Melendez: Casas finds new love as baseball coach
Above: Here's Artie Casas at Tustin High for Coach Tim O'D's Baseball Camp. Every year, Casas was invited to speak about the importance of going to college, his job as a sportswriter and his experience as a baseball player in high school and college.
MIGUEL MELENDEZ COLUMN
This column appeared on page C3 of the Star-News sports section on Friday, April 3
A blessing in disguise came in the form of getting laid off.
It's not exactly how Artie Casas pictured it but he's embracing the concept that when one door closes, another one opens.
Casas, at 24 and fresh out of Cal State Fullerton, landed a job as a sportswriter at a weekly owned by The Orange County Register. He hoped to work his way up to the flagship paper in downtown Santa Ana.
It didn't take long before Casas would become a household name in the Tustin area, cranking out features, columns and game stories for the Tustin News.
His hard work ethic clearly evident in his short tenure at the Tustin News, Casas was brought on board in September to cover tennis at The Register.
Two months later he was laid off.
"That was tough to take because I had been working three years trying to get to that spot and move up within the company and establish an identity," Casas said. "I thought I'd done that with the community of Tustin. Everybody knew who I was and they liked what I was doing.
"When I got to The Register I got the ball rolling on quite a few things, brought some fresh ideas. Towards the end of the season I got the phone call."
It's a scene all too familiar that's being played out at newsrooms across the country during this economic decline.
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When he was laid off, Casas needed a few days to soak it all in.
But then came the New Year and the stars lined in place.
That's what makes Casas' situation unique. Things quickly transpired from the day he was let go to where he is now, and for that he feels blessed.
Casas, now 27, was offered a long-term substitute teaching position at Workman High, his alma mater, and later accepted an offer to be Joe Laski's top varsity assistant baseball coach at Gabrielino (7-3, 4-0).
"It all happened so quick," he said. "In the blink of an eye to tell you the truth."
If there's anything that Casas loves more than writing, it's baseball. He was a three-year letterman at Workman and also played at East Los Angeles College.
Dreams of playing for national powerhouse Cal State Fullerton would not pan out after tearing an ACL in his right knee. Reconstructive knee surgery and rehab would become too rigorous to overcome.
Writing about sports would become his outlet but his love for baseball always lingered. Even as a sportswriter, Casas fielded offers to be an assistant baseball coach.
"But I could never take it because of a conflict of interest," he said.
Not anymore.
Casas and Laski knew each other two years through mutual friends. At a birthday party, Laski approached Casas about considering coming to coach at Gabrielino.
Casas agreed but he wanted to meet the team first.
He did and they hit it off.
In the process, Casas has gotten to know Laski better.
"I didn't realize he was so intense on the baseball field because he's such a laid back person," Casas said. "On the field he pays attention to detail; sometimes I have to remind him to lay off a little but the intensity rubs off on the kids, and that's what makes this group of kids so special."
Casas now finds himself on the inside looking out as a coach.
"It's kind of strange," he said. "Now I'm on the inside and getting all the details of coaching and teaching.
"Before I used to ask all the questions and now I'm showing the guys this is what we have to do to get better."
As much as he loves writing about sports, Casas, single with no kids living in La Puente, doesn't see himself going back to journalism.
"I feel jaded by what's happening to the industry," he said. "I was blessed to land a job at The Register. It felt you couldn't get much higher than that in California. I just don't see myself getting in that arena especially since I've been on this side of the line and able to see I love coaching; it's rewarding just like teaching."
As a sportswriter it never was about the money, and the same can be said about coaching high school baseball.
It's not strange to find Casas on the field with a player working on his swing way past the end of practice. It's something he wishes he had when he was in high school.
Casas' reward is watching his players' hard work in practice pay off come game day.
"That same love you have for writing you instill it in other passions," he said. "You see storylines develop and you see the players grow in front of your eyes.
"That's more than any pay rate could ever give you."
miguel.melendez@sgvn.com
(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4485
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
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bseball been very very good to me.
gina,
if you didn't notice, this is a thread relating a great story of an individuals contribution to a bseball team having nothing to do with t&f- great story miguel. keep the thread(s) relevant
Mr.Melendez I have been wondering what has happened to the track & filed coverage this year and I heard that Muir lost to Hoover for the first time in about 40 years and that they are not doing to well could geting rid of there old coach have anything to do with this because that coach is now over at Monrovia High and I hear they are undefeated this year. I saw them run at the chino relays and they looked great lets do some reporting on Track & field Thanks
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