Call this RV the Hellweg Hotel

CEDAR RAPIDS - David Hellweg's RV looks weird sitting in the lower parking lot of Veterans Memorial Stadium.

You see a ton of these Holiday Ramblers on football Saturdays at places like Kinnick Stadium. Hellweg actually uses his for tailgating purposes at the University of Missouri, where his daughter is a student.

But this is baseball season, and there's no better way for the St. Louis resident to travel and watch his son, Johnny, pitch for the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

"Kind of home away from home,” Hellweg said. “I've got my own bed, my own pillows. It works great.”

Hellweg was at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday but is scheduled to drive from there to Cedar Rapids for the remainder of this Kernels homestand. Johnny thwarted a ninth-inning rally Saturday to pick up his third save in the Kernels' 11-8 win over Kane County.

David and about 20 other relatives were in suburban Chicago a couple of weeks ago to watch the Kernels play at Kane County. Johnny's professional baseball career is definitely a family affair.

“It's good to have my family up here,” said Hellweg, who played college baseball at Florida Community College. “Some of these guys here go a whole season without seeing their family. They're a little less fortunate than I am. So it's good to have my dad come up here, support me and go to all my games.

“To know that my whole family is behind me makes me feel that much better out there. Makes me feel like I'm doing this for a reason.”

Make no mistake, the 6-foot-9, rail-thin Johnny eats really well when dad's in town. An accompanying grill always seems to be in use barbecuing chicken, beef or something else.

Dad also makes sure he has sushi in the refrigerator, one's of his son's favorite meals.

“Marinating some pork steaks in Wishbone salad dressing tonight,” David said before a home game in mid-April.

“He cooks for me a lot,” Johnny said. “It's nice to walk outside here and have some stuff on the grill ready for me. That's nice.”

David, who owns businesses in the transportation, financial services and sports industries, said he'll try to make it to as many Kernels games as possible. Rancho Cucamonga is the next step up the Angels minor league ladder, and that's in California.

“This is definitely a dream come true for Johnny, his mom and myself,” David said. “There's no doubt.”

The Kernels (11-12) scored nine runs in the first three innings on a windy day that played havoc with every pop-up and fly ball. Randal Grichuk homered and had four RBI, and Eric Oliver three hits for Cedar Rapids.

The teams play again Sunday afternoon at 2.