Baseball? Really? Hmmm...

Sigh.

I've never really been a baseball fan. I've always blamed the Royals. I was 23 months old when the Royals won the World Series. That was the last time they won their division.

I was into the games somewhere between the age of 6 and 9. I remember watching the games on local tv and even listening to it on the radio. I attended a bunch of games at what was then just Royals Stadium. But after moving to Illinois, I couldn't follow the Royals and had no interest in following the Cubs or Cards (nobody roots for the White Sox in Peoria).

I've already documented how by the sheer number of games, a baseball game is 1/10th as important as a NFL game. I can't even sit through a non-playoffs NBA game. Basically if it's not football, or it's not the playoffs, I'm not that interested.

All that said, for some reason, the idea of watching baseball suddenly seems interesting. Maybe it was watching some youtube clips of ozzie smith, or playing softball again, or maybe the commercials where ESPN always makes every sport sound so freaking good...but I'm at least semi-interested in baseball.

I tried to think if there was a team that I could get behind, that would have a winning season and have a chance at the title. And nothing seemed right. In the last 2 years the White Sox and Cards won and if I had any reasons to root for teams, those would have been it. I was happy they won, but I didn't really care after they did it. The Cards/Mets series was more enjoyable than the sloppy WS.

I toyed with the idea of picking a team that hasn't done that well that could be on the rise, like Cleveland perhaps, but it wouldn't feel right either. No, the only team that I could ever root for, would be the Royals. And if they ever make the World Series, at least I could say that I never followed another team.

Too bad they still aren't wearing the powder blues. Snazzy.


The last time the Royals even finished 2nd in their division was 1995. They've finished in 5th place 6 times since then. But it wasn't always that way. Ignoring the 1981 strike season, starting in 1975 the Royals finished 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st - when they won it all in 1985.

But now? They're the consensus pick for last place in the AL, and they're in the division where any of the other 4 times could be a legitimate title contender. It doesn't really seem fair.

I guess the lone bright spot is Alex Gordon...and that's about it.

But I'll be tivoing the Opening Day game vs the Red Sox and who knows, this year could be the year.