Dads see lessons for their children in baseball game

The lessons of baseball extend far beyond the field.

Some of the players in the old-timers baseball game at Capaha Park on Saturday said they have applied what they've learned from the game to their lives as fathers. Twenty to 25 former players for the Plaza Tire Capahas played once more on Father's Day weekend.

Darrick Smith played second base and pitcher in the game.

"It teaches you patience," Smith said. "Baseball is a game of failures. Seven out of 10 bats are failures. The game is set up where you really need to control yourself. I tell my son and daughter this: Everything in the world doesn't go your way. You've got to deal with failure."

David Proctor, whose father, Woody, watched from the sidelines, said baseball had always been about family for him. Proctor, his father and his son all played until they were 18, played center field and batted left-handed. Woody would take David and his friends out when he was young and hit them ground balls and provide batting practice. For David, baseball is great because it can be played at all ages, and it teaches competitiveness.

From the sidelines Carson Crosnoe, 11, watched as his dad, Cory Crosnoe, and his uncle, Rex Crosnoe, played shortstop and catcher. He hopes to be a major-league baseball player when he's older. His grandmother, Carol Schmidt, sees a resemblance in the way the father and son play baseball.

"Let's see if he doesn't get a hit and get as mad as you do," Schmidt said to Carson.

"Being mad at not hitting well runs in the family," Cory Crosnoe said.

For some of the players, the game was more special because it fell on Father's Day weekend. Jeff Bohnert was able to play with his father, Bill, one more time under Capaha Park's lights.

"He taught me everything about baseball. He taught me how to pitch," Jeff Bohnert said.

Bill Bohnert, a longtime American Legion baseball coach in Cape Girardeau, coached his son all the way through recreational baseball leagues.

"We were the first father-son team to play legion ball in Cape," Bill Bohnert said.

For many of the fathers on the field, being with one another and experiencing camaraderie one more time was a great Father's Day present. Smith was one of the main organizers of the event and said the players he contacted were excited to play again.

"You spend a few months playing ball with someone, it's almost impossible to not develop some friendly bond," Smith said.

For many of them, baseball is more than just a sport -- it's an activity that includes the crowd, too.

"Growing up in the Midwest, baseball was a way for a community to grow," Smith said. "It was about a Sunday afternoon, one community versus another community."

"I want my kids to develop this friendship with other players that I've developed," Cory Crosnoe said.

The old-timers game was the idea of Jess Bolen and his wife, Mary. His son and wife both thought it would be great to get together some old players for an old-timers game. The last game was seven or eight years ago, Bolen said. He hopes he can continue every two or three years with another game.

"Some of these players may not be proud of how they play anymore, but it's fun to see," Bolen said.