Baseball academy for youngsters now open

There I am, patrolling center field, anxiously waiting for the crack of the bat. I pound my fist into my glove, just as some meathead slugger smokes the ball to the deepest part of the park.

My part.

I track the ball for a split second and then break into a dead sprint. The crowd moans. No chance. But with the grace of a gymnast, I scale the wall where I hover for a split second in mid-air, just long enough for the ball to plop elegantly into my outstretched glove.

The crowd goes nuts.

That's usually how my 10:15 a.m. fantasy goes. At 2:30, I'm a crafty, left-handed pitcher and around 4 I'm a scrappy infielder. And of course these little Walter Mitty mind games are played out only during company-sanctioned breaks.

Truth is, I never played ball, not even Little League. But I have a 14-year-old son, Zach, who does. And he's pretty good. So I was glad to find out that Prospects Sports Facility opened three miles north of Fruitland last week to help young players get better.

The facility -- at 9727 U.S. 61 -- is owned and operated by Talley and Jackie Haines. Local sports enthusiasts know Haines played baseball and basketball at Cape Girardeau Central High School. After high school, he played two years of baseball at Southeast Missouri State University and one year at Freed-Hardeman University before being drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. On Friday, he signed a minor-league contract with St. Louis.

Next spring, the Jackson resident will start his ninth season of professional baseball where he has played for Tampa Bay, Toronto, Boston and the Chicago Cubs organizations. He has played at Triple A level for parts of the past six seasons.

Now, during the off-season, the relief pitcher wants to teach youngsters how to play baseball and softball. The academy has more than 11,000 square feet, a top-of-the-line playing surface, cages, mounds, a soft-toss area, a long-toss area and a lounge/waiting area for parents.

Along with Haines, fellow relief pitcher Todd Pennington (Double A with the Indians organization) will offer lessons and tutorials.

"It's always something I wanted to do," Haines said. "For me, I was always trying to get into a gym during the off-season to get some work in. It got to the point, I decided to build something myself and give lessons."

The facility will be open to boys and girls, who can work on any aspect of the game they want, whether it's fielding, hitting or pitching. It will also be available for teams to come in and rent out the entire facility for an hour or so to get their practice in.

With help from someone like Haines, maybe my son and others like him won't have to spend their adult life fantasizing about what could have been.

Meanwhile, let's head back to me in center field. ...

* New Kidd's being built in Jackson: A new Kidd's convenience store is under construction in Jackson at 325 W. Jackson Blvd., directly north of the existing Kidd's. According to Jackson building inspector Andy Cook -- I was unable to reach owner Adam Kidd -- the new station is estimated to cost $460,000. Penzel Construction has just finished pouring the floor for the building, Cook said, adding that it should be under roof soon.

The new Kidd's will be similar to the Kidd's on Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, Cook said. The existing station will be torn down to make way for more fuel pumps, he said.

* Frederick Street strip center: Area dentist Dr. Danna Cotner has purchased the strip center in the 300 block of Frederick Street across the street from the old post office.

Cotner plans to move the practice she shares with her father, Dr. Dan Cotner, into one of the three units (305 Frederick St.) sometime next spring. (Full disclosure: Cotner is married to Southeast Missourian managing editor Sam Blackwell.)

Meanwhile, certified financial planner John Wolpers of Ameriprise Financial Services took over occupancy of the 309 Frederick unit on Oct. 1. Wolpers moved the former American Express Financial Advisors here from Poplar Bluff, though he still keeps an office there.

Ameriprise is a full-service financial services firm that offers comprehensive financial planning, investments, insurance and accompanying products, Wolpers said. Wolpers has been in the business for 15 years.

Meanwhile, Cotner is having the building remodeled, including a streamlining of space. Space, by the way, is the reason she and her father decided to move from the former Medical Arts Building, now called Broadway Plaza, where things are more cramped, she said. The renovation work will probably be going on for the next year.

She's also looking for a third tenant for the building, which she says will likely be for office use.

Cotner said she's pleased with the work and the new building. The architect is Mitchell Malone.

"It has the parking that we've needed and it is a pretty busy intersection," she said. "And I definitely wanted to stay downtown. I live downtown and I love it here, so I wanted to keep working here."

* Broadway Books pushes back opening: Jo Ann Bohnert says she and her business partner, Janet Woods, have pushed back the opening of Broadway Books and Roasting Co. until after the first of the year.

The two had hoped to get the bookstore and gourmet coffee shop opened by Dec. 1, but Bohnert said things are taking longer than expected. They're still awaiting their coffee roaster, and there are other issues. But things are progressing. The shop is going to be in the former Robertson Photography building on Broadway.

* New owner of Comfort Keepers: Local entrepreneurs Paul and Sherry James are the latest owners of Comfort Keepers, a growing national franchise offering companionship and other nonmedical services for aging adults and others who need assistance staying in their home.

"Through personal experiences in our lives, we realize the enormous stress and mixture of emotions that families face when it comes to caring for a loved one," Sherry James said. "Our goal is to make it possible for our clients and their families to maintain a respectful and superior quality of life."

The Jameses bought the business at 1200 N. Kingshighway from Linda Bass earlier this year.

Services include companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, transportation, laundry, recreational activities and more, James said.

* Illustrious Jack's closes for winter: Shortly after it reopened, owner David Gerlach decided to close Illustrious Jack's near the corner of William Street and Kingshighway for the winter.

"We really got open too late," Gerlach said. "Ice cream's obviously not a huge seller in the winter anyway. It's pretty normal practice for custard shops to close in the winter."

He says it will reopen in March ... just in time for baseball.

So we're back to where we started. See how everything in life -- and even business -- really does connect to baseball?

Scott Moyers is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, call 335-6611, extension 137 or e-mail smoyers@semissourian.com.