Ken Lamb's favorite trial memories

In writing Ken Lamb's obituary today, I was struck with the feeling that Lamb spent more hours in the courtroom than out of it. The obit, which will run tomorrow, includes a lot about his life and career - as recalled by friends and colleagues, including District Attorney Steve Cooley, who called Lamb the "Babe Ruth" of trials.

Recently, Lamb jotted down some of his favorite trial memories. Here are a few of them:

•  In a case where Lamb had to prove the defendant caused great bodily injury by biting the victim in the face and ear, Lamb took a bite out of a pear and taped the piece back into the rest of the fruit. Like the pear, the victim will never be the same - Lamb told the jury.
• When a judge told Lamb he could not move more than two feet away from the podium, Lamb dragged the podium throughout the coutroom as he delivered his argument.
• In closing, the defense attorney argued that Lamb failed to call the correct witness. "In my final argument, I walked out into the hall and yelled out the victim's name," Lamb wrote. "I then walked back inside and stated that the most important witness could not be called because the defendant killed her."

In the courtroom, friends say, Lamb is known for his closing arguments. At Legends last week, where friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate and say good-bye, Lamb delivered perhaps one of his most powerful summations.

"Appreciate every day you have," he said to the silent crowd. "Appreciate the people you're with. If you don't, you'll blink and it might be gone."

Previously: OBITUARY: Deputy District Attorney Ken Lamb