CLARINDA A'S VISIT CAPAHAS THIS WEEKEND

The McDowell Capahas will have one of their most anticipated regular-season baseball series in a number of years this weekend when the nationally-renowned Clarinda (Iowa) A's come to Cape Girardeau.

The Capahas and A's will have a 5 p.m. doubleheader today and a 1 p.m. single game Sunday, with all the action at Capaha Field.

"It should be a great weekend of baseball and I think the fans will really enjoy it," said Capahas manager Jess Bolen. "People can come out and see two ballclubs rich in tradition. They have a good history and so do we. I look for three really good ballgames."

Clarinda, a regular participant in the annual National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., has a national title to its credit. The A's won the 1981 NBC World Series.

The A's have also had several future major-leaguers play for them over the years, including Ozzie Smith.

"They're an all-college team. They'll get guys from just about anywhere," Bolen said.

But the Capahas certainly have quite a tradition of their own. The squad is also a regular participant in the NBC World Series, with several high finishes to its credit.

"We feel like we can compete with just about any team in the country and we've proven it over the years," said Bolen.

This weekend will mark the first time the squads have played each other in a regular-season series, although they met once last year in Clarinda and have also squared off several times at the NBC World Series.

"I'd say we've probably played them seven or eight times in the tournament out there (in Wichita)," said Bolen. "Last year was the first time we've played them in the regular season. We beat them last year and I think we've beaten them the last two or three times we've played, but they're a really good program and these will be some tough games."

It has become increasingly difficult over the years for the Capahas to schedule high-caliber opponents without traveling quite a bit. Bolen said he would like to continue playing the A's in future seasons and is also looking to schedule other traditionally strong squads from outside the region.

"It's exciting to play teams like this," Bolen said. "There aren't as many good teams as their used to be, so we just have to travel further. We'd like to play series like this with other teams."

As an added feature this weekend, both teams will hit exclusively with wood bats. The Capahas are using wood most of the time this season while the A's use wood the entire campaign.

"It's going to be baseball the way it used to be in the amateurs," said Bolen. "The crack of the bat sounds different and it's just really neat to go back to playing that way. I know the fans will enjoy it.

"Starting this year, the (NBC) World Series will be all wood, and we're going to use all wood in our tournament (next month's NBC Mid-South Regional). It's something that you have to get used to and I think we're getting better at it."