Local teams play today for bragging rights

The Capahas have been around for more than 100 years, during which they have experienced all kinds of success.

The Riverdogs are in their fourth year of existence and have fared only so-so during that time.

But those Cape Girardeau amateur baseball teams have one thing in common -- they have never played each other.

That, however, will finally change today when the squads square off in a 4:30 p.m. doubleheader at Capaha Field.

Call it two games for local bragging rights.

In one corner, you have the experienced, established Capahas under legendary manager Jess Bolen, who is in his 36th season running the squad and has more than 1,150 victories against less then 300 defeats.

Year in and year out, Bolen has provided area baseball fans with an entertaining, quality product. He deserves a huge pat on the back from everybody in the local baseball community for his tireless work.

In the other corner, you have the upstart, hungry Riverdogs under co-managers Robin Minner and Ray Craft, who also deserve a big round of applause for giving more local college-age players a chance to get plenty of summer baseball experience.

With another impressive team, there is no question the Capahas will be solid favorites to defeat the Riverdogs. But the fun thing about sports is that, on any given day, anything can happen.

Which is why today's doubleheader should be interesting -- and a lot of fun for area baseball fans.

Hiring Kevin Williams as an assistant coach was a good move for Southeast Missouri State University's men's basketball program.

I got to know Kevin well during the three seasons he spent as a Southeast student assistant from 1997-2000 and came away impressed. He eats, drinks and sleeps basketball, he has an outgoing personality and he seems to have a nice rapport with players, which are all necessary coaching traits and are particularly vital in recruiting.

As a Central High School graduate and a successful head coach at Caruthersville High School the past two years, Kevin also has some nice ties to Southeast Missouri, which should help in recruiting any area players with Division I talent.

Kevin should also be able to help the Indians have a chance at landing one of his former standouts at Caurthersville, the extremely athletic Norman Prather, who will be a sophomore at Mineral Area College and figures to be coveted by a host of major programs.

Perennial Ohio Valley Conference football power Eastern Kentucky received a major blow recently when senior Yeremiah Bell, the league's 2001 defensive player of the year, suffered a serious knee injury that will keep him out the entire 2002 season.

In other OVC football news, at least one national publication thinks the league will be really strong this year. Street & Smith's magazine has five OVC teams ranked in its top 25. Eastern Kentucky is second, Eastern Illinois fifth, Murray State 10th, Tennessee Tech Tech 13th and Tennessee State 17th.

Murray State's lofty rating is a bit curious since the Racers struggled last year and had a porous defense.

By the way, Street & Smith's picks Southeast to finish next-to-last in the OVC, the spot it has occupied the past five years.

Former Southeast football star Kelvin "Earthquake" Anderson recently kicked off another season with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

Anderson, the career rushing leader for the Stampeders and Southeast, has been a CFL all-star five consecutive years. The Stampeders opened their 2002 schedule Friday night.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian