rocky laber

Since we started documenting victories in 2008, here are the family records through 2010:

Natalie and Eric tied with 24 wins each, Rocky 18, Mary Ann 13

As of new years day 2011, I’m in the lead (probably the only time I can boast this) with 2 wins.

For as long as I can remember, my aunt Rosemarie (my mom’s sister) has baked Christmas cookies – a lot of Christmas cookies.  In fact, more cookies than you can imagine.  As part of this very large and sprawling family (my mom’s the youngest of 8, her brother alone has 10 children, and as good Catholics go, lots of nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren), she presented gift boxes of baked goods to just about every family, each containing 2-3 dozen cookies of various shapes, flavors and sizes.

Word got out that this would be Rosemarie’s final year of Christmas baking.  It was my mom who broke the news to us maybe a couple months ago.  For a little history, Rosemarie’s house was remodeled 40+ years ago, the kitchen was expanded to serve as her crafts workshop and food production area, so she means business.

We were all relieved to learn that the initial reports were in fact inaccurate, just as my brother stepped up to deliver a toast to acknowledge our aunt at the family gathering on Christmas night. Turns out my mom got the story wrong, Rosemarie decided to stop hosting Christmas Eve for the Ramos family at her house (another meal of epic proportion).

All is right with the world again. As word spread of the developments and conflicting reports, stock analysts warned of the potential impact to butter and sugar futures.

Long live Tallo’s cookies!!

CPS softball played incredibly well this year, last night they were crowned NCS Division V champions, and deservedly so. The team played a total of 21 games since February, each a victory.  Some games were hard-fought, others blowouts, but in NCS play they ran the table and did not allow a run – remarkable. Last night they defeated a very talented team, St. Barnard’s of Eureka, 1-0.  It was classic softball, dominated by pitching and defense.  The Cougars scratched out a single run in the 4th inning, a razor thin margin of victory.  The game ended with St. Barnard’s runners in scoring position, the tying run at 3rd, the go ahead run 60 feet behind her, and Sadie striking out the side.

I’m very proud of my daughter and all the girls, here’s what we’ve had all season long:

A group of talented, competitive and dedicated young ladies who know the game, play it hard, and show respect toward the game, their opponents, and officials.  Everyone knows their role, accepts it and fulfills it for the greater good of the team.

An outstanding coaching staff, full of positive energy, equally well versed in instruction, strategy and motivation.

An enthusiastic and knowledgeable fan base consisting of students, alumni and parents.  The time spent together is always very enjoyable.

Team spirit.  To witnessed it firsthand is to know what I’m talking about.

An outfield that can run, catch and throw.  Witness the relay against Valley Christian, when a bomb to the wastelands of right center field beacme an out at 3rd base.  It hapened that way because the fielders didn’t give up, and they executed the way they’ve been taught.  In addition, these girls consistently did all the little things right. For example,  hustling into position to back plays up and keeping runners from advancing on errant throws.

An infield that turned many a hard shot into outs.  The other team hit the ball hard? No problem, we routinely gobbled up ground balls and line drives, retiring batter after batter.

On-field leadership. One word: Zoe.  To see her in action is to truly appreciate her talent.  A catcher that knows home plate belongs to her.

Pitching.  This is what we had that put us way over the top in our league and in NCS play.  Most teams have just one, a few teams have a pretty good one. Not us, we have two. We are blessed with a pair of hard throwing, accurate and cool-under-pressure pitchers.  They’re both sophomores, and both getting stronger with each progressing season.

A school that puts the right amount of support and emphasis on their athletic program.  CPS is typically not the place to go if a kid is looking to immerse in a highly competitive athletic program, that’s somewhere else.  The administration, faculty, staff and student culture allow for a rich balance of academics and athletics.

College Prep will now hang a softball championship banner in the gym for the very first time.

CPS alum Nick Masson (brother of senior 1B Helen) has been documenting the last several games, you can see more photo sets here.

The 2010 CPS softball team accomplished a lot this year.  You don’t always believe the preseason predictions, but in this case, those who made them had an inkling.

And so it goes from year to year, certain teams are loaded with talented seniors, the next year their core has moved on.  CPS certainly benefited from the talent and experience of their upcoming graduates, and next year may be another story.  What remains is a strong and dedicated group, including 2 outstanding pitchers (ahem), a pair players that should continue to have a significant impact on the program. The season went along without too much drama, save for a scare against OMI on Senior Day.  Highlights would include the tournament win in Calistoga, and the 1-0 win over Marin Academy, no question our best played game of the year.

Contributions came from up and down the lineup, but our pitching absolutely set us apart from the rest of the pack, en route to a 19-0 record.  Over the course of the season,the 2 sophomores compiled some impressive stats:

Natalie Laber: 9 wins, 67 strikeouts, 0.52 ERA, 1.000 fielding percnetage

Sadie Oliver-Grey: 9 wins, 102 strikeouts, .080 ERA, 1.000 fielding percnetage

It’s on to NCS, Prep finds out about their draw Sunday May 23.

I met Ralph after one of Eric’s jazz club rehearsals, he first invited me over to an informal jam at his house last year, and I’ve been to 2 or 3 since then.  With Nat out of town on a school retreat, I asked Eric if he wanted to come along last night. The fact that his friend Devin would be there helped seal the deal (Devin’s dad Matt plays drums).  I had no idea how much he would enjoy it.

It reminded me of one of my first jams, when I was about 15, at Lyle Wing’s duplex on a warm day after school in 1976.  It’s likely that we sounded like shit, but the sheer thrill of making music was enough to set the hook firmly.

Now Eric wants to know if we can do this every Friday night…

… that’s what I say to my cat Monte, in jest, at least once a day.  She’s a very sweet orange tabby, and Mary Ann really loves her.  She’s almost 2 years old, has accompanied us to Idaho, and ran up a little vet bill 2 weeks ago.

On a Thursday night, she was pinned under the rollup garage door (not sure how), by the time we discovered and released her, she flopped around like she’s lost control her hind legs.  The kids and I rushed her to the 24 hour clinic, where she stayed the night.  I thought she was a goner, but it turns out she had more lives in reserve.  (wonder how many she’s down to…)  What look like wrist bands in the color photo are where she was shaved and the vet inserted an IV.  They estimated recovery at 21 days, it took about 4 before she was back to normal.

I had an awsome weekend, a hard rocking surf gig Saturday evening with a nice cocktail gathering afterward, then played catch on the field at ATT Park on fathers day before the Giants game. (continue reading…)

We’re all pretty eco-minded these days, my family takes a number of steps to do our part.  We’re far from perfect, but I like the idea of taking small steps to get there, as opposed to doing nothing at all.

We’ve been generating surprisingly little trash for quite a while, lots of recycling, lower water usage, trying to ride my bike to work more often.

And since it’s been 9 years since our last car purchase, it’s only fitting that this one goes Mary Ann’s way, we found a used 2008 Prius that we really like.  So when you add it up, the satisfaction of getting a car in excellent condition, fully loaded, reasonably priced, a model with a great track record, economical to operate, and greener than our other cars – you get the idea, we’re feeling good about this one.

Scanning sfgate.com recently, I saw a still from Field of Dreams where Costner and Liotta are playing catch. The article referred to a KNBR promotion contest for Father’s Day, where 68 dads vie for the chance to play catch with their kid on the field before a Giants game. Entries are judged by the content of their email stating why they deserve to win.
Bob Fratti won a KNBR contest like this last year, he got to be “ball dude” for the Giants, I don’t remember if it was “ball dude camp” or for an actual game. Regardless, it sounded very cool, he was proud of having done it, and I remembered his approach for the winning entry: keep it brief.
Using the Fratti rule-of-thumb, here’s my WINNING entry:

Subject: Reasons why I should win the fathers day contest
From: studio@rlaber.com
Date: June 10, 2009 8:36:58 AM PDT
To: dad@knbr.com
there are several:
I’m 48 years old and have been working hard on perfecting my knuckleball. I think it represents my best and last chance of making a major league roster and I want Giants scouts to see me.
My kids are ballplayers: my son, a 12 year old speedy centerfielder, and my daughter, a freshman all-league (BCL East) pitcher.
My wife hits line drives regularly in her women’s league.
I can still go yard in my mens league.
I’m told that I sound like Tom Tolbert.

I don’t know the truth in that last line, but it’s Bob who told me. I got the email this morning telling me that I was one of the winning selections.  WOO!! Thanks ball dude!  See you on the diamond

See some photos on flickr.com

Both kids made me proud this week with their skills on the diamond.  Wednesday at Chabot, in a scoreless tie with the Tigers and runner on 2nd, Eric fielded a hard single to right.  He’s played just long enough, and seen other kids make incorrect decisions regarding their throws.  Fielding the ball, blocking from a knee-down position, he popped right up and delivered a strike to the cutoff, freezing the runner at 3rd.  Textbook.  He also had a 2-out bases loaded single the previous game.

On Thursday Nat’s team faced their league rival and one of the top 3 pitchers in the BCL (ahem). She battled at the plate with a pair of 2-strike hits, an RBI and a run scored in a 6-5 victory.

The lesson: practice what you’re expected to do, do it well when it matters.  The priority list: play well, have fun, win.