Introducing the Cedar Rapids Kernels

We hit the 15th week of our Midwest League Preview by heading north from Burlington, IA, to Cedar Rapids, one of the oldest baseball cities in the Midwest League, and America for that matter.

TEAM: Cedar Rapids Kernels

MLB AFFILIATE: Los Angeles Angels (1993)

LOCATION: Cedar Rapids, Iowa

FIRST SEASON: 1962

STADIUM (CAPACITY): Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium built in 2002 (5,300)

2009 RECORD: 78-60, 2nd Place in Western Division; Beat Peoria 2-0 in Round One of MWL Playoffs, lost to Burlington 2-1 in MWL Semifinals.

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS: MWL: 3 (1988, 1992, 1994); Overall: 13 since 1891

NOTABLE MLB ALUMNI: 350+; Eric Davis (1982), Paul O'Neill (1982), Reggie Sanders (1990), Trevor Hoffman (1991), John Lackey (2000)

VS. BOWLING GREEN: 3 (July 24-26 @ Bowling Green)

How does one capture 119 years into a thousand words? That's the question you have to ask when you look at the history of baseball in Cedar Rapids. Dating back to 1891 there has been hardball played in the Iowan city every year except the war years of 1918-19 and 1943-48. The Kernels, we'll explain the reasons for the name later, count the team's "modern era" beginning in 1949 when they moved into the original Veterans Memorial Stadium. A decade-and-a-half later the team began the "current era" by moving from the folding Three-I League to the MWL in 1962.

When the move was made, the club was an affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves and went by the name of Red Raiders. The Braves left the next year, but the team kept the name, appropriately, as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Over the next 20 years, affiliation changes were common in Cedar Rapids as the Cardinals (1965-72), Astros (1973-74), and Giants (1975-79) all served as place-holders before the Reds made a triumphant return in 1980. That second relationship with the Reds lasted until the end of the '92 season when the then-California Angels came to town; this relationship exists today and is signed through the 2012 season, making it the longest affiliate relationship in the MWL.

Over the years, the team has mostly maintained the name of its affiliate; in 1988 they won their first title as the Cedar Rapids Reds. In addition to the aforementioned affiliate names and Red Raiders, the club has answered to nicknames like Rabbits, Canaries, Bunnies, Rockets, and Raiders. The Bunnies name actually lasted nearly 30 years, resulting in a 1920's Bunnies uniform finding its way into the team's vast collection of baseball memorabilia.

The affiliation name game ended before the '93 season with the Angels. The club held a Name-the-Team contest and the overwhelming winner was today's moniker, the Kernels. The name, one of the few in Minor League Baseball honoring food (Modesto Nuts, Montgomery Biscuits), celebrates the rich history of Iowa being the nation's largest corn producing state. For what it's worth, in this author's opinion, Kernels is a better name than 'Oats', 'Oatmeal Eaters', or any other combination of the word 'oat.' Cedar Rapids is also known for processing grain, making it the home of Quaker Oats, National Oats, Cargill, and General Mills. Then again, you can't say you wouldn't buy a Cedar Rapids Lucky Charms jersey.

Before we delve into the hundreds of players who have advanced from Cedar Rapids to the big leagues, let's take a look at what those players have done for the team's success. Before joining the MWL, the team produced ten titles spanning 71 years and five leagues (Three-I, Two-I, Central Association, Mississippi Valley, Western League). Those championship seasons were put on hold after the move to the Midwest League as the team made the playoffs several times but couldn't win it all until their second affiliation with the Reds in '88. That title spurred on a quick burst of success that saw another title with the Reds in '92 and their most recent title as a '94 affiliate of the Angels. Overall, the city has seen 13 titles in 31 playoff appearances, including a stretch of three straight postseason trips that started in 2007.

If corn and grain are Nos. 1 and 2 in Cedar Rapids, big league players and managers may follow at Nos. 3 and 4. Starting with the first season in 1891, the team has consistently seen eventual stars advance to the highest level of the game. That first season - again, nearly 120 years ago - produced a man by the name of John McGraw. He made his mark as a player, but is more well-known for his days as a manager. He earned posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame in 1937, finishing with a record 2,763 wins. (That mark is now second behind Connie Mack.) He also inadvertently created the format for today's World Series. In 1904, just one year into its existence, McGraw refused to lead his New York Giants (National League) against the Boston Americans of the American League, saying his team was the champion of the "only real major league." Immediately after this decision, baseball created rules that said it was mandatory, not optional, for the winners of the NL and AL to meet in a season-ending series to determine an overall champion.

While McGraw is well-known for his playing and managing days, a few other guys played in Cedar Rapids but are more well-known for their managerial exploits. In 1977 Bob Brenly donned a Giants uniform; he ended up winning a World Series title skippering the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. Ten years after Brenly it was Don Wakamatsu who dressed for the Reds affiliate in Cedar Rapids; he's now the manager of the Seattle Mariners.

Infielder Lou Boudreau follows in the footsteps of McGraw, Brenly, and Wakamatsu. With the Cleveland Indians, Boudreau turned in a hall-of-fame playing career, earning the 1948 AL MVP. But, during that time he served as player-manager for a number of years, eventually parlaying that into a full-time managing career for a few more seasons. Once he was done managing in 1960, he stayed in the game as a broadcaster with the Cubs all the way through 1987.

The rest of the alumni list is too numerous to name in its entirety, but some other interesting names are pitcher Jerry Reuss and catcher Ted Simmons, teammates on the 1967 club who played a combined 43 years in the Bigs. Their combined service time is rivaled by 1982 alumni Eric Davis and Paul O'Neill, each tallying 17 big league seasons.

Other scattered names over the years include Chili Davis, Rob Deer, Reggie Sanders, and the MLB all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman. As an Angels affiliate the list continues with Bengie Molina, John Lackey, Bobby Jenks, Joe Saunders, and Erick Aybar, among many more.

But, perhaps, in these parts, the most important/famous alumni are O'Neill, Eric Davis, and Rob Dibble. All played while the Reds were affiliated with Cedar Rapids. They went on to lead the Reds to a World Series title in 1990.

NEXT WEEK: Clinton LumberKings