Laura Neet was at work when The E-mail reached her.
Just about everyone in the Morgan Hill baseball community has read it, the originally 215-word message written by Live Oak boosters outlining today’s fundraiser for James Neet, Laura’s husband, who has been diagnosed with stage four cancer.
The E-mail has grown with just about every hand it’s passed.
Another reader; another praise.
Laura almost wept when she clicked it.
“I was just floored,” she said during a telephone interview Friday. “I was so touched. I told James about it … Even he just sort of hung his head. He’s not an emotional person, but this was emotional for him.”
The day before Valentine’s Day, surgery revealed cancer in James Neet’s lungs and tumors in his brain. James was still under anesthesia when doctor’s broke the news to Laura.
“I had to tell him,” she said. “It was unbelievable how bad it was. I will never forget that day.”
James Neet is a 48-year-old contractor who works seven days a week and never complains. He has lived on his own since age 13 and has helped raise three kids. Neet is in considerable pain; his only relief coming with Morphine and Vicodin. He has taken himself out of the public eye, but his presence is constant.
Neet is a baseball fan. He played for the San Jose Bees — now the San Jose Giants — and coached Pony Baseball for the past 14 years. If your children played ball in Morgan Hill, chances are, they played for him. Neet used to come home from work and go straight to the field.
“He works hard for the kids,” Sobrato coach Ulises “Shorty” Gutierrez said. “He’s a really dedicated man who gives back to the community.”
Today’s showdown between Live Oak and Sobrato is a chance to give back. The Snack Shack at Live Oak’s Sarich Field is donating 100 percent of its proceeds to the Neet family.
“It’s a difficult time,” Live Oak coach and Athletic Director Mark Cummins said. “We want to help in any way we can.”
Neet coached just about every player who will take the field this afternoon, including his stepson, Cody Casino, a Live Oak senior. Like his mother, Casino was moved by news of the fundraiser.
“It’s been tough. We’re fighting through it, though,” Casino said. “He’s the best guy I know. He’s a great coach. He knows a lot about the sport. He knows how to coach kids.”
That has made him a popular — and unforgettable — figure. The mere mentioning of his name brought smiles to the faces of Sobrato stars Billy Birrell, Ryan Williams and Shea Adams.
“He’s a great guy,” Williams said.
“An awesome guy. He was fun to play for,” Adams added.
“He was a funny guy, but, at the same time, he knew when to be serious,” Birrell said. “He’s a good baseball coach, but he’s also your friend.”
James Neet probably won’t be in attendance today. He would love to be there, Laura said, but does not like to be seen when he’s down — part of the reason why he declined a formal interview.
Be there for him. Watch the players he helped nurture into the champions and A-leaguers they are today.
Be there, because, on top of being a chance to give back, the Live Oak-Sobrato series is a tribute to James Neet.
