Three Writers Join the Fray

It’s been a busy month of January and it’s only going to continue as the Royals approach spring training. Thankfully, I’ve found three more writers who want to lend their voice to the Royals discussion.

Learn about Ethan Bryan, Jordan McLaughlin and Marcus Meade below (in their own words):

Jordan McLaughlin (@JMcLaughlin_23 on Twitter):

First and foremost, I am very thankful for the opportunity to contribute to Kings of Kauffman. I’ve grown up in St. Joseph, Missouri all of my life, and I am a recent graduate of Truman St. University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. I have been an avid Royals, Chiefs, and Mizzou fan for as long as I can remember, but unfortunately that means I haven’t witnessed any championships in my 23 years. I’ve had the luxury of only living an hour away from Kansas City so I’ve been able to make a habit of going to several Royals and Chiefs games every year. I’m still very optimistic that one day I will be able to witness either a Royals World Series win or a Chiefs Super Bowl victory.  Before all of that, it would be nice just to see the Royals or Chiefs win a playoff game.

I grew up my whole life playing baseball and was fortunate enough to play in college. I was a shortstop and pitcher throughout high school, but decided to only pitch after a few semesters in college. I had some elbow trouble in my senior year and knew it was unlikely that my career would continue after college. However, I was still blessed to fulfill a childhood dream of playing college baseball so I couldn’t be too disappointed. Playing baseball also granted me one of the greatest experiences in my life as I played in the West Coast League, a semi-professional league, a few summers ago for a team based out of Walla Walla, Washington. With all this being said, I am very thankful for my opportunities and satisfied with my playing career as I have set a few records, played with and against some very talented young players, and traveled and played at some awesome places around the country.

I can’t begin to explain how excited I am about becoming a contributor at Kings of Kauffman. I can finally take my passion and knowledge of the game and convey it to readers who share the same love I do towards the game. It is my hope to witness and write about a moment this summer that will captivate me as much as Ken Harvey’s 11th inning walk-off home run against the Tigers did in 2003. As of right now, that has to be at the top of my list as one of my greatest moments at Kauffman Stadium, the other being Mike MacDougal making Barry Bonds look silly as he struck him out. I should mention Mike MacDougal is my favorite former Royals player, and I even went as far as using “Rock You Like a Hurricane” as my walkout in homage of Mac the 9^th. I have already been brainstorming many topics to post on, and my goal is to get baseball fans, and more specifically Royals fans, excited about the season. I’m looking forward to reading and responding to any comments my posts may generate and I hope to have some great discussions with the Kings of Kauffman Universe. Let the countdown begin to Opening Day!

Ethan Bryan (@Ethan_Bryan on Twitter):

The first thing one must know about Ethan Bryan is this: all of his hair fell out when he turned six years old.  Stemming from an immune system disorder known as Alopecia Areata, Ethan’s first hero was Gordon from Sesame Street, whom he met at Independence Center.  In the middle of the stress of being a bald kid, Ethan asked his dad, “Can I still play baseball if I don’t have any hair?”

His dad smiled, picked him up, and said, “Yes.”

The world was made right.  That same year, the Royals went to their first World Series.  Ethan’s parents witnessed the Royals first World Series victory.

Ethan started writing stories about baseball two years later, and has held fast to the dream of playing for the boys in blue.  He’s hoping to head to Fantasy Camp in 2013.  Ethan does hold a Masters in Theology from Baylor University, and he asks that you don’t hold that against him.

Marcus Meade (@MarcusMeade on Twitter):

I’m 26 years old. I’m originally from Kansas City though I grew up in a small town 100 miles north of KC called Maryville. I have an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Northwest Missouri State University, minor in History. While there, I won a few awards as an Assistant Sports Editor and Sports Editor of theNorthwest Missourian. I worked briefly as a sports journalist for the Lawrence Journal-World, doing a lot of convergent media and feature pieces, and also wrote freelance for the St. Joseph News-Press. Instead of pursuing a journalism career, I did what seems to be all the rage now-a-days and went to graduate school where I earned a M.A. in English with an emphasis in literary studies. To keep my momentum going, I decided to pursue a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric. Currently, I’m in my first year of PhD study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where I also teach in the English Department.

But more important than probably all those things, I’m a HUGE baseball fan, and a HUGE Royals fan (not a blind believer, but a fan).

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