Kernels celebrate 'Roady Night' with a victory

Cedar Rapids Kernels visiting clubhouse manager Ron "Roady" Plein poses with his bobblehead Friday night while signing autographs at Veterans Memorial Stadium."

CEDAR RAPIDS - Ron Plein was asked for a brief interview minutes before Friday night's Cedar Rapids Kernels game.

“Make it quick,” he said.

Hey, Roady is a busy guy. He has been for 20 years, which is why the Kernels honored him in a pregame ceremony and let him throw out a first pitch.

They also distributed 1,000 of his bobbleheads, which he happily autographed during Cedar Rapids' 8-4 win over Clinton. Equipment managers get dues (monthly payment from players for washing their uniforms daily) and apparently their due, too.

"Something special,” Roady said, when asked what the night meant to him. “Never done this before. People always asked me how come I don't have a bobblehead. Now I do.”

Plein, 68, came to Cedar Rapids as sort of a package deal with the Los Angeles Angels in 1993. He worked for Quad Cities when it was affiliated with the Angels and has been in professional baseball in Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities and his native Dubuque for 41 years.

He acquired his nickname “Roadrunner” because of his penchant for sprinting after foul balls. Over the years, he became known simply as “Roady.”

His days of chasing fouls ended in 2009 when he broke his ankle during a game at Wisconsin in 2009 after colliding with a batboy behind home plate. His days of traveling with the Kernels ended last season and his duties were diminished this season to tending strictly to the visiting club.

“That's fine,” he said. “Better for me. Less stress and more sleep.”

Roady still has his own room at the ballpark, which was built into the newer Veterans Memorial Stadium when it was constructed in 2002. He always has had his player antagonists over the years (Angels slugger Mark Trumbo jumps to mind), but there's no doubting his importance to the Kernels.

Having a bobblehead proves it.

“It looks like me,” he said. “I like the (key) chain on the side.”

The Kernels (44-66, 12-28 second half) scored a pair of go-ahead runs in the sixth inning to salvage the finale of this four-game series. Trevor Hairgrove had a run-scoring single for a 5-4 lead, with a second run coming home on the play on an errant throw past third base.

Cedar Rapids ended a four-game losing streak, winning for just the second time in its last 10 games and for the fifth time in its last 22. The club hits the road for a week, including a four-game series at Kane County that begins Saturday night.

Here is the game boxscore:

Scoreboard _ Midwest League Scoreboard