Joseph Matis
August 6, 2007
Felma Arceneaux
August 8, 2007
Seth Thibodeaux is happy in his new role as assistant coach of the Nicholls State baseball team.
He’s also happy to share his opinions about the game he fervently loves.
The Sports Net checked in with Thibodeaux last week to elicit commentary on his new job, favorite Major Leaguer teams and Barry Bonds’ pursuit of breaking the most hallowed record in all of sports.
Sports Net: When were you hired as the new assistant baseball coach?
Seth Thibodeaux: It just became official this week.
SN: At 27, you’re not much older than your players.
ST: But that’s a good thing because I can still relate to those guys. I’m not an old guy who can’t understand these kids.
I just finished playing baseball in 2003 for the Baton Rouge River Bats (a minor league baseball team).
SN: You must be excited about the college baseball season, even though it’s a long way away?
ST: You say it’s a long ways off, but for us it’s really not. We don’t have enough time. With recruiting going on, signing day coming up in November, the start of fall practice, it’s really not enough time.
And then the fall season flies by and January will be here before you know it. But I’m really excited.
SN: Have you been watching any Major League ball?
ST: I have. I’ve always been an Astros fan. I’ve followed the Cincinnati Reds since I was a boy. But I’ve been jumping on the Cubs bandwagon this year as well.
SN: UhŠwhy?
ST: Just because I’ve always watched Cub games on WGN growing up, and I’ve always enjoyed watching games at Wrigley Field.
I like the way they play and I’m a huge fan of (coach) Lou Pinella.
SN: So what do you think about Bonds. As a baseball guy, you obviously have to have an opinion.
ST: I appreciate what Bonds can do to a baseball and what he has done in the past.
Whether or not he’s on steroids, he came to play every single day.
Obviously he’s going to get hounded for being on them, but he’s never failed a drug test. And he wasn’t the only one. This is the steroid era in baseball.
That’s just the way things are now, and the game is always going to have a dark cloud hovering over it until things get cleaned up.
I probably wouldn’t care for Bonds’ personality, but he’s a professional and he knows what he’s doing.
SN: Think Bonds juiced?
ST: I don’t think there’s any question, but that’s my personal opinion.
The guy just put on too much muscle in too short amount of time not to have taken steroids.
SN: Some people think the media should lighten up on Bonds, because he was competing against athletes who probably took steroids as well. Any thoughts?
ST: The media will be the media. They’re doing their jobs.
But I agree that they need to chill out with some of it or at least slow down with the steroid coverage because it’s really getting out of control.
I have friends who play pro ball, and they’ll even say that the game has cleaned up. They’re not going to take the chance of being black-balled from baseball.
Until Bonds breaks this record and retires, there will always be the steroid era. Would you agree?
SN: Certainly.
ST: Until he retires, the media will stay the same.
SN: Some Major Leaguers, particularly the ones under scrutiny, say steroids don’t really enhance your ability to hit home runs – it’s all about timing and eye-hand coordination.
Is there any truth to this?
ST: It doesn’t make you a better baseball player. Obviously it will make you stronger at everything you do, but you still have to go out and practice.
You can’t just shoot up. You still have to work twice as hard.
I’m certainly not condoning steroid use, but at the same time, it’s not just going to hit home runs for you.
SN: So what would you do as an assistant coach if you discovered a player was juicing?
ST: That’s a tough question. I wouldn’t totally write the kid off.
Obviously, I would try to get him cleaned up. Everybody deserves a second chance. I don’t think it’s comparable to (other) drugs.
It’s in a different league of its own. Kids are pressured these days to make the team or put up big numbers. They sometimes feel like maybe they have to take steroids.
It doesn’t make them a bad person, but sometimes they might feel like they have to do it to make themselves better.
Is that right? Absolutely not. But there’s so much pressure these days, and baseball players put a lot of it on themselves.
They want to be the best they can at the game. I respect that aspect, but I don’t respect when they use steroids.
SN: Regardless of the speculation surrounding Bonds, will you be glued to your TV set in hopes of witnessing the potential crowing of a new home run king?
ST: Without a doubt. It’s starting to get old, and I’m ready for it to be over with.
But it’s history. I want to see it. When McGuire and Sosa were hitting their home runs, you knew they were on some kind of supplement, but we all wanted to see everything they did.
Whether it’s enhanced or not, it’s part of baseball history, and I want to see it being a baseball fan.
Seth Thibodeaux is the new assistant coach of the Nicholls State baseball team. (Submitted Photo)
