Another hearty welcome, KoK has another voice

If two heads are better than one, than what does that make three?

Here at Kings of Kauffman our goal is to find out the answer to that very question and to do so we needed a third voice in the mix.  Tonight I am very pleased to announce that we have found that voice and it belongs to Jon Twibell.  Like Michael, Jon answered my call for help and will be contributing at least one article every week.  The similarities don’t end there however as both of them attended college at the University of Kansas and both studied history while they were there.

While I may not be a Jayhawk, I am a Creighton Blue Jay and as they say, birds of a feather flock together.  Sorry I couldn’t resist …

It goes without saying that he is a talented writer in his own right since I’ve brought him on board, but in addition to that I think he brings a different style and perspective than Mike or myself bring to the table.  I am confident that you will come to the same conclusion and view him as an asset to the Kings of Kauffman team.  I am extremely thankful to have both Michael and Jon on board and look forward to the three of us taking this site to new heights.

I will now turn it over to Jon to tell you a little about himself in his own words.

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I will let you all in on a little secret. I’m a Royals fan. An avid Royals fan, in fact, and have been for as long as I can remember. But let’s be honest, here. There aren’t many bandwagon Royals fans left in Kansas City. They gave up years ago — and I doubt that many of them are reading this. So that leaves the die-hards like you and me.

My name is Jon Twibell and I am a native Kansas Citian. I grew up in a baseball family where my grandfather, my uncles, and my dad all played the game at very competitive levels. My grandfather was a catcher in the Yankees, Cubs, and Orioles organizations (he once caught Satchel Paige and Dizzy Dean in an All Star Game) and my father played collegiately at the University of Arizona until injuries finally forced him to give up the game. Summers were spent playing catch in the backyard with my dad, neighbors and friends and also playing competitively in the 3&2 League in south Kansas City. I tuned into the Royals whenever I could and trips to Kauffman Stadium were always a treat — even if we lost.

Like my new colleague, Michael Engel, I too, donned the Royals replica jersey, wristbands, and baseball pants as a youngster with hopes of one day playing professionally. Quite clearly, I did not win the genetic lottery, and have thus been relegated to slow pitch softball these days instead of living out my dream. But all is well. I now have the opportunity to write about my favorite sports franchise, for which I am incredibly excited.

More than anything else, it is my goal to provide thought-provoking and insightful analysis of the Royals in this upcoming season. While I am certainly no expert on the subject, I feel that I can add a valuable perspective to Kings of Kauffman through my time of playing and watching baseball. It is my hope that you all are able to walk away from my writing and feel that you have gained some worthwhile and beneficial information regarding the game of baseball.

While I’m sure that we won’t always be in agreement on the subject at hand, I welcome and encourage your feedback and comments.

I’m looking forward to the Royals 2010 campaign and the roller coaster ride of emotions that come along with it!

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Welcome aboard Jon!