By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Report
(From the issue of 8/28/03)

The sun was shining in the bright blue sky, a soft breeze cut through the heat. It was a perfect day for baseball.

Throughout the church, the talk was all baseball. The organist embraced the rare chance to play "Take me out to the Ballgame" as the body of one of the areas most beloved ball players left St. Philips Church.

Harry Marshall "Jake the Snake" Jacobs was remembered by more than 100 friends and family members last Thursday at his funeral at St. Philip Church. The 11 a.m. Mass was concelebrated by Father Michael Dobbins, parochial vicar at St. Philip Parish; Msgr. John Cilinski, friend of Jacobs; and Father Michael Taylor, chaplain at Bishop O’Connell High School.

Testimonials were delivered by Alward Burch, principal of Bishop O’Connell High School; Glenn Harris, a member of the Gaslight baseball team in 1965; and Bill McGillicuddy, team president for the Arlington Senators and a friend of Jacobs since the 1950s. Jacobs’ grandchildren, David and Ryan Kadel, delivered readings.

Jacobs died on Aug. 15 at the age of 84 after battling prostate cancer, pneumonia, congestive heart failure and diabetes. He was hospitalized this summer when he had a leg amputated due to complications from diabetes.

Although Jacobs suffered from these sicknesses during his last years on earth, he was remembered by many who loved him as a strong, caring man.

Msgr. James McMurtrie became acquainted with Jacobs when he was principal of Bishop O’Connell. Msgr. McMurtrie was unable to attend the funeral, but he sent a letter to Msgr. Cilinski to be read in his absence.

"Today is a sad day because you won’t see many people like him around any more — one who cared so much for young men who want to play the game that Jake loved; only his wife and his children did he love more," Msgr. McMurtrie wrote. "Jake was a man of integrity. Great conviction, he was a little fellow, wiry, hard working, and a man of strong conviction. If he believed it, he lived it."

In the hearts of the boys he coached, "Jake" will live on.

"There was part of Jake in every one of his players," said McGillicuddy. "The most important part, the fire in the belly.

"Jake was absolutely convinced there are no bad boys, men yes, but no bad boys. He used the game of baseball as a mechanism for spiritual improvement."

In his homily, Msgr. Cilinski reflected on Jacobs’ life, and described him as "one who walked with God."

"Jake was writing the best book ever written and preaching the best sermon ever spoken," said Msgr. Cilinski. "He was a living example to every person who came into his life."

The men delivering testimonials agreed that although he was always ready to fight to win, and not always with the tamest words, Jacobs’ greatest accomplishments were not the games he won, but the lives he touched.

Msgr. McMurtrie summarized the philosophy of Jacobs: "If you are going to play the game, whatever the game is, you should try to win, otherwise you shouldn’t play. To give it your best always, whether it was in the matter of faith, whether it was in the matter of a game, or whether it was a matter of just life."

Harris, who played for Jake, said, "Thanks, Jake, for letting me play. For understanding young men and their dreams, thank you Jake. Baseball gave us a purpose."

Msgr. McMurtrie wrote, "Some of the most important coaching he ever did along with Al Burch was that he would give talks to his players before or after practice, which really had nothing to do with baseball, it just had to do with life."

Burch credited Jacobs with "making Al Burch the principal he is today." Father Taylor said to Burch, "You measure the love of a man by what he does for others. Jake was the greatest lover of all time."

No one doubted he loved his players. "He really cared," wrote Msgr. McMurtrie. "He was a loving man, he was a smart aleck, he was a wise guy, he could be short tempered if he thought something was being done wrong, but he was always forgiving, he never held a grudge and he always cared."

McGillicuddy expressed his condolences to the family of Jacobs before saying, "On behalf of his other family, his baseball boys, I want to thank you for sharing this man with us."

"Jake was a little man physically, skinny; but for as long as I have known Jake, I have always thought he was the biggest man I have ever met in my whole life," Msgr. McMurtrie wrote. "Jake will always be a very special person at O’Connell High School and he will always be someone I think of as a man that made me a better person and a better priest. God bless everyone who knew him. All of us are better for it. Thank you Jake."