Fargo native Chris Coste (pronounced Coast) has become a fan favorite in Philadelphia. Coste, 35, has been catching regularly for the Phillies and is hitting .330 with five home runs and 16 RBI. Fans have saluted him with a “Coste Guard” sign, Gene Allen said via e-mail. Allen, now a TCF Bank executive, is the former founder and owner of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the Northern League, a team that Coste once played for. Coste has a book about his 11 year struggle to make the major leagues, “The 33-Year-Old Rookie.” He made his major league debut with Philadelphia in May of 2006 and hit .328 for the season. Last spring he was injured and played in the minors before joining the Phillies in May, hitting .279 for the season.
Newly acquired Twins left-handed pitcher Craig Breslow has only pitched in eight games and 10 innings this season. He was picked up by the Twins off waivers from Cleveland last week to provide another left handed arm in the bullpen. In his one appearance for the Twins so far he pitched one and two-thirds innings on Saturday night against the Yankees, giving up no hits and striking out three batters. The former Yale student majored in biophysics and biochemistry.
Cristie Kerr will draw attention at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open coming to Interlachen Country Club June 23-29, and not just because she’s the defending champion. A Google search lists her among the “sexy women of sports.” Kerr, 30, is admired, too, for her work in raising funds to fight breast cancer, a disease that struck her mother.
Kids 17 and under are admitted free to the Open with a ticketed adult. An adult may bring up to nine children free of charge. More information about the Open is available at www.2008uswomensopen.com.
For the second time in franchise history the Timberwolves will have the third pick in the NBA draft. With that position in 1992, the Wolves chose Christian Laettner. Minnesota hasn’t had a top-five draft pick since selecting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen with the fifth picks in the 1995 and 1996 drafts.
Among the most famous all-time NBA selections is Michael Jordan who was the third overall pick in 1984. Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich, Kevin McHale and Dominique Wilkins were also No. 3 selections. This year’s runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting, Al Horford, was a third overall draft pick, as were current stars Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol and Deron Williams.
St. Thomas senior outfielder Chris Bullis and senior pitcher Lonnie Robinson were recently included on the ABCA/Rawlings All-America team. Bullis was joined by teammate Matt Pexa (senior catcher) and Hamline’s Dan Kacrowski (junior shortstop) on the D3baseball.com All-America team named earlier this spring.
Three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference athletes recently won national championships at the 2008 NCAA DII National Outdoor Track & Field Championship in Walnut, Calif. Bemidji State’s Joe Remitz and Wayne State’s Katie Wilson won their first national titles, both in the shot put, while MSU Moorhead’s Jennifer Hensel repeated as national champion in the pole vault.