It's Peanut Butter-Victory Time for Kernels

A few minutes after Friday night's 6-1 victory over Great Lakes at Memorial Stadium, longtime Cedar Rapids Kernels batboy Jon Teig walked into the middle of the Kernels' clubhouse.

The entire team, coaching staff, Los Angeles Angels General Manager Tony Reagins and farm director Abe Flores immediately surround him in anticipation. With everyone gathered, pitching coach Brandon Emanuel finally says "Go ahead, Jon-Jon."

Teig, who is autistic, begins singing "It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time." Like the banana in the cartoon bit, which is played regularly on the Memorial Stadium scoreboard during games, he dances as he sings, swaying his hips and thrusting his arms into the air as if shooting off pistols.

Everyone loves it. By the time Teig is done with his routine, the entire team is clapping and singing with him.

It has become their own postgame celebration ritual.

"He did it (earlier this week) to kind of pump us up in Burlington," Kernels designated hitter Beau Brooks said. "He did the 'Peanut Butter Jelly Time' thing on the bus. We won that game, so now we expect him to do it every time to try and keep us rolling."

"The kids love him. He gets a kick out of it," Kernels Manager Bill Mosiello said. "I tell you, he busts his butt every day. It's a reward for him, and it''s sure a reward for us. The passion he brings to this ballpark every day is pretty special."

Baseball players are a notoriously superstitious lot. If the Kernels keep winning at the rate they've been winning at recently, you can expect a lot more "Peanut Butter Jelly Time."

Cedar Rapids (21-20) took the rubber game of this three-game series, has won five of its last six games and seven of nine to inch back to the positive side of .500. The rest of the Western Division is coming back to the Kernels as well, with Cedar Rapids entering the weekend four games out of first place and 2 1/2 out of second and the final first-half playoff spot in the division.

The Kernels were able to rebound from a tough-to-swallow 13-inning loss Thursday afternoon. They blew several late offensive chances in that game with dubious baserunning and an inability to get their bunts down.

Small ball wasn't needed Friday night. Cedar Rapids knocked Great Lakes starting pitcher Jon Michael Redding (5-2) out early by scoring three runs each in the first and second innings on six hits and four walks.

"You can't really try to think about yesterday. It's in the past," said Brooks, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. "We had a lot of good at-bats tonight, and took advantage of them, which we didn't do Thursday. That was the big difference."

Tyler Chatwood threw six strong innings to even his record at 2-2. He allowed only three hits and a run.

The Kernels host Lansing for three games beginning Saturday night at 6:35.