Capahas longtime manager Jess Bolen announces final season

Mary Bolen shuffled through some books on a table in her basement. Some contain newspaper clippings from Capahas baseball games over the years, others pictures of former players or her husband and longtime Capahas manager Jess Bolen.

Then she laughed as she pulled out a book about psychology. It's only fitting that the book is tucked away in the Bolens' basement shrine to Capahas baseball, family and those associated with the team they consider family.

"He knew not just the baseball," Mary said, interrupting as her husband recounted memories and players from his 49 seasons at the helm. "It's the psychology of the game that he knew and how to treat the different players. They don't look at him just as a coach. It's the other end of it, too. If one of them had a problem, they knew they could sit down and talk to him, and he was there with an open ear and an arm around the shoulder for them. It was more than just baseball.

"The whole story has been the kids. I don't care if they're 60, they're a kid to us still. I mean, they played for us."

Those who play for the Capahas this year will be the last to be coached by Jess, who announced Monday that this season -- his 50th at the helm -- will be his last.

Mayor Harry Rediger, left, presents Capahas manager Jess Bolen, right, standing with his wife, Mary Bolen, with a plaque from the city of Cape Girardeau recognizing the three-time hall of famer before the season opener in June 2011 at Capaha Field. Bolen was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2011, the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Southeast Missouri Hall of Fame in 1992.Southeast Missourian file

The couple's son, Tom Bolen, will take over next season.

"I don't think it's sunk in," Jess said. "It's something I don't think you'll realize the full impact of completely ending something until you do it. I might be wrong about that. ... I think it's more than just the game. It's knowing that you're at the age that you only thought about other people being.

"Old is always 10 years older than you are. That's the way you look at it, psychologically. ... Now you realize you're at the age, in fact you're past the age, where you should've gotten out probably."

The decision was nearly taken out of his hands, as the future of the tradition-rich Capahas has been in jeopardy the past two years. In April 2014, Plaza Tire Service announced it was suddenly ending its sponsorship of the team after a decade. Less than two weeks later, the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce announced that Plaza Tire, along with a group of anonymous individuals, would support the team for one more season.

Last year, the team relied on funding from the Bolens and donations, and up until last weekend, Jess had March 19th circled on the calendar as the date the team would fold if they were unable to come up with funding for this season.

But the team will remain for Jess's 50th season and Tom's first, as the Bolens also announced a two-year Burger King sponsorship on Monday.

"To have a base sponsor is so important as far as getting things done like entry fees and getting the equipment started for the season. Then you'll have your other fundraisers like the auction and stuff like that to finish you off and get you through the season," Jess said. "Burger King just really came through for us, and there's no other way to say it.

"We're just tickled to death to have them on board and look forward now to just getting into the business of baseball and trying to get things going."

No longer having to focus on keeping the team funded, at least for the near future, Jess now gets to see out his stint on his own terms.

He turns 74 on April 3 and said he won't miss the games in 100-degree weather or traveling to play a doubleheader in Springfield, Illinois, and having to drive back home the same day.

"I'll tell you what you miss -- and I know this before it happens -- it's the guys, being in the dugout, the camaraderie, [the players'] parents, their girlfriends, the people you meet," Jess said. "That's the the thing that both of us miss. That part of it you can't ever replace. Boy, we've made a lot of friends."

The Capahas, the nation's oldest amateur baseball team, began in 1894. Jess's first win this season will be his 1,500th with the team. He's compiled a record of 1,499-406 and guided the team to 19 state championships and 34 consecutive National Baseball Congress World Series appearances. He's been inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, the NBC Hall of Fame, the Southeast Missouri Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.