By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

Thursday night saw more great little league baseball action at the Dexter Parks & Recreation Sports Complex.

Youngsters continued to develop in the fundamental aspects of baseball - hitting, throwing, and catching - during their games.


The young athletes even got to play in the rain! A light sprinkling came over the complex for about half an hour - most of the heavier weather went to the south of Dexter - but the games didn’t get postponed.


Coaches are invited to send their games' scores and highlights to the ShowMe Times. Items should be emailed to amiller@showmetimes.com or acato@showmetimes.com, or click "Submit Event" at the bottom of the ShowMe Times homepage.

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The ShowMe Times will be out enjoying the youth league action this week, and a complete photo gallery of photos from area youth league games from Week Three of this DPR season will be posted this weekend on the ShowMe Times!

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

The second round of the annual Rib City Shootout is set to begin in Dexter on Friday (June 17) morning.

After the great success of the boy's first round last weekend, it is now the ladies' turn to take the courts.

Teams from three states - Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee - will all compete in the two-day tournament.

Games will be spread across three courts in the Bearcat Event Center, as well as in the Middle School gym and Dexter Park & Rec's new facility by the Dexter Aquatic Center. Make sure to check back with the ShowMe Times this weekend for photos and updates from this great event!

View the full schedule for the weekend’s tournament here!

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports

Athletes of all ages took to the fields of the Dexter Parks & Rec baseball complex Tuesday (June 14) night.


All leagues were able to play Tuesday night, despite threatening dark clouds earlier in the day.


The Rookie League contest between MSH and First Midwest Bank showed some great hustle plays on both sides, and appeared to be one of the better games of the evening.


More games are scheduled for Thursday night - if you’re not busy, head on down to the complex and watch some great little league baseball!



Coaches are invited to send their games' scores and highlights to the ShowMe Times. Items should be emailed to amiller@showmetimes.com or click "Submit Event" at the bottom of the ShowMe Times homepage.

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The ShowMe Times will be out enjoying the youth league action this week, and a complete photo gallery of photos from area youth league games from Week Three of this DPR season will be posted this weekend on the ShowMe Times!

By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

Ebby Calvin LaLoosh, the wild young rookie pitcher in the movie “Bull Durham” says that baseball “is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains."

Monday night at the Dexter sports complex saw lots of throwing and sometimes catching, some pretty good hitting, and always winners and losers but no rain. All in all, a good baseball night.

All the leagues saw action last night, with kids brushing up on their baseball skills and having a good time. Fans enjoyed the cool evening, and later on a brilliant sunset in the western horizon.

More action is on tap for Tuesday night – with a bevy of games scheduled.

Coaches are invited to send their games' scores and highlights to the ShowMe Times. Items should be emailed to amiller@showmetimes.com or click "Submit Event" at the bottom of the ShowMe Times homepage.

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The ShowMe Times will be out enjoying the youth league action this week, and a complete photo gallery of photos from area youth league games from Week Two of this DPR season will be posted this weekend on the ShowMe Times!

Special to the ShowMe Times,
By Rebecca Maples, MDC

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – He’s a heavyweight from northern Arkansas. He’s dark and mysterious. He’ll eat just about anything, and he’s being seen more and more around the Show-Me State.

His name is Ursus americanus, but you probably know him better as the black bear. One of the state’s largest wild mammals, black bears have been seen in more than half of Missouri’s counties, though most are south of the Missouri River. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), black-bear sightings and numbers are growing in Missouri.

Black bears are native to Missouri, but the species was nearly eliminated from the state by 1940 due to unregulated hunting and habitat changes. Recent data indicate that a few of Missouri’s native bears might have survived. However, the growth of Missouri’s bear population in recent years probably is largely a result of a successful black-bear restoration effort by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in the 1960s.

According to MDC Resource Scientist Jeff Beringer, black bears are a significant part of the native ecosystem and are an indicator of the state’s wilderness habitat quality.

A fed bear is a dead bear

A growing bear population calls for caution from campers and landowners, who are most likely to encounter bears. Black bears generally are dangerous only when they lose their natural fear of people. This usually results from access to human food. A bear that associates people with food is at risk for aggressive behavior, which could result in euthanasia.

“The most important thing is that landowners and campers don’t give bears access to food or garbage,” Beringer said. “If you never let a bear get started, you won’t have a problem with them.”

Campers can avoid problems with bears by keeping a clean camp, avoiding food scents, and never feeding or approaching bears. If you encounter a bear while camping, you should try to scare the bear away by banging pots and pans or making other noise and waving your arms. If you see a bear while hiking or fishing, you should back away slowly, speaking in a normal voice and making no sudden movements. Although bear attacks are extremely rare, if you find yourself in this situation you should fight back with any available weapons – sticks, stones, knives or even fists – striking the bear especially around the face.

“Bears are generally afraid of people. If you do have an encounter with a bear, you want to make it a negative experience for that animal,” Beringer recommended.

Black bear research

In fall 2010, MDC began a cooperative study with the University of Missouri and the University of Mississippi to learn more about black bears in the state and how to manage them. The project involves trapping and radio-collaring bears and gathering hair samples for DNA testing. Information gathered in this will allow researchers to determine individual animals’ size and growth rates, population size, sex ratio, genetic diversity, habitat preferences, daily and seasonal movement patterns, denning dates, reproduction and survival rates. Trapping and radio-collaring will continue through this fall.

Beringer said citizens can play an important role in the ongoing bear research project by immediately reporting all bear sightings. Such reports enable researchers to focus their efforts on areas of known bear activity.

If you see a black bear, report it by visiting www.MissouriConservation.org and searching “Report a Bear Sighting.”