Minor League Coach Killed By Line Drive

Former Brewer, Cardinal Mike Coolbaugh Dies After Being Struck By Foul Ball

(CBS/AP)  Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh died Sunday night after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a Texas League game with the Arkansas Travelers, police said.

The game was suspended in the ninth inning after the 35-year-old Coolbaugh was struck by a hard-hit foul ball off the bat of Tino Sanchez and taken to Baptist Medical Center-North Little Rock.

"It's a tragedy for all of baseball," Drillers president Chuck Lamson told the Tulsa World in a story posted on the newspaper's Web site early Monday. "He just joined the staff and was a former Driller player. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

Travelers spokesman Phil Elson said Coolbaugh was hit on the right side of his head or on the forehead — "I'm getting conflicting reports," he said — and fell to the ground immediately.

According to a report on the Drillers' Web site late Sunday, Coolbaugh was knocked unconscious and CPR was administered to him on the field.

Sgt. Terry Kuykendall, spokesman for North Little Rock police, said Coolbaugh was still alive when he was put in an ambulance, but stopped breathing as the ambulance arrived at the hospital.

"They tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at 9:47 p.m.," Kuykendall said.

Coolbaugh played 44 games in the major leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers over two seasons. The Drillers' Web site said Coolbaugh joined the Tulsa staff on July 3 as a batting coach. He played for the team briefly in 1996.

Tulsa is a Colorado Rockies affiliate.

Aaron Rifkin, the Drillers' first basemen, said recently that Coolbaugh's coaching style had already been a help to the team.

"He came in and didn't try to change guys, just fine-tune what they were doing. He's been great for me," Rifkin told the Tulsa World.

A native of Binghamton, N.Y., Coolbaugh went to Roosevelt High School in San Antonio and was drafted in 1990 by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 16th round.

He played third base and bounced around the minors for a decade, signing with the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees organizations, before making his major league debut with the Brewers in 2001. He played five more big league games for the Cardinals in 2002. He hit two home runs in 70 major league at-bats.

Coolbaugh later spent three years in the Houston Astros organization. In 2005, he was named the Astros' Class AAA Most Valuable Player, hitting .281 with 27 homers and 101 RBIs.

Coolbaugh's older brother, Scott, also played 167 major league games over parts of four seasons with Texas, San Diego and St. Louis in the early 1990s.

The Travelers, an Angels affiliate, led 7-3 at the time the game was suspended with no outs and a runner on first in the top of the ninth inning. Officials said a date and time for finishing the game had not yet been chosen.

Coolbaugh is survived by his wife, Mandy, and two young sons, Joseph and Jacob, all of San Antonio. Mandy Coolbaugh is expecting another child in October.

[bikergrl03]

For ALL of you that don't know, people borned on Puerto Rico are 100% legal. If you go back in history, you'll find out that all the puertorricans are "american citizens". When you born on PR, you have social security number PLUS all the benefits as you were born in USA.

PR is like Hawaii, outside the states but part of it.

The guy who killed the coach, was indeed a Puertorrican.

[aznyron-2009]

these post have become ways of attacking each other when the truth is a young man died and left behind two sons and pregnant wife I want to ad my condolence's to the family and say I am deeply sorry for this unfortunate tragedy that happen to your husband Father and best friend
Ronnie from Thailand

[honest_news]

"As usual there is not enough information, From what I can gather, he obviously was not paying attention to what was happening at the plate. If he was hit on the right side of his head and at the first base coach box he had to be looking in the dugout or stands. I am curious what insurance coverage is going to his family now."

Posted by thgdriver


As you said, thgdriver, there isn't enough information -- certainly not enough for you to surmise that he "obviously was not paying attention" or that he "had to be looking in the dugout or stands". It's quite possible that he was watching the players on the field and had turned his body and his head trying to twist out of the way of the line drive when he was struck.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Coolbaugh family over this tragedy.

[thgdriver]

As usual there is not enough information, From what I can gather, he obviously was not paying attention to what was happening at the plate. If he was hit on the right side of his head and at the first base coach box he had to be looking in the dugout or stands. I am curious what insurance coverage is going to his family now.

[gramto7]

Angry or belligerent answers to that person's posting is called 'flaming'. Its usage is as a noun or verb. "Let the flaming begin." or "Quit flaming me."

[gramto7]

Just showing by example how stupid the previous comments were.
Posted by bklyntony1

Just so you know, the 'flaming' that was mentioned is exactly what you have been doing. Angry or belligerent answers to that person's posting is called 'flaming'.

[toolmangler-2009]

Some of us work, you know...
Posted by Boston1954 at 05:29 PM : Jul 23, 2007


I can dig it, I've been at it since '53' and still work three days a week as a retiree.

[boston1954]

Posted by ToolMangler at 10:54 AM : Jul 23, 2007

Sorry bud, I have not had the time, as I just got in a little bit ago. Some of us work, you know...

[toolmangler-2009]

Posted by Boston1954 at 04:50 PM : Jul 23, 2007



I have already sent the family a card by the local Police Dept. What did you do? No! I don't want to know, thats between you and them. Don't give me a lecture on sensitivity, I am way ahead of you on that.
I do not intend this to sound acrimonious and apologize it it seemed that way.

[boston1954]

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly people can, AND DO insult each other when they know they can "hide" behind their computers.

A man died at what, these days, is considered to be a very young age. I will be thinking about his family.

[toolmangler-2009]

That doesn't sound like Shakespeare. Did you teach the writers of the Bible all you could, too?

Just showing by example how stupid the previous comments were.
Posted by bklyntony1 at 04:23 PM : Jul 23, 2007

Yep! I could not teach them a thing, they were all dead just like Willy boy. (dern it)
I wont ask the obvious question. (you may thank me later)

[toolmangler-2009]

Where do we draw the line? Separate the sports players from the crowds by putting everything on HDTV? Ok more money per seat. Go watch a YANKEES Boston game (if you can get tickets) and thats without a super_protective barrier installed. (You can't protect everybody from everything) NHTSA treid to develope a rear steering motorcycle (statistics said that the biggest cause of accidents was front wheels losing traction when steering) Thats the absolute truth. They also tried to make (LOL) seat belts manditory on motorcycles. That also is the Truth. Where do we draw the line? Big Brother is already here and I am tired of him. Google it if you don't believe me.

[toolmangler-2009]

let's ban inanity. Robots can judge if something is worth wasting one's time and breath on and those who spout off nonsense will be immediately exterminated.
Posted by bklyntony1 at 03:38 PM : Jul 23, 2007


But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil Matthew 5:34

Sounds a bit cold to me...

I do have a lot of trouble telling Satire from Sarcasm. :)

[bklyntony1]

I don't think any more little girls have been killed since the NHL knee jerked and installed nets behind the goals in hockey arenas. Many called this response a knee jerk. We are back to the same old conversation. Did you miss all this?

[bklyntony1]

We're talking about safety at a sporting event, nothing political. Remember?

[bklyntony1]

Gottasay - oughta not say. But, as used, it cannot complete a sentence and still make sense and Sboy did not use it as a verb, anyway. So, your comment is inane, too. According to the Tool's logic, the robots are going to be after you. But, you're right, an intransitive verb, I think. Nice work, you winking asscake!

[toolmangler-2009]

"It reminds me of Shakespeare."
Posted by bklyntony1 at 03:38 PM : Jul 23, 2007


It should, I taught him everything I could.


"Pregnacy is spelled with a second "n","


Thar you go with that spellchucker agin. My laptop keyboard is not the best and I have had it replaced twice. Other than that, "no excuses"

[shoujoboy-2009]

And, again, if a knee jerk reaction saves only one life - it is not worthless. What is your point?
Posted by bklyntony1 at 03:14 PM : Jul 23, 2007

It's knee jerk reactions that got us the Patriot Act, shoes and liquids being checked before flights, illegal wire tapping etc etc. When we overreact to something no matter how grandiose it seems at the time we end up with trouble in the end. Why should we consider making any kind of changes to the sport when a death like this is just bad luck and bad timing and can be considered a freak accident?

[gottasay]

Brooklyn Tony,

'Flaming' can also be a verb in the technical world, you flaming dillwad! ;)

[bklyntony1]

Oh, overreaction...How 'bout we do this. Pregnacy is spelled with a second "n", hammy. And, since - yes, once born we will all eventually die, let's ban inanity. Robots can judge if something is worth wasting one's time and breath on and those who spout off nonsense will be immediately exterminated. Then, having eliminated the major cause of useless comments the world will be a brighter place and we'll all play (gasp) baseball. You write such gentle prose. It reminds me of Shakespeare.