A Hazelwood West High Baseball Player is All Smiles

's Trevor Jones is among three (HSD) students selected for the 2011 SmilesLEAGUE Coaches’ Choice All-St. Louis, All-Star High School Baseball Game to be held Monday at 6 p.m. at Busch Stadium.

Jones, along with Hazelwood Central High's Mike Eagan, will play on the All-Star Blue Team against Hazelwood East's Ladon Smith and the All-Star Green team.

Delta Dental of Missouri representatives and the St. Louis Cardinals announced the details of the event earlier in the June at Busch Stadium. This is 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.

A Homerun Derby will be held prior to the game, starting at 6 p.m. Game day admission tickets are $5 to admit two. Children under 12 are free, if accompanied by an adult.

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 Delta Dental Health Theatre.

Each of the SmilesLEAGUE all-star athletes school's coaching staff preselected them. Players were randomly combined to form each team

Former St. Louis Cardinals players Scott Cooper and Kerry Robinson will coach the teams.

Cooper, a St. Louis native who played high school baseball for the Pattonville Pirates, will coach the "All-Star Blue Team.” He spent seven seasons in the major leagues and was a member of the American League All-Star team in both 1993 and 1994.

Robinson will coach the “All-Star Green Team.” He is also a St. Louis native, and HSD product. He was a Hazelwood East Spartan and went on to play for the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a Cardinal from 2001 to 2003, appearing in the post-season in 2001 and 2002.

“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 Delta Dental provided:  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.