CAPE YOUTH BASEBALL FAMILY AFFAIR FOR WESTS

Terri West, left, kept score of her son's baseball game against the Diamondbacks. West's parents and older son, from left, Linda and Don Wiseman and Brandon West also attended the game.

Athletics coaches Bob Brosey, left, and Stan West watched the team during their turn at bat against the Diamondbacks.

Athletics coach Stan West hit fungoes for his outfielders before the game.

Athletics first baseman Lance West reached for the tag on Diamondback's player Andy Ralls.

Coach Stan West gave signals to a runner on second base.

Lance West has been playing organized baseball since he was 7, but he's been a part of baseball for much longer. At 13, he is a member of the A's team in the 13-year-old league under the Cape Youth Baseball program.

For Lance, baseball is a family affair. His father, Stan, coaches his team and is commissioner of the 13-year-old league. His mother, Terri, has always loved baseball. She keeps score at his games and runs the concession stand when he isn't playing. His brother, Brandon, who pitches for the McDowell Capahas and Southwest Missouri State University, helps his father coach or umpires or works in the concession stand.

Stan West owns Superior Pest; his wife has worked for the Postal Service for 21 years. Both have volunteered their time to youth baseball over the years.

The Wests are like many of the families of the 700 boys in Cape Girardeau's Youth Baseball.

Terri says Lance has gone to baseball games since he was playing on a quilt. She knows. She packed him to Brandon's games back then.

Back then, too, Stan coached Brandon's team. He's in his 14th year coaching youth baseball. In fact, one year he coached both boys' teams.

Today, Stan's assistant coach is Bob Brosey.

Most of the coaches are parents of players, says David Meyr, commissioner of Cape Youth Baseball.

This year there are 700 boys 7 through 18 playing baseball on 54 teams. There are an average of 13 boys on a team.

Lance participates in the highest single-age league of youth baseball. Next year he will try out for the Junior Babe Ruth team for boys 14 and 15.

Meyr, who has coached his son Chad's teams from little up, is coaching the Senior Babe Ruth White Sox for boys 16 through 18. The team schedules 45 games a year.

Chad, 16, played catcher most of his years in youth baseball, and Dave coached his teams from age 7. Chad isn't playing baseball this year.

When Chad was 11, Dave became head of the 11-year-old league, and two years later he became commissioner over all the leagues.

While Dave, who manages the Express Auto & Tire Service Center, says it takes a lot of time to be commissioner, he thinks there are benefits for the boys.

It teaches them to become sportsmen and how to play the game, he says.

Stan West says the league's aim is to have a baseball experience for boys and to let them have fun. And, maybe have them learn some baseball.

West adds that he still teaches the fundamentals of the game to his team.

Stan has coached teams since Brandon started at age 7. Brandon is 20.

The coaching isn't just on game nights. Three or four nights a week the boys will play ball together, mostly after supper.

Either Brandon or Stan will engage in some kind of practice with Lance.

The brothers, even though Brandon is 7 1/2 years older than Lance, have always gotten along, Terri says.

When Lance isn't playing baseball with his father or brother, he is tossing the ball against their house's brick chimney for practice.

For Lance, baseball has become a big part of his life. When he isn't getting ready for his own games, he's attending a summer baseball camp. He's been to the Dick Birmingham camp, the Capaha's camp and recently the Cape Central baseball camp.

Lance also recently attended a St. Louis Cardinals game, the day after Mark McGwire hit his 37th home run.

For Lance, playing baseball is a social time. He knows most of the players in the league, and he competes against most of his best friends.

The left-hander plays first base and some outfield for the A's. He has a batting average of .500 and has hit two home runs. The home runs, he says, were both in losing efforts.

Lance says he is more of a singles and doubles hitter than a home run hitter, and he gets a lot of walks.

The one home run Lance hit, against the Diamondbacks, tied the game. His parents weren't at that game, but his grandparents saw it.

Terri takes the home run baseballs and the no-hitter baseballs, dates and keeps them as mementos for the boys.

Brandon has mementos from his state championship teams with Cape Central High School and the Ford and Sons Legion in 1994.

As commissioner and staff of the 13-year-old league, the Wests are responsible for ordering uniforms, ordering trophies and making sure everything gets done, work Stan and Terri do willingly.

"It's always good to keep kids busy," Terri says. "It's organized activity that is really good for them."

Cape's youth baseball starts in March with signups for the various age-group leagues. Each age from 7 through 13 has its own league. Fees are $45 for boys 7 through 12 and $55 for boys 13 and older.

The league is run on fees, sponsors and volunteers.

In April, players are evaluated and selected to teams. In late May, the season starts. The 13-year-old league began May 20.

Stan says the leagues try to make the teams even in talent; however, during the season some teams emerge to be better.

The leagues usually play between 12 to 18 games, depending on the number of teams. Teams usually play each other twice during the season. The average number of league games is 15.

The season usually runs through July, with all leagues having postseason tournaments.

Lance's league has six teams, and each team plays 15 regular season games.

The youth baseball program also sponsors tournaments during the year, including the annual Riverfest Tournaments. During the city's Riverfest celebration, tournaments for boys 10 through 15 are played. Teams from nearby towns and from Memphis and St. Louis compete.

There also is the Firecracker Classic, a Senior Babe Ruth tournament over the Fourth of July weekend. Outside teams are invited to this tournament.

This year Cape Girardeau will be host to the 13-year-old and the 14-year-old district tournaments. The winners advance to the state tournament.

In the 13-year-old tournament, 15 players from the 13-year-old league will be picked as a team to represent Cape Girardeau. Some of the other teams participating in the double-elimination tournament are from Mineral Area, the Chaffee area and Jackson. The games will be played, starting Monday, at Field 6 at Arena Park.

The 13-year-old season ends July 27 with a postseason league tournament.