Mansion plan on hold amid big-league pursuit

Shirley Fendelet remembers all those times her grandson Scott told her how he'd grow up to be a famous baseball player, make millions of dollars and build his grandparents a mansion in a quiet, rural area outside Advance, Mo.

A few years and a multimillion-dollar baseball contract later, Scott Moore still remembers, too. Those plans for the mansion are on hold for now, but that's OK, Grandma Shirley says.

"He still talks about building that mansion, but I tell him I can't take care of this house we have now," she said while at home -- a more modest two-story home -- outside Advance. "He's always just been a good person, a good human being who would do good things for people. That's why we're so proud of him."

Moore, the Detroit Tigers' No. 1 pick and the No. 8 pick overall in the 2002 draft, is four days away from wrapping up a two-week break at his grandparents' home, a relaxing contrast to his childhood in Long Beach, Calif., and a full summer of professional baseball in Grand Rapids, Mich. His team finished its Midwest League season earlier this month, and he'll head to Lakeland, Fla., on Monday for several weeks in an instructional league. That's where he'll find out what awaits him next season, whether it's a return to third base for the Class A team in Michigan or a promotion to a Double-A club.

His goal for now is to forget about the past season of a .240 batting average ("I didn't have the season I was hoping for," he said) and focus on rest and recuperation. There might be a trip to St. Louis for a Cardinals game, maybe a few rounds of golf at a local course, and certainly a trip to see his great-grandfather, Wilson Boyd Moore, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau.

"I'm focused on relaxing, but I still have to try to stay in shape for baseball," said Moore, 19. "I've already found somebody here to throw the ball with a few times, so that'll help a lot."

It's Moore's first time in Advance in three years, although he and his family made it a summer tradition to make the drive from Long Beach to Advance each year to see Shirley and Frank, Scott's grandfather.

"I love it here. It's the exact opposite of everything I'm used to," he said. "This is the good country life. I like it. I don't know exactly what it is about it, but I like it."

He's already making plans for his return next summer. His grandparents won't wait that long -- they will drive to see him play again next summer, just like they did twice this summer.

"He's worked hard to get this, and we do everything we can to support him," Shirley said. "This is what he's dreamed of. When Scott was little, my dad would ask him what he wants to do when he grows up. He'd say, 'I'm gonna be a batter.'"

Corporate athletes gear up for event's return Sept. 28

Eight teams have signed up so far for the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department's Corporate Games, an Olympics-style event that planners hope will become an annual event after it was dropped about six years.

About 270 people are registered to participate in the event when it begins Sept. 28, complete with an opening ceremony. Games include basketball, darts, pool and other contests at sites like the Osage Community Centre, Shawnee Park Sports Complex and a local health club. Events wrap up Oct. 4 with a closing ceremony and the presentation of a traveling trophy to the winning team.

Of a couple hundred Cape Girardeau companies invited to enter, the teams registered so far are Blue Cross Blue Shield, Rubbermaid, Hutson Furniture, Med Assets, Yellow Book USA, Bob Evans and two teams from Procter & Gamble.

Teams may enter through the start of a managers meeting Sept. 22. To sign up: 334-2859.

Nearly 200 triathletes on their marks, getting set ...

Signs so far point to a big turnout for Saturday's Trail of Tears Triathlon at Trail of Tears State Park. About 80 competitors are preregistered, and about that many could sign up on the day of the event. About 170 competed in last year's event.

The annual triathlon, sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Department of Natural Resources, includes a half-mile swim, a 15-mile bicycle ride and a four-mile run.

Because of the event, interior roads at the park will be closed from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.