Connolly begins bid to earn spot on Jaguars' roster

In less than a week, Dan Connolly's push to make it a trio of Southeast Missouri State products to reach the National Football League in three years begins in earnest.

Connolly, the Redhawks' standout offensive lineman of the past four seasons, was somewhat unexpectedly not selected during the seven-round NFL draft in April.

But it didn't take Connolly long to sign as a free agent with Jacksonville, and now he's gearing up for the Jaguars' training camp that begins Friday in Florida.

I spoke with Connolly just a few days ago, and he told me he's anxious and prepared for the challenge. He said he thinks he performed well in several minicamps, and he believes he's ready to show Jacksonville's coaches that he belongs on their roster.

Connolly, listed on the Jaguars' Web site as 6 feet, 4 inches and 311 pounds, primarily played tackle at Southeast, but the Jaguars have him at guard, and he said there's a possibility he will even get a look at center, which should only add to his versatility and value.

Connolly will be trying to follow in the footsteps of two other former Southeast standouts who are already in the NFL.

Willie Ponder is firmly established as the top kickoff returner and a backup wide receiver for the New York Giants. The 2003 sixth-round draft pick led the entire NFL in kickoff returns last year during his second season in the league.

Eugene Amano, an offensive lineman taken in the seventh round in 2004, had a productive rookie season for the Tennessee Titans last year as he earned two starts and played in all but one game.

Here's wishing Connolly, Ponder and Amano the best as NFL training camps begin.

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The preseason honors keep rolling in for Southeast punter David Simonhoff.

Simonhoff, who will be a junior, recently was selected to his third preseason All-American first team when I-AA.org released its list. No other Ohio Valley Conference player made the I-AA.org first team.

Simonhoff had earlier been recognized by The Sports Network and Street & Smith's. He was a second-team All-American following last season, when he ranked second nationally in punting with a 46-yard average, which set Southeast and Ohio Valley Conference records.

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Although it's subject to change, the Plaza Tire Capahas are scheduled to begin play in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., on Aug. 1. Their likely start time is 10 p.m., although the opponent has not yet been determined.

In the meantime, the Capahas have their final two regular-season home games scheduled for this week, Tuesday against Centralia, Ill., and Wednesday against Fairview Heights, Ill. Both contests are set for 7:30 p.m. at Capaha Field.

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The Southeast Missourian has been providing weekly updates on statistics of professional baseball players from either Southeast or local high schools, but one that has not been included is that of former Southeast center fielder Frankie Montiel, who completed his eligibility with the Redhawks this year.

I only recently learned that Montiel is playing for the Mesa (Ariz.) Miners of the independent Golden Baseball League, which is based in California. Entering the weekend, Montiel had appeared in 10 games and he was batting .261 (6-for-23), with two doubles and four RBIs.

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He didn't attend college or high school in the immediate area, but St. Louis native Cliff Politte -- who spent some time with the Capahas in the mid-1990s -- is having quite a season as a key relief pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.

Politte, primarily a setup man for Chicago, entered play Saturday with a 6-0 record, one save and a glittering 1.59 ERA.

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Memo to the person responsible for today's FanSpeak comment wondering what I meant when I called the University of Illinois basketball team the defending national runner-up in a recent article about Southeast's schedule: True, Illinois isn't technically defending anything on a national scale, and I should have probably worded things differently and written that the Illini simply reached last season's national championship game, or that they finished second in the nation.

But, my friend, you have way too much time on your hands if you're nitpicking about that.

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American Legion baseball fans in the area should be excited because they'll have easy access to watching some of the top squads from this part of the state when Jackson hosts the Zone 4 Tournament later this week.

The five-team event begins Thursday and will conclude either Saturday or Sunday. The champion earns a coveted berth in the state tournament.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.