Metro Sports Report

Oliva roots for his countrymen

Tony Oliva played Major League baseball for the Minnesota Twins for part of 15 seasons during the 1960s and 1970s and has become an icon of the Twins organization. He is one of seven Twins to have been honored by having his number (6) retired by the franchise.

And thanks to the Cedar Rapids Kernels' new affiliation with the Twins this season, Oliva is in Cedar Rapids this weekend as part of the “Twins Weekend” celebration put on by the Kernels. Oliva is the featured guest speaker at the Twins Breakfast Saturday morning at the Clarion Hotel & Convention Center. The breakfast is from 8-10 a.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for children 12-under.

While the Kernels were in the process of defeating Peoria Friday night, Oliva met with the media. He spoke on several topics, but started by expressing how impressed he was with the Kernels' facilities.

“Beautiful,” is how Oliva described Veterans Memorial Stadium. “This ballpark is like a big league ballpark. It’s better than a lot of the big league ballparks I played in in the ‘60s.”

Kernels beat Peoria with 6-run frame

For six innings Friday night, it looked like the Peoria Chiefs simply had the Kernels number this series. The Chiefs scored single runs in the third and fifth innings and held a 2-0 lead when the 3,746 fans attending the game at Veterans Memorial Stadium stood for the seventh-inning stretch.

By the time the Kernels finished their half of the seventh, however, they held a 6-2 lead over the visiting Chiefs that would also stand as the final score.

Niko Goodrum, Jorge Polanco and Joel Licon all doubled during the stanza, while Mike Gonzales, Travis Harrison and Jonathan Murphy all added singles. It was the kind of timely hitting that the Kernels have been missing this series, as all but one of the six runs the Kernels scored in the inning were plated with two outs.

Local players in pro baseball

RYAN SWEENEY (Xavier, Chicago Cubs) - Placed on disabled list June 30 with fractured rib. Expected to miss at least six weeks. Season stats: G - 44, Avg. - .295, AB - 112, H - 33, HR - 4, RBI - 15, SB - 1.

SCOTT SCHEBLER (Prairie, Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers)) - Did not play Friday in the Quakes' 2-1, 10-inning loss to Lancaster. Season stats: G - 91, Avg. - .308, AB - 347, H - 107, HR - 21, RBI - 66, SB - 12.

KELLEN SWEENEY (Jefferson, Lansing (Blue Jays)) - Did not play Friday in the Lugnuts' 6-3 win over Dayton. Season stats: G - 83, Avg. - .181, AB - 265, H - 48, HR - 4, RBI - 19, SB - 0.

ANDREW HANSE (Linn-Mar, Hudson Valley (Rays)) - Did not pitch Friday in the Renegades' 3-1 win over Aberdeen. Season stats: W - 1. L - 2. Sv - 2. ERA - 5.00. G - 13. IP - 18. H - 19. BB - 7. SO - 11.

CHAD CHRISTENSEN (Washington, GCL Twins (Twins)) - Started in left field Friday and was 1-for-4 with a stolen base in the Twins' 7-3 loss to the GCL Red Sox. Season stats: G - 21, Avg. - .267, AB - 75, H - 20, HR - 1, RBI - 8, SB - 2.

JON KELLER (Xavier, GCL Orioles (Orioles)) - Did not pitch Friday in the Orioles' 4-3 win over the GCL Rays. Season stats: W - 0. L - 0. Sv - 0. ERA - 0.00. G - 1. IP - 1. H - 1. BB - 0. SO - 1.

Wanted: Football officials

The state softball tournament ends its five-day run at Fort Dodge Friday and the state baseball tournament gets underway with quarterfinal round games at Des Moines.

It must be time for football.

Well, maybe not quite yet. But, it’s not that far off. Opening night at Kingston Stadium is 34 days away. The Shrine Bowl, featuring the top seniors from a year ago, is Saturday afternoon at the UNI-Dome.

So, yes, it’s time to get ready for some football.