‘Coming full circle’

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HOUSTON — The black catcher’s mitt had his name on it. Chris Coste grabbed his glove near the first-base dugout, jogged to right field and started stretching with his Houston Astros teammates.

Across from him in the circle of players was Darin Erstad. They were laughing and joking like they were kids stretching at Jack Williams Stadium or Jack Brown Stadium.

That’s what this story is about: Two men in their mid-30s who grew up in Fargo and Jamestown and now find themselves on the same Major League Baseball team.

“Just coming full circle and the paths we took to get here,” Erstad said.

“I pretty much had the silver spoon and took advantage of my opportunities. But Chris — his story — he’s written two books so, obviously, it’s a great story and he could probably write a third book. For both of us to get rings, it’s very special.”

Erstad got his World Series ring in 2002 with the Anaheim Angels. Coste got his last year with the Philadelphia Phillies. And one day in early July, their career paths intersected when Houston claimed Coste off waivers after he was released by the Phillies.

Erstad sent Coste a text message almost immediately.

“I could only speak for myself, but it was probably more special for me because of all those years I was in the minors,” Coste said. “He was winning World Series’ and I would have given anything to trade places with him. Now, not only am I in the big leagues with him, we’re on the same team. It’s pretty cool.”

Hardly a day goes by when they don’t bring up the old rivalry stuff somehow — in a good-natured way that ballplayers are so good at. Erstad’s prominent memory of Fargo Legion is of the difference in budget of the two programs.

“Being at Jack Brown Stadium and seeing that big old Fargo bus pull up all fancy and shiny,” he said with a laugh. “And coach Harter walking in front of them with their fancy jerseys and we’re out there with our T-shirts on. I have that image planted very firmly in my head.”

Erstad: Two young kids changed his perspective

Erstad sarcastically plays the poor-us card when talking about Jamestown vs. the Fargo schools. A multi-sport athlete, there were plenty of matchups to fuel his fire.

Now 35 years old, the burn to succeed is still there. It’s a matter of if the body will stay with him for the ride.

If it were possible, he probably would have hamstring replacement surgery. He’s had a history of injuries and he will only say he feels as good as anybody could for a 35-year-old. As usual, he constantly takes care of himself. Last Friday, he prepared for the Pittsburgh Pirates like he was in his play-every-day All-Star form.

“Darin is what you call a pro’s pro,” said Astros manager Cecil Cooper.

Erstad was constantly stretching, trying to get loose. Pull the arm behind the head, a controlled jog with high leg kicks; every movement was meant to get his muscles ready for work. When he broke into the big leagues with the Angels, his teammates marveled during spring training in Arizona at his weight-lifting regimen.

There was a time when he seemed guarded around reporters and cameras. He was the first pick of the 1995 major league draft and has made several million dollars in his career that also included a stop with the Chicago White Sox. He reportedly was signed for $1.75 million plus bonuses this season.

But he appears more at ease these days, and he admits having two children under the age of 3 with his wife, Jessica, has changed his perspective of the American Dream. They take his mind off the game, he said.

“But that’s great,” he said.

So is life at the ballpark.

“It’s overwhelming to imagine that I’ve gotten to do this for 13-plus seasons,” he said. “I try not to think about it, because you try to live in the moment and focus on each day, but it’s overwhelming to think what’s gone on.”

Coste: Manager says he could be a politician

Coste’s story is overwhelming just because of the odds. In the winter of 1996, after finishing his college career at Concordia College, he and Erstad took batting practice together in the Cobbers’ gym.

Erstad was preparing to make the Angels. Coste was trying to make the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, which at the time seemed to be a long shot.

“We were both fighting to get our careers jump-started at different levels,” Coste said. “And here we are.”

So where is the 36-year-old in his major league career? He needs to have a good last month of the season, he said, or else who knows? He’s hitting .226 with two home runs and 17 RBIs and has been getting more opportunities to play with the Astros since coming over from the Phillies.

At first, it was a tough move. He was emotionally tied with Philadelphia, not only with a World Series ring last year but he had a fan club (the Coste Guard). He calls the clubhouse chemistry there “a brotherhood.”

He’s still perplexed why the Phillies waived him. He was hitting .315 as a starter and with his above-average defensive skills he felt he fit the profile of a quality backup catcher. The team, however, didn’t see it that way.

So the Astros grabbed him, and he and Erstad are becoming answers to North Dakota trivia questions.

Who are the first players from North Dakota to get back-to-back hits in a single major league game? Coste, batting eighth, got the first hit and Erstad, pinch-hitting for the pitcher in the No. 9 spot, followed with a single.

Who are the first players from North Dakota to strike out in back-to-back plate appearances? See same scenario, but no further explanation needed.

They thought they were the first North Dakota players to be on the same major league team, but that blew up when Erstad’s father, Chuck Erstad, told him Roger Maris has half of that distinction. The other half is pitcher Ken Hunt from Grand Forks, who played in 25 games with Maris’ New York Yankees in 1960.

“We talk about being North Dakota teammates almost on a daily basis,” Coste said.

They may not be playing daily, but Cooper — better known in the Midwest as the former first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers — likes having Erstad and Coste in the clubhouse. He calls them great teammates.

The both have their heads screwed on right, he said. When Coste’s playing days are done, Cooper thinks he should consider another line of work.

“I look for Chris to be a politician some day,” Cooper said. “He always smiles and says the right stuff.”

Teammates: Both trying to stay in major leagues

The teammates go to work at Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston, and it is no corn field. It’s a state-of-the-art retractable roof stadium and it doesn’t get more big time than this place.

But the field of dreams is not all roses and flowers for Coste and Erstad. Both appear to be on the bubble to remain in the big show. Erstad’s statistics have been on a gradual fall since his peak days with the Angels, although Cooper said he’s regaining his form of old the last couple of months.

“I don’t analyze that kind of stuff, but the truth is, I am on bonus time,” Erstad said.

He’s used primarily as a pinch hitter and a spot starter and as of Monday, was hitting just .202.

The good news for Coste is he’s playing more with the Astros, getting a chance at first base as well as catcher. The bad news: He hasn’t taken advantage of the playing time and he knows it.

“I know I still have it, but whether another team next year believes that, we’ll see,” he said. “I’ll squeeze out a few more years, hopefully, but having said that, if I don’t pick it up a little this month, it could easily be my last year and not by my choice. But as long as the phone rings and somebody wants me and hopefully it’s Houston, I’ll always give it a try until my body says it’s time to go.”

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Tags: darin erstad, chris coste, sports, mlb, pros, baseball