Hard road to the majors

Jody Neufeld has endured more tragedy over the past few years than most people would likely experience in five or six lifetimes.

But when the Cape Girardeau native's son -- Tampa Bay Devil Rays right-handed relief pitcher John Webb, who was born and raised in Florida -- finally made it up to the major leagues last month, she took comfort in the fact that she was far from alone in being touched by his success.

"I believe his father and brother watch him every time he pitches. They don't have to rely on ESPN," Neufeld said recently from her home in Pensacola, Fla.

Webb's father, John Webb Sr., who was also raised in Cape Girardeau, died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack in 2001 and never got to see his son pitch in the majors. The couple's youngest son, James, lost a five-year battle with cancer at age 17 in September, a short while after John Jr. was called up to the big leagues.

"I told John that dad and James would have the best seat in the house whenever he pitches," Neufeld said.

Neufeld, who is remarried, said her faith has helped her cope with the losses and also keeps her grounded while being thrilled by her son's baseball accomplishments.

"I think you keep it in perspective," she said. "My faith tells me this world is not the end result, this is just a pathway into where we go to heaven and then we have an eternal plan.

"To know that John was doing well in what he was given to do, in baseball, was just awesome, just great, but his father and James, even in James' 17 short years, had done what they had been asked to do."

High school sweethearts

Neufeld -- the former Jody Grossheider -- and John Webb, who moved to Cape Girardeau from Pensacola with his family when he was 2, met at Central High School and were, said Neufeld, "high school sweethearts."

After graduating from Central in 1972, he attended Southeast Missouri State University for a year before transferring to North Texas State University, where the accomplished musician who later became a high school band director earned a music degree.

After graduating from Central in 1973, she went to nursing school in Memphis, Tenn. They were married in 1977 and immediately moved to Pensacola, where his parents had returned.

"There was no question we would go to Florida, where his family was," Neufeld said.

John Jr. was born in 1979 -- along with twin sister Janet, who now lives in Fort Worth, Texas -- and he developed into quite a baseball player, pitching collegiately at West Florida and being taken by the Chicago Cubs in the 19th round of the 1999 amateur draft.

Just two years later, at the age of 47, John Sr. died.

"I think the first thing that went through John's mind was that dad wouldn't be there when he hit the majors," Neufeld said. "It had been their goal."

Finally gets the call

After toiling in the Cubs' minor league system for four years, John Jr. suffered a broken leg and was released following the 2003 season, but he was quickly picked up by Tampa Bay.

And finally, he indeed hit the majors -- as he and his dad had envisioned -- as a September call-up. But tragedy struck again as James lost his long battle with cancer shortly after seeing his older brother reach the big leagues.

In something of a surreal performance, John Jr. -- who wound up making several appearances for the Devil Rays out of the bullpen -- threw four scoreless innings against the New York Yankees just one day after James passed away.

"Before every inning I just told him, 'I love you man,' " John Jr. told the Tampa Tribune. "He taught everyone how to handle life."

Said Neufeld, who did not see John Jr. pitch against the Yankees in person but witnessed his first major league outing, against the Boston Red Sox in Tampa, "That was quite a thrill. You stand there and look across the field ... you see all those T-Ball games, all the games you went to over the years, and see it's your son about to face players you saw on TV all the time."

Fond memories of Cape

Neufeld still has quite a few relatives in Cape Girardeau, including her late husband's sister, Karen McClendon. There are also various aunts, uncles and cousins, although Neufeld said she doesn't make it back home as often as she would like.

"As you get older, and your kids have kids, it's like, 'do you want to go there, or do you want to see your grandkids?' " said Neufeld, who has three grandchildren, with another on the way. "I maybe get there every couple of years."

Not that she would mind visiting Cape Girardeau more.

"I absolutely have fond memories," she said. "I remember a lot of things about Cape. It's just a beautiful city."