Delayed Entrance

THE 33-YEAR-OLD ROOKIE
by Chris Coste
Ballantine Books , $25

IF AN OFF-SEASON of drug reports, congressional hearings and defamation lawsuits has you a little down on baseball, a good antidote is the autobiography of Phillies catcher Chris Coste , who has a wide-eyed affection for the game that is contagious. Forget that it took the Fargo , N.D. , native 11 hard years to make the big leagues; his appreciation for the diamond life seems all the richer for it.

Coste 's journey is a grand tour of baseball's lower levels—with stops at independent leagues (his first pro gig, in 1995, paid $700 a month), fall instructional leagues, winter ball and the minors. Despite playing well at every level, Coste just can't catch a break. His first manager at Kishwaukee College, a junior college in Malta , Ill., tries to make him into a pitcher. Other managers shift him to the infield when the need arises, preventing Coste from developing an identity behind the plate. Then comes a shoulder injury. Before long Coste 's advancing age is held against him, as teams show more interest in developing younger prospects. He looks to be on a career trajectory similar to that of Crash Davis in Bull Durham.

But Coste keeps at it. When he finally makes it to the majors, in June 2006, with the Phillies , he savors every hard-earned detail of life in the bigs. He marvels at the fresh-pressed uniform with his name on the back. He stares in disbelief at the numbers on his paychecks. When he arrives at Fenway Park , he runs barefoot through the grass. "Anyone watching me probably thought I was an idiot, but I felt like the luckiest fan in the world," he says. It is this pre--Ball Four innocence that makes this slim, simply written volume a refreshing and enjoyable read.

Oh, and when Coste arrives in the majors, he plays pretty well—eventually. After a confidence-shaking 0-for-13 start in Philadelphia , Coste finishes the '06 season hitting .328 and then bats .279 in 2007. He was on the Phillies ' roster as a backup when the season opened on March 31; thanks to The 33-Year-Old Rookie, it's already been a good year.

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