Monday, April 23, 2012
Youth baseball league celebrates 50th year with parade, first pitches from dignitaries.
West Baseball of Oak Lawn opened its 50th season as an organization on Saturday with a parade through the neighborhood and ceremonial first pitches from a congressman and the village clerk. Watch the video of Opening Day. Most people marched and those standing along the curb joined the parade of kids in their team uniforms marching toward Pacetti Field in Centennial Park. Patch wishes all the Westside players, coaches, parents and grandparents a great season of baseball. Like O-L Patch on Facebook.
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Westside Baseball of Oak Lawn
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Thursday, February 23, 2012
Oak Lawn baseball mom says suspension of youth league president who made racist comment on his personal Facebook page "doesn't fit the crime."
The black mother who exposed a racist comment made by the white president of her son’s youth baseball league on Facebook said she feels “betrayed” that the league’s board didn’t force the man to resign. John T. Kelly, president of the Westside Baseball League in Oak Lawn, admitted to posting a racist comment on his personal Facebook page about the late singer Whitney Houston, in which he called her a "n---er." On Monday, the youth league’s board suspended Kelly indefinitely as president until he completes a sensitivity training course, which he has agreed to pay for. Even upon completion of the class, the board says Kelly’s return as league president “isn’t guaranteed.” Kelly is also banned from coaching a team for one year. The mother, …
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Westside Baseball of Oak Lawn
9400 Oak Park Ave, Oak Lawn, IL
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
John Kelly is suspended indefinitely as Westside Baseball president after parent complains of Facebook comment about late singer Whitney Houston.
An Oak Lawn youth baseball league board suspended its president during a special meeting on Monday for a racist comment he posted on his personal Facebook page about the late singer Whitney Houston. John Kelly, president of Westside Baseball—a youth league that offers baseball and softball programs for boys and girls—posted the comment early last week after the singer was found dead in the bathtub in her hotel room on February 11. Authorities have not yet announced the cause of Houston’s death, but speculation is that a combination of drugs and alcohol may be involved. Kelly told Patch that he made the comment out of frustration that Houston, who publicly battled drug addiction throughout her singing career, was being elevated as children’…
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Westside Baseball of Oak Lawn
9400 Oak Park Ave, Oak Lawn, IL
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Pat F
1:11 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
As a young boy I played in the OLBB program that was actually just getting bigger back around 1960..The building of the stands and fields(98th+ Central and behind Christ Hospital on 93rd) was just happening. All 3 of my boys have played in the Westside program. Playing and then watching my boys play baseball has been some of the best times of our lives. We're now looking forward to watching our … more ›