THE LATEST LINE: CAPAHAS ENJOYED A ROMP IN THE PARK

Watching last weekend's National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional in Cape Girardeau left me wondering if the host Craftsman Union Capahas were that good or if the other five teams in the tournament were that bad.

The answer probably lies some place in between.

To be sure, the way the Capahas blitzed the field to qualify for next month's NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan., was impressive. They outscored their three tourney opponents 33-3 and ended every game early by way of the 10-run mercy rule.

But after watching the Capahas battle longtime arch-rival O.B. Clark in the regional the past few years, it was something of a letdown not to have the talented St. Louis squad in the tournament (the team folded after last season).

No matter who came out on top between the Capahas and O.B. Clark -- Craftsman Union captured titles in 1998 and 1999 before O.B. Clark prevailed last year -- area baseball fans could generally count on some tremendous battles when those teams squared off.

There was nothing even close to an O.B. Clark in this year's field, which made the Capahas' romp through the tourney somewhat predictable.

The Capahas are loaded with current or former NCAA Division I players while the rest of the teams in the tournament were mostly made up of small-college or lower-level junior-college players. It didn't take a genius to surmise that the home side had a huge edge in talent against every other tourney squad.

But while the tournament might have lacked much overall sizzle, you can't take anything away from what manager Jess Bolen's club was able to accomplish.

Sometimes it's not that easy playing as the heavy favorite, but the Capahas sure made it look easy, receiving their usual stellar pitching, strong hitting and solid defense.

While this might not rank as among Bolen's all-time top teams -- the jury is still out on that -- the Capahas appear to have a solid chance of doing well at the NBC World Series because of the aforementioned pitching staff that might just rank as one of the deepest in Bolen's long tenure.

* For a change, the Capahas already know who and when they're going to play in the opening round of the NBC World Series.

The Capahas will face Piedras Negras, Mexico, at 10 p.m. Aug. 4. If they win, they'll face Hays, Kan., at 7:30 p.m. Aug 5. If they lose, they won't play again until the following weekend. Hays finished second in last year's tournament.

In many previous years, Bolen didn't find out his team's first-round opponent and the date of that game until fairly close to the start of the tourney.

* This week's Senior American Legion District 14 Tournament that will be played in Senath, Mo., figures to be mighty interesting.

The eight-team event includes five squads that look like serious potential title threats in Chaffee, host and five-time defending champion Dunklin County, Cape Girardeau, Sikeston and Poplar Bluff.

Chaffee, which has been on an incredible roll with 26 straight wins, and Dunklin County -- the teams tied for the best regular-season district record -- appear to be solid co-favorites, but those other three clubs can't be counted out.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian