WEEKEND TIDBITS

My mind always seems to be full of thoughts about baseball whether they are rambling points or something major. Some weekend musings follow.

I am still frustrated for Scranton-Wilkes Barre's Chris Coste after this onetime Northern (Fargo) and Prairie (Brandon) standout missed out on his first major league opportunity despite hitting .463 for the Phillies this spring. The latest is that when Mike Lieberthal went on the DL Philadelphia reached down to Scranton and called up the hot-hitting Carlos Ruiz, who was on the 40-man roster, to replace him. At least, that opened the door for Coste to move from the infield and get some more work behind the plate, which still is his favorite position. Maybe that boost will get his bat back in gear.

I saw my first Atlantic League game of the season in Bridgeport, CT Sunday. How can you beat watching baseball on a sunny and comfortable afternoon in a beautiful ballpark?

Some 50 miles to the south at Shea Stadium, Atlantic League alum Jose Lima (Newark, NJ, 2003) was back in the majors one more time as an emergency starter for the New York Mets. These call-ups always draw some attention to Independent Baseball.

In catching up on my mail, it was fun to read the note St. Paul Saints (American Association)veteran publicist Dave Wright sent along about our piece here on injured Baltimore reliever Tim Byrdak. Dave pointed out that it was Byrdak, way back in 1994 for St. Paul, who faced the great Minnie Minoso when the 71-year-old stood in the box one more time for a Northern League at bat. Minoso walked, thanks in part to some good sportsmanship on Byrdak's part.