I went from a left fielder, to a 1st baseman, and with his many hours of one-on-one practice, ultimately a pitcher.
I remember him calling me up on those sweltering summer days, asking me if I could come out and âthrow some pitchesâ for a while. Back then, our weeks were already filled with practices, games, and tournaments, so I figured I already put in my share, because I wanted âMy timeâ too.
I grumbled by myself on the phone, but I always went. He would pick me up, take me down the street to the nearest baseball diamond. He counted off the steps between home plate and where a pitcherâs mound would be, and away i went. The hotter the days were, the angrier I got inside as him and I exchanged throws. Me pitching windmill to him, and him returning the ball so I could keep going (melting was more like it). Through the sweat, and bad pitches, he kept going. He kept those calls coming in between his busy work/home/team life and I kept grumbling inside, but I never said a word. I had great respect for him, and I later came to appreciate every single minute spent with him, as he single handedly groomed me to become a decent pitcher. When we made it to the Nationals in Quebec in 1992, I pitched 21 innings with the lowest ERA and was awarded the âTop Pitcherâ (I still have the plaque to prove it lol). That was for him; all of those hours he gave of himself so I could be the best I could be, and I will never we forget that.
This past February, Norma and I had the great pleasure, and honour of joining his family members for his birthday celebration. My heart is full, as I was able to tell him âThank Youâ for all he did for me. I was lucky enough to spend that time letting him know how much he meant to me and I got to tell him that I loved him before we left. I am so grateful for that.
Though we can not properly say good bye to him in person, I will memorialize him in my heart. Rest In Peace, to our Mr. Kelly.
