While we usually try to stick to the high school scene here at the Metro Sports Report, we still keep an eye on the sports scene in the Metro area. That includes the Cedar Rapids Kernels professional baseball team.

On Monday, the Kernels wrapped up their 2012 season with a 10-3 loss to the Clinton Lumber Kings. The loss put the Kernels overall record for the season at 53-86, which tied the mark for the worst season record for a Kernels team in club history.

More importantly, a much larger question loomed on the horizon, one that will be answered officially in the next several weeks. Will the Kernels be searching for a new Major League affiliate in the offseason?

The Player Development Contract (PDC) between the Kernels and the Los Angeles Angels expires after this season. The Cedar Rapids Baseball Club has been affiliated with many teams over the long history of professional baseball here in town, and for the last 20 years has been a the low Class A farm club of the Angels. Twenty years is a long run in Minor League Baseball. The question is, should the Kernels and the Angels cut ties and go their separate ways?

I say yes.

By giving that answer, I mean no ill will or bad feelings toward the Angels organization. Los Angeles has been very good to the Kernels over the years sending top flight prospects and many good baseball minds to our city to run the on field product. Sometimes its just time for a change, and this is one of those times.

The quality of talent being sent to Cedar Rapids has dropped over the last several seasons (other than Mike Trout). More importantly, attendance at the new ballpark has leveled off, and in the case this season, has been the lowest in the 10 seasons at the new Vets Stadium. Fans are in need of a change, and the club is in need of a change to revitalize the interest in the Kernels.

The question about whether the club will seek a new affiliate will be decided by the Cedar Rapids Baseball Inc. Board of Directors, made up of local men and women who represent the ownership of the ball club. They will have to ask themselves the big question about whether it is time to look in a new direction, and maybe an even bigger question, is it time to look local?

Many have speculated over the years that the Kernels would have much better attendance and a healthier bottom line if they were affiliated with a Midwestern team. They may get the chance to find that out.

It is no big secret that the Cubs, Cardinals and the Twins will all be "free agents" this offseason, and all of those teams have large fan bases here in eastern Iowa. If rumors in Chicago are true, it looks as though the Cubs will end up in the west suburbs with Kane County. That would leave the Cardinals and the Twins as top candidates to come into town.

The Quad Cities, I would imagine, will try very hard to keep St. Louis playing at John O'Donnell Stadium (I still call it by the old name) for the next two years, which leaves the Minnesota Twins as the favorite, in my eyes, to jump to Cedar Rapids. Currently the Twins are in Beloit, which is the smallest city in the league and has probably the worst ballpark in the circuit.

Think about it. With a Midwest team we would probably see major leaguers on rehab assignments after injuries here in Cedar Rapids. We also would see the top prospects year in and year out play here because it would be very close for the upper brass to come to town to take in a game or two.

The big question though would be attendance. Would attendance go up if the Kernels were affiliated with a Midwest based team? That has been the $64,000 question for years. I think we finally will get a chance to have that answered soon.

It was great to see some top line future Major Leaguers here in town over the last 20 years supplied by the Angels. Howie Kendrick, Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis and of course the future superstar Trout to name a few. But I really think we will be seeing new names and new faces, supplied by a new organization next April.

(Scott Unash is the sports and program director at KGYM-AM 1600 (FM 107.5 and 106.3). He is a six-time winner of the Iowa Broadcast News Association play-by-play Announcer of the Year Award. Scott and Mark Dukes co-host the Gym Class weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on KGYM-AM 1600, FM-107.5 and FM-106.3)