Fanfare for the common man at Akron's Canal Park

Last Friday, the Double-A Akron RubberDucks staged "Ken Thompson Appreciation Night." If your response to that is "Who?" then, well, that was the point. Ken Thompson was a randomly selected fan, elevated to celebrity status over the course of nine innings.

The Akron native and current resident is a husband, father, veteran and RubberDucks' flex plan season ticket holder. He and his wife, Sharon, attend approximately 30 games each season.

"I went to a couple [Akron] Aeros games originally, but then they became the RubberDucks [in 2014] and things really improved," said Thompson. "We just really enjoy going to games. Where else can you enjoy such a family-friendly atmosphere in a cozy, quaint setting?"

Ken Thompson loves the Akron RubberDucks, and the RubberDucks love him right back. As part of their season ticketholder appreciation efforts, the Double-A Cleveland affiliate arbitrarily selected him to be the recipient of a theme night. The result was a veritable Ken-stravaganza at Akron's Canal Park.

The Man. The Myth. The Legend. Ken Thompson.... this is for you!!

🎟: https://t.co/4hQu0RlYED pic.twitter.com/St8dS7Zwrw

— Akron RubberDucks 🐤 (@AkronRubberDuck) May 7, 2021

"To be able to have a little 15 minutes of fame, it's fun when you're just an average Joe," said Thompson, the awe still evident in his voice. "It was weird walking through the concourse. People were fist bumping me. 'Hey, Ken!' I had no idea who these people were, but they knew I’m Ken."

You couldn't help but know Ken Thompson on Ken Thompson Appreciation Night, during which Ken Thompson wore his customized Ken Thompson RubberDucks jersey. He attended the game with a group of 20 friends and family members, who represented a particularly fervent subset of Ken Thompson appreciators.

"Probably the biggest highlight was walking into the stadium," said Thompson. "[RubberDucks promotions manager] Kyle [Hixenbaugh] was there with the microphone. 'The man, the myth, the legend! Oh my God, he’s here!' And then somewhere around the first inning, they did a live look-in, with the cameraman getting a shot of me and my family sitting in the stands."

Other highlights included "Name That Famous Ken" trivia, including the likes of RubberDucks owner Ken Babby, Cleveland restauranteur Kenny King, and of course, Ken Thompson. Fun facts about the evening's honoree supplied by Thompson and members of his family were shared throughout the ballgame.

"The first fact, my daughter put it up there. It was that I like to smoke," said Thompson, pausing for effect. "Smoke ... dash ... meat. I love my smoker. I'm always smoking meat. Then another one was that I'm trying to get another tattoo without my wife noticing. She knows about every one of them. ... But probably the most memorable was being recognized as a 12-year member of the National Guard and Iraq War veteran. So that was cool. At least they didn’t have me sing the National Anthem. That would have been Roseanne Barr-ish."

RubberDucks president Jim Pfander said Ken Thompson Appreciation Night had its roots in promotions he helped organize as a member of the Charleston RiverDogs front office.

"Back in Charleston, we did 'Al Appreciation Night,' where we picked an Al out of the phone book and made the night all about him," said Pfander. "So [Ken Thompson Appreciation Night] is very much a Veeck-style promo I stole from my days in Charleston. I handed it off to my director of promotions here, and it turned into a season ticketholder recognition.

"It's a good thing the idea morphed, because things are lot different now," he continued. "If you call someone out of the phone book, they'll think you’re crazy. It's funny, after Al Appreciation Night in Charleston, we did a Nancy appreciation. That was a tough phone call. Nancy thought we were out of our minds, trying to pull something over on her. 'No, we’re just the local Minor League Baseball team and we're excited talk to you!' Eventually her husband gets on the phone and we thought, 'You know, it’s time to reimagine how we’re doing this.'"

No such awkwardness existed on Ken Thompson Appreciation Night.

"To see him high-fiving folks with a big smile on his face, you love to see it," said Pfander. "We just wanted to make his night and give him something to talk to his family and friends about. It's why we do what we do."

As for Ken Thompson, he's not letting his night of appreciation go to his head.

"It's back to the anonymity of just being a fan at the game," he said. "I'll go sit about six rows back from the on-deck circle, chirping and heckling the other team and pumping our guys up. It's great. Section 16, man, all day every day."