Sports Talk Chats with Chris Coste
Major League catcher and Fargo native Chris Coste was a guest on Sports Talk Thursday and I have to admit he was very honest, which is an admirable quality from a player in his situation.
On the show Coste revealed he’ll be departing Fargo early next week for Port St. Lucie, Fla. for spring training with the New York Mets.
He also said that the catching situation with the Mets is a favorable situation for a veteran catcher in the league.
Currently, the Mets have four catchers on their 40-man roster. Longtime backup Henry Blanco, Omir Santos and Josh Thole join Coste in the pursuit of making the team.
Coste said there is no clear-cut No. 1 starting catcher in that group, or least one that has been a starter in the recent years. That of cource bodes well for the former Concordia Cobber and F-M RedHawk standout.
The fact that the Mets didn’t go out and sign a starting catcher before spring training made the likelihood of Coste catch-ing on with the Mets greater, but Coste still believes he’ll be third on the Mets catching depth chart.
That in itself is interesting considering most teams don’t carry three catchers on their in-season rosters, however Coste can play other positions in the infield.
Coste still said it’s going to take a big showing spring training for him to separate from the other backstops.
Blanco is likely the Mets backup catcher regardless. That leaves Thole, Santos and Coste to compete for the other regular catching spot.
On paper, Santos is the likely favorite for that job. But the beauty of baseball is that anything can happen. I’m sure Coste, a big leaguer who experienced his rookie season at age 33 would be the first person to tell you that.
Posted by: TOM_MIX on 2/11/2010 at 3:03 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: baseball, chris coste, mlb
ROY Harvin, Edwards, K. Williams held from Thursday practice
The Minneapolis Star Tribune has reported that NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin missed practice Thursday.
Harvin’s name wasn’t mentioned on the team’s injury report on Wednesday and it’s unclear what the reason was for his absence from practice.
Speculation is growing at Winter Park that this could be an-other one of Harvin’s well-documented migraine headaches that forced him to the sidelines for a couple games this season.
Also, All-Pro defensive tackle Kevin Williams and defensive end Ray Edwards were held from practices for the second day in a row.
It’s growing more apparent that those two standout lineman will not be at 100 percent on Sunday when the Vikings play New Orleans 5:40 p.m. at the Superdome in the NFC Championship game.
It certainly will be interesting what comes about regarding these injuries in the next two days.
All three have been instrumental in the Vikings success to this point and will no doubt be needed on Sunday.
Posted by: TOM_MIX on 1/21/2010 at 3:14 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Tags: kevin williams, minnesota vikings, percy harvin, ray edwards, vikings
Kiffin swooned by USC hostess?
It’s been reported by several media outlets that first-year Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin is saying bye to Knoxville and saying hello to the plush ocean-side lifestyle that comes with being the new head coach at the University of Southern California.
This was an interesting development considering the participants in this coaching carousel.
It all started last week when the Seattle Seahawks fired Jim Mora Jr. after only one season as their head coach.
That opened the way for then USC coach Pete Carroll to jump ship and return to the National Football League where he supposedly has unfinished business.
Carroll mentioned in his outgoing press conference at USC that the team’s potential NCAA violations and perhaps soon-to-be sanctions had nothing to do with his leaving the University.
Of course like all of us I don’t believe that for a second, but if there was ever a time to bail from the Escalade of college football coaching positions to the NFL, Monday would have been the time.
So the UCS job, though diminished slightly, was ripe for the taking for only a matter of hours before it officially was re-occupied by a familiar face. Former USC offensive coordinator and Carroll-understudy Lane Kiffin.
Although speculation had already produced a vast list of potential Trojan suitors even as Carroll’s name was floating around the Seahawks job, it was Kiffin’s that ultimately got the top prize.
Make no mistake about it, the USC job is still a gem, but it may take Kiffin some time to find his feet. However in many ways one could argue Kiffin is a perfect fit in that he’s no stranger to conflict with the NCAA.
In just one season at Tennessee he perfected the art of dealing with NCAA violations. He also gained much attention with a verbal back-and-forth with Florida coach Urban Meyer, had several players get in trouble with the law and even managed to become a center figure in a hostess-ring in which female students at Tennessee traveled great distances to ‘persuade’ high school recruits to play ball for the Volunteers.
And since I’m on the hostess subject I think it may be relevant considering the short duration of the job posting at USC if indeed any USC hostesses were involved getting Kiffin back to South California … Couldn’t hurt to look right.
All jabs aside, I believe USC made a quality hire. Kiffin is a little rough around the edges and is a fiery kind of coach. I think there would have only been a few coaching-types that could have kept USC from looking diminished in the wake the musical chairs coaching situation and Kiffin is certainly one of them.
He sure comes with a lot of baggage, but before long I feel we’ll be hearing from the Trojans and Kiffin. He never got to go shout ‘ol rocky top’ after a win over the Gators, but it’s not all bad at USC.
At the end of the day Kiffin can rest assure on two things.
1) He’s now the coach at USC … AND
2) He’ll beat the Gophers handily next season at TCF Bank Stadium.
Not bad in these uncertain times.
Posted by: TOM_MIX on 1/13/2010 at 12:57 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Tags: lane kiffin, pete carroll, usc
McGwire shouldn’t be allowed to coach
Monday, yet another slugger from the Steroid Era came clean and confessed to taking steroids and other performance enhancing drugs.
It wasn’t a current player, but rather one of the most celebrated homerun mashers of all-time. His name … Mark McGwire.
Big Mac finally got the big monkey off his back and talked about ‘THE PAST’.
But before we all absolve him from guilt and sin I’d like to first commend him for finally confessing to usage. I never want feel what it’s like to be in that kind of position to have so much guilt and keep it bottled up for 15-plus years.
It also takes some doing to admit that a wrong had been done and offering up basically his entire career up for scrutiny and speculation.
However, Monday’s confession wasn’t just for the fans, Commissioner Bud Selig and the rest of Major League Baseball … It was mostly for himself.
Yes, this ego-maniac managed to spin the confession in a way that made him look positive for coming out in the open … He did all the right things. He apologized to his coach Tony LaRussa, his teammates, the family of Roger Maris and even gave the public the heart story of having to tell his 22-year old son that he used performance enhancers.
Now I’m well aware that there is never a good time to confess to taking steroids, but it sure seems convenient he’s getting his affairs in order before he’s about to take a position with the St. Louis Cardinals as the team’s hitting coach.
I know if he would have kept hush he would have been badgered non-stop by the media in every city all season about this issue, but coming clean in McGwire’s case seems to be a manufactured calculation in order to restore peace so he can once again profit from baseball.
It will never happen, but if I were Commissioner Selig I would make a stand and ban Mark McGwire from ever holding a position as a coach or executive in Major League Baseball.
My reasoning is that McGwire confessed to steroid use, thus admitting guilt he cheated the game he says he still loves. Why then should he be allowed to be a coach?
Now I realize such a move would perhaps be counterproductive being that it would practically invite those whom still may harbor guilt to keep quiet in hopes they’d still have a chance to get in the Hall of Fame, coach or even still play.
That being said, I still think something needs to be handed down via Selig. Of course that is a stretch considering Selig profited greatly on McGwire and that magical 1998 season.
Pete Rose gambled on baseball while coaching the Cincinnati Reds, Shoeless Joe supposedly fixed games in the 1919 World Series, but was never found guilty.
Both are the most notable banishments in baseball of all-time. I’m not calling for a complete ban on McGwire. A complete ban isn’t feasible given the current climate of the steroid issue.
What I want is no one whoever tested positive for steroids or admitted usage to ever be able to hold authority in baseball. As far as I’m concerned they should be free to attend games and other team activities.
In the wake of the 1919 Black Sox scandal, baseball appointed Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as commissioner to clean up the game.
His first act was banning all eight players accused of fixing games in the 1919 World Series, though they were never found guilty in a court of law.
The players fixed the games and appeared to be absolved of sin, but in Landis’ eyes they were cheats and he made sure they’d never see a big league diamond ever again.
Harsh indeed, but it was a different time. Thrifty owners held all the coins in those days. The players were expendable and weren’t the necessity for revenue figures they are today.
So banning players completely for steroid use, or confessing they indeed took them before testing was instituted, is unlikely. Owners and the MLB players association will never let that happen. Owners need players to make them money.
So if that’s the case than I say let the tainted players play out their careers. Let the baseball writers attempt to find some justification to let them be enshrined in Cooperstown. But never allow them to coach or ever be associated with or hold authority in baseball.
They at least shouldn’t have that to fall back on.
Posted by: TOM_MIX on 1/12/2010 at 3:59 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: mlb baseball mark mcgwire
Former Olympian Deitchler ruled ineligible by NCAA
University of Minnesota freshman wrestler Jake Deitchler has been ruled ineligible this season by the NCAA.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune broke this story early Saturday.
Deitchler, a three-time state champion at Anoka (Minn.) High School, was born in Mayville, N.D. and was a member of the U.S. Greco-Roman team that competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
After the Olympics, Deitchler opted to wrestle overseas where he made $4,000. He later changed his mind and decided to return and wrestle for the Gophers, however the NCAA informed Deitchler and the University of Minnesota that he’d be ineligible for this season.
Deitchler, and the University of Minnesota appealed the decision, but subsequently lost it this week.
The penalty: Deitchler must forfeit a year of eligibility and give back the earnings he made while wrestling overseas.
A steep price indeed for a young, talented wrestler who made several trips to Fargo, N.D. to compete at Junior National Championships at the Fargodome over the years.
Prior to his Olympic trip, I got the chance to write a story in The Forum on Deitchler during one of his training stops in Fargo.
He was in town to help promote the Cadet and Junior National Championships. At the time Deitchler was riding a big wave of success after pulling of a huge upset at the Olympic Trails earlier that year.
It’s a shame that this had to happen, but this speed bump will no doubt be a tough obstacle to overcome. Nonetheless it will be interesting to see how he responds next year.
Deitchler will still be able to compete at individual tournaments as an unattached wrestler.
Posted by: TOM_MIX on 1/9/2010 at 4:21 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink
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