Inspiration on the diamond: Elyria's John Kelly thrives with one arm

Remember Jim Abbott, the one-armed major league pitcher who threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians? Meet John Kelly, an 11-year-old first baseman and pitcher for the Elyria Dawgz, the Class G Hot Stove state champions. Kelly, like Abbott, was born without a full right arm. In fact, Kelly had to undergo a special surgery at 10 months old just to extend the arm enough to eventually have a prosthetic attached. "They had to go in surgically and put in rods and screws," said his mother, Kim, a second-grade teacher at Westwood in Elyria. "He had to have that for about 2½ months. The rods and screws we had to turn four times a day to get the bone to grow. It did everything it was supposed to do. If we didn't do it at that age, he wouldn't be able to wear a prosthetic later in life." The decision was made to give him options. "We didn't know if he would want to wear one but we wanted to give him the opportunity," Kim said. "That's where the scar comes from. We've never pushed it. He does have a prosthetic arm but he doesn't like it. It's cumbersome. It does work with his muscles when it's attached and he can use his brain to move the muscle. "It was a big deal a year ago. We thought it was going to be great but he hasn't found it to be useful. Maybe one day he will and maybe he won't." Kelly is plenty self-sufficient as it is. "I can tie my shoes and I can zip up my jacket," he said. "I can play the trumpet. I can type on my computer. I can do everything. I can even play golf. "It doesn't come naturally. My friends help me. My family helps me. It's in my brain. If I tell myself I can do it, I'm going to do it." When you see him play baseball, he looks like a natural and the lack of an arm doesn't seem like a problem. At the state tournament, he had two hits in the championship game Sunday in Alliance. He scored twice, had two steals and drove in a run. "On the baseball field, I get along with my teammates," he said. "Some teams are confused on how I play." Kelly's left arm has to be strong. He uses the same bat style and weight as everyone else on the team. How does he do it? "I don't know," he said. "I just did it one day and it just felt comfortable. I kept on swinging and swinging and swinging it. A lot of practice. I just felt like going and going. I stuck with it and now it's natural." When he's in the field, he makes the catch with the glove on his left hand and quickly transfers the ball to the hand while putting the glove under the shorter arm. He does it so smoothly, it's difficult to tell. He's developed a sense of humor and pride about it. Everything is taken in stride. "It took a long time to practice with my papa and my dad," Kelly said, referring to his grandfather Dave Akosi and stepfather, Brian Costello. "It doesn't come naturally. You always have to practice. People sometimes look at me and stare at me with what I do. It's like I'm from another planet." Along the way, Kelly has had the support of his father, John Kelly, and his grandfather Frank Kelly. Like Abbott, Kelly plays baseball without thought. He bats using only his left arm and opposing teams soon find out he can hit with the best of them. As a fielder, he makes all the plays at first base. He plays soccer, is a ball boy for Elyria High's basketball team and a straight-A student. Everybody loves him. "I got A's all year," he said proudly. "I just focus on what I'm doing, not what the other kids are doing." Kelly and his Elyria Dawgz teammates have been together for many years. They played Little League until joining the Lorain County Hot Stove this year. They went 25-1, won the Class G county championship by coming from behind to beat Firelands Black last Wednesday and had already qualified for last weekend's state tournament by winning three games in Grafton the weekend before. At Alliance, the Dawgz outscored their two opponents 32-14 to claim the title. Kelly's mom, along with Deke Morgan and Joe Billingsley, put together the team. Previously, Dan Cahl, Joe Taylor and Brett Larrick, Elyria High's basketball coach, gave Kelly coaching support. Morgan and George Netty were his soccer coaches. Kim Kelly never expected to compete for a state title, let alone win it. "No, you should have seen us practicing," she said. "You should have seen it. The three coaches, we looked at each other and said, 'oh, dear God.' I figured losing isn't awful, it'll teach them some stuff. "We just started winning. I just don't know why they can't practice like they can play." "We're all like family," said Kelly. "I've known all of these players since I was like 4 or 5. We've all bonded with each other. Every game if we're down, we always pick each other up." Kelly has had a huge influence on his mother's teaching career. She was a graduate of Southview High, where she played softball for Jan Sito. "We're all here for a purpose in life," said Kim, who graduated from Ashland and got her master's at Bowling Green. "John has just come in where it was in the core of my career for me to help people understand differences. I tell him every day you're faced with challenges and you look in the mirror every day and say 'I got this.' "There's just nothing that we put in front of him or any obstacles that he doesn't try. It might take him a couple times but he gives it everything he has. That's all a parent can ask for." Abbott, who won 18 games for the Angels in 1991, threw his no-hitter on Sept. 4, 1993, at Yankee Stadium, beating Cleveland 4-0. He pitched for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox and Brewers over his 10-year career. Abbott, a graduate of the University of Michigan, was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. He is a motivational speaker. Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com.