Anyone in the CDMSBL who has been a member of the 45s or 55s over the years is probably well aware that a key member of the Royals and Damn Yankees has not been roaming his usual centerfield pasture this summer. Matt Kelly has been giving every precious moment of every day tending to the needs of his very sick wife, Sharon.
Anyone who has met Sharon will have little trouble remembering her. You are greeted with a smile that could melt the pine tar off George Brett's bat, and if you're lucky enough to have met her before, you'll get a famous Shar hug that makes you feel like you're in some special fraternity. My wife Cindi and I were fortunate enough to spend a week in a condo last December with Matt and Sharon, while playing in a 56-plus tournament in Clearwater, FLA. As is her tradition in Florida, Sharon put on a lasagna feast for the entire team. I believe we were a band of renegades up until that evening, but Shar's lasagna and Matt's good taste in wine bonded everyone together for the remainder of the tournament.
I've been a teammate of Matt's for the past 10 years, joining him on the Blue Thunder and eventually teaming up to form the inaugural Damn Yankees in 2009. Matt is the ultimate team player, and someone who manages people as well as he manages the game of baseball. You want to play hard when No. 17 is on the field. He stands tall at the plate, with a Wade Boggs stance, he strokes it to any part of the field with gap power and he runs the bases with abandon. But baseball ability aside, this story gives you a better idea of the real Matt Kelly. It was two years ago in the 55 playoffs, and the Damn Yankees were squaring off in the finals against the league champion Whiz Kids (before half the team split off to form the Giants). We were in a scoreless defensive battle when Darrell Duncan stepped to the plate and roped a ball that ended up over the Satellite Field fence. Plate umpire Donnie Dunham, the lone umpire for the game behind the plate, ruled from his vantage point that it bounced over the fence and declared it a ground-rule double. And to be honest, there was little argument about the call, as nobody was truly sure. Nobody, except for Matt and left-fielder Joe Hervieux. With Duncan stopped at second base, and the game still scoreless, Matt walked in from his centerfield position to me and said ''Tim, it went over the fence in the air, it should be a home run,'' twirling his finger in a four-base signal. Donnie accepted the overruling and the Whiz had the lead. We went on to win the game and the series, and I swear to this day it was simply good karma in return for a good deed. That sums up Matt Kelly.
If you are fortunate to still be playing baseball in the twilight of your life, and even more fortunate to remain married, you know there are wives who fall into any number of categories during the baseball season, ranging from ''supportive'' to ''tolerant'' to ''ain't happy'' about it. Then there is that rare group that have accepted baseball into their lives as a partnership, and genuinely appear to enjoy being at games. Every team has a Shar, Suzie, Lori, Martina, Nancy, Monique or Jan like I've had the pleasure of meeting at cooler sessions and during Florida trips. Or maybe your wife is like mine, who as I'm dragging my baseball bag out the front door lovingly says ''have fun,'' and more emphatically, ''don't get hurt.''
Last night our Damn Yankees team was greeted by our manager, Ray Demers, with a box of uniform jerseys to pass out before the opening round game of the playoffs. The front of the jersey reads ''The Kellys'' and the back shoulder reads ''Matt & Sharon.'' We're all wearing No. 17 and the jerseys, of course, are Kelly green.
So when you pull into the parking lot to play the Damn Yankees for a future playoff game, don't look out at the green jerseys warming up and think you arrived at the wrong field. You're in the right place, and you're now officially playing ''The Kellys.'' It's just our way of saying to Matt and Sharon that we love you, we miss you and we are thinking about you. Always.
-- Edited by adtimbrown on Wednesday 29th of July 2015 05:59:33 PM
-- Edited by adtimbrown on Wednesday 29th of July 2015 06:04:36 PM
Our prayers go out to the Kellys. Sorry to hear about bad things happening to good people, and Matt and Shar are as good as people get! Good luck to the Kelly's Yankees in the playoffs!
Thank you Tim for helping us all remember our good fortunes at our ages.
When Matt came in from CF and revealed that Darrell's ball indeed was a HR, I told the guys two things: I'm not surprised what Matt did; that will be Matt's legacy as a person.
To know Matt, is to know Sharon. I was part of that Fla. team that Matt and Sharon entertained the evening for which you spoke, Tim. It was indeed special. What stood out, too, was the fact that we had a couple of players on the team from outside the Albany area. Sharon had never met them. But they came to the festivities with their wives, and Sharon and Matt could not have made them feel any more comfortable. They had a blast and one of the wives asked me if everyone from Albany was that sweet. If there are any two people who should have met and married, it's Shar and Matt.
We, as a Giants team, took up a collection and sent Matt a check. I doubt insurance companies handle 100% of all costs, so I'm hoping all teams will do the same. A little can go a long way.
Tim, Ray and all the Yankees, that's a great gesture re: the new unis. We hope to get to see them. And yes, to Matt and Shar, we love you guys!
if there would be anyone that any of us in the league would pull for, it's sharon and matt. so multiply by a 100 and more the sentiments you see here, sharon and matt. they're there. -mike
