Be_Advised
06-18-2010, 10:24 PM
LINK (http://www.caller.com/news/2010/jun/18/castro-eyes-return-to-robstown-helm/)
CORPUS CHRISTI — The Steve Castro era at Robstown High School may not be complete. Or perhaps the longtime baseball coach indeed has coached his final game with the Cotton Pickers.
Such is the dilemma facing the 61-year-old, who is toying with the notion of returning for a 24th season at the helm of one of the area’s more successful programs.
Castro submitted his resignation and notice to retire to the Robstown school board April 13, citing health concerns following heart surgery last October and the onset of diabetes. But he said Thursday he is leaning toward reapplying for the coaching position — maybe.
“As of right now, yes. I’ll be honest with you, as of right now,” Castro said. “Now tomorrow might be different. I might just decide to call it quits and say, ‘To hell with it, I’ve got better things to do.’ But as of right now as of this minute, I’ll be honest with you, I’m going to look at it, unless something changes my mind.”
The process isn’t quite as simple as just pulling on the jersey once more, as Castro learned at last week’s board meeting. He addressed board members and indicated his desire to return, citing his record, concerns for the program and his interest in the position, interim superintendent Alfonso Obregon said Thursday. Castro’s remarks were made during the public-comment portion of the meeting and, as such, no board action could be taken, Obregon said.
“(The re-hiring) has to come through this office and it has to come through the interview process and through a recommendation from the superintendent to employ certified personnel,” Obregon said. “So he spoke to the board and maybe that’s a way of life here, but not necessarily in other places.
“The board on its own does not have that delegated authority. It has to be done through the interview process, policies and procedures and through the official recommendation with the signature from the superintendent,” Obregon said.
Simply put, Castro would be just another candidate for the position, and therein lies his quandary. He said he isn’t sure if he wants to go through that process. The deadline for submitting applications is June 25.
“Oh, God, I haven’t updated my resume since I think ’92. Oh man, I have to go through all that? I mean I can do it within a few hours but I didn’t think I’d have to go through all of that,” said Castro, who joined the district as an assistant coach in 1976. “But I’d be going through what anybody would do filling out an application. You’ve got to fill it out, fill out the resume and all that. I’ve never done it in all this time. I’ve done it one time and that’s been here.
“Going through all that process, I said to myself, ‘Do I have to go through this after all these years, to have to do all that crap again?’ But that’s how that goes. So that’s where we stand.”
Castro was suspended for a month earlier in the season for allowing a non-district employee to pitch batting practice to the team, one of several issues the district had with him. Less than a week after his reinstatement Castro resigned effective the end of the school year with the intention to retire.
Showing interest in again guiding the Cotton Pickers, who will return 10 seniors next season, isn’t enough to guarantee Castro a tag as the inside favorite, Obregon said.
“It’d be kind of premature to look at this without me knowing No. 1 if, in fact, he is an applicant and, No. 2, who else is out there. Who else is applying?” Obregon said. “It’s always in the interest of a school district to try and bring a person that will promote the quality education for our kids and a coach that is someone that has the experience and the ability to get things done.”
Since taking the head coaching position in 1983, it could be argued that Castro has gotten things done. He has compiled a 616-272-2 record and coached the Cotton Pickers to their ninth district title last season. They won two Class 4A state titles in 1991-92 and made 24 playoff appearances. The most recent was last season, when Robstown lost in the Region IV-3A semifinals to eventual state runner-up Giddings.
The prospects of another successful season — the District 31-3A champions finished 24-9 — with a core group of players returning may be enough for Castro to endure the interview process, he said.
“I was just going to do it for the kids and that’s it, their senior year. I built this program with these kids. Just for anybody to come in here and take it over ... that really bothers me. It took quite a bit of work to bring this group up. Just for anybody to come in here when the pie is already done, that’s where we’re at right now.”
CORPUS CHRISTI — The Steve Castro era at Robstown High School may not be complete. Or perhaps the longtime baseball coach indeed has coached his final game with the Cotton Pickers.
Such is the dilemma facing the 61-year-old, who is toying with the notion of returning for a 24th season at the helm of one of the area’s more successful programs.
Castro submitted his resignation and notice to retire to the Robstown school board April 13, citing health concerns following heart surgery last October and the onset of diabetes. But he said Thursday he is leaning toward reapplying for the coaching position — maybe.
“As of right now, yes. I’ll be honest with you, as of right now,” Castro said. “Now tomorrow might be different. I might just decide to call it quits and say, ‘To hell with it, I’ve got better things to do.’ But as of right now as of this minute, I’ll be honest with you, I’m going to look at it, unless something changes my mind.”
The process isn’t quite as simple as just pulling on the jersey once more, as Castro learned at last week’s board meeting. He addressed board members and indicated his desire to return, citing his record, concerns for the program and his interest in the position, interim superintendent Alfonso Obregon said Thursday. Castro’s remarks were made during the public-comment portion of the meeting and, as such, no board action could be taken, Obregon said.
“(The re-hiring) has to come through this office and it has to come through the interview process and through a recommendation from the superintendent to employ certified personnel,” Obregon said. “So he spoke to the board and maybe that’s a way of life here, but not necessarily in other places.
“The board on its own does not have that delegated authority. It has to be done through the interview process, policies and procedures and through the official recommendation with the signature from the superintendent,” Obregon said.
Simply put, Castro would be just another candidate for the position, and therein lies his quandary. He said he isn’t sure if he wants to go through that process. The deadline for submitting applications is June 25.
“Oh, God, I haven’t updated my resume since I think ’92. Oh man, I have to go through all that? I mean I can do it within a few hours but I didn’t think I’d have to go through all of that,” said Castro, who joined the district as an assistant coach in 1976. “But I’d be going through what anybody would do filling out an application. You’ve got to fill it out, fill out the resume and all that. I’ve never done it in all this time. I’ve done it one time and that’s been here.
“Going through all that process, I said to myself, ‘Do I have to go through this after all these years, to have to do all that crap again?’ But that’s how that goes. So that’s where we stand.”
Castro was suspended for a month earlier in the season for allowing a non-district employee to pitch batting practice to the team, one of several issues the district had with him. Less than a week after his reinstatement Castro resigned effective the end of the school year with the intention to retire.
Showing interest in again guiding the Cotton Pickers, who will return 10 seniors next season, isn’t enough to guarantee Castro a tag as the inside favorite, Obregon said.
“It’d be kind of premature to look at this without me knowing No. 1 if, in fact, he is an applicant and, No. 2, who else is out there. Who else is applying?” Obregon said. “It’s always in the interest of a school district to try and bring a person that will promote the quality education for our kids and a coach that is someone that has the experience and the ability to get things done.”
Since taking the head coaching position in 1983, it could be argued that Castro has gotten things done. He has compiled a 616-272-2 record and coached the Cotton Pickers to their ninth district title last season. They won two Class 4A state titles in 1991-92 and made 24 playoff appearances. The most recent was last season, when Robstown lost in the Region IV-3A semifinals to eventual state runner-up Giddings.
The prospects of another successful season — the District 31-3A champions finished 24-9 — with a core group of players returning may be enough for Castro to endure the interview process, he said.
“I was just going to do it for the kids and that’s it, their senior year. I built this program with these kids. Just for anybody to come in here and take it over ... that really bothers me. It took quite a bit of work to bring this group up. Just for anybody to come in here when the pie is already done, that’s where we’re at right now.”