Chris Coste: A Fargo Success Story

The 33-Year-Old Rookie” tells the story of Fargo’s own Chris Coste, a long-time minor league baseball player and former Redhawk who finally made it to the majors in 2006.

Bringing the same enthusiasm and energy to the page that he does to the field, Coste traces his history in the game, from T-ball as a tyke to the present day.

His account leaves the reader certain of two things-first, that his passion for baseball and skill on the field have earned him his spot in the big leagues many times over; and second, that his writing talents are less sure, making for great sports commentary but little else.

The book is filled with statistics for nearly every season and notable game, filling page after page with mathematical assurance that Coste has been a superb player since college, and surely the powers that be were insane not to have drafted him earlier. Only the most devoted of sports fans, however, will enjoy the repetition and the numbers.

As far as the reader can tell, Coste had great season after great season, proving invaluable to every team he played on, with the contributions of his teammates in every winning game mentioned, but glossed over. It is certainly possible conclude that Coste’s book is a work of ego, almost an advertisement of his skill.

At its finish, though, a different conclusion can be drawn--that we have read the dream as Coste lived it, seeing his relentless hope and optimism through the long unrecognized stretch of his career. This is, after all, Coste’s life story--why shouldn’t he be the star?

At the end, once he has finally achieved success, Coste’s account grows to include mistakes as well as successes, showing humility and humor. And even at the book’s most self-centered moments, Coste is always appreciative of the help, advice, and support he has received along the way, showing a deep love and almost reverence for the game he’s given his life to.

As a record of Coste’s career and his life, “The 33-Year-Old-Rookie” does a very good job. As a story, however, it has two major problems, neither of which are Coste’s fault.

The first problem is that the audience has heard this story before--in fiction--and that puts Coste’s writing at a tremendous disadvantage. The long-unrecognized rookie who makes good on his dreams after he ought to have lost all hope is a classic story, simply because it is remarkable and inspiring, and Hollywood has told it repeatedly, in “Bull Durham” and other such films.

Life being as inconvenient as it is, the pacing and drama in Coste’s story falls far short of similar movies, rising early and plateauing over the long course of his minor league career.

Coste’s simple prose is easy to read, but dry when peppered with batting averages and winning streaks more than a decade old. There’s too much post-game recap, and not enough storytelling.

The meat of the book, and Coste’s writing at its best, comes in the little anecdotes sprinkled throughout, where he tells us what went wrong rather than where he went right. Unfortunately, except for hearing about missed opportunities where Major League scouts passed him by, Coste shares few such details. He focuses on the positives during his frustrating time in the Minors, and saves the funny, self-deprecating stories until the very end of the book, once he’s signed with the Phillies.

Despite the book’s flaws, it starts and ends strongly, and the recounting of injuries, pranks, and other funny stories in Chapter Seven should not be missed by anyone with an appreciation for physical comedy.

Baseball fans with an interest in Coste’s career are likely to find the book a worthwhile addition to their shelves. For the rest, watching him play with the Phillies should be more than enough.

Chris Coste, The 33-Year-Old Rookie. New York: Ballantine Books, 2008.