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Cedar Rapids Kernels

40th Annual Midwest League All-Star Game Game Notes

June 22, 2004 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Cedar Rapids Kernels News Release


Site: Veterans Memorial Stadium (capacity: 5,300) Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The stadium opened in April 2002. The upper parking lot is the site of the old stadium.

Game Time: 7 p.m. (CDT)

Television: Mediacom, cable channel 10 in Cedar Rapids. The game also is available on Mediacom systems in Iowa, including Iowa City, Burlington, Clinton, Davenport, Des Moines, Mason City and Waterloo. Announcers – Bob Brooks and Rob Brooks. Rob Dibble is scheduled to work the third inning.

Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 3C at 95 degrees West; Transponder 22C Vertical; Downlink Frequency: 4140 MHz; Audio: 6.2/6.8


Radio: The Zone, ESPN Radio 1600-AM, Cedar Rapids www.kernels.com. Announcers – John Rodgers and Scott Unash. Rob Dibble will do color during the first and second innings. Announcers from around the Midwest League are scheduled to work later innings.

Series: The Eastern Division leads, 6-3, and has won the last three games.

Honorary Captains: Sarah Else and Bill Quinby. Both were key members of the fundraising group that helped build the new Veterans Memorial Stadium.

How They Got Here: Members of each team were nominated by their respective managers and placed on a ballot. The ballots were distributed to the league managers and they voted for the players they thought were most deserving. Top vote-getters at each position are the starters.

Here and Gone: Eleven players chosen to play in tonight’s game have been promoted within their respective organizations will be unable to participate. Clinton had three players promoted and Quad Cities two.

Top Hitters Not Available: Clinton’s Ian Kinsler, who was voted to start at shortstop for the Western Division, was promoted to Class AA Frisco in the Texas League and will not play tonight. Kinsler still leads the Midwest League in batting (.402), hits (90), doubles (30), on-base percentage (.465), extra-base hits (42), slugging percentage (.692) and runs scored (52).

The No. 2 batter in the league, Cedar Rapids second baseman Howie Kendrick, will be dressed for tonight’s game but unable to play because of a lingering groin injury that has kept him out of the Kernels’ lineup for all but two games since June 1.

Bombs Away: The Bud Light Home Run contest will precede the game, beginning at 6:15. The top eight home run hitters selected as All-Stars will participate. They will each get five outs in the first round and anything not a home run is considered an out. The top two advance to the finals, where they get 10 outs. The participants in the Bud Light Home Run contest are:

Brian Dopirak Lansing 20

Kevin Collins Lansing 19

Matt Brown Cedar Rapids 16

Jordan Pickens Fort Wayne 11

Eric Duncan Battle Creek 10

Vinny Rottino Beloit 8

Scott Whitrock Quad Cities 8

Brandon Wood Cedar Rapids 8

Past All-Star Game Results:

The first Midwest League All-Star Game was played in 1964 and since that time the format has been varied and unique. The first year saw the traditional North vs. South match-up. No game was played in 1965, but it has been played annually ever since. From 1966 to 1973 the Midwest League All-Stars played the first-half champion in the latter’s home park.

Beginning in 1974 the Midwest League All-Stars faced Triple-A competition from the American Association – the Iowa Oaks and Omaha Royals. In 1979 the league returned to the original format, matching stars from the North Division against the South Division. From 1982 to 1987, when the league grew from eight to 12 teams and used a three-division format, the Central Division was divided for the purpose of selecting the All-Star team. In 1995, with the addition of two more teams, the league was configured into two divisions – the East (six teams) and West (eight teams). During that period, one team from the Western Division has been designated an Eastern Division team for the All-Star Game. This year that team is Peoria.

Here are the past results:


Year Host Team Result Att.
1964 Quad City South 6, North 3 1,289
1965 No game played
1966 Appleton Fox Cities 1, All-Stars 0 1,451
1967 Wisconsin Rapids All-Stars 6, Wis. Rapids 5 1,239
1968 Quad City All-Stars 5, Quad City 1 2,117
1969 Appleton Appleton 5, All-Stars 3 1,366
1970 Quincy All-Stars 10, Quincy 7 1,228
1971 Danville All-Stars 5, Danville 1 1,095
1972 Wisconsin Rapids All-Stars 1, Wis. Rapids 0 (10) 1,030
1973 Wisconsin Rapids Wis. Rapids 4, All-Stars 3 1,116
1974 Cedar Rapids All-Stars 3, Iowa Oaks 2 (13) 1,622
1975 Quad City All-Stars 6, Iowa Oaks 2 1,647
1976 Clinton Iowa Oaks 5, All-Stars 3 1,481
1977 Burlington All-Stars 5, Iowa Oaks 2 2,381
1978 Waterloo All-Stars 11, Omaha Royals 7 1,382
1979 Cedar Rapids South 9, North 2 3,427
1980 Quad City North 6, South 1 7,413
1981 Cedar Rapids South 5, North 4 2,822
1982 Quad City North 4, South 2 3,214
1983 Madison South 1, North 0 1,585
1984 Springfield South 5, North 4 2,215

Year Host Team Result Att.
1985 Cedar Rapids South 4, North 2 (11) 1,259
1986 Beloit North 4, South 2 2,276
1987 Wausau North 9, South 8 (11) 1,156
1988 Clinton North 5, South 2 3,537
1989 South Bend South 4, North 1 3,742
1990 Quad City South 10, North 5 6,783
1991 Cedar Rapids North 6, South 6 (10, tie) 2,844
1992 Peoria North 7, South 5 3,755
1993 Kane County North 3, South 2 6,061
1994 Fort Wayne South 3, North 2 5,020
1995 West Michigan East 7, West 5 8,483
1996 Wisconsin East 10, West 4 4,204
1997 Lansing East 6, West 5 10,060
1998 Clinton West 7, East 4 2,572
1999 Lansing West 4, East 0 10,234
2000 Kane County West 5, East 3 8,162
2001 Dayton East 7, West 3 8,901
2002 Lansing East 6, West 3 10,334
2003 West Michigan East 5, West 4 10,037
2004 Cedar Rapids
2005 Peoria


Largest crowd – 10,334 (2002 at Lansing)
Smallest crowd – 1,030 (1972 at Wisconsin Rapids)

Largest crowd at Cedar Rapids – 3,427 (1979)
Smallest crowd at Cedar Rapids – 1,259 (1985)

Past Midwest League All-Star Games in Cedar Rapids:

July 22, 1974 (A-1,622)

MIDWEST LEAGUE ALL-STARS 3, IOWA OAKS 2 (13 INNINGS) – Moe Hill’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 13th inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Midwest League Stars past the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.

Alvis Woods of Wisconsin Rapids had put the All-Stars ahead, 2-0, with a two-run home run in the first inning. Cedar Rapids Astros shortstop Alex Taveras had singled before Woods’ hit.

Woods’ blast came off former major leaguer Jim McAndrew, a Lost Nation (Iowa) native who played collegiately at the University of Iowa. McAndrew, who played for the Mets and Padres, had recently signed with the Oaks.

June 20, 1979 (A-3,427)

SOUTH 9, NORTH 2 – The South scored eight runs in the first inning and cruised to the win. Cedar Rapids Giants second baseman Paul Plinski singled leading off the South first and came around to score on a single by Quad City’s Mark Gilbert. Plinski’s sacrifice fly later in the inning stretched the South lead to 7-0.

Star of the game was Clinton’s Mitch Webster, who was 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored. Webster later played in the major leagues for the Dodgers and Cubs and is now a scout for the Dodgers.

June 20, 1981 (A-2,822)

SOUTH 5, NORTH 4 – A sacrifice fly by the Cedar Rapids Reds’ Jeff Jones in the bottom of the ninth scored the game-winner for the South.

Jones, who a year later would hit 42 home runs to set a Midwest League record that still stands, also doubled home a run in the sixth inning that tied the game, 4-4.

The Reds also had RBI singles from Kenny Scarpace and Emil Drzayich. Cedar Rapids’ Scot Ender, a Cedar Falls native, started for the South and pitched two innings, allowing five hits and two runs. He also struck out five.

Among the future major leaguers playing in the game were Harold Reynolds, Darnell Coles, Jimmy Presley and Edwin Nunez from Wausau (Mariners), Jim Eisenreich from Wisconsin Rapids (Twins), Henry Cotto from Quad City (Cubs) and Randy Ready from Burlington (Brewers). Ready now is manager of the Fort Wayne Wizards.

July 8, 1985 (A-1,259)

SOUTH 4, NORTH 2 (11 innings) – Darcy Walker’s two-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning provided the winning blow. The first two runs for the South were driven in by Cedar Rapids Reds players. Darren Riley had an RBI single in the fifth inning and Eddie Williams’ solo home run in the eighth put the South ahead, 2-0.

Reds closer Rob Dibble, who later pitched seven innings in the major leagues and was the Most Valuable Player of the 1990 National League Championship Series, came on to finish the game, but was tagged for five hits and two runs in the ninth as the North tied the game.

The game was still tied after 10 innings and both teams claimed to be out of pitchers. Midwest League President Bill Walters demanded the teams play one more inning and Walker, who played for the Quad City Angels, delivered his game winner off Beloit’s Dan Scarpetta, who was 8-0 and not expected to pitch that night.

Future major leaguers in the game included Williams, Dibble, Peoria’s Greg Maddux, Quad City’s Dante Bichette and Bryan Harvey, and Kenosha’s Alan Sontag.

June 24, 1991 (A-2,844)

SOUTH 6, NORTH 6 (10 innings, tie) – Former University of Iowa standout Chris Hatcher, playing for the Burlington Astros, hit two home runs and was the game’s “Star of Stars.’’

The game was called after 10 innings because both teams had run out of pitchers. It was only the second tie in Midwest League All-Star history and Midwest League President George Spelius’ decision was lauded by both sides.

Shaun Murphy of the Rockford Expos had tied the game, 6-6, with an RBI single in the top of the ninth. Appleton’s Gary Caraballo was 3-for-5 with three RBI.

Future major leaguers in the game were Cedar Rapids’ Larry Luebbers, Kenosha’s Denny Hocking, Rockford’s Glen Murray, Kane County’s Greg Zaun, Waterloo’s Tim Worrell and Clinton’s Salomon Torres.

Starting Lineups:

Eastern Division Western Division
Chris Walker (Lansing) rf Terry Trofholz (Beloit) cf
Anthony Monegan (Peoria) cf Mitch Maier (Burlington) 2b
Eric Duncan (Battle Creek) 3b Brandon Wood (Cedar Rapids) ss
Brian Dopirak (Lansing) 1b Matt Brown (Cedar Rapids) 3b
Kevin Collins (Lansing) dh Vinny Rottino (Beloit) dh
Alex Frazier (South Bend) lf Matt Pali (Cedar Rapids) 1b
Miguel Montero (South Bend) c Scott Whitrock (Quad Cities) rf
Brendan Ryan (Peoria) ss David Castillo (Kane County) c
Willie Vasquez (Battle Creek) 2b Dustin Majewski (Kane County) lf
Chad Scarbery (South Bend) p Steve Bondurant (Kane County) p

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