Giving Thanks

It’s that time of year again. It’s the time when we all need to stop our busy lives for at least a few minutes to think about what’s made us happy and what we’re thankful for in our lives. I’m going to do it one day early, but I’m going to do it nonetheless. The catch is that this version is all about the Royals and baseball in general. I’d love to hear what you’re thankful for in the comments after the post.

I think that we as Royals fans have had a good year to reflect on. I know we’re getting caught up in the hustle and excitement of the offseason and all the deals that come with that. Still, it’s nice to take a chance to look back and see why we’re where we are.

I’m thankful that the Royals brass have been able to form a great farm system full of talent. I can’t imagine what it would be like if they had continued on as they did in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. It would be pretty depressing at this point. Some of us wouldn’t even be following the team very closely. But having that young talent has provided some hope for the future of the franchise. Seeing it start to reach the majors is just the latest in a string of encouraging checkpoints for this organization.

I’m thankful for the chances that the Royals are now willing to give. They aren’t just tossing players to the side and at least handing out some chances to show what the players can actually do. And they’re willing to wait and keep working with guys that might need a little adjustment, like Alex Gordon. Seeing him get his time in the sun has been exciting and relieving, and I’m glad we finally got to see what Alex is truly capable of out there.

I’m thankful that I’m starting to trust Dayton Moore and the front office. I knew it would take some work to get there (and there’s still a bit of work to be done), but he’s gaining my trust with recent moves and decisions. By that I mean picking certain players to start the year, waiting until the right time to promote players, giving players their due, and being more forthcoming with the fanbase, at least to a certain extent. They, as an operation, seem to be realizing that the fans are intricately important to their future successes. With that in mind, they’re making some decisions that make us feel more attached to the organization and team (except for the Fan Fest decision), which makes me think they’ll continue to open up in future seasons.

And now for some quick hits. I’m thankful for:

– Eric Hosmer
– Mike Moustakas
– Bruce Chen
– Greg Holland and the young relievers
– Alex Gordon
– Jeff Francoeur‘s winning smile
– The minor league teams
– Frank White
– No Sluggerrr hot dog incidents
– The K

As for baseball, I won’t go too deep about any one thing, but I’m thankful that the CBA was finalized and that we can avoid being as ridiculous as those other leagues. There are some changes in it that I’m very thankful for and some that I’m not, but I’m just glad it went through. I’m thankful that Bud Selig will be retiring soon, but not thankful that he seems intent on making every unnecessary change he can before that time. I’m thankful that baseball can give us an exciting season, end-of-season, and postseason while some sports can’t even give their fans games.

Mostly, I’m just thankful for baseball.

Well, that and for my readers, wherever you might be. Thanks for coming to Kings of Kauffman. We’re glad we have you.

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