The Broadcaster Fraternity Takes a Hit

Some disappointing news out of Cedar Rapids late yesterday afternoon, where legendary Kernels broadcaster John Rodgers has stepped down after 15 years behind the mic.

John was the "dean" of Midwest League broadcasters in that he had the most service time out of all of us. Chris Mehring of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers now holds the title of longest tenured voice throughout the league.

I know these sentiments come pouring out when someone retires, but John was truly one of the nicest guys I've ever met. Many of us lovingly referred to him as Johnny Ballgame, and never has a nickname been more appropriate. He loved the game of baseball, and that was clearly reflected in his broadcasts and interactions with other broadcasters.

The best part of going to Iowa was always the chance to sit and talk to John in the afternoons before broadcasting that night. I certainly wish him the best.

Playoff Results - Round One, Game One

Well, the first night of Midwest League playoff baseball is in the books, and there were some very interesting games last night. Let's take a look (each score link will take you to the box score of the game)....

Fort Wayne 1, Great Lakes 0
Main Storyline: Everett Williams provided the lone run of the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was one of just three hits for the TinCaps.

Secondary Storyline: Matt Lollis (WP, 1-0) and three other Fort Wayne pitchers combined to shut out the potent Loons offense.

Up Next: Game two is at Great Lakes tonight at 7:05 PM. A couple of lefties go head-to-head with Jose De Paula battling Greg Wilborn.

Lake County 4, West Michigan 2
Main Storyline: Tyler Holt capped a three-run Captains rally in the top of the seventh with a two-run single to lift the Captains from a 2-1 deficit to a 4-2 lead.

Secondary Storyline: The Captains won game one on the road, and return home with two chances to win one game on their home field to advance to the Eastern Division Finals.

Up Next: Game two is at Lake County tonight at 6:30 PM. LHP Vidal Nuno starts for the Captains against RHP Trevor Feeney for West Michigan.

Quad Cities 4, Kane County 0
Main Storyline: Shelby Miller (WP, 1-0) struck out 13 hitters in 7.0 innings, allowing just two hits to lead the River Bandits to the series opening victory.

Secondary Storyline: The River Bandits didn't show signs of missing injured Matt Adams' bat in picking up four runs on 11 hits at Kane County.

Up Next: Game two is at Quad Cities tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Jonathan Joseph starts for the Cougars against River Bandit starter Michael Blazek.

Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 2
Main Storyline: With two outs and the bases empty, the Kernels had two singles and then three straight walks in the top of the 7th to force in two runs and break the 1-1 tie. They held on to win 3-2.

Secondary Storyline: Like two other teams in the league, the Kernels won on the road and have two chances to win the series at home.

Up Next: Game two is at Cedar Rapids tonight at 7:35 PM Eastern Time. LHP Buddy Boshers starts for the Kernels against Clinton's RHP Yoervis Medina.

Angels and A's Top Tens

Just a couple of links this morning from Baseball America, where they are continuing to announce the top 10 prospects of every Minor League system.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were up a couple of days ago. They have a club in this league with the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

The Oakland Athletics are up today, and they are tied in with the Kane County Cougars.

Photos from Cedar Rapids - Part Five

The view from the Silver Hawks dugout. You can't tell from this picture, but the dugouts here are the biggest in the league. Not only are they deep, but they also are long. I like how they have benches for the players to stand on, so they can lean over the rails and watch the game.


Mr. Shucks is the mascot of the Kernels. They are giving away a Mr. Shucks Soap Dispenser for today's game.


The field from the right field line, beyond the bleachers.


Another shot back towards home plate from the right field bleachers.


The field from the first base concourse.

Hope you enjoyed this ballpark tour. South Bend has now visited every park in the league. Perhaps I'll do a ranking of all the stadiums later tonight since I'll have a lot of time to fill between today's game and tomorrow night's finale.

Photos from Cedar Rapids - Part Four

No, we are not at a grocery store. They actually have these little kids rides down the first base concourse.


Trevor Hoffman was with the Cedar Rapids Reds in 1991. That's right, the Cincinnati Reds had Hoffman in their farm system. The Reds left him unprotected in the expansion draft, and the Florida Marlins ended up with him. He then went to San Diego for Gary Sheffield, and the rest is history.


Eric Davis is one of my all-time favorite Reds. He played in Cedar Rapids in 1982. By the way, these stars are all around the floor on the concourse. As you walk around and look down, you see a number of former players who made it to the majors after playing in CR.


The field from the concourse behind home plate.


Just a general view of how the seats and suites are aligned.

Photos from Cedar Rapids - Part Three

A grill area on the third base concourse, covered by a white tent. This serves two purposes: It allows the concession workers to be safe from foul balls, and it also allows the fans in line to still watch the game.


The left field lawn section. I could really enjoy watching a game from here.


Scoreboard. Not huge, but it serves the purpose.


If you are in the group outing area beyond the left field wall, you can look straight down onto the warning track. This would be a great place to heckle the left fielder, if you were so inclined.


The view back to the field from the group outing area beyond the left field fence.

Photos from Cedar Rapids - Part Two

The view of the outfield from the wooden picnic area down the left field line. You can't tell from this angle, but the picnic area actually juts in from the rest of the seats, giving a nice view of home plate.


More picnic tables on the concourse down the left field line. This is just above the lawn section, and should not be confused with the picnic area I showed in the picture above this one.


A play area off in the corner down the left field line.


A general shot back towards the concourse from the left field corner. Decent amount of walking room for the fans.


The stadium from the concourse behind the third base dugout.

Photos from Cedar Rapids - Part One

One of the suites.


The Cedar Rapids ballclub used to be affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds (my favorite team growing up). These cards are enclosed in a glass case on the suite level, and feature Lenny Harris, Kurt Stillwell, and Joe Oliver. I was a big fan of Harris and Oliver; Stillwell was the shortstop of the future until Barry Larkin came along and took his job.


This is the above mentioned case on the suite level, featuring a lot of artifacts from former Kernels.


My view from the press box. Not bad at all. This is arguably my favorite stadium in the Western Division.


Just a nice touch by the media relations department here in Cedar Rapids. Andy Pantini and John Rodgers are two of the nicest guys in the league. We call John the "Dean of the Midwest League", since he has been broadcasting in the league the longest. He is perhaps the nicest guy I have ever met in my entire life.