honoring Jake...perfectly
It’s a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in late October, and the hottest ticket in town is the back yard festivities at the large brick house at the intersection of Old Oak Road and Hillsdale Drive just west of the University of Richmond campus.
You see, the fourth annual Jake MacNelly Classic is running at fever pitch.
The event, actually a fundraiser for the Full Circle Grief Center, and the brainchild of Stephen Drake, the organization’s business director, involves about 20 guys from MacNelly’s era at Collegiate, whence he graduated in 1990.
Oh, and did I mention the sport that brings these four teams of Gen Xers together to honor their friend who died in a climbing accident near his home in Aspen, CO, October 12, 1996?
Why, whiffle ball, of course.
“All of us grew up in this neighborhood and this back yard playing whiffle ball and football,” Drake said. “Even though we’re close to 40, we wanted to keep those memories alive and honor Jake.
“We’ve raised money for Full Circle, but today, it’s about having a fun.”
To the purist, a good game of whiffle ball is similar to baseball, but those who knew Jake won’t be surprised to know that games in his back yard had their own funky set of rules.
“Like it’s a home run if it hits this tree and a foul ball if it hits that tree,” said Danny MacNelly ‘92, Jake’s brother, as he pointed toward the outfield.
“Or if you hit it in the ivy over there, it’s a home run, or if you hit a ground ball and you play it, it’s in play, but if you don’t, then…I don’t know. It’s all very strange.
“Nobody can figure it out if you didn’t grow up playing here.
“My brother really ruled the court.”
Lest you think Jake was imposing an iron will on naïve teen-agers who ventured unwittingly onto his Mom Rita’s turf, rest assured that he was just having fun
“Jake was artistic, creative, and funny,” Danny continued. “He had a really unique personality.”
When Drake approached Rita MacNelly with the idea of the “classic,” she gave the project her unqualified approval even though it meant much wear-and-tear on her grass and flower beds.
“I love it,” she said. “These boys are all so close. They come out here and act like children all over again and have a grand ol’ time.
“Jake is part of this group. This is his game. These kids love sitting around talking about him because he’s so part of everything.
“He’s still part of our lives. That’s for sure.
“He was like a great big wonderful puppy, larger than life.
“He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfectly Jake.”
In the Jake days, the backstop was a skateboard launch ramp, so the guys rebuilt the original.
A lawn chair is first base, a newly planted tree is second, and scraps of carpet are third, home, and the pitcher’s mound.
“Jake was the creator of pretty much all the nonsense that goes on out here,” said Tim Hickey ‘92, who traveled from Washington, DC, for the event.
“He was incredibly loyal, one of the only guys you could sit in his back yard all summer, day after day, and do something with.
“Brings back some good memories of growing up.”
Mason Maynard ‘92 arrived from Atlanta around midnight the night before the “classic” and would fly home the next day.
The whirlwind trip was invigorating and cathartic.
“The friends involved here are by far the best friends I still have at this point in my life,” said Maynard.
“Honoring Jake’s name and the spirit of Full Circle will always get me here.”
