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Arlington Southwest Little League

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Michael Alexander Conolly (1951 - 2024)

Longtime ASWLL umpire Michael Conolly passed from this life on Saturday, June 22, 2024. "Mikey", also known as "Thunderbuck" and "The Minister of Fun and Mischief", will be dearly missed by those of us who knew him. 

A Little League umpire for over 40 years, Mikey was as genuine as they come. Often outspoken, but always cheerful, Mikey absolutely loved umpiring and giving back to the community, the league, and most of all the kids. Mikey lived over an hour away from ASWLL, yet he would drive that hour plus to call a single game on a weeknight and then drive home. That's just who he was. 

Link to obituary 
 

Remembering Mikey


Eric Brock, ASWLL Umpire:
Personally, I loved umpiring with Mikey. It was always fun, because he made it fun. The kids and the parents loved him. He was part of a group of seasoned umpires that helped me in my development, and I will always cherish the time I spent with him on and off the field. Rest in peace my brother, I will miss you. 

Tom Leferink, ASWLL Umpire:
The type of person Mikey was? 
The man would drive two hours, an hour to MLK and an hour home, so that the kids would have an umpire, a volunteer umpire no less. That speaks volumes. He was a credit to our chosen endeavor.

David Petter, ASWLL Umpire:
One of my funniest memories was when Mikey (plate) and I (field) were meeting  pre-game with coaches to look at pitching records of a non ASWLL team and one of the dads started complaining that Mikey was going to enforce the requirement that the team actually produce one. Mikey promptly ejected the dad even before the game started. Later in the game, I had to threaten to eject one of the coaches if they didn't get rid of the irate dad who lingered behind the outfield fence to yell at us during the game.  Blessings to Mikey's family. I will always remember his laugh.

Brett Smith, ASWLL President and Umpire:
District game in Weatherford: Westside vs ULL. 5th inning. I was the plate umpire and had just had a conversation with the home team manager about not wanting to have to write an ejection report and things calmed down. I walked back to the plate and Mikey threw the coach out of the game. Said afterwards he was tired of him. 

Jay Malone, ASWLL Umpire and Coach:
I had the privilege of calling a few games with him and watched a few . The kids loved him for the most part and coaches , well they're gonna be coaches. I was also a coach and loved Mikey calling our games . He WILL be missed but not forgotten. Condolences to his families, both personal and ASWLL !!!

JD Eubanks, District 7 Umpire:
Mikey was a great spirit. I remember I was doing the plate at a D7 game and he was U3. A dad in the stands yelled out "You <expletive> suck!" when a close ball/strike call didn't go his team's way. I called time and went to the fence to ask that dad to leave. The whole crowd verbally expressed their displeasure with my request. Mikey came from his position at U3, made a motion similar to the "off the bag" mechanic, and yelled "CLEAR THE STANDS!!!" in my defense. We didn't actually make everyone leave, just the one foul-mouthed dad. But Mikey was there to back me up no matter what. He was that way at every game I worked with him or watched with him. He wasn't just an ejector though...He had a great way with the kids too. I heard many kids say "He's the coolest umpire" or something similar. He will definitely be missed.

Tim Olson, ASWLL Umpire and Coach:
The kids and the integrity of the game were in safe hands with Mikey on the field.  He brought his smile and his laugh to the park everyday.  He will be missed.

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