R.I.P Mike Keyes

Many in the softball community lost a great friend and person this past weekend with the passing of Mike Keyes. For those of you that didn't get the privilege to meeting Mike, I am truly sorry, because he was definitely one of a kind in the world of softball and in life. I got the phone call shortly after our first win and when I seen who was calling, I thought he was calling me to razz about how close the game was. Man, do I wish that was the case, when he told me the news about Keyes I just went numb and couldn't believe what I was hearing. It felt like it was a conversation you have in a bad dream. I will openly admit that Mike and I were "softball" friends, we seen each other at fundraisers, at tournaments and of course at Total Sports. I never got to know Mike away from the softball field, but what from what I did get to know him from being on the field and talking with him, he was definitely one of a kind. Like many have said in numerous facebook post, he was always smiling, he always came to you and shook your hand and smiled and asked how everything was going. He was just a very easy guy to talk to and laugh with and that is what I will miss the most with him being gone.

I first met Mike back in 2009, he was looking for a team and I was pretty much looking to pick up any talent I could at that point on the team I was running. We had a great conversation and I knew that I liked this guy, he was a genuine person, which for whatever reason seems to be rare these days. The last conversation I had with him was April 23rd, 2011 when Repo was on their way to winning their first tournament on the year. Howard brought it to my attention that he needed a smaller hat than what he has, so I had him try on a few other hats that I had to see if any of the S/M I can get would fit his head, we came to the conclusion that he needed a Youth size hat and of course Mike was cracking jokes about it and making me laugh, but he was also showing how grateful he was that I was getting him a new hat. A hat? Really? I told him I would get right on it for him with the other Repo hats and he smiled gave me a hug and said, "Thanks, I really appreciate what you have done for us this year." That was Mike to me, always smiling and always grateful.

Mike, you will be missed more than I believe you realized you have impacted many lives even if it was in the slightest of ways just by being yourself. You treated people like people with class and respect and from the stories I have heard over the past few days people love spending time with you.

No, matter what your beliefs are in God or what God you pray to, I pray that we as a softball community learn from this. First thing I hope we learn is that God is our Comforter, if you feel like you can talk to anyone, God is always there to listen, forgive and understand. 2nd thing is I hope we as a softball community (which I know we will) keep the Keyes Family in our prayers and help out with whatever we can and finally I really hope that we all learned something from this tragic event, whether it be awareness or reflection. Awareness is self explanatory, reflection on how Mike treated others on how he played the game (100%) and how one grateful word can be a lasting memory.

R.I.P. Mike Keyes, we miss you.

Big Hoss