Two Local Baseball Players Are All Smiles

Nick Jacobs from and Drue Bravo from were selected for the 2011 SmilesLEAGUE Coaches’ Choice All-St. Louis, All-Star High School Baseball Game to be held June 12 at 4 p.m. at Busch Stadium.

Representatives of Delta Dental of Missouri and the St. Louis Cardinals gathered Sunday outside of Busch Stadium to announce details of the first SmilesLEAGUE St. Louis Coaches’ Choice All-Star High School Baseball Game. The All-Star lineup includes 32 high school seniors from public schools throughout St. Louis and St. Louis County. They will be coached by former Cardinals players Scott Cooper and Kerry Robinson.

A Homerun Derby will be held prior to the game, starting at 3:30 p.m. that day.

Game day admission tickets are $5 to admit two. Children under 12 are free, if accompanied by an adult. Tickets are being sold through coaches at participating high schools, including Lafayette and Eureka High, and at Delta Dental’s office at 12399 Gravois Rd.

Each $5 ticket stub will be included in a drawing for Cardinals game tickets. Up to 500 ticket holders will each win two tickets to the Cardinals game on Sept. 24 against the Chicago Cubs.

All event proceeds benefit three local organizations:  Cardinals Care, Give Kids A Smile and the Delta Dental Health Theatre.

Each of the SmilesLEAGUE all-star athletes were preselected by their school’s coaching staff. Players were randomly combined to form the “All-Star Blue Team” and the “All-Star Green Team.” 

The "All-Star Blue Team” will be coached by former Cardinals third baseman Scott Cooper, a St. Louis native who played high school baseball for the Pattonville Pirates, spent seven seasons in the major leagues and was a member of the American League All-Star team in both 1993 and 1994.

The “All-Star Green Team” will be coached by former Cardinals outfielder Kerry Robinson, who is also a St. Louis native. Robinson was a three-sport athlete for the Hazelwood Spartans and went on to play for the Tampa Bay Rays and was a Cardinal from 2001 to 2003, appearing in the post-season in 2001 and 2002.

Accompanying this article are complete lists of selected “All-Star Blue Team” players and “All-Star Green Team” players.

“Some may wonder why the state’s leading dental benefits company is hosting a sporting initiative of this kind,” said David Haynes, president and CEO of Delta Dental at the press conference. “We feel it is our social responsibility to help influence and inspire our youth to establish healthy life habits early on. Teaming with the St. Louis Cardinals, area high schools and St. Louis all-star athletes is a great way to call attention to the importance of healthy habits among high schoolers and the community in general.”

More details about the SmilesLEAGUE St. Louis Coaches’ Choice All-Star High School Baseball Game are available online.

Editor's Notes, per information provided by Delta Dental:  Cardinals Care is the St. Louis Cardinal’s non-profit foundation dedicated to children. It is backed by players, coaches, staff, volunteers, sponsors and fans. The foundation distributed more than $14 million to support organizations in and around St. Louis since its inception in 1997.

Give Kids a Smile was developed by Jeffrey Dalin, DDS; B. Ray Storm, DDS; Tom Flavin, DDS; Mark Ortinau, DDS and Jan Storm, RDHB, in February 2002 to provide children of families who cannot currently afford dental care with access to the benefits of modern dentistry. The organization hosts two-day dental clinics each spring and fall providing free x-rays, professional cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants, as well as restorations, endodontics and oral surgery as needed. Give Kids A Smile has hosted a total of 19 clinics, collectively providing over 9,998 local children with a total of more than $4.2 million in free care.

The Delta Dental Health Theatre is located on Laclede’s Landing at 727 North First Street in the same building as the Old Spaghetti Factory. The theater opened in 1977 and offers a unique blend of fun, entertainment and education to promote oral health and healthy life choices. Guests view an interactive 45-minute program that inspires children and families to take care of their smiles and to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  More than 10,000 children visit the theatre annually.