Lafayette Teacher Honored by Phillies First Baseman Ryan Howard

The Philadelphia slugger brought his favorite teacher, Paula Grana, out onto the field at Teacher Appreciation Night last week.

Lafayette High School physical education teacher Paula Grana received her call up to the big leauges last week.  It came from Philadpelphia Philies first baseman Ryan Howard, who wanted to honor her at the baseball team's Teacher Appreciation Night May 3. Howard said Grana was his favorite teacher when he attended the Wildwood high school, according to an article on MLB.com.  "She was a teacher who didn't allow us to do any less than what we were capable of," Howard said. "She never let us slack off, because she believed that we each had the potential for greatness and she wanted that to come out." You can watch Grana take the field with Howard and hear more of what he had to say in the video attached to this article.  Join Eureka-Wildwood…

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Major League: Tracking Stars From St. Louis Area

We're following local products who have made it to the big leagues. Check out what Scott Van Slyke and Max Scherzer did Sunday!

David Freese The Wildwood-based Lafayette High School hero from the 2011 World Series has cooled after an early hot start. Going into Sunday's game against Los Angeles, Freese was hitting .266 with 8 HR and 29 RBI, but was hitting .176 in his last 10 games entering Sunday. Ryan Howard The slugger from Lafayette High was the subject of a lengthy report this past weekend in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Howard has been rehabbing a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the 2011 playoffs against the Cardinals. The newspaper explored if the Phillies' use of a cortisone shot last September played a role in the later injury. Howard did not comment for the story, but the team defended its handling of players according to a story by the Associated Press …

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Julie Brown Patton

10:58 am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Our story neglected to mention Washington Nationals Pitcher Ross Detwiler, the pride of Wentzville Holt. He's 3-3, and suffered a loss over the weekend to the AL East leading Baltimore Orioles, with a 3.65 ERA.   more ›

Former Lafayette Baseball Players Share Pro Connection

This article credits former Lafayette High baseball player, Ryan Howard, who now plays for the Philadelphia Phillies, with saving David Freese’s baseball career, now with the St. Louis Cardinals. Freese reversed his decision to quit ball at Lafayette.

First Baseman Hails from Wildwood

Philadelphia's Ryan Howard used to live in Wildwood, and grew up rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals when Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee ruled the old Busch Stadium. How will Howard do while playing in St. Louis?

SLABA: Youth Baseball Group Thrives

The Meramec Valley Travelers, an area St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association team, use Eureka and Rockwood Summit as its base schools for players.

There was once a time around St. Louis when American Legion baseball was the standard for summer action on the diamond. With the rise of traveling “select” teams over the past decade, Legion baseball has lost some of its luster. Despite these select teams drawing more and more players, often for a hefty fee, one organization that remains as strong as ever is the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association. The Meramec Valley Travelers, an area SLABA team, use Eureka High and Rockwood Summit as its base schools for players, but also get players from Pacific, Valley Park, Washington and Lindbergh. Jeff Parker, a six-year SLABA coaching veteran, is in his second season as the head coach of the Travelers 18U team. “The talent level in SLABA is …

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