July 14, 2005

If you plan it, they will come

Two chamber groups battle it out on the baseball field

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

While the debate over the future of Major League Baseball continues into extra innings, neighboring business communities decided to organize a friendly game of their own.

ABA’s Rich Crowley alternates pitching duty with Rich De La Rosa.

It was a fitting match between the Almaden and Cambrian business associations, two fledgling offspring cultivated by the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce in an effort to reach out to a broader population of small business owners.

“We were looking at an alternative to the regular mixer in July,” said ABA President Cathy Spielberg Cassetta. “Plus, the Cambrian Business Association is new and we are the first of the business associations that the Chamber has organized. We thought since Cambrian is so close to us that we’d gather on the field rather than in a meeting room. It’s much more fun.”

“I think this is absolutely marvelous,” said Willow Tree Copies owner Richard Cox, who was flanked by sons William, 5 and Nathan, 3. “It’s a grand opportunity to meet a bunch of new people and my kids are having a ball.”

Now in its second year, the ABA continues to write its own success story—a healthy membership, the popular “Six Degrees of Connection” networking crusade, and an aggressive $15,000 fund-raising campaign that looks to etch its name in perpetuity on the walls of the Children’s Story time Room when the renovated Almaden Library reopens in 2006.

Future CBA members William Cox, 5, and his brother Nathan, 3, take in some “hanging” time, as their father, Richard Cox of Willow Tree Copies stands prepared for two hard landings.

As with Almaden, the CBA, in conjunction with the friends of the Library Foundation has set out to recruit local merchants and service professionals in an effort to assist with fund-raising opportunities greatly needed in anticipation of their new 28,000-square-foot branch on Hillsdale Avenue scheduled to open in August 2006.

Conceived by ABA Vice President and Program Committee Chair Dave Roche and orchestrated by Roche and Communications Chair Rich De La Rosa, the first annual summer softball game and barbecue was well attended and popular enough to elicit requests from the Cambrian camp for an encore event in 2006.

Stan Hronik, who arrived with ABA Membership Chair Carole Edman, fueled a rally with a solo home run during his first at bat. His late addition to the roster elicited new hope for the trailing Almaden team before the final inning closed in. She has since been encouraged to bring him again next year.

Those in the Almaden dugout agreed with the future game plans—but for very different reasons. They may be the elder, more seasoned of the two organizations, but the 13-12 victory, complete with bragging rights belongs to the underdogs. The buzz on this side of Highway 85 won’t be as much about an encore next year as a rematch.

“What do you mean I’m out?” says 5-year-old William Cox, as he questions Rich Crowley’s call on first.

Still, there was plenty to celebrate, including Chamber Vice President of Member Services, Angela Reid, who was treated to an impromptu rendition of “Happy Birthday,” complete with a politically correct acknowledgment of her “16th” birthday—give or take a few years.

“It’s a beautiful day for a birthday,” she exclaimed. “I couldn’t ask for better friends to celebrate it with me.”

For Misty and Rich De La Rosa, the lighthearted afternoon marked another milestone. After 24 years of marriage, starting their 25th year together in tandem with establishing a new tradition on the Kirk Community Center ball field paired the old with the new—living proof that one game does not a champion make. That takes years of practice and solid teamwork.

“We’ll definitely do this again next year,” echoed Gill Zamora.