Nobody asked me but...junior Jordi Ferrell and sophomore Abbi Keefer get the bulk of the attention on Sikeston's soccer team due to their offensive abilities.
However, the Lady Bulldogs' defense has been solid of late and deserve some attention. Katie DeLaRosa, Laura Atchison, Ashley Angle and Jennifer Millington are quietly having solid seasons for Sikeston.
DeLaRosa might be the fastest player in the area. Combine that with her tenacity on defense and Sikeston has a definite leader in the back. Atchison and Angle seem to make all the right defensive plays and Millington must have the hardest head in the state, because she is simply a heading machine in the midfield.
Add a solid defense to what I believe is the best all-around duo in the area in Ferrell and Keefer, Sikeston just might capture their first ever girls district title. But the season is early and there is a lot of soccer left to play. Stay tuned.
* The Charleston basketball team gets a lot attention obviously because of their tradition and success on the court.
The stepchild of the athletics program at Charleston has been the baseball team in recent years. The quality of play had been poor and interest throughout the community was just above slim and none.
However, credit should be dished out to former head coach Chris Stanfield and current head skipper Michael Minner for turning the Bluejays baseball team into a respectable opponent.
The transformation is not just with the quality of play. Besides VFW Stadium in Sikeston, the Bluejays have a premier field upon which to play at Hillhouse Park. The dimensions in the outfield are big league caliber and the grass infield is always in top condition. Throw in an excellent P.A. system that will announce not only starting lineups and who is batting, they also have music played between innings.
* Other spring observations...
Amanda Dooley of Dexter is just a freak girls athlete. Dooley is a state qualifier tennis player and a top-notch basketball player for the Lady Bearcats. Now, she is pulling a Babe Ruth in softball and just hitting every ball out of the park. What is the secret over in Dexter as they keep producing outstanding female athletes? I know, it must be the barbecue ribs.
With all due respect to players at Oran because I have not seen them play this year, the best player I have seen this baseball season is South Pemiscot shortstop Jeremy Patton.
Patton put on a show over at East Prairie on Monday. While not trying to put too much hype on the kid from Steele, I haven't seen such a sweet lefty swing since...well, Blake DeWitt of Sikeston and former major leaguer Will Clark.
I know, I know. Mr. Hyperbole has struck again. Just watch the kid. Patton has speed, power and a decent glove and arm at short. I'm not saying he is in the league of DeWitt, just that he is worth the price of admission.
From all accounts, the first ever Sikeston Relays were a success. After a rain out last Friday, the event was made up this Monday with 14 of the scheduled 16 teams showing up. The competition was second to none in this area, which produced some outstanding times, and the weather was perfect. And finally nobody asked me but...I have a solution to increase the competitiveness and watchability of all pro sports besides the NFL (you can't fix perfection). Cut the seasons shorter and get rid of some of these so-called professional teams.
First the NBA. Cut the games played from 82 to 60. Eliminate the Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors.
As for MLB, cut the games from 162 to 144. Eliminate the Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In addition, just have two divisions in both leagues.