Capahas again miss out on regional title

The Plaza Tire Capahas are in the midst of another solid season -- but for the third year in a row something glaring is missing.

A National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional championship.

For the third straight year, another team was able to celebrate on Capaha Field, as the Tradewater (Ky.) Pirates claimed their second consecutive title last weekend, following the Springfield (Mo.) Slashers' crown in 2002.

Anybody who has witnessed the wooden bat regional tournaments over the past few years realizes just how different the game is when aluminum is not swung. When pitching is solid, there simply isn't a whole lot of offense in most wooden bat games.

And the Capahas certainly suffered from a lack of offense in their two regional contests against Tradewater last weekend. They were held to one run in a combined 19 innings. Plaza Tire's pitching -- by far the strength of the team -- was plenty good enough to win the title, but the Capahas' hitting fell far short.

I've known veteran Capahas' manager Jess Bolen a long time. He's a heck of a coach, and he's also a proud man, so I'm sure that falling short in the regional three straight seasons after previously dominating the event does not sit well with him.

Look for Bolen to make a concerted effort to pump up his squad's offense for next year's regional. He's not about to take this championship drought lying down.

As for the Capahas' receiving a third straight at-large bid to the NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan., Bolen believes it's about a 50-50 proposition.

But considering all the success the tradition-rich Capahas have experienced over the years --including several strong showings in Wichita -- I figure they'll once again be invited to the prestigious event.

Bolen, chairman of the Capaha Field Improvement Committee, said plans are in the works to build a new press box --much larger and improved all the way around -- that will hopefully be in place for the 2005 Southeast Missouri State University baseball season.

Charleston High School product Matt Whiteside is still going strong in his 15th professional baseball season.

Whiteside, who has spent six years in the major leagues, was the winning pitcher Wednesday in the Class AAA All-Star Game. He recorded the final five outs and did not allow a runner as the International League beat the Pacific Coast League 4-3 in 10 innings.

Whiteside, a right-handed closer for the Richmond Braves, an Atlanta affiliate, leads the International League in saves with 21.

Here's wishing a very happy belated birthday to my good buddy George Renick, who turned the big SIX-OH on Thursday.

I wasn't really acquainted with George until he started running the public address system at Capaha Field for Capahas and Cape Legion games several years ago. Since I spend many summer nights in the press box covering those teams, George and I fast became pals.

George is quite a guy with an unbelievable sense of humor and he's just a lot of fun to be around, which is why summer baseball fans who attend games at Capaha Field probably have heard some serious laughter emanating from the press box over the years.

If you run into George, give him a hard time about turning 60. And don't tell him I said this, but he really doesn't look his age (about 70 is more like it).

Just kidding, George.

The American Legion District 14 baseball tournament that begins Wednesday in Jackson should be plenty interesting.

While Cape Girardeau struggled much of the campaign and will carry an overall losing record into the tournament, Ford & Sons tied with Dunklin County for the best district mark at 4-2.

Meanwhile, Jackson put together a strong season, winning more than 20 games, but the RE/MAX Achievers finished with the worst district ledger at 1-5. Sikeston, 3-3 in district play, rounds out the four-team field and has an automatic berth in the next round as the zone host.

It's not hard imagining any of the four squads capturing the title in what should be a wide-open and balanced event.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.