Miami Funny Men Providing Serious Results
10/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 29, 2001
Laurel and Hardy. Martin and Lewis. Thaler and Costello.
What, did you think that last one was supposed to read "Abbott and Costello?" Well, that team of funnymen does deserve its due, but senior center Paul Thaler and senior left guard Joe Costello are no less uproarious. What's more, their act is completely off the cuff.
Their first memories of each other from when Thaler transferred to Costello's elementary school in the fifth grade?
"Paul was a big, dumb animal," Costello says.
To which Thaler shoots back, "All I remember is this big, blond clown."
Actually, it was tough to tell what their exact words were because they were both laughing so hard.
As former teammates at Cincinnati's LaSalle High School, Thaler and Costello have long used their prodigious girths as a premise for many of their digs. Thaler, the "smaller" of the two, standing 6-3, 292 to Costello's 6-6, 318, manages to get in most of the fat jokes. Patting his linemate's considerable belly, Thaler says, "I always ask him when he's due."
Ba-dum-bum ching!
"He ate a basketball once," Thaler says. "I think it got stuck in his stomach."
He'll be here all week, folks.
Don't get them started on roundball either, especially Costello, the more accomplisher player, having been a member of Miami's 1999 intramural basketball championship team. ("I'm a little rough around the edges," Thaler admits.)
"We played basketball together in eighth grade," Costello says. "We were the biggest team around. Every time we walked in the gym, (the other team) would be like, 'Oh my God!' because we had another kid on our team who was even bigger than us. It was ridiculous."
Just like a seasoned comedian, he pauses for effect. He can't help himself.
"Then they'd see Paul try to catch the ball," Costello says.
Though each man's decision to attend Miami was independent of the other's, they did room together as freshmen, but certain sleeping habits convinced them to go their separate ways after that year.
Thaler slept in the bottom bunk, Costello the top, an arrangement that was far from ideal.
"He always used to fall out bed and wake me up at night," Thaler says.
"He snores like a wild animal. I had to throw shoes across the room to make a loud noise to get him to stop," Costello says.
At this, Thaler literally doubles over in laughter, something that would have been excruciatingly painful for him to do a couple years ago.
While Thaler sat out most of the 1999 season because of two herniated discs in his back, Costello was solidifying himself as a fixture on an offensive line that paved the way for Travis Prentice's All-American season.
"It was pretty tough sitting on the sidelines," Thaler says. "You kind of feel like you're not a part of the team."
Just before the beginning of the 2000 season, Thaler moved from guard to center, and by the sixth game he had played his way into the starting lineup. The only time he sees the sidelines now is when Miami's offense is on the field.
"As far as I'm concerned, if Paul wouldn't have been injured, he'd have been playing all these years too," Costello said. "It just took him a little longer."
It has been well worth the wait. With the two gigantic jokesters anchoring the line, the RedHawks are quickly establishing a reputation not unlike that of the Denver Broncos, a team that is able to run the ball effectively no matter who lines up in the backfield. Sophomores Cal Murray and Luke Clemens logged consecutive 100-yard games earlier this season, against Cincinnati and Ball State, and now senior Steve Little is carrying much of the load, and carrying it well.
"We'd love to not give up any sacks," Costello says, "But for me, personally, when a running back has a big day, I feel a greater sense of pride."
Because of the nature of their positions, neither man gets much pub. That is unfortunate because they give a joint interview that, in terms of entertainment value, rivals that of, say, Jim Carrey. Just like his namesake, Costello clearly plays the role of the cut-up, while Thaler is more of a straight man.
Their infectious personalities translate to the football field, as well.
"Joe's kind of a wacky guy," Thaler says. "He makes football fun. He keeps you loose and makes you laugh when you're playing."
"Paul is more of a leader, he has a lot of intensity," Costello says. "I've taken some of that from him."
Thaler's ability to take charge is as much a product of where he plays as it is of his demeanor. As a center, he must make snap line calls based on the alignment of the defensive front. After playing alongside one another all these years, Thaler does not have to say much-sometimes anything at all-to get his message across.
"If we're reaching to the right and I'm at left guard, he knows I'm going to be in his hip pocket, right behind him," Costello says.
There's a sight that is anything but amusing to opposing defenses.
Story by media relations intern Mickey Brown
