Coach Fennell loses battle with cancer (5/15/02)

Funeral services for McQuaid baseball coach Mike Fennell will be held on Saturday, after the Fairport native lost his battle with cancer early Wednesday morning at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Mike grew up on baseball. His dad ran the Fairport Little League and Mike was an outstanding player. He played college baseball at LeMoyne and was good enough to be a first baseman in the Yankees minor league system. While he didn't play in the big leagues, he got a job warming up Yankee relievers as the bullpen catcher.

When he finally came home to work in sales, Mike signed on to coach baseball at McQuaid.

He was diagnosed with nonsmokers lung cancer in November of 2000. Although weakened by the treatments he coached McQuaid's championship in the sectionals last spring.

In January he was honored with the Don Holleder Award by the Press-Radio Club and later won the Strong Cancer Center's Inspiration award.

The McQuaid baseball team found out about Mike Fennell's death this morning and attended a mass at the school. Wearing baseball caps with Fennell's "55" and "Never Give Up" on the back, the Knight's played School of the Arts in a double header Wednesday afternoon at Cobbs Hill Park.

"It's hard to keep your game-face on and hard to get ready and prepare for these games. We're going to miss him terribly on the sidelines, but I know he'd want us to keep playing. We're doing it for him now," said Senior Jon Matt. Coach Butch Kelsey, an assistant for Fennell said, "He instilled a family attitude on this team. To me he was just a great friend and meant the world to me. ".

Mike's father Joe Fennell arrived at the game during the first game and said he was proud of how his son handled his 18 month battle with cancer. "Not once did he complain. Not even a 'why me.' Not once, " said Joe Fennell.

The McQuaid baseball team will play Fairport at 7:00 pm Sunday at Frontier Field in a benefit game for the Fennell family.

Mike Fennell was 42. He is survived by his wife Erin and three children. Funeral services will be held 11:00 am Saturday at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Brighton.