REINAGEL EXCITED ABOUT NEW ROLE AS CAPE LEGION SKIPPER

The American Legion baseball season doesn't start until June, but Tom Reinagel is already getting plenty excited as he jumps into the role of manager for the Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Funeral Home team.

"I've always enjoyed working with young people and I'm really looking forward to doing this," said Reinagel. "It should be a lot of fun."

Reinagel will be taking over the Ford & Sons program for Ron Michel, who passed away earlier this year after spending four seasons as manager, although Michel's death had nothing to do with the change. Michel had already decided to step down and Reinagel had been tabbed as his replacement.

The 51-year-old Reinagel, a lifelong area resident who makes his home in Cape Girardeau, served as one of the Cape Legion coaches last year, when Ford & Sons posted a 28-20 record.

A former baseball player at Southeast Missouri State University, where he pitched for legendary coach Joe Uhls in the early 1970s, Reinagel makes his living as co-owner of Kelso Supply. While he spends plenty of time with his "real" job, Reinagel is also willing to devote considerable time to his new summer vocation.

"This is something I've always wanted to do and I plan on staying with it for quite a while," he said. "I've been following baseball all my life (he's coached various youth teams over the years). I've kind of just been in the background, but I've always enjoyed it.

"I played for Doc (former longtime Cape Legion manager John Yallaly) and I've always liked the Legion program because of the structure. I want to have that structure and also make it a lot of fun for the kids. That's what it's all about."

Yallaly, who is still involved with the Cape Legion program as its general manager, couldn't be happier with the new manager.

"It's great to have a good man like Tom stepping in," Yallaly said. "I've known him for a long time. He's just a real good person and I think he's going to do a great job."

Reinagel emphasized that he will be just one piece of the puzzle regarding the handling of the squad. His coaching staff will feature Bill Bohnert, a longtime fixture with the program, along with newcomers Cory Crosnoe and Michael Minner, who are both familiar figures on the local baseball scene.

"I've put a pretty good team (of coaches) together to help me," Reinagel said. "It's definitely not just me. I'm just a small part of it. I've got a great group to work with."

Reinagel and his wife Susan have two children. Kristin, 22, is a college graduate who lives and works in St. Louis while Scott, 19 and a former Cape Legion player, is a student at the University of Missouri.