Jeff Fedotin
Special to Rivals High

Tim Redden could have pinched himself.

The St. Thomas (Texas) High infielder began receiving daily coaching instruction last year from his childhood idol, former Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio.

"It was unbelievable," Redden said. "I was a huge Craig Biggio fan as a kid. When you see him out on the field and he's helping you out there one-on-one at your position, you don't know quite what to think."

The opportunity for Redden and his teammates to be coached by someone with 3,060 hits in the major leagues came about last year. Biggio, who retired after the 2007 season, began serving as a volunteer assistant baseball and football coach at St. Thomas, a 715-student Catholic school attended by his older son Conor.

When Ken Schulte left the following season to coach at Brazosport (Texas) High, St. Thomas offered Biggio the head coaching position of the baseball team, which has won the past two Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) 6A state titles. Having already planned on being with the team on a daily basis, he jumped at the opportunity.

"The part that excited me was the kids," Biggio said. "They're really a good group of boys."

Conor joked that Biggio, 43, relates better to kids than adults, and the chance to coach his 16-year-old son serves as a major reason why he became the St. Thomas coach. After he spent much of his 20-year Astros career at the ballpark or traveling to road destinations, father and son now interact at every practice.

"It's a lot of fun," Conor said. "I didn't get to see him very much when he played, but now I [do]."

When Craig took the position, Conor, a second baseman like his father, had just one request ? that he treat him no differently than the other players.

"If you were an observer in our dugout, you would not know that they were father and son," Redden said. "It seems like a player-coach relationship."

Although Biggio said he enjoys coaching Conor and the rest of the team, he is still growing accustomed to the scope of his new job. Unlike in the major leagues, where teams have a stable of specialized employees, the responsibilities for Biggio go above and beyond coaching. He is also a groundskeeper and takes care of equipment in addition to game preparation.

"Getting all of that stuff lined up and organized has consumed a lot of my time. ? It's a lot of work," Biggio said. "There's a lot of things you have to do here at the high school level."

Biggio remains actively involved in the major leagues as well. He serves as special assistant to Astros general manager Ed Wade. Although he visited the Astros in Kissimmee, Fla., during St. Thomas' spring break, Biggio will conduct much of his work ? including instructing minor leaguers in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Round Rock, Texas, and scouting ? after the Eagles have completed their season.

The all-time Astros leader in games, at-bats, runs, walks and doubles also may consider a managing career in the major leagues once his children ? including Cavan, who will play on the St. Thomas team next year ? have grown up. A Division I coaching job, which would require less time on the road, also could interest him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we have to," Biggio said. "This [job] has been great because it gets my feet wet to this side of things."

Biggio formed his own coaching approach from the myriad managers he had while with the Astros. He compared the incorporation of those coaching techniques to parenting.

"When you're raising kids, you're like, 'I liked this about my mom and dad, but I didn't like this about them,' " Biggio said. "Coaching's kind of the same way. There are certain styles [you pick up] that are just kind of right."

For example, rather than removing a right-handed pitcher for a left-hander to take advantage of a left-handed batter, Biggio assumes the more old-school tactic of Larry Dierker, his manager from 1997-2001. He prefers to let the starters control the game and handle adversity without having to look over their shoulder.

Biggio maintains a cool demeanor unless a player disrespects the game or lacks hustle. If someone hits a ball deep and ? thinking it was a home run ? jogs the bases slowly, expect an in-your-face confrontation.

"It's kind of an oxymoron," Redden said. "He's intense, but he's also real laid back."

Having played catcher, infield and outfield during his 2,850 games with the Astros, Biggio has versatile baseball expertise. But perhaps his inspirational abilities have had the greatest impact upon the Eagles as they gun for their third consecutive state title. Several times this year, they have trailed in the seventh inning before rallying for a win.

Lamar, a 3,200-student high school and baseball powerhouse, held a 10-6 lead during the bottom of the seventh inning against St. Thomas on Feb. 28. Biggio assuaged the tension by encouraging his players to embrace the moment. While preaching a never-say-die attitude, he told his team that you participate in sports to compete in these exciting situations.

"He just came in the huddle," Redden said, "and he was like, 'Guys, let's play the game from first pitch to last. Let's just see if we can put it together.' "

St. Thomas won 11-10 on a bases-loaded walk in a symbolic game for a team coached by a player known for his scrappiness on the baseball diamond.

"This team doesn't quit," Redden said. "We owe a lot of that to him."

Redden, who moved from second base to shortstop this year, also said Biggio has improved his jump while stealing bases and taught him how to read the different hops a ball can take during infield play. The slick-fielding senior, who batted .382 last year, is considering playing baseball collegiately at UAB, Houston or Indiana.

He and Jonathan Mejia, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior who has started since his freshman season, power a St. Thomas team that has played in a TAPPS state championship game for five consecutive years. Mejia, a center fielder, hit .314 with four homers and 20 RBIs last year.

"As far as potential, it is unlimited for him," Biggio said. "It all depends on how hard he continues to work."

The pitching staff features Colin Bassett, a junior with a strong split-fingered fastball who struck out nine while defeating Clements during the Ewell Jackson Tournament. Senior Brendan Fleming, a 6-2, 230-pounder, serves at the No. 2 pitcher.

These talented Eagles, though, did not look so smooth during the first two to three weeks of Biggio's assistant coaching tenure last year. With a soon-to-be Hall of Famer on the staff, the team played and acted nervously.

"When he was around, they'd try to be all perfect," Conor said. "They wanted to make a good impression."

But the team adjusted long ago to being in the presence of a seven-time All-Star. Redden has asked Biggio about the 2005 World Series run and specific games he attended at Minute Maid Park.

"Those have been some real interesting talks," Redden said. "You get a different perspective of it than you would just a regular fan."

Redden and the rest of the St. Thomas baseball team, however, are no longer just Biggio fans. They have become Biggio pupils.

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