Very Cool

As long as you bring Tracy, any room will do! :)

So where do you suppose Toothpick was headed after getting off work? That’s right, to another restaurant. Stanford’s. Toothpick said he isn’t even a Giants fan, but after moving out from Florida, his dad - who knows the owners - helped him get the job. Been there for two and a half years.

And you’re right. There’s nothing wrong with being gay. I probably would have suggested it to Jim—if not for Tracy and Baron!

Oh, and there was yet another fox across the table and a couple of seats down from me—but she was with this mean-looking guy who looked as though he could turn Toothpick into a pretzel. I certainly wasn’t going to risk seeing what he could do to ME!

Oh, and congratulations to the group on just eating up all my trivia. I can’t get ANYTHING past this group—although Ron Hassey certain blew right by ME.

In fact, I’m wondering if Ron might be gay—since he obviously is the perfect receiver.

If you would be so kind as to ask Steve about Mike Lawson - who was easily the school’s best athlete even over Steve - and Aaron Lett, my son who was the school’s soccer goalie. Both graduated with Steve.

Here’s a little story you can tell him that might entertain him—and one he likely doesn’t know about.

As I mentioned to you, I ref basketball. Mike Lawson, who got Cal’s last basketball scholarship that year but quickly dropped out. (He should have gone to DVC so he could become a TEAM player and not be socially and academically blown away.) Perhaps Mike’s best friend was Mike Cornwell, who played with Mike on the basketball team and played sweeper in front of my son in soccer, both in high school and in club.

I called “Corny” for a backcourt foul in a game during his senior year. It was barely a foul, but it was a push in the back that forced a travel. Corny couldn’t believe it. “That’s bullshit, Roger!” he yelled at me. Naturally I had to give him a technical foul, since he went beyond the initials and added to it by calling me by NAME. His coach immediately took him out of the game.

The following Monday I got called on an emergency basis to do a lower-level game at Alhambra. There was Corny shooting around at the side of the court. I told him I was sorry I had to give him a “T.” “I didn’t give you much choice,” was his reply.

A few months thereafter Corny was voted the Martinez Young Man of the Year, so you can see what a fine young man he was, despite this awkward incident. I love him like I love Tim—like a son.

So maybe you should ask Steve about Mike Cornwell, too. And tell him Murty has been following his career. Murty also graduated with this class - which was probably more clicky than close-knit - and is now a teacher at Alhambra.

My son was pretty much a nerd (like me) in high school, but he really grew out of his shell in college (Cal).

Anyway, I would LOVE to see Steve do well. He didn’t play basketball as a senior - at least not according to the yearbook - but I recognized him when my son showed me his picture. Ask him if he played any basketball in previous years.

Oh, and it was great to meet you—as it was great to meet EVERYONE! What an outstanding evening. And the Giants actually WON!

Really too bad for Mike about the timing. You know Warren Bedell, the AD at Alhambra. (What was his nickname? Scratch and Claw or whatever it was, based on a particular habit he had?) I remember talking to him about Mike on a couple of different occasions.

The first was when he told me that Mike was indeed being looked at by Cal and that he was a qualifier academically. That seemed like a bit of a longshot at that time though, and in my mind I was thinking that if Mike could play a couple of years at DVC, Coach “Coach” (Steve Coccimiglio) would turn Mike into a team player, and a really, really good one.

The other time I talked to Warren about Mike, he told me that in his four seasons as a varsity starter at Alhambra, Mike NEVER missed a free throw in the final two minutes of a game. And as much as Mike handled the ball, he got to the line a LOT. That’s an AMAZING accomplishment.

As you no doubt know, Alhambra is incredible sports-wise even though the DiMaggio brothers had all moved to San Francisco long before they would have attended in that the football coaching Turner brothers went there, as did both the Van Gundies who coach basketball.

In fact, Stan Van Gundy played on a highly successful Alhambra team with my wife’s cousin. If you played baseball or basketball at Alhambra, you might even know the cousin, who went on to win a pitching scholarship to St. Mary’s and later did some assistant coaching for the Bulldogs. Vince Albanese is his name.

Speaking of names, what is your sister’s name? I’m guessing my son knows her.