MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – March 27 2009

IT MUST BE REDWOODS, giving off all that oxygen. Something is stimulating brain cells here, because people seem more creative than ever.

I just finished reading a book by hills couple Al Musante and Pat Marino — called “Keep Playing!” It’s a guide to helping your child play college sports, even if they rode the bench on their high school team.

It worked for their daughter, who didn’t start for her Bishop O’Dowd High School varsity basketball team, but walked on at DePaul University and ended up with a Division I scholarship to the University of San Francisco.

Think about that. A player who didn’t start and wasn’t recruited — getting a Division I scholarship. Aside from the savings in tuition, this speaks volume about the young woman’s spirit and the support of her parents.

Pat says there are plenty of kids, just like her daughter, who were either late bloomers or didn’t have the chance to play a lot in high school. She and her husband wrote this “how to book” for kids (and their parents) who have a passion and perseverance to play.

You can find out more on their Web site at www.youcanplaycollegesports.com.

Color them Happy: Speaking of books — The Oakland Rotary Club has just handed out 15,000 free books to third-graders in Oakland and Emeryville. That’s three books apiece for every public and charter school kid, courtesy of the club and its helpers (the school district and librarians). Why third-graders? Studies show that if you develop reading habits around the age of 9 — you have a better chance of being a life long leader and going to college.Good Samaritan: Gregg Kosmos is looking for his guardian angel. The Piedmont Pines senior wants to find the neighbor who came to his aid after a nasty fall on his street Feb. 26. “I sure want to thank her because I think she saved my life,” says the 87-year-old Kosmos, who was walking near his home when he blacked out. “I fell so hard, I looked like two people had beaten the living hell out of me,” he says.

The woman and another gentleman helped him up and called paramedics, who rushed him to the trauma unit at Highland Hospital. If you’re that Good Samaritan, please contact me and I’ll put you in touch with Gregg so he can thank you.

About Town: Here are the comings and goings in the Village these days: An eco-friendly boutique is set to open in April in the old Knitting Basket location. Nancy Ekstrom at Utopia Designer Fashions is opening a Zen gallery on La Salle. Meanwhile, there are still no bites on the shops vacated by Jamba Juice, Argento and the dry cleaners on La Salle. Starbucks is NOT closing (caramel macchiato lovers can relax) and I’m still lamenting the fact that Movie Express is calling it a wrap.

Goose Busters: Honk if you love a good goose. If not, you can hire an outfit like I saw the other day on the golf course in Castro Valley. On the 15th hole at Willow Park, two trucks pulled up and unleashed a band of border collies, who led the dirty birds on a wild goose chase off the course. No harm — no foul. And to the delight of most golfers — no fowl.