R. Fred Capps Memorial Invitational Baseball & Softball Tournament



	April 3 - 5, 2008 & April 4 - 5, 2008 Dr. Joseph Schickel- Veteran’s Memorial Park Burkesville, Kentucky For more information contact: Baseball Coach Andrew Reliford (270) 864-3451 E-mail: andrew.reliford @cumberland.kyschools.us Softball Coach Daryl Murphy (270) 864-3451 E-mail: daryl.murphy@ cumberland.kyschools.us 2008 BASEBALL TEAMS: Berea Pirates Clay County, TN Bulldogs Clinton County Bulldogs Green County Dragons McCreary Central Raiders Taylor County Cardinals Wayne County Cardinals Cumberland County Panthers 2008 SOFTBALL TEAMS: Monroe County Lady Falcons Clinton County Lady Bulldogs Metcalfe County Lady Hornets Edmonson County Lady Wildcats Hart County Lady Raiders Caverna Lady Colonels Wayne County Lady Cardinals Adair County Lady Indians Cumberland County Lady Panthers





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R. Fred Capps Memorial Invitational
2008 Baseball & Softball Tournament

Opening Ceremony for Baseball - Thursday, April 3 at 2:45 p.m.
Opening Ceremony for Softball - Friday, April 4 at 4:45 p.m.

Scholarships awarded since inception: $20,000.00 !!
Concessions Available
T-shirts sponsored by Citizens Bank of Cumberland County Available for Sale

SCHEDULES:
Baseball Tournament Softball Tournament

map1

Directions: Burkesville is located off Highway 90 in
Cumberland County, Kentucky. The ballfields of the
Dr. Schickel-Veterans Memorial Park can be reached by
way of Church Street or via Veterans Street off
Upper River Street. (See map of park in city here)

   The R. Fred Capps Memorial Tournament is being held to honor the memory of an individual who devoted a great deal of his life to the betterment of the Little League Program and school-supported sports programs in Cumberland County, Kentucky. Fred Capps died on June 5, 2000, however this tournament is not about his team1 death, but to celebrate a life that, for 46 years, represented the good, solid characteristics of honesty, integrity, hard work and the quest for perfection - characteristics that he wanted to demonstrate and encourage in the youth of Cumberland County.

    Fred Capps was born in Cumberland County, Kentucky and lived his entire life here, except for the eight years spent attending college and law school. The intentions of Fred and his wife, Cathi, were to gain an education that would allow them to return to their native Burkesville to make their home and rear their children - John was born in 1984 and Lydia in 1989. When John was five years old and began T-ball, it was the beginning of a mission for Fred Capps to do whatever he could to improve the summer sports program for the children of Cumberland County.

    Fred helped coach John’s team (Cardinals) in T-Ball, and then he and close friend, Rick Garner, began their lifelong coaching team that began with his PeeWee team - the Braves (which, incidentally, did not win a game all season long!), continued through the Minor League Giants, Major League team2 Cubs, and ended with the Babe Ruth team - Burkesville Red Sox. They began with a core team from T-Ball, and though the fabric of the team changed from year to year with boys joining and dropping out, new people moving in, other people moving away, the core of the team remained the same 7 or 8 boys throughout this 11-year period. These boys became Fred’s boys. He loved them dearly - cared for them, not only on the baseball field, but in their personal lives. He transported them to and from summer-league games, talked with them, laughed with them, ate with them, fussed at them, hollered at them, hugged them, sang Happy Birthday to them - loved them every one.

    Coaching was just one aspect of the program in Fred’s mind, however. He envisioned his “field of dreams” at Veteran’s Park in Burkesville, Kentucky. In 1989, when John began T-Ball, Veteran’s Park consisted of only two fields - very rough at best. Fred worked tirelessly with the various Presidents of the Little League Program and other interested parents (there were many) to raise money for the many improvements that you see here today. There is no intention in calling attention to Fred’s efforts in these improvements to take credit away from the others who were also operative in creating these fine facilities or to insinuate that he did all these things single-handedly, because no one person could have accomplished all of this alone.

    Over the years, we added bleachers, dugouts, lights, blacktop, batting cages, fencing and constantly improved the facilities year by year. When John began playing high school baseball as an Eighth Grader, Fred began to focus on the Babe Ruth field, that was also used during the school year by the high school team3 team. Most Saturdays and Sundays he could be found at the ball park either on a tractor pulling a drag, painting a dugout, raking the baselines, working on the pitchers’ mound or performing some chore that needed (in his mind) to be done. He rarely delegated any chore, but preferred to do things himself - his way. As time continued, his brother, Rick Capps, and his dad, Roy Capps, just fell in beside him, and this became a family project, with Rick helping with the manual labor and Roy making sure the outfield was always smoothly mowed.

    When Lydia became old enough for softball, her dad added the girls’ softball field to his job duties and worked diligently on that field to create the best possible playing field for the Little League Softball program as well as the high school softball program which uses the same field.

    The last big accomplishment that Fred enjoyed with regard to the Little League facilities was import cappsfamily ing tons and tons of Alabama Red Clay for these two fields (much to the chagrin of the mothers who had to wash the uniforms!). In his mind, this was so important in creating the professional image of his “field of dreams” on which he envisioned the youth of Cumberland County having the opportunity to play. There are a few other projects that he envisioned that he never got to finish, and many people are currently working to create and realize the improvements that we know he intended to achieve. Fred always felt that because we were from a small, rural, somewhat economically deprived area, that was no reason not to provide our people with the best environment possible and never, ever allowed that to be used as an excuse to settle for less or not strive for perfection.

    Obviously, none of us reach perfection in this life - had he lived he would still be down here working, dreaming and supporting our youth programs. He lives on, however, in the hearts of those of us who knew him and loved him, and hopefully in the hearts, minds and characters of the boys whom he has loved and cared for from T-Ball through Panther Baseball - some of whom will surely carry on his tradition of caring, strength and hard work... for the love of the game.

Visit the Cumberland County Tourism website for lodging information.