Los Osos High School: April 2011 Archives

Just got an e-mail from Los Osos principal Chris Hollister saying that assistant coach Jeff Paul was named the interim coach of the Grizzly baseball team, a position that he'll assume for the remainder of this season.

Paul was chosen after a meeting this morning on campus between Hollister, coaches, players and parents after the removal of Dominick Copas as head coach last week. According to a source, Copas was suspended and removed after a profane voicemail to a player left in the fall surfaced and was reported to administration.

The Los Osos baseball program received a jolt this past week, as Dominick Copas was removed as head coach, according to telephone conversations with Copas and Los Osos athletic director Tom Martinez.

"I am no longer the baseball coach," Copas said during a telephone interview Monday. "I have been instructed to not comment further on anything else, but I was removed as the baseball coach last week."

The Grizzlies (12-5 overall, 5-4 Baseline League) are currently tied for second with Alta Loma in league, two games behind first-place Glendora. He is 43-23 since taking over for Anthony Vasquez prior to the 2009 season, leading Los Osos to the playoffs in his previous two seasons.

According to a source, the nexus of Copas' removal was a profanity-laced message left on the voicemail of a Grizzly player last week. Neither Copas nor Martinez would comment on that or other allegations.

Despite the loss of his position as head baseball coach, Copas still remains employed as a Web Page and Design teacher at the high school, as position that isn't threatened by last week's action.

"This whole thing has nothing to do with my teaching or my standing as a teacher," Copas said. "That much I can comment on. My standing as a teacher remains the same as it was last week."

That stance was reiterated by Los Osos principal Chris Hollister Monday in an e-mailed statement.

"I will not discuss the details surrounding Mr. Copas' removal as our baseball coach. He has made many positive contributions to the Los Osos community and remains on our faculty as a teacher," Hollister said. "I expect that he will continue to make positive contributions in the classroom and on campus."

What is unclear is where Los Osos goes from here. According Hollister, a decision on an interim coach for the remainder of the season will be made after meetings with remaining coaches, players and their families.