THE WIZARD GOES `POOF' ON CAMPERS

Scott Blank understands why a lot of people are upset because Ozzie Smith didn't make it into Cape Girardeau Friday for the Capaha Field Baseball Camp.

Blank, one of the directors of the two-day camp that concluded Friday, said camp organizers feel extremely bad and are planning to get the future Hall of Fame shortstop back here for a visit in July.

"We feel bad about it but it really couldn't be avoided," said Blank, who said that each of the 260 youngsters who paid $65 to attend the camp will be notified of Smith's next visit and will be able to talk to him and get his autograph at no additional charge.

"We're going to get him back down here some time in July. We'll know the exact date in a week or two," Blank said. "We'll mail the exact time and date to each camper and they'll be able to meet Ozzie and get his autograph for no extra charge.

"We (the Capaha Field Improvement Committee that put on the camp) want to make things right. They're not right and we'll make every attempt to make things right."

Blank said that Smith was supposed to arrive at Capaha Field (site of the camp) between 11 a.m. and noon Friday. But he called about 10:30 a.m. to say he was having trouble on Interstate 55 and would not be able to continue on into Cape Girardeau.

"He called and said there were tornado warnings in St. Louis and there had been a wreck on a portion of 55 where there is a lot of construction going on," said Blank. "His concern was that he would have to be back in St. Louis later (to do television commentary on Friday's Cardinals vs. Indians game) and wasn't sure if he could make it back in time.

"He could have gotten here, but he would have been late. And his concern was one of personal safety, because of the tornado warnings, and also getting back to the game that night. He's getting paid a lot more for his television work than we're paying him."

Blank said that Smith felt very badly about not being able to make it to the camp.

"He was very apologetic and since then I've had several calls from his agent," Blank said. "He definitely wants to come back down in July to meet all the kids."

Blank said that, despite Smith not showing up and heavy rain interrupting things Friday morning, the camp went well. Some of the area's top coaches, including Southeast Missouri State University's Mark Hogan, Kohlfeld Capahas' Jess Bolen and Cape Ford & Sons Legion's Doc Yallaly and Ron Michel, volunteered their time for the camp, which raises money for improvements on Capaha Field.

"You have to remember that all this money goes to the committee for improvements on the field," said Blank. "We had a lot of people who donated their time to make sure that the kids learned a lot about baseball."