Four chosen for Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame
Howie Kendrick was the Angels 10th round pick in the 2002 free agent draft out of St. John's River Community College in Palatka, FL, and spent the 2004 season with the Kernels where he finished with a franchise-best .367 batting average, breaking the previous record held by fellow Hall of Famer Art Pennington of .354 set in 1954. He posted a .360 average in 252 minor league games and heading into the 2009 season, was third on the Angels best averages with a .306 major league average (252 games). In 2009, he posted a .291 BA with 21 doubles, 10 HR and 61 RBI in 105 games and in the 2009 playoffs, posted a .263 average with a HR and RBI in six games. He resides in Phoenix, AZ with his wife and son.
Robert 'Bob' Klinger was a long-time member of the Cedar Rapids Ball Club, Inc. Board of Directors, joining in 1972. He was born March 26, 1935 in Davenport, IA and graduated from Franklin HS in Cedar Rapids and attended Coe College and the University of Iowa. He was the retired president of Klinger Paint, Inc. and was active in the community as a member of the El Kahir Shrine and Crescent Masonic Lodge No. 25 A.F. & A.M. Bob's love of his life was his family and the family business. He enjoyed spending time in Colorado, playing golf, and following the Iowa Hawkeyes. Bob passed away on November 14, 2009 and is survived by his wife of 54 years, Gloria; sons Rick and Doug; and several grand and great-grandchildren.
Denis Menke was born July 21, 1940 in Algona, IA and was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1958 as one of baseball's early 'bonus babies'. He played two seasons (1958-59) with the Cedar Rapids Braves, posting a combined .254 average with nine HR and 31 RBI in 102 games. As a member of the 1958 Braves, he teamed with future major leaguers Bobby Knoop, Bob Hendley and Bob 'Hawk' Taylor and fellow Hall of Famer Horace Garner to defeat Davenport 3-2 and win the 1958 Three-I League championship. He made his Major League debut on April 14, 1962 with the Braves and was named to two All-Star teams in 1969 and 1970 as member of the Houston Astros. He played in the post season twice in 1972 and 1973 with the Cincinnati Reds and hit a home run off Oakland's Catfish Hunter in Game 5 of the 1972 World Series. In 13 major league seasons with the Braves, Reds and Astros, he has a career .250 average with 101 HR and 606 RBI. Following his playing career, he managed three minor league seasons with the Burlington Bees in 1977 and the Dunedin Blue Jays in 1978-79 and served as the Astros' hitting coach for six seasons.
Tony Reagins was named the 10th general manager in Angels history, replacing Bill Stoneman on October 16, 2007. He spent six years (2002-07) as the Angels Director of Player Development, where he was chiefly responsible for overseeing the club's minor league system, which features seven affiliates. Under his guidance, the Angels' affiliates reached the playoffs 18 times while capturing 15 division titles and three league championships. 2010 will be his 19th season in the Angels organization. He received the Andrew 'Rube' Foster award as the American League Executive of the Year in 2008. Tony lives in Fullerton, CA, with his wife Colleen, daughter Kennedy, and son Luke.
The 14th Annual Hot Stove Banquet will be held on Thursday, January 28, starting at 5:30 pm at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel in Cedar Rapids and features: a live and silent auction to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Cedar Rapids and the Kernels Foundation; and dinner with the featured speaker to be former major league infielder Bobby Grich. Tickets are $37.50 in advance and $45 at the door. Corporate tables of ten are available for $350 and children 14 and under are $20. Tickets can be purchased by calling (319) 363-3887, in person at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium, or on-line by clicking here and selecting 14th Annual Hot Stove Banquet from the menu. The mission of the Cedar Rapids Ball Club Hall of Fame is to honor those individuals who, through extraordinary personal effort, have furthered the existence, quality or preservation of professional baseball in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Hall of Fame is located in the Bimm Ridder Diamond Shop at Veterans Memorial Stadium and is open during all Kernel home games, normal store hours, or by special appointment.