ONE-ARMED ATHLETE TAKING ON NEW SPORTS CHALLENGE

OLIVE BRANCH -- Tony Smith is taking on some new sports.

Smith, 10, the one-armed son of Jim and Paula Smith of Olive Branch, tried boys league football during the past fall, but his season as a wide receiver was cut short due to an injury, a broken finger.

He'll try basketball early next year, in the Egyptian School District. Tryouts will be held in January for the school's grade school team.

Meanwhile, Smith is looking forward to a repeat appearance on television.

Smith, who made some headlines as an eight-year old with his baseball pitching talents appeared on "Inside Edition" on WPSD-TV, where he was featured again last week.

"Inside Edition," which airs throughout the United States and Europe, was on hand at Busch Stadium more than a year ago to film young Smith when he was a guest of the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played catch and met with Cardinal manager Tony La Russa, baseball broadcaster Jack Buck and a number of the Cardinal players.

"Inside Edition" also talked with young Smith in his home setting.

Smith was a pitcher and first basemen in the Tamms Khoury League's Atom Division the past two seasons.

Smith's appearance on national television this week was his third since he was the subject of a feature story in the Southeast Missourian during the 1997 boys league baseball season. The Missourian article was placed on the Associated Press' national wire and was featured in "USA Today" and a number of Illinois newspapers.

He also appeared as "Home Town Hero" on a Fox's "Sports on Sunday" where he had an opportunity to talk with major league one-armed hurler Jim Abbott.

Smith, who also has only one arm to pitch and catch with, has played six years of youth league baseball, three of them in a T-ball league.

He was born without a hand and part of an arm but has learned to catch the ball and get rid of it in a hurry, said his mother, who attends all his games.

"He's a real competitor," said his father. "We tell him he is handicapped, not disabled."

Tony, the younger of two children, and is in the fourth grade at Egyptian School. His sister, Amber, 12, is in the seventh grade.