My old friend, Kevin O'Reilly passed away from cancer last week. I had the opportunity to join his family at the viewing Saturday. I enjoyed meeting all of them but even more, I loved relaying to them the impact Kevin had on a group of boys that we coached for a few years from 2005 to 2008. We were the Rangers.
A little history. Kevin worked for one of my clients back then doing admin and bookkeeping work. He had been hired right around the same time that I had been to organize and support a brand new frozen custard franchise in the DC area. Me being the accountant, Kevin became my right hand guy. We worked out of a small townhouse style office in Rockville, Maryland that backed up to the baseball field for the local junior college, Montgomery Community College. We must have started working there in the spring that year because in the afternoons Kevin and I would walk outside to the fence and, while he smoked a cigarette or two, watch the practices each time I was there. Of course, Kevin's main conversation was centered around how John, his son, was doing. At the time I believe he was pitching for the Brewers double A team. With the internet just making its self felt, Kevin was armed with all of John's latest stats. He was very proud of what John had accomplished!
I had been coaching a rec 10u baseball team that my second son Billy played on. I started asking Kevin for advice, knowing that he had tons more experience than me. Every once in a while Kevin would come to my practices and laugh at the disaster that was going on. He would break the kids down into small groups, enlist a few Dads and next thing you knew a real practice was going on and the kids started learning baseball. It must have worked because that team made it to the championship that year, only to lose in a heartbreaking loss where one of the final outs came from a kid that was tagged out jumping up and down on second base because he was so excited he got such a great hit!
The league asked me to coach the All Star team that year in the Rockville annual 4th of July tournament, I bullied Kevin into helping. We had a great tournament and some of the parents asked if we would want to continue to coach the core group of these kids for more tournaments that summer and then into the local travel league in the fall. I agreed for both Kevin and me! That was the beginning of what turned out to be the Rangers. It was one of the most influential time period for a group of 11 year old boys. More than they ever would have thought. Coach O'Reilly taught them lessons that many of them carry to this day.
I posted on Facebook this week my thoughts about Kevin's passing and a few people responded with some stories. I will post them here and if anyone wants to add to them I would love for you to leave them as comments to these postings. I will also add a few more of the memories that I have of Kevin. He deserves the tribute!
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