Rye Neck Grad Vasami Keeps Baseball in the Family

Each time Ralph Vasami is on the field coaching his son Jake’s tee-ball team, the Rye Neck graduate realizes he has come full circle.  Vasami recalls his youth – filled with memories of playing tee ball for his father, Ralph Sr. – to be the beginning of what led to an outstanding high school career.

Vasami, 32, was a four-year starting catcher, the team MVP in his freshman year, and was key in leading the Panthers to a Section 1 Class D title and state final four in 1993. Vasami attended the University of Pennsylvania and played baseball. He enjoyed success with the Quakers and graduated with a degree in political science. He later graduated with a MBA from the University of Delaware in 2006.

But with all of the success Vasami has had -- both athletically and in the business world -- these pale in comparison to one thing. “Being a father is the greatest thing in the world,” said Vasami, who lives in the Scarsdale house where his father grew up, in the Eastchester school district. “It’s amazing how your life does change because now you live for your kids and your decision-making is about your kids. I try to impart what I learned from my parents to my kids. Every year, since I graduated, I have realized my father has become smarter and smarter.”

Jake, 5, seems to be keeping with the family tradition -- he recently asked his father for a catcher’s mitt, which Vasami granted him. “Jake loves playing baseball and I enjoy myself coaching on the tee-ball field,” said Vasami, who works as the director of investor relations for Cross Chore Capital Management, LLC in Great Neck, Long Island. Visami and his wife, Kelly, also have a daughter, Alexandria, 15 months.

Now that Jake is playing ball, it also gives Vasami’s parents the opportunity to watch their grandson play the family game. Vasami’s younger brothers, Chris and Greg, also played baseball in high school and college. Chris, a Colorado Rockies’ draft pick in 2007, is currently pitching for the New Jersey Jackals in the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball.

Vasami said he hopes that Jake will one day enjoy playing high school baseball and all sports. They have led to lasting friendships and memories. “I was having dinner recently with David Hoffman and we were talking about high school sports,” Vasami said. “Sure, we won a title and played in some great games, but it was the guys who I played baseball with and the camaraderie that we shared that I will cherish the most.”

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