Archive for March, 2011

It was a good day to be a new Royal on Thursday, if nothing else. Despite losing the season opener, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur and rookies Aaron Crow, Nate Adcock and Tim Collins all performed well. The old guard, however, was up to their usual tricks.

What a game, huh? I watched Opening Day. Had I been in Kansas City, I would’ve gone. However, I had to settle for MLB.tv, which is fine for me. I love Opening Day. It creates so many hopes while squashing so many others. It’s a truly decisive day for no other reason than it’s the first game of the year. Based on the fact that so many base so much on this initial game, though, I started thinking about judging the whole season through the eyes of this one game. So, what would the 2011 season be like if it [...]

So this is the first ever attempt at KoK for a live game blog. There’s sure to be some hiccups along the way as we, well I, figure out what the heck it is I’m doing here in order to make this as reader friendly as possible. Be patient. We’re working on learning some software to use for this – software to be completely honest I have no idea how to you – but for now we’ll just roll with the normal blog style that I’ll update with quick thoughts or reactions from the game. Or, in case Gubicza says [...]

A friend sent me a message shortly after the Royals announced that Luke Hochevar would be their opening day starter.  He asked “How’s it feel to have your opening day starter carrying a 5.00 ERA?”  Rather than correct him – that Hochevar has, in fact, a 5.60 ERA – I answered “better than a guy with a 6.00 ERA?” My thoughts on Hochevar as the opening day starter boil down to this – he can’t be all that bad.  He’s not Runelvys Hernandez, at least. And no, he’s not that bad.  Except that, yes, he IS that bad.  Historically speaking, [...]

Yeah, we’re a little excited for the start of baseball season. The Royals are, as of now, tied for first place.  Bask in it. Kevin Scobee will be undertaking the task, providing updates and commentary throughout the game.  So if you’re stuck at work (with a loose internet usage policy) or otherwise unable to watch the game, Kevin will keep you company the whole time. Check in close to game time and Kevin will get things kicked off. It should be fun, and a chance for you to chip in comments as the game goes along.  It’s been a long, [...]

Hallelujah! In honor of this momentous occasion, I surfed over to the always awesome Baseball Reference and explored the history of Royals Opening Days. In a first for me, I’ve put together a cheap, rough infographic relaying some of the details this examination uncovered. I only hope that it broadens your knowledge of Royals history.

By now, you’re sick of the predictions (guesses) of when (or if) Alex Gordon will finally realize his potential and start becoming the franchise hitter the Royals expected when drafting him second overall in 2005.  It wasn’t intentional to make this Alex Gordon and relief pitcher month, but that’s kind of how it’s shaken out for the Royals this spring. We’ve written at length about Gordon – about his demotion to Omaha, a letter of unwavering devotion, simulated challenges, you name it – and I think I’m among the more patient with his development or lack thereof. I’ve said it [...]

“What?” you might ask.  Why does a kid who’s been among the league leaders in base hits need to change?  Butler could hit .300 every year for the next 15 years if he wanted to (or at least I think so).  Why does a kid like that need to change? He doesn’t, really.  He’s been a fine performer since making it up full time with the Royals.  Among players under age 26, he ranks fifth in the majors in OPS (behind Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, Evan Longoria and Colby Rasmus).  He was tied for third in the AL in base [...]

At the conclusion of today’s final spring training game, the Royals announced their 25-man roster to open the season. There were a few surprises, though not big ones.  The Royals open camp with four rookie relief pitchers:  Tim Collins, Aaron Crow, Jeremy Jeffress and Rule 5 selection Nate Adcock.  When Robert Fish was sent back to the Angels, it left Collins as the lone lefty reliever in camp while Crow’s promotion has been debated as a good move or not.  It seems split between those who see him as a starter and think he should open up in the rotation [...]

The Royals swapped A-level minor league affiliates this past offseason, letting the Burlington Bees go in favor of adding the Kane County Cougars. The Cougars’ Elfstrom Stadium sits in the western suburbs of Chicago, making it a great place to attract fans and a fun place to visit for Royals fans. I have a friend that lives in nearby St. Charles and can vouch for that fact that the local folks love and support the team to no end. It’ll be a great place for Royals prospects to play. If you remember back to November, I posted a Q&A with [...]

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance today named writer Joe Posnanski the winner of the inaugural Writer of the Year Award, honoring the top internet writer.  Posnanski, who writes for the print version of Sports Illustrated as well as maintaining his own blog and Twitter account, was the overwhelming selection from the BBA membership. The Writer of the Year Award was created by the BBA to honor those writers who, beyond being exceptionally great at their craft, have taken to the internet in a full and vigorous fashion.  Voters were instructed to take into account not only the writing abilities of the [...]

A trip to spring training has never really been on my to-do list, because living in Kansas City never necessitated spending money on a flight, hotel, food and tickets to enjoy what is usually a lackluster bunch of misfits trying to play baseball. Since moving to Southern California, though, a trip to Arizona fell into the “why not” category because it wasn’t like it was going to break the bank. And for the first time in my baseball fandom, there’s some real tangible talent to be excited about on the Royals roster. That, and, the tickets were purchased for me. [...]