David Murphy: Costanzo's patience pays off

ON A TRIPLE A baseball diamond somewhere in Louisville, Ky., Mike Costanzo stood among a throng of kids and felt his stomach churn as a lifetime's worth of jubilation and disappointment flashed through his head. An hour earlier, the 28-year-old third baseman had phoned home to Delaware County for his usual pregame chat with his father.

"I'm batting cleanup," Costanzo told Mike Sr., who knew that his son had been waiting for such a promotion.

The conversation ended, but not for long. A few minutes later, Costanzo dialed again.

"They pulled me from the lineup," he said.

This time, there was no excitement in his voice. Over the previous 7 years, Costanzo had become well-acquainted with the heartbreak of professional baseball, starting in 2007, when his hometown team dealt him to Houston as part of the trade that landed the Phillies Brad Lidge. Up to that point, his entire focus had been dedicated to playing third base at Citizens Bank Park. Two years after the Phillies made him their first pick in the 2005 draft, the Archbishop Carroll product had hit 27 home runs at Double A Reading, batting .270 and posting a .368 on-base percentage. The next step, he assumed, was an invitation to spring training. Instead, it was a ticket out of town.

A month later, the Astros shipped him to Baltimore, where 2 years later he sat in an office and listened to the Orioles give him an ultimatum: Head back to Class A and become a pitcher, or find another job. Costanzo chose the latter, starting the 2010 season with the independent league Camden Riversharks before signing with the Reds. When last weekend rolled around, he was finally feeling at home. His manager at Triple A Louisville was David Bell, who was the third basemen for the Phillies when the club had drafted Costanzo as his potential heir. The two men bonded quickly this season, thanks in part to the peculiar intersection of their destinies in June of 2005.

One month into the 2012 season, Costanzo was one of the few bright spots on the team, hitting .291 with a .356 on-base percentage and three home runs in 23 games. But then his name disappeared from the lineup, and all of the usual disappointments began flashing through his head. He tracked down Bell, who had not yet been given the OK to divulge any details. So Costanzo walked out to the field to participate in a pregame clinic for area kids, his mind racing with all of the potential scenarios that could await him.

Finally, Bell summoned him, leading him down a hallway and into his office. When the manager turned around, Costanzo saw the tears welling in his eyes. Bell blubbered out the news. Scott Rolen was headed to the disabled list. The big club needed a third baseman with some pop. After 7 years in the minors, Costanzo was a major leaguer.

In the middle of a nondescript room in a Triple A stadium, the two men embraced.

"We hugged for like 9 hours," Costanzo said. "It was like we were slow-dancing."

There was a third phone call to Dad, and then more crying, and then a frantic search for plane tickets in Delaware County, and a frantic search for a vehicle in Louisville. The Reds, preparing to face the Nationals an hour-and-a-half away in Cincinnati, wanted him dressed for the game. A teammate lent Costanzo a vehicle, told him to leave it Cincy and worry about the rest later. Mike Sr. and his wife Rhonda dropped $3,000 on a couple of plane tickets and didn't think twice about doing so.

"Thank God for credit cards," Mike Sr. said with a laugh.

The Costanzos arrived the next day, in time to see their son step into a major league batter's box for the first time. With a man on third and nobody out and the Reds trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Mike Jr. swung at the first pitch he saw from Edwin Jackson and lofted it to left-centerfield for a flyout that pushed a run home. Yes, he has the ball.

Down by a run in the bottom of the ninth, Joey Votto hit a two-out grand slam to send Costanzo and the rest of his teammates roaring onto the field to celebrate the walkoff win. It was Mother's Day.

"All of this is just so surreal," he said.

The Costanzos know that all of this can end tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. The only thing that matters is that it is occurring right now, and that the only option is to sit in the stands and wave to their son as he peeks his head over the top of the dugout with a broad smile. This is what happened on a sun-splashed afternoon at Citi Field Thursday, Mike Jr. raising his hand and Mike Sr. and Rhonda raising theirs in return, a children's choir scurrying into place for the national anthem, the grounds crew making final preparations for a game against the Mets. They would soon be joined by their daughter and their niece. And, of course, Mike Jr.'s wife, Melissa, and their hell-raiser of a 2-year-old, Mike Costanzo III, who you can bet will not be dissuaded from pursuing the same career as his father.

"They'll have to peel the uniform from his back," Mike Sr. said of his son.

The sky was blue and the grass was green and a three-game series at Yankee Stadium was waiting on-deck, and everywhere you looked was a mile-wide smile, from the born-again kid in the dugout to the parents settling into their seats, 7 years of sweat and tears and trades melting away beneath a springtime sky.