Capahas didn't play down to weak regional field

It might very well have been the weakest field since the Plaza Tire Capahas began hosting the National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional in 1991.

And that caused a rash of blowouts, as only one of the six games was decided by less than 10 runs, meaning that area fans really didn't get to witness much exciting baseball.

But, all that being said, you've still got to give the Capahas their share of credit, as they captured their first regional title since 2001 after settling for second-place finishes the past three years.

The Capahas paid little attention to the caliber of competition --which isn't always that easy -- and instead made sure they came ready to play every time out.

The result was a dominating run through last weekend's four-team, double-elimination tournament. For the first time in four years, the Capahas earned an automatic bid to the NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan.

Sure, Plaza Tire had been able to secure at-large berths into the NBC World Series the past three summers, extending their streak of consecutive national tournament appearances to 23.

But last weekend, the Capahas were intent on making sure they didn't have to sweat out an invitation to Wichita. They need not have worried.

Plaza Tire made a mockery of the field, winning all three of its games by at least 10 runs while outscoring the opposition 40-4. The Capahas had 40 hits to the opponents' 16.

Instead of playing down to the level of the competition, the Capahas raised their play after not being all that sharp in the few weeks leading up to the tournament. That's generally one mark of a good team.

The Capahas have several more games remaining prior to the NBC World Series that begins early next month. They'll continue to tune up for the event, and manager Jess Bolen will continue to search for an additional hitter or two to strengthen the lineup.

Bolen was pleased that the Capahas were finally able to capture a regional championship again, and that they won't have to sweat out their 24th consecutive appearance in the NBC's biggest event.

But Bolen knows that making some noise in Wichita is a whole different ballgame.

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It was great to see George Renick out at Capaha Field during last Sunday's NBC Mid-South Regional championship game against the St. Louis Toros.

Renick has been the public address announcer for the Capahas for most of the past decade, but he's had some health problems this summer and has not been able to perform the duties he loves so much.

But I'm happy to report that George seems to be coming along well, which is no doubt great news to a lot of people because he's a heck of a good guy. I don't know anybody who George has come into contact with that doesn't consider him a friend --myself included.

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I had a chance last weekend to tour the new Capaha Field pressbox that is under construction and, when finished, it should be quite a spectacular addition to an already impressive baseball facility.

Things seem to be progressing well, with work scheduled to be completed in a couple of months, well ahead of Southeast Missouri State's 2006 season.

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Southeast men's basketball recruit Eric Jones made his presence felt in a big way during last weekend's St. John's Sports Medicine Missouri Basketball All-Star Games in Springfield.

Jones, who graduated this year from Webster Groves High School in St. Louis County, won the slam dunk contest. He jumped over a seated Blake Ahearn -- a guard at Southwest Missouri State -- in the finals to beat Lafayette's Matt Lawrence, who is headed to Missouri.

I've heard all about the 6-foot-4 Jones' athletic ability, and his performance in the dunk contest attests to that. It should be fun watching him in a Redhawks uniform the next few years.

Another player with local ties, Lafayette's Landon Shipley, won the boys 3-point shooting contest. Shipley, son of former Southeast guard David Shipley, is headed to Austin Peay.

Also, congratulations to Notre Dame boys basketball coach Paul Hale, who last weekend in Springfield was among those inducted into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

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Southern Illinois football coach Jerry Kill -- whose squad was NCAA Division I-AA's No. 1-ranked team for most of last season and figures to again be one of the nation's top squads this year -- apparently doesn't take discipline lightly.

Kill recently suspended Brandon Bruner, the Salukis' top cornerback, from the team for one year. He and reserve running back Justin Duckett, also suspended for one year, face felony charges of residential burglary after they were arrested near the SIU campus around 3 a.m. on June 19. Bruner was also charged with resisting arrest.

What make's Kill's decision unique is that he is not waiting to see how the situation is resolved in the courts. He has determined that, even if Bruner and Duckett are found innocent, they nonetheless violated team policy by being in the situation they were in during that early morning incident.

How Kill's disciplinary action affects the Salukis for their season opener at Southeast on Sept. 1 -- and for the season -- remains to be seen.

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I'm sure Cardinals fans weren't too pleased by the result of Tuesday night's All-Star Game, as the American League eased past the National League 7-5.

With the Cardinals appearing to be solid favorites to reach the World Series for the second year in a row, that means -- assuming it happens -- St. Louis will again not have the home-field advantage.

Home field probably didn't matter a whole lot last season, since the Cardinals were swept by the Red Sox, but only time will tell just how crucial a role it will play this year.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.