There was a hi-fi in our living room. The speakers were bigger than me. It had a record player that I wasn't allowed to touch. And it received AM/FM broadcasts. It didn't get much use in our house. Perhaps the occasional Bob Seger record. As a six-year-old I used it for two things. 1. I owned one vinyl record: Sesame Country by Sesame Street. 2. I listened to Kansas City baseball games on the radio.
The Royals were the first team I ever followed. Before the Chiefs. Before the Illini. I remember watching Cheers and Royals games on our 27" Hitachi.
I watched players like George Brett and Bo Jackson. But also Willie Wilson, Danny Tartabull, Jim Eisenreich, Mike MacFarlane, Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Kevin Appier, and Jeff Montgomery. My favorite player was Frank White. They won some, they lost some. Games were cheap and we went to a bunch of them over the years.
It might have been 1990 or 1988 when I won a drawing contest. It was for the Kansas City Zoo calendar. They selected 12 kids drawings. There were some older kids who represented the animals accurately. I was one of the younger kids who I guess got lucky. I'm not sure how you determine one crappy five-year-old's drawing is better than another's, but I got picked. Part of the prize was tickets to a Royals game. Along with the other winners, I got to go on the field. My name appeared on the large Royals-shaped scoreboard in centerfield. My dad even took a picture of my name in lights. It was all very exciting. I drew a toucan.
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In the 28 baseball seasons from 1986 to 2013, from when I was roughly 2 to 30, here's how many times the Royals finished in each spot in their division:
Sixth: 2 times
Fifth: 9 times
Fourth: 6 times
Third: 8 times
Second: 3 times
First: 0 times
That is good enough for 0 playoff appearances.
Let's go a little deeper.
In those 28 seasons, here's how may times they finished within ranges of Games Back in their division.
0-9 GB: 5 times
10-19 GB: 9 times
20-29 GB: 8 times
30-39 GB: 5 times
40+ GB: 1 time
They were just as likely to finish more than 20 games back as they were less than 20 games back.
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There are die-hard Royals fans. Fans that have stuck through losing season after losing season. I am not one of them. I've never picked another team but it was never worth it to me to watch the Royals play miserably. I've never cared about baseball enough so it wasn't a big deal.
I tried to get into them in 2007. I even live-blogged Alex Gordon's debut. 13 games in they were the worst in the league and finished last in their division.
When they finally made the playoffs in 2014, I was watching. I didn't consider myself a Royals fan, but I was rooting for them. I was hoping, even if I didn't believe in them.
And then one game changed everything. They were down 4 in the 8th. And did what no other team had ever done. It gave them an instant identity to the nation. This is a team that won't quit. That will always believe.
Then they swept the next two series. They made a believer out of most people, including myself. And their season ended with Alex Gordon on 3rd base. 90 feet away from tying up Game 7. Salvador Perez ended their season with a pop-up.
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The Texas Rangers were one strike away from winning it all in 2011. They threw three pitches on that brink. One was a take, that could have been called a strike. The other two were hits, each tying the game. The next year, they lost the 1-game Wild Card. In 2013, they lost in their 163rd game. In 2014, they finished last in their division.
The point is that you can be as close as you can possibly be and then still never get there. While there have been plenty of teams to lose in the World Series and come back to win the following year, there's no guarantee. Getting close gets you nothing.
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Every baseball projection system figured the Royals were a fluke. No one expected the AL Champs to even return to the playoffs. In fact, they improved. At the trade deadline they were buyers. They traded for Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto. They won their division. They hosted the Astros in the ALDS.
Down 2-1 in the series, the Royals were on the brink of elimination in the 8th inning. Their win expectancy was 3% in a must-win.
And then they loaded the bases with no outs. Cain singled in a run. Hosmer singled in a run. Morales hit a grounder up the middle that could have been a double play but it hopped over Correa's glove and the game was tied. And Gordon drives in a run to take the lead. The only team to ever come back that many that late in the playoffs? The 2014 Royals.
And in Game 5, Johnny Cueto only allows 2 runs in eight innings. That's why you get Cueto. And the Royals advance to face the Blue Jays.
All of a sudden, the Royals were in back-to-back World Series.
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World Series Game 1
The World Series opened for Kansas City with an inside-the-park home run. One pitch and it's 1-0 Royals. And that play captured a lot of what the series would offer.
The Royals were aggressive, both for not taking on a pitch in the zone and running on the base paths. And the Mets made a defensive mistake that cost them a run.
Then the Mets' bats made an appearance. They held a 3-1 lead but the Royals came back and tied in 3-3.
In the 8th, the Royals had the comeback momentum, but a rare error by Hosmer cost them a run. The Mets had a 4-3 lead with their closer Familia coming out.
Gordon comes up to bat and the Royals have an 11% chance of winning. If Familia gets the save, I think the series is drastically different. If he gets those last two outs, the Mets would have shown they can be comeback kids too. They would have capitalized on a defensive error. They would have shown that pitching trumps everything. Their closer would have the confidence to attack this lineup. They would have taken Game 1 on the road and at that point have the opportunity to win it all in New York.
All of that was on the line...with a 89% chance of that coming true.
So for my money, that at-bat was the biggest of the Series.
That's the only ball the Royals hit out of the park all series. It showed that the Royal's magic lives on. It showed they didn't have to be afraid of Familia. That if they kept it close, and kept fighting, they could win games that they weren't supposed to win.
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World Series Game 2
Johnny Cueto followed his amazing performance in the ALDS elimination game with a disaster in the ALCS. He was chased in the third inning. No fan knew what to expect from him again. He gave up a run in the top of the 4th and the Royals once again found themselves in a position where they had to come back.
In the bottom of the 5th, the Royals tied it 1-1 with two outs. Hosmer comes up to bat. Going into the 9th inning less than 24 hours ago, he was the goat. He ends up winning the game with a sac fly last night. In the 5th, he hits it up the middle scoring two. With one swing it's now 3-1. The Royals pile on the runs and win 7-1.
Cueto pitches a complete game and only gives up 1 run. That's why you get Cueto.
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World Series Game 3
The series shifted to New York. Syndergaard pitched as well as Harvey did in Game 1, allowing 3 runs to the Royals. The difference was the Mets got to both the Royals' starter (their ace, Ventura) and the bullpen. The final was 9-3 Mets.
At this point each team had won one game going away. There were two more games to be played in New York and two more if necessary in Kansas City. The difference in the series was Game 1, one the Mets were in a position to win.
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World Series Game 4
Once again, the Mets take the lead. It's 3-2 Mets in the top of the 8th. Royals down to a 18% win expectancy. Zobrist earns a walk to get on base. Cain comes up, fouls two off to start in a 0-2 hole. Would foul off two more in the process of taking four balls. He fought for a walk to get two men on. That brings in Familia.
Hosmer at the plate and hits a chopper to Murphy at second base. If he fields it cleanly his only play is to first. There would be two outs and a runner on second and third for Moustakas. But Murphy doesn't field it cleanly. It gets past him into the outfield. Zobrist scores from second and it's a tie game. It was Murphy's offense that helped the Mets get to the World Series but his defense that cost him once they got there.
Moustakas and Perez both single after Hosmer, each driving in a run. It's 5-3 still with one out. Obviously, if there's two outs we don't know that those at-bats happen the same way. But I think it's worth noting that the Murphy error cost them one run. The next two hits off Familia cost them two more.
5-3 is enough to get the Royals out of there, though not before some drama in the bottom of the 9th. Davis started the inning with a 96% chance to win. After getting one out and allowing a runner on first and second, it was down to 82%. One swing of the bat would have won the game for the Mets. Instead, a double play that relied on poor Mets' base running wins the game for the Royals.
Another example that the Mets' strength was pitching and power hitting, not defense or base running.
KC leads the Series 3-1. There's one more in New York. Even if they lose that, they'll have two chances to win it at home.
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World Series Game 5
Harvey vs Volquez, a rematch of Game 1. They tell us it's the first time Harvey's pitched on full rest in a while. And he's great. The Mets get a lead-off home run and right away it looks like the series is headed back to Kansas City. But Volquez settles down and matches Harvey for the next five innings.
In the bottom of the 6th, Volquez loads the bases with no outs. That's the situation the Royals were in against the Astros facing elimination. That time the Royals scored 5 to take the lead. Cespedes is at the plate, the player they Mets acquired and turned their season around. Royals 11% chance of winning at this point.
Cespedes is terribly unlucky and hurts himself severely, fouling a pitch off his kneecap. You hate to see it but it helps the Royals. He pops up and there's 1 down. Duda hits a sac fly to make it a 2-0 game. With two outs, Volquez gets a ground out. Even though the Mets extended their lead, the announcers called it a win for Volquez. I had the sense the Royals could come back from 1 or 2 without too much trouble. 3 or 4 is questionable.
Moustakas gets a hit in the 7th but they strand him. In the 8th, Harvey retires all three batters on 9 pitches. Harvey was pitching too well for the Royals to do anything.
Before the 9th inning, the broadcast shows the Mets manager telling Harvey he's coming out of the game. Harvey is livid. He yells, no way are you taking me out of the game. I was hoping to see Familia. I've seen Familia blow two saves and I just saw Harvey retire the last five batters he faced.
Harvey takes the mound in the 9th.
Broadcasters, columnists are focused on that decision. Should he have stayed on the mound or come out of the game. But that's not what won or lost the game. They had a 94% chance to win at this point.
Cain comes up and takes the first three pitches and finds himself in 1-2 hole. Takes another: 2-2. Fouls one off. Takes another: full count. The next pitch is a curve over the plate. Cain takes it. It's low. Cain's on first. On the next pitch he steals second. Cain's taken the Royals from a 6% chance to win to 15%. On the next pitch Cain scores. Hosmer cracks a double to the left field warning track. It's a 1-2 game with no outs. 35% chance of winning. Harvey comes out now. In comes Familia, who's already blown two saves this series.
Moustakas hits a grounder to the right side, advancing Hosmer to third base. 90 feet away. One out.
Up comes Perez. It's a broken bat, weak shot the left side of the infield. David Wright fields it, checks Hosmer at third and fires to first for the second out of the 9th inning. On Wright's release, Hosmer goes for home. Duda catches and turns the ball for home. A play at the plate to win the game. But the throw is terrible. High and wide, to the wrong side of the plate. Hosmer should have been out before he begins he slide but he scores easily. Once again this team stays aggressive and the other team makes a mistake. When it happens once or twice you can say they got lucky. When it happens game after game, series after series, you see a team making their own luck.
According to Baseball Reference, the Royals still only had a 40% chance of winning with a 2-2 game in the top of the 9th, with no one on and two outs. But you show me a Royals fan who didn't think it was twice that.
We go to the 12th inning. Perez starts it off with a bloop single down the right line that falls a foot fair. I think they can't take out Perez because he's so important defensively, but Yost does. In comes Dyson. He steals second on a 2-0 count and it's not close. That's what speed do. Puts him in scoring position and takes away the double play. Gordon hits one to the right side advancing Dyson to third. 90 feet away.
With one out I look at the screen and see the batter. I say out loud, "Who the hell is that?" Who the hell is that is Christian Colon. His last at bat was October 4th. It's November 1st.
His first appearance in the postseason is with a chance to take the lead in the 12th of a World Series elimination game. He takes a strike. He swings and misses. He takes a ball. And on 1-2 count, he cracks it into left field. The 3-2 lead says 85% chance of winning.
Escobar makes it 4-2. Cain makes it 7-2. It says 100% chance of winning. You and I know that really means 99.5 or above. Turns out to be 100%.
Davis gets the first two batters and allows a single. Then he gets to a 1-2 count. At the Power and Light district in downtown Kansas City, they're chanting "one more strike, one more strike." They get it. It's a called third strike and the game is over. The series is over. The season is over. A 30-year-wait is over.
It's time to party like it's 1985.
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The Royals became the first team with 3 wins in the World Series after trailing in the 8th or later.
From the 6th inning on, here's how many runs the teams scored:
KC broke a record with 6 postseason wins in which they trailed by multiple runs. And then they extended it with a 7th win in the clincher.
This is their trademark. This is what they do.
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Eric Hosmer published a piece on The Player's Tribune on October 12th. It's a very impressive read with one main takeaway: The 2015 Royals aren't just playing for 2015. They're playing for 2014. They don't want to be considered a fluke, just a team that stumbled their way farther than anyone expected and then disappeared. No one remembers or respects those teams.
The 2012 Detroit Tigers swept the Yankees in the ALCS but got swept in the WS by the Giants.
The Rex Grossman Bears made it to the Super Bowl but lost to Peyton's Colts.
The Dwight Howard Magic made it to the Finals but lost to the Lakers.
Making it to the Finals in any sport is an incredible achievement, but if you don't finish it off, it's almost as if it didn't happen.
These Royals just became the best Kansas City baseball team ever and won the 2015 trophy. But they also redeemed the 2014 Royals.
This World Series was about redemption as much as anything.
Last year ended with Alex Gordon 90 feet away. His clutch home run in the bottom of the 9th in Game 1 changed the whole series.
The guy that ended it last year at the plate was Perez. This year he started the winning rally in the 12th and was awarded Series MVP.
In the regular season and the ALCS, Cueto was not the guy the Royals traded for. But he was the man in the ALDS elimination game and WS Game 2.
Moustakas and Hosmer both made fielding errors in the World Series but came through with big hits and timely running.
Even Yost who was a national punchline in 2014 has the last laugh in 2015.
For the last thirty years, no one has believed in the Kansas City Royals. But the players believed. And now everyone does.
Going back to the Hosmer article. I assume he wrote it before the playoffs started. But it was posted to the Player's Tribune at 7:03 am on October 12th. At that moment the Royals were down 1-2 to the Astros. If they lose that game, Hosmer looks like a joke. Everyone would just say the Royals were a fluke. They find themselves down four runs in the 8th and everyone, including the die-hard fans thinks the season is over. But the players don't.
Moustakas riles everyone up in the dugout. He's yelling at them, "We're not losing this game."
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Life is full of moments that happen sequentially. Especially sports.
A player fumbles on a 3rd and 1 and loses the game. But that doesn't happen if they picked up one more yard on the previous play and are passing on first down.
A manager is using his closer in the bottom of the 9th because they got the lead in the top of the inning.
Every sport is full of moments that may not have happened the same way if previous outcomes were different. This is obvious and taken for granted.
Which is why myself and other Royals fans go back to that wild-card game against the A's. It looked like that was the end of the 2014 Royals season. No playoff wins.
If that's the case, no one knows what happens in 2015. Maybe they're not buyers at the deadline. Maybe they miss the playoffs completely or maybe they don't comeback agains the Astros. No one knows for sure. But I can tell you, I don't think they're champions this year if they don't go through last year.
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Perhaps the most beautiful thing now is that next year doesn't matter.
I know the players will want to win again. The front office will want to keep making moves to preserve a future. But from my vantage point, they've climbed the mountain. Yes, it would be fun to stay there. But once you've climbed it, you've reached the top. There's no where else to go.
Just do it? You've done it.
This is something that can never be taken away.
Cueto and Zobrist and maybe more will go to another team. Odds are they won't repeat. But they are already forever royalty. George Brett is a champion for life because of winning one World Series 30 years ago. They still show his face on TV. He reached a level that few people ever do. And this roster just did the same.
Every player on the roster, every pitcher, every pinch hitter, even the backup catcher played.
They never have to achieve anything more and they'll still always be champions.
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For me personally, there's still some internal conflict. This wasn't the Chiefs or the Illini or even the Avs. It's not a team that I've lived and died and with. The Royals were miserable and I walked away. I stopped watching when they were bad. I never gave them the chance to rip my heart out with a 38-31 playoff loss to the 2003 Colts. Or a 44-45 playoff loss to the 2013 Colts. I didn't walk out of the K with my head held low like I've done at Memorial Stadium, the Pepsi Center or the Edwards Jones Dome.
The bottom line is I haven't suffered for the Royals.
It's been a long stretch of apathy followed by a burst of exhilaration. The authentic sports fan in me understands the greater the suffering, the greater the catharsis. If I ever see the Chiefs win a Super Bowl (or hey, maybe even a playoff game for once would be nice too) it would be a bigger emotional impact. Just typing that sentence made me nervous inside because I imagined them getting to the Super Bowl and losing.
So I can't claim that I was always there for the Royals. Truthfully, there were so bad for my entire life that this moment is never even one that I dreamed of. In the same way that I've never dreamed of winning the lottery because it never seemed possible.
And now that it's here, that one of the most exciting playoff runs ever just fell into my lap, I almost feel guilty. I gave the Royals no suffering and they gave me intense joy. It almost doesn't seem fair. But you know what? I'll take it.
The previous game the Royals played I called one of the best games I've ever seen.
This one belongs in the conversation too.
It started with a inside-the-park home run. Would you believe that's the first time that's happened on a team's first at-bat in a World Series? It's true. (The 1903 Series featured a lead off inside the park one but it was in Game 2.)
It continued with a home run in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game.
And then became the longest World Series Game 1 ever and ended in redemption for Hosmer who's error gave the Mets the lead in the 8th.
Not to mention, the national TV feed went out and the Royals' starting pitcher was pitching without knowing his father had died. Will Leitch goes into more detail.
One thing that I think has been overlooked is Perez throwing out Wright in the top of the 9th. With one out, a runner in scoring position could have easily turned into a 5-3 lead, rendering a home run in the bottom of the 9th moot. Good thing for replay.
The Royals have won more postseason series in the last 13 months, than they did in the entire previous history of the team. Now just need to win one more.
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The best baseball games I've ever seen?
The 2004 ALCS was pretty amazing, especially game 4. Even better than that, was the Cardinals-Rangers Game 6 where the Rangers got to one strike away from winning it all.
Last year, the 2014 AL Wild Card Game. The Royals were down 7-3 in the 8th inning. No team in baseball history had come back from a deficit that big, that late, in the postseason. They managed to get to 7-6 in the eighth. In the bottom on the 9th, a single leads to Dyson pinch running on first. The bunt him over to 2nd. And then he steals 3rd. If he gets thrown out, that's pretty much the ball game. He gets up and does this:
I mean look at that. His team is losing in the bottom of the 9th in an elimination game. But he knows he's going to score. A sacrifice scores him and we go to extras. In the 12th, with two outs, the Royals steal another 2nd base, and Perez pulls one down the line to score the runner. That win almost doesn't happen, but it breaks into sweeps of the next two series and a World Series Game 7.
This year in the ALDS, the Royals found themselves down 6-2 in the 8th. The only team to come back from a deficit that big, that late was the 2014 Royals. But they did it again, winning 9-6, forcing a Game 5 they would also win.
Which brings us to yesterday. So in case you missed it, here's what happened last night in Kansas City.
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This game featured two strong pitching performances. In the 2nd, Moustakas hit a home run to make it 2-0. Or did he? A Royals fan leaned over and caught it. After a review, they leave it as a home run, but it could have gone either way.
In the top of the 4th, Bautista homers to make it 2-1.
In the bottom of the 7th, with Moustakas on first, Perez hits a deep fly ball to left. I think it's going to go out. Or at least off the wall for an extra base hit. Somehow, Revere catches it, jumping into a chain link fence and scraping his arm. The relay throw almost catches Moustakas out back at first, but the first baseman drops it. That would prove costly as Moustakas would score from 2nd base later in the inning.
It's the top of the 8th and the Royals are up 3-1. We have a report that rain could start falling in the next 20 minutes. Herrera has already pitched 1 and 2/3. Ned Yost could leave in Herrera, who might be at his limit. He could bring in his best guy, Wade Davis and ask him to get six outs. But with the rain on the way, he could get 3 in the 8th and not be available in the 9th. Or he could bring in Madson and try and get him through the inning Davis can come in after the rain delay. Which is what he does. He allows a single and then gets a strikeout. So things are okay. Except that Bautista is up and the one thing you don't want is to let him tie the game on a home run. And that's what happens. Madson walks one more and here comes Davis. He gets an out but throws a wild pitch and then gets behind in the count 2-0 to Tulowitzki. A hit here gives the Blue Jays the lead. He works to a full count and then strikes him out.
And then we get a rain delay. So it's 3-3. And for 45 minutes the crowd is getting rained on and depressed about losing a 3-1 lead so close to eliminating Toronto. No one knows is Davis will be able to go out in the 9th or be effective if he does. It's a long 45 minutes in Kansas City.
To lead off the bottom of the 8th, it's Lorenzo Cain. He works to a 3-1 count. Fouls one off. Fouls off another. And then takes a pitch. Ball four, take your base. Next batter: Hosmer. On a 2-2 he hits a beauty to deep right. Bautista fields it, spins in the corner and throws it to the cut-off man, who's near 2nd base. Hosmer has to stop and retreat to first base. In my kitchen, I'm jumping up and down, waving my right arm in a big circle, telling Cain to come home. He reads my sign perfectly (as well as the actual 3rd base coach) and rounds 3rd. The cut-off man throws it home. Play at the plate...and Cain scores. From first to home on a single. Royals up 4-3. The inning ends with a Perez double play.
And we go to the 9th. It's been an hour since Wade Davis has last pitched. He takes the mound. And gives up a first pitch single. The Royals are playing bunt, but in doing so, allow the runner to steal second without a throw. Seems like a poor choice as a steal is more damaging than a bunt. And then a few pitches latter, same batter, the runner steals third without a throw. So now even a sac fly ties the game. But Davis walks the 2nd batter and now there's two on. I mean, at this point, who knows if Davis has anything left after the rain delay. If he gives up a 3-run homer here it's bad news bears.
So what does Davis do? Strikes him out for the first out. But the runner on first steals second. So now there's two guys in scoring position with only one out. A sac fly ties the game, a base hit takes the lead.
Revere at the plate. With a 2-1 count, Davis throws one outside but gets the call. Revere can't believe it. On 2-2, he strikes out. Two down. Revere attacks a trash can in the dug out.
Donaldson comes up. Bautista is on deck. With two outs, there's no sacrifices. It's either a hit to take the lead or an out to go home. And here's the pitch. "Left side, Moustakas....Royals win the pennant!"
Back to Back World Series appearances. Holy crap. Here's a list of teams who've done that before. It's a long list, but a good one to be on.
Super bizarre to make notes for myself in October:
Chiefs at 11am
Royals at 2:10pm
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Also, all the sports are going on. College football, NFL, NHL, MLB playoffs, even international soccer as I type this. Basketball starts in a month. Good sports times.
Thursday, October 08, 2015
Royals playoff opener and Avs season opener tonight. Holy crap.
Monday, June 15, 2015
We're nearing the All-Star Break and the teams with the best records in each league are the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals?
I-70 World Series? I-70 World Series!
(Also, the idea that the Royals, the freaking Royals, could break the record for most starters in an All-Star Game hurts my head more than anything.)
Thursday, April 09, 2015
Rockies and Royals are both 3-0.
Book your World Series tickets now.
The Chiefs have won all 5 games since last time and are now 7-3, same as the Broncos. They should make the playoffs and if they can beat the Broncos on November 30th, have a shot of taking the division.
The Avs are 25th in the NHL. They are 12th in the West. The seasons's basically 1/4 over. There's certainly time to turn it around. I'm going to the Hurricanes game Saturday (my birthday). I don't have a ton of faith. They have the roster and the coaching...but they just haven't been playing well enough.
Illinois Basketball is kicking off. Scored 114 points, more than they ever scored during the great teams we saw from 2001-05. Key games against Miami, Villanova, Oregon and Missouri highlight the non-conference schedule.
Illinois Football doesn't warrant mention.
Tasty Salted Pig Parts is going to the playoffs for the first time in the 6-year history of Burnsy Sucks. Law of averages says that I would have made it twice in 6 years. Maybe I'll get the #1 seed. I like my team. We'll see.
Super Bowl Choke Job is also going to the playoffs in the first year of the work league. I'll most likely be the #2 seed. 2-week playoffs in weeks 14/15 and 16/17. I feel better about my chances over 2 weeks. I've got Josh Gordon. I don't have Peterson.
I'm crushing it in Calcutta. Packers, Cardinals, Cowboys are all legit contenders in the NFC. Patriots and Chiefs are contenders in the AFC.
The only other update from last time...the Royals finished their season one base away. I want to write about their run at some point. It was fun while it lasted.
Saturday, Brit and I departed DIA for MCI. We landed in Kansas City around 5:30, left with a rental car (a Buick) by 5:44. We were at Arthur Bryant's shortly after 6pm.
I ordered the combo (2 meats). I picked brisket and burnt ends. I got fried and beans. And a large souvenir soda. The combo is 10.50, with everything it was about 20 bucks.
Just phenomenal. Really fucking good. Everything was perfect. Well the fries weren't my favorite (not crispy at all) but who cares. I would order the same thing every time. It took about 20 minutes to get through the line. As we left, the line was out the door.
Brit didn't get anything there, so next stop was the Plaza. The buildings were decorated and lit up for the Royals.
We got an outdoor table at the Cheesecake Factory. By the time we left the Royals were up 4-1. We headed downtown. It was surprisingly crowded. I figured the sports bars would be packed. But the streets were jammed. Lots were charging $20 for "Event Parking." That cracked me up. The event in question is a baseball game in California. Eventually we drove by this scene:
It's not my picture. Because I didn't get out of the car. There was nowhere to park and the line to get in seemed impossible. (Because who's going to leave?) So we headed toward the burbs, Overland Park. When we were downtown it was 4-4.
We walked into a sports bar in Overland Park. It was full but not exciting. The Royals were down 4-7. Tired, we just headed back to the hotel. Turned on the TV, and the Royals were down 11-4.
The next morning we hit Gates before going to Arrowhead.
I ordered something I've never had before. A double decker combo, two meats in one sandwich. I picked beef and pork. The woman behind the counter described it to somebody else, "21 slices of meat."
So fucking good. Gates and Arthur Bryant's really are the two best barbecue restaurants in Kansas City (and by extrapolation, probably the planet.)
Brit asked me which is better. My answer to her:
"Arthur Bryant's is probably a little better. But Gates tastes like home. If you could only have one meal, do you go with what's better or what tastes like home?"
Brit: "Probably home."
"Yeah."
But no reason to choose. Just go to both.
And then it's on to Arrowhead. The parking was a nightmare. They developed a new system and we were in the stadium complex 20 minutes before the game, but it took 40 minutes for them to route our car to a spot. Awful. I heard the Rams score from the car radio.
Eventually we got to our seats.
We're 28 rows up in the upper deck (of about 40) but right on the 50. They're actually really great seats. I didn't mind the height. And it's a great view. The first drive I got to watch, the Chiefs scored and tied it at 7-7.
With 7:46 left in the 2nd quarter, still a 7-7 game, Charles fumbled and the Rams took over at the Chiefs 8 yard line. This would be the turning point of the game.
1st and 2nd down resulted in 1 yard run. On 3rd and goal from the 6, Ron Parker sacked Austin Davis for a 14 yard loss. On 4th down, Zuerlein missed the 38-yard field goal.
That defensive stand allowed 0 points and even gained 20 yards of field position.
On the ensuing drive, the Chiefs hit a 53-yard field goal as the first half expired.
On the ensuing kickoff, Knile Davis returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.
The Chiefs tacked on 17 more points and the Rams never had a chance. In garbage time, the Rams got the red zone for the first time since the fumble, but were sacked on 3rd and 4th down. It was a complete domination. The touchdown return after halftime was the best part.
After the game it was back to the MCI, the saddest international airport in the world.
Truthfully, I think the the Royals will win games 3 and 4, lose to Bumgarner in 5, and then earn the hardware in front of the home crowd in game 6.
If they drop one of 3 or 4, and I could see a 3-2 Giants victory off some big Sandoval hits, it doesn't concern me. Because then you'd get a game 7.
I think the Giants only hope is to take care of business in San Francisco.
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Two nights ago, I saw something I've never seen before. The Royals lost a playoff game.
Last night, I saw something I've never seen before and never thought I would ever see. The Royals won a World Series game.
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Thursday, October 16, 2014
On October 25, I'll be landing in Kansas City at 5:41pm Central Time.
On October 25, the Kansas City Royals will be playing Game 4 of the World Series, in San Francisco, at 7:07pm Central Time.
For what it's worth, Game 5 (if necessary) begins at 6:07 Mountain Time. I'm supposed to land at 7:10 Mountain Time. By the time I get home and put the kids to bed the game could be over, or in the late innings.
Of course, none of that matters if the Royals sweep the Giants and the only 24 hours that I'm in Kansas City this year (and the first time since 2011) coincides with the city's first major championship since 1985.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
In my serious fandom, the Chiefs are 0-4 in the playoffs. The Royals are 6-0.
I've never seen the Chiefs win one, I've never seen the Royals lose one.
Edit: Make that 7-0. 10-game playoff streak dating back to '85. Holy shit.
The Chiefs are 2-3. They're a middle of the pack NFL team and will finish behind the Chargers and Broncos. But nothing that happens this season can take away the incredible Monday Night Football win over the Patriots. I'll be at the Chiefs-Rams game in two weeks which looks winnable. And despite being two games behind the Lions, if I know the Lions, the burger bet is still up for grabs.
The Avalanche are 1-2, getting their first goal of the season in their first win of the season. New Av Briere scored the GWG at with .5 seconds left in the game.
The Royals are up 2-0 in the ALCS, which just feels strange to type. In fact, it's possible that the Royals could win the World Series during the 24 hours we'll be in Kansas City (though it would be a sweep and it would be on the road). In three weeks, I won't be a Royals fan anymore. But man, this is fun.
Illinois Football is a dumpster fire. Beckman is a dead man walking. In Lunt and Bailey, we have two of the best quarterbacks in the conference, and we still can't win a game. This team is bad and will be bad for a while.
Illinois Basketball though, is on the rise. I've already predicted I expect this team to reach the Final Four in the next five years.
Tasty Salted Pig Parts is 6-0. I'm 5th out of 12th in points scored, but have a 3 game lead in my division. A 2-4 teams has scored more points than me. I drafted the best QB, but picked up the 3rd best TE and 4th best DST on the waiver wire. My most disappointing player is Lacy, my first round pick. But he was still a better pick than Peterson. A 1 vs 4 matchup with Mark is not out of the question.
Super Bowl Choke Job is 4-2. I'm currently 4th in standings, but 2nd in points scored. 4 teams make the playoffs, so I'm still sitting pretty. I have Gordon stashed, so I feel even better about my chances of making the Super Bowl in this league.
In Calcutta, I invested in the Packers and Patriots and they are both leading their divisions. Surprisingly, the Panthers, Cardinals and Cowboys are also leading their divisions and the Bills could make the playoffs as well.
To sum up, things are going quite well. Everything has some hope, except for Illinois Football.
After being miserable my entire life, the Royals are 5-0 in the playoffs. And 4 of the 5 games have gone to extra innings and been thoroughly entertaining. I thought the Royals blew their chance in the top of the 7th, and especially in the top of the 9th, only to get a three run lead in the top of the 10th, and still face the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 10th. These have been some of the best baseball games I've ever seen.
It's not a big exaggeration to say that the Royals have been in last place all my life. So to see this...it's hard to know what to make of it. It feels like the scene in Back to the Future II when the Cubs win the World Series. (Also, how great is it that the movie was made 30 years ago and it was a joke for the Cubs to win it all and they still haven't?)
I remember back in 2007, I found the blog Royals Review. They were getting over 100 comments per blog post when they were last in the division. Those fans are loyal to the point of insanity. I am not one of them.
But right now they are up 5-1 in the 3rd with their ace on the mound, with a 2-0 series lead over the best team in baseball. For those fans that were commenting back in 2007 on a hopeless team, I can only imagine what that feels like.
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It's kind of crazy that I have no memories of the Chiefs winning a playoff game, but now I've seen the Royals have one of the best comebacks to knock off the A's, and then two more road extra-inning wins over the Angels. Who knew the Royals would have been the better stock to get in on if you wanted to see Kansas City playoff victories.
