Capahas summer

According to our newspaper archives, the Capahas baseball team was organized in 1894, named after a sponsoring flour company, and not the Capaha Indian tribe. Today Plaza Tire has replaced the sponsorship, but the Capaha name still lives on 117 years later.

Back in the day, several of the players went on to play pro ball, including the great Elam Vangilder, who starred for the St. Louis Browns and drove to Cape every Sunday to play following his major league season. He outdueled hall of famer Dizzy Dean, who pitched a game for the Charleston team against the Caps in 1908.

The Caps just started another season, and they're off to a great start. They're led by legend Jess Bolen, manager of the Caps and entering his 45th season with the team. Bolen was recently inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. The Caps represent old-time baseball. The boys play because they love the game, and they're still very good players. Consider spending a relaxed evening out at Capaha Park this summer, sipping summer's flavor and watching the team chase wins and all of the ghosts of Capahas' past.