All of us at Kings of Kauffman appreciate your readership and we’re glad to have you stop by and read our work. But what if our Royals coverage isn’t enough for your sports blogging appetite? Maybe you’re a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs or the Kansas State Wildcats or the Oklahoma City Thunder or …

The point is, at FanSided, we have an option for nearly any team you’re looking for. And to help deliver that news and information to you, the FanSided Network has set up a free email subscription service that you can take advantage of.

FanSided Daily brings you the hottest sports content on your favorite teams.

The concept is simple. Subscribe to your favorite college and pro teams and then sit back while FanSided’s army of editors hand-pick the previous day’s best headlines and deliver them straight to your inbox every morning. Your teams. Your news. Your inbox. FanSided Daily. Sign up now!

You’re only going to get one email a day if you sign up (so you won’t overload your inbox), but it’s going to be loaded with headlines from any team or topic you like.

Some suggestions:

• Arrowhead Addict – For Chiefs fans.
• KC Kingdom – Covering all Kansas City area sports, from the Royals to the Chiefs to Sporting KC to even the UMKC Roos
• Through the Phog – Covering the Kansas Jayhawks
• Jug of Snyder – For the K-State fan
• Seedlings to Stars – FanSided’s minor league and prospect-centric site
• Call to the Pen – All things MLB
• Thunderous Intentions – If Kansas City can’t get an NBA team, OKC is the next closest option…

But even if you just want to read about Wil Myers even though he’s with the Rays now, you can enter his name in the Topics field and any content about Myers will hit your inbox as well. It’s customizable, so plug in whatever you’re looking for.

Sign up here today.

He grew up in Kansas City within yards of Municipal Stadium, then helped build the stadium that would replace it and later, helped fill the stadium with fans, awards and accolades.

One Man’s Dream by Frank White (with Bill Althaus) from Ascend Books

In his new memoir (written with Bill Althaus) One Man’s Dream: My Town, My Team, My Time, he covers the same elements that most athlete autobiographies cover: the early days of playing ball, the first break, learning the game and clubhouse conversations. What makes White’s story more involved than that is his recent split with the club. In a much-discussed breakup, White’s contract with FSKC to broadcast Royals TV games was not reviewed after 2011.

That split comes up multiple times – the wound is still fresh – and at times, White describes it as hurtful or refers to the Royals as dysfunctional. Reading the accounts of his last year as a player and the Royals handling of that, followed by the revolving door at manager that he never got much of a chance at (at one point, he says, the Royals refused him an interview, then asked him to help with Tony Pena‘s), and then the broadcast dismissal. It’s easy to be sympathetic, though Frank’s side is the only side you get from this book. It’s an unfortunate circumstance. I think the Royals should have handled it all better, but there comes a point in the book where it’s just too frequent a topic – it dominates much of the last third of it.

But up to that point, there’s a lot of interesting insight, including some detailed accounts of his tryout for the Royals Academy, including the factors that almost led to his missing out on the opportunity at all. First, he was older than most of the players trying out, and, further, was married to his first wife, Gladys and the Royals weren’t looking for married players.

Then I heard something that broke my heart; they weren’t going to take any married players … So, when I left, I thought that was it. It was back to the plating company and my baseball days were coming to an end.

Also in the way was getting to the tryout at all, but his boss gave him the time off to try out. Once he made the Academy and was tabbed as one of the potential players, there was still resistance to him in the game, as many didn’t support the experiment. Obviously, it didn’t matter, as White made it to the big leagues.

His accounts of individual seasons are what you’d expect. There’s a lot of discussion about the Royals battles with the Yankees in the late ’70s and he talks at length about the 1980 and 1985 World Series. He shares his thoughts on players he’s played with and against, philosophies on the game and how he prepared. It’s the typical athlete memoir.

When it comes to more controversial topics, White didn’t get too involved. The 1983 cocaine bust of four Royals gets parts of two pages, and there’s not much more devoted to the 1981 player’s strike. He’s here to tell a story, not to rock the boat or call anybody out (other than Dan Glass).

Most athletic memoirs are written with the aid of another writer, and this book is no exception. Long-time friend Bill Althaus was a part of the project, though there’s no indication about how the book came together. There are parts where the tale jumps chronologically within a chapter, especially as it tells about White’s younger years before the academy. There are interviews from former teammates and family friends, and I’m sure much was written verbatim as White told his story, lending a conversational tone.

There’s nothing transformative about the book. It’s not Jim Bouton‘s Ball Four or a tell-all like Jose Canseco‘s memoirs, but for a Royals fan or baseball fan in Kansas City, there’s enough to take away from it. If you haven’t heard enough of the FSKC controversy, you’ll enjoy the whole book. Otherwise, you can skip a couple of the final chapters (but be sure to stop to read about the All-Star week events and his time with the T-Bones). When a player is involved with an organization for as long as White was with the Royals, it’s not surprising to see such an end feature heavily in a project like this, but it doesn’t ruin the reading experience (but again, skim those parts if you’ve heard enough about it.)

Disclaimer: The copy reviewed was purchased for my personal collection. Neither of the authors nor the publisher requested a review – just sharing as a fan.

Connie Mack Award (Manager of the Year, awarded October 15)

• Bob Melvin (Oakland Athletics)
• Buck Showalter (Baltimore Orioles)
• Joe Maddon (Tampa Bay Rays)

Willie Mays Award (Rookie of the Year, awarded October 16)

• Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
• Yoenis Cespedes (Oakland Athletics)
• Tommy Milone (Oakland Athletics)

Goose Gossage Award (Top Relief Pitcher, awarded October 17)

• Fernando Rodney (Tampa Bay Rays)
• Ryan Cook (Oakland Athletics)
• Jim Johnson (Baltimore Orioles)

Walter Johnson Award (Pitcher of the Year, awarded October 18)

• Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers)
• David Price (Tampa Bay Rays)
• Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners)

Stan Musial Award (Most Valuable Player, awarded October 19)

• Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels)
• Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers)
• Robinson Cano (New York Yankees)

The former Royals first baseman and a standout in the 1980 World Series looked poised for success until addiction became his downfall.

Author Gregory Jordan has published an account of Aikens’s journey through the peaks and valleys of his life before, during and after his time in prison with unflinching honesty. Aikens told his story of addiction, freedom and redemption, warts and all.

Kings of Kauffman has three copies to give to our loyal readers.

If you want to get yourself a copy, it’s very simple to become eligible:

Tweet @KingsofKauffman or comment on our Facebook page with your choice of the winner and total number of home runs hit in the 2012 Home Run Derby on  July 9. In the event of a tie, the closest to the estimated longest home run hit (in feet) will determine a winner.

The deadline to submit your prediction is midnight central time Sunday night, July 8.

While you’re already there, how about a like on Facebook and a follow on Twitter? If you already follow @KingsofKauffman and like our Facebook page, great!

You can also listen to Aikens tell part of his story on the Royalman Report from January.

Jen Nevius, who has written about the Royals for Aerys Sports, will join Kings of Kauffman to help cover minor league updates with a particular focus on the Wilmington Blue Rocks. I’m looking forward to seeing her contributions to the blog and hope you are too.

I’ll let Jen tell you more about herself and background:

My love for baseball (or as some would say, obsession) started back in 1995 when my dad was given
tickets to a Wilmington Blue Rocks game as a gift. We went, loved it, and have been going to minor
league games ever since. Going to Blue Rocks games, I have seen Glendon Rusch strike out 17 (which
was a record), Mike Sweeney go from Wilmington to the big leagues, Jimmie Byington (one of my
favorite players) play all nine positions, Brian Sanches pitch a no-hitter, two All-Star games, and the Blue
Rocks win three Carolina League titles. I have also seen tons of players advance to the big league level
and move on to other things in life.

Being a Jersey girl, people always question my following of the Royals. I love watching the guys I saw
and/or met in Wilmington make it to the big leagues. I make it a point to see the Royals play at least
once a season in person (usually in Baltimore).

You can follow Jen on Twitter at @jennev8.

Date: May 1, 2012

Contact: Jeff Logan 913-961-0929

From the Kansas City Baseball Historical society and the minds behind The Royalman Report Podcast, we are excited to announce a new radio show on Kansas City’s ESPN 1510. The Kansas City Baseball Vault will combine the old and the new of Kansas City Baseball. The show will run Thursday evenings from 6pm to 7pm.

“Just about anything can come out of the vault,” says Jeff Logan, the president of the KC Baseball Historical Society.  The show is expected to feature alumnus of the Kansas City Monarchs, Athletics, T-Bones and Royals as well as updates on the current state of Kansas City Baseball.

The show will be hosted by Logan, Chris Kamler, Troy Olsen, Michael Engel and Jeff Herr of the popular Royalman Report Podcast.  The RMR has been going strong for over a year and features weekly updates on the Royals as well as interviews with bloggers, players and front office personnel.  Their podcast has been featured on Fox 4, Sports Radio 810 as well as 610 Sports.

“This is really a dream come true,” said Troy Olsen, one of the founders of the Royalman Report. “When the KCBHS approached us with this opportunity, we jumped at the chance.”  Troy is a Royals “superfan” and the creator of the Royalman Report Podcast.

Michael Engel, the Senior Editor of the Royals blog KingsOfKauffman.com, said “What a tremendous opportunity to bring the past and present of Kansas City Baseball to the sports fan.  There are so many exciting stories that will come out of the vault.”

Jeff Herr, blogger for TheJeffReport.BlogSpot.com and 610 Sports, said “I can’t wait. We’ve had just a great time with the podcast, this is a logical extension and we’ll be able to tell some really great stories.”

The show will be hosted by Chris Kamler, producer of the Royalman Report, is a columnist for the Platte County Landmark and is best known as “Fake Ned” on Twitter.  “We’re going to have a great weekly baseball show.  This town has a rich baseball history and we’re going to tell as many of those stories as we can. And to work with the resources of Union Broadcasting is really a dream come true.”

The show gets its start on ESPN 1510 Thursdays at 6pm and starts May 10.

For more information contact:
Jeff Logan, Host and KC Baseball Historical Society President 913-961-0929
Chris Kamler, Host and Columnist for Platte County Landmark 816-237-8224
Troy Olsen, Host 816-550-8515

Twitter: @KCBaseballVault

Facebook: facebook.com/KansasCityBaseballVault

ABOUT THE KANSAS CITY BASEBALL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

www.kansascitybaseballhistoricalsociety.com

In the summer of 2008, approximately 25 former players for the Kansas City Athletics attended a Kansas City A’s Reunion, hosted by the Kansas City T-Bones baseball club. The weekend event drew a large number of people who had fond memories of the A’s. Many longtime A’s fans began to discuss the possibility of a Kansas City baseball society to honor all of the rich history of baseball in Kansas City. From the Kansas City Cowboys in the 1880’s to the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues, the Major League Kansas City A’s and the current Kansas City Royals. Thus, in the fall of 2008, the Kansas City Baseball Historical Society (KCBHS) was formed, and registered as a not-for-profit organization in the State of Missouri.

The mission of the KCBHS is to promote the exchange of baseball history to all fans of Kansas City baseball. This includes memberships to the association and future meetings and events that will allow members to discuss and relate their experiences and memories, and also to hear from current and former players. The KCBHS website is being developed to allow the posting of stories, photographs and exchange of information among baseball fans.

ABOUT THE ROYALMAN REPORT

www.royalmanreport.com

The Royalman Report is a Kansas City Royals-centered podcast recorded on Sunday nights from “The Mancave” near North Kansas City.  It is currently the only Royals-focused podcast recorded regularly. The podcast partners with the KingsOfKauffman.com website and is sposored by Kelly’s Westport Inn.

Irreverent, informational and just a little bit odd, the Royalman Report focuses not only on the current major league Royals, but also dives deep into the farm system.  They routinely feature scouts, national baseball writers, players and front office personnel as well as other famed baseball people talking about the state of the Royals.

Chris Kamler - @TheFakeNed – Host
Chris is known best to Royals fans as “Fake Ned”, a popular Royals parody account on Twitter.  He is a weekly columnist for the Platte County Landmark newspaper under the title “The Rambling Moron.” Chris keeps the show loose with funny commercials, off the wall topics and constant attempts to get Michael to smile. In addition to his weekly columns for the newspaper, he is also the editor of the website Rambling Morons at www.ramblingmorons.com.

Troy Olsen - @KCRoyalman – Host
Troy is best known for his costumed attendance at most Royals games as “KC Royalman” but has parlayed that into a local personality. Troy is an actor, blogger, podcaster and entertainer.

Michael Engel - @michaelengel – Host
Michael is the Senior Editor of the Kings of Kauffman website, a member of the Fansided network. The website is proud to have a diverse group of writers focusing on all aspects of the Royals organization. Michael is a two-time participant in the “Blog to the K” event by invitation of the Royals and has been a guest on 610 Sports and 810 Sports.. His writings can be found at KingsofKauffman.com.

Jeff Herr - @TheJeffReport – Host
Jeff has been a staff writer on Kings of Kauffman and was a finalist for 610 Sports “Big Gig” competition in 2011. He currently has his own blog about everything at http://the-jeff-report.blogspot.com and writes a weekly blog for 610 Sports.

ABOUT ESPN 1510

www.1510.com

In 1998, a small group of visionary entrepreneurs got together to start Union Broadcasting. Still after all these years, Union Broadcasting continues to be locally owned and operated.  We are proud of our roots and take pride in helping local, regional and national companies grow their business.

ESPN 1510 is home to such nationally syndicated shows as “Mike and Mike in the Morning,” the “Scott Van Pelt Show” and “The Dennis Miller Show” as well as other nationally syndicated ESPN programming.  They are also host to many local business programming including “Total Health” with Coach K and “The Outdoor Guys.”  The network is also home to many live national sporting events including Nebraska Football and NCAA Basketball.

To view this release in PDF format, click here.

At the same time, I was laid off from a job in retail management (oh so glamorous). Blindsided, I took all of March to decompress, polish my resume and get things in order before marching out to find new employment. With it being March – and spring training – I decided to indulge myself in all the Royals information I could find and built up a list on Google Reader with the intent of reading everything every day. One day, I saw a post by Wally Fish looking for contributors on Kings of Kauffman.

I’d lurked on some messageboards in the past, offering a comment here or there, but never really got involved. With newfound time on my hands, though, I thought it might be time to try something to keep me busy while I waited for the phone to ring.

If you’re at all interested in seeing my first ever post, you’re in luck. Somehow, I managed to offer up Kyle Farnsworth as a reasonable option for the fifth spot in the Royals rotation.

A lot has happened since then. We’ve grown to include multiple writers, been involved in a few blogging events, and kicked off a podcast.

March 27, 2010 was two years ago today and I wanted to offer my thanks to all of those who have hopped on Kings of Kauffman to read the thoughts of our merry band of bloggers. I really think fans of the Royals have to be the most devoted out there. To still have any energy to follow the club after so many losing seasons is testament to that. We won’t always agree (nor should we, really), but the goal is the same – to see our team do well and to cheer for some wins.

So, again, thanks for reading, and let’s get ready for what should be – injuries aside – a fun season of baseball.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed. 

You have a chance to win a pair of tickets to Kauffman Stadium for their April 13 opener against Cleveland and all it takes is a few moments on Facebook.

You can get to the TiqIQ Facebook page by this link.

Kings of Kauffman’s Facebook page is located here.

Rev up your crystal ball and make your guess at a Royals player’s batting average and give it a shot. Entries on the TiqIQ Facebook page should look like this:

Kings of Kauffman, Billy Butler, .415

The deadline for entry is 3 p.m. EST Friday, March 23^rd.  TiqIQ will indentify a winner and reward tickets between April 1^st and April 3^rd, just in time for Opening Day 2012! An official listing of rules can be found here.

If you’re looking for other games on the schedule, you can always check out the selection of Royals Tickets on TiqIQ.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

You probably notice something is different around Kings of Kauffman.

I’m really excited about what we’re calling FanSided 3.0 – a redesign of our Network’s blogs to bring more information to you in one shot. You’ll notice we have more headlines than before, condensed for easy browsing on the front page. We’re able to feature articles a bit differently while still allowing a steady stream of content to be available to you as readers.

And the really fun new feature is the Hub in the top right. There, we can share with you various links, quotes, Tweets, and videos that will spark your interest that happen to come from places other than Kings of Kauffman. It’s all right here if you’re looking for Royals information and commentary.

I hope you like the changes – for the most part, it’s not TOO drastic. If you see anything being “buggy” feel free to leave a comment and we can get the issue fixed.

Thanks for reading!

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

(more…)

My segment centered around this article dealing with checking sources and digging deeper into rumors.

The rest of the show would figure to be significantly cooler than my segment though, because, hey! – Johnny Giavotella! He talked about his recovery from hip surgery and being a spark plug in the Royals clubhouse.

The archived version of the show is here on the 810 WHB website and my segment starts around 17 minutes in or so. The entire show is great, though so start at the beginning and go to the end. Great thanks to Joel and Monty for having me on.

To hear Joel on the Royalman Report from last month, you can listen here.

Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

That’s not always a good thing, however.

There’s a ton of misinformation out there – either things that aren’t based on anything, things that are at best half-true, or items that are simply made up. A lot of baseball fans (on Twitter, Facebook or otherwise) are diligent about checking on things, but it’s so easy to hit the “retweet” button and keep the chain moving along, sending bad info along the way. As Mark Twain said “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.”

If you’re on Twitter (and you should be, it’s a ton of fun), you might have seen a couple of accounts stating that they are “insiders” and have “multiple front office sources”. Then they piece together headlines and speculation to “break” a big story and claim the credit. Most of the time, they go off of who knows what and their “reports” turn into nothing but air.

This is my tale of a little social experiment.

(more…)

I was born in August of 1986; 10 months after the Kansas City Royals won their last World Series title. In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that it was also the last time the Royals went the playoffs.

In the subsequent years, especially after my fandom began in earnest during the mid 1990’s, I grew to love what were largely terrible baseball teams. The Royals toiled for years without an owner. They low-balled draft picks, traded star players, and went on epic losing streaks. Former first baseman Jeff King literally quit on the team in 1999, apparently retiring from baseball the day after earning his MLB pension.

We could jump into more of the gory details, but why harp on the past? Besides, there were plenty of bright spots. My first in-game Royals memory is of Hammerin’ Bob Hamelin smacking a game-winning home run down the right field line (thanks to the internet, I now know this occurred in either April or July of 1994). I remember listening to the radio as Carlos Beltran hit home runs from each side of the plate during a game in 2000*. In the middle of his sophomore slump, it was a welcome sight. And who could forget the magical 9-0 start to the 2003 season?

*Quick tangent here. It’s incredible to me that I was listening to Royals games on the radio in the year 2000. Not by choice, but because there was no other recourse. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m almost certain that the Royals didn’t even televise half of their games in 2000. With no game on TV and limited success operating the family’s dial-up connection, the radio was my only option. Times have changed in a decade.

An eternal optimist, I was gung ho for the Chili Davis era, the Dos Carlos era, and yes, even the short-lived Juan Gonzalez era. When Mark Grudzielanek joined Kansas City in 2006, I thought his ability to turn the double play would make him a difference maker.

Of course, age and experience have a way of tempering expectations. The acquisition of Grudzielanek can only fool a guy into believing so many times. But a nucleus of Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Salvador Perez, and Mike Moustakas? I can’t help but buy into that.

On a personal note, I graduated from the University of Kansas in 2008 with a degree in English and a focus on creative writing. I eventually found work at a weekly community newspaper in Grandview, MO where I cover high school sports, go to school board meetings, write feature stories, and man the office.  I’m also a big Chiefs fan and an NBA enthusiast, but no team trumps the Royals.

Follow Paul on Twitter at @pthomp21.

Mike Vamosi (@TweetsByVamosi on Twitter)

Born and raised in Omaha, NE in the southwest suburb of Millard, I attended THE University of Nebraska at Kearney and graduated in May of 2008 with a degree in Sports Administration and Sports Communication minor. Following college I did internships at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their athletic media relations department. I’ve been a long suffering Royals fan having grown up going to Omaha Royals/Golden Spikes/Storm Chasers games both at Rosenblatt Stadium and now Werner Park. Living 180 miles from Kansas City meant that my dad and I go to several Omaha games a year. Being only two years old in 1985 I’m waiting for the payoff of being a Royals fan when they end the playoff drought that many of us have all been waiting for and seemingly every fan base other than the Expos/Nationals have enjoyed.

Alan Barrington (@Alan_Barrington on Twitter)

I was born in Lawrence, KS, and grew up in Kansas City during the Royals’ glory days, living there from 1964 – 1979 and again from 1997-2003.  I attended my first Royals game with my father and uncle on June 13, 1969 and watched the Royals lose to the Tigers 6-0.  On the bright side, I was able to purchase a hot dog and coke from a stadium vendor for 35 cents.  Inflation has impacted concession prices somewhat during the ensuing years since then.

Probably the most impactful evidence of my life-long Royals addiction would be the surreptitious bedtime act I engaged in every night during baseball season.  As a young man of 9-12 years old, I lived in a very strict household with an unreasonable early bedtime.  Every evening I was forced to brush my teeth and turn out the lights at 8:30 pm, long before the Royals game had ended.  My parents were unaware that I had a small transistor radio, about twice the size of a deck of cards, that I would slip under my pillow every night after they tucked me in.  Very, very quietly so no one else would hear, I would listen to Bud Blattner and Denny Mathews call the games.   The sound of Denny’s voice still brings back fond childhood memories every single time I hear him speak.

I now live in San Antonio, but I still rarely miss a Royals game.  I subscribe to the Extra Innings package on DirecTV, MLB.TV on my computer (as well as the Minor league package), and if I happen to be in my car while the games are on, I listen to them on XM radio.  I visited Spring Training in Surprise from 2005-2008, and I already have reservations to attend next March as well.  Last summer I drove to Rogers, AR to see Salvador Perez play before he was promoted to the majors, and I have the opportunity to attend additional games in San Antonio and Austin when the Naturals or the Storm Chasers come to town.

In this case, the voting bloggers of the Kansas City Chapter of the BBA agreed with FanSided writers and named Justin Verlander the best pitcher in the American League.

Jered Weaver of Los Angeles and James Shields of Tampa Bay tied for second in the voting, and others receiving votes included C.C. Sabathia, Jose Valverde and Doug Fister. Not a bad showing by the Tigers.

The final voting results will be announced October 20.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance – Kansas City Chapter

Ballpark Thinking | Twitter
Broken Bat Single | Twitter | Facebook
i70 Baseball | Twitter | Facebook
Kings of Kauffman | Twitter | Facebook
Royalscentricity | Twitter | Facebook
Royals Kingdom | Twitter | Facebook
Royals On Radio Etc. | Facebook

Michael Engel is the president of the KC Chapter of the BBA. You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed. 

Verlander had a 24-5 record with a 2.40 ERA in 251 innings. He allowed less than one baserunner per inning and added a no-hitter for good measure.

The Royals were particularly aware of Verlander’s dominance. He pitched 22.2 innings over three starts against Kansas City, compiling a 1.59 ERA in the process. He’s the heavy favorite for the Cy Young Award this year.

You can see the full voting results over on Call to the Pen:

Clipped from: calltothepen.com (share this clip)

Ron Washington, last year’s winner, was second in the KC BBA voting.  Jim Leyland finished third.

The BBA exists to foster increased discussion, communication and collaboration among baseball blogs.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance – Kansas City Chapter
Ballpark Thinking | Twitter
Broken Bat Single | Twitter | Facebook
i70 Baseball | Twitter | Facebook
Kings of Kauffman | Twitter | Facebook
Royalscentricity | Twitter | Facebook
Royals Kingdom | Twitter | Facebook
Royals On Radio Etc. | Facebook

Maddon was also named the AL Manager of the Year based on voting by the writers of the FanSided Network.

Michael Engel is the president of the KC Chapter of the BBA. You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed. 

If someone can take Kyle Farnsworth, Joel Peralta and Juan Cruz and head to the playoffs, well, he’s probably deserving.

For those interested…Ned Yost finished 9th in the voting, which was conducted by writers from all of FanSided’s MLB sites.  To check out the full final vote, Blaine Blontz at Call to the Pen has the full rundown at the link below:

Clipped from: calltothepen.com (share this clip)

Kelly's in Westport - official sponsor of the Royalman Report

Tomorrow night marks the final game of the 2011 Royals season.  There have been a lot of ups and downs, but the last three months have been very exciting to watch.

The Royalman Report, official podcast of Kings of Kauffman, will be broadcasting live from Kelly’s Westport Inn at 500 Westport Road in Kansas City, Missouri tomorrow night.  The show will start around 6 p.m. and carry on throughout the final game of the season.

Again that’s Wednesday, September 28 at 6 p.m.

For those interested, Kelly’s will have giveaways all night along with an extended happy hour that will last throughout the Royals game (21 and older, of course – listen responsibly).

It should be a lot of fun, and if you’re a regular reader of Kings of Kauffman or follow us on Twitter, it’d be great to see you out at Kelly’s.

Kelly’s at 500 Westport Road on Google Maps.

For updates on this event, follow all of us on Twitter:

• @michaelengel
• @KingsofKauffman
• @RoyalmanReport
• @KCRoyalman
• @fakenedyost
• @SOTWpodcast

Former Kings of Kauffman writer Jeff Herr (who is the current site editor at ThroughThePhog.com) is in the second round of semi-finalists and while he didn’t ask me to say so, I’m sure he’d appreciate your vote.

Watch the tryout below and vote for Jeff by clicking here.

You can follow Jeff on Twitter at @TheJeffReport as he ruminates on the Royals, KU Sports, the Chiefs and everything else.

Twitter is also a fine tool for starting discussion and finding like-minded individuals.  In the case of the Royals (and watching them), Twitter turns into a cross-country sports bar.

I wanted to extend an invitation to follow all of us on Kings of Kauffman (Ethan Evans hasn’t joined the revolution – yet) on Twitter by clicking the following links:

• Kings of Kauffman: @KingsofKauffman
• Wally Fish: @thebaseballfish
• Gage Matthews: @MinnesotaRoyal
• Kevin Scobee: @scobes15
• Ryan Wood: @AreDoubleYou14
• Mitch Hall: @frontofficecig
• Brett Christie: @Brett_Christie
• Michael Engel: @michaelengel
• Troy Olsen (host of the Royalman Report): @KCRoyalman
• The Royalman Report: @RoyalmanReport
• The Fansided Network: @fansided

While my mobile phone isn’t the best at maneuvering around WordPress to make a good posting, I’m never far away from Kings of Kauffman, and now, the mobile site has been reconfigured to look cleaner, more sleek. If you’re on a phone now, you should be seeing it now, with compressed articles, listed by title, so as to squeeze in as much past content on one page as we can manage.

If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should next time you’re on a bus, or the subway, or avoiding co-workers in the break room.  Just pop open your web browser and find Kings of Kauffman.  You should probably bookmark it, really.

You can also catch us on the go through our mobile app, good for Apple and Droid phones.

As is tradition around here, I’m going to let him tell you what he’s about:

Hi all, my name is Brett Christie and I am a recent journalism graduate of the University of Missouri. I am now a  sports editor/writer for the Christian County Headliner in Ozark, Mo. and I currently reside in nearby Springfield.

I am from Saint Joseph, Mo. and spent the first 18 years of my life there. With the close proximity to Kansas City, naturally I grew up a fan of both the Royals and Chiefs. I had plenty of options to choose from, as does any young fan, but to me there is something special about rooting for the hometown team and I suppose I am just a sucker for optimism.

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And after the season, there’s the winter meetings and all the craziness included in that.

Staff Writer Jeff Herr has been promoted to site editor of the newly-rebranded ThroughThePhog.com to cover Kansas Jayhawks sports on the FanSided Network.  Everyone here at Kings of Kauffman would like to congratulate Jeff on this move, but it also means he’ll be leaving our hallowed halls.

For the right dedicated Royals fan (who can turn a phrase or two) his move can be to your advantage, as I’m currently looking for someone to keep our lineup fully loaded.

If you’re interested in becoming a contributor on Kings of Kauffman (proud member of the FanSided Network), here’s what to do:

• Write a 500-1500 word article about the Royals.  This can be about any topic you choose but it should represent your best work and be fully edited.  Writing is one part ideas and one part presentation, and both carry a lot of weight.
• I cannot stress this enough – your work should be fully proofread and edited.  Nobody’s perfect, myself included – but you should take the time to read, re-read and perhaps have a picky friend read your submission before sending it.
• Email your article (in pdf format or at least cut and pasted into the body of an email) to myself at KingsOfKauffman@gmail.com.  Please put “Kings of Kauffman Contributor Article” in the subject line.  I’ll review the sample articles before passing the best on to the Fansided MLB Leadership Council.
• This should be obvious, but there shouldn’t be any profanity.  A “hell”, a “damn” – no problem. If they can say it on the radio, you can say it here. Strong opinions are necessary, but please be classy with them.

As a contributor on Kings of Kauffman, you’d be expected to post one (1) article a week, but would have the option open to post more if you chose to do so.  Focus on prospects, stats, news updates – whatever you like.

We’re an easy going bunch and you get to share your well-though ideas with a wide reading audience of passionate Royals fans.  Can’t beat it!

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us onTwitter,Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed

Kings of Kauffman is a proud member of the Baseball Blogger’s Alliance – a website founded to foster community among baseball blogs.  One of the activities we do every year is formally announce an All-Star lineup, compiled from votes by all blogs within the BBA.

This is that ballot for Kings of Kauffman.  Instead of a full roster, top to bottom, we’ll submit a starting American League lineup as our vote.  My rationale behind the choices wasn’t based much on deep regression models and variable ratios or other big mathematical figures.

I just looked at who’s been the best at each position:

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The winning readers are:

• Shane England
• Nick Amey
• Matthew McLaughlin
• Tyson Beshore
• Zachary Dinges

Congratulations!

Their “Fathers and Baseball” Stories are below:

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Editor’s note: The deadline to enter this contest was 11:59 pm CST on Sunday June 19.  The deadline has passed, but thank you to all who submitted entries.  Meanwhile, the articles and pages linked in the questions are fantastic reads while you’re here!

Baseball is,traditionally, a game of fathers and sons.  They teach us how to swing, how to throw, how to get in front of the ball, how to get under a pop up.  They coach our little league teams, watch our high school games.  They remind us to keep our back shoulder up, keep our eye on the ball, to wait for the good ones.

My introductory post on Kings of Kauffman, I mentioned how I learned the game like so many others had – I asked my dad.  I wondered what the “R H E” meant on the TV screen while my dad was watching a game and he explained it to me.  I was five.

A couple of years later, I started summer rec leagues, got a Nintendo and found baseball video games, collected baseball cards and learned to keep score like a proper red-blooded American male should.

My dad’s favorite player when he was growing up was Willie Mays.  Mine was George Brett, in part because the Royals were the only team within ten hours of my hometown, and because my dad told me he played harder than anyone else.  And that game he was watching when I asked him about the scoreboard?  It was during the 1985 World Series.

It’s fitting, then, that we get to host a very special Father’s Day promotion on Kings of Kauffman.

A & E Home Entertainment has offered FIVE (5) free box sets of the 1985 World Series to our readers!

Want one?  Read on to find out how to add this fantastic piece of Royals history to your collection:

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I wish I had a Splittorff story.  By all accounts, he was a class act and a great baseball ambassador for Kansas City, where he spent his entire career.

The closest I came to meeting him – really MEETING him – was when I was eight years old.  Maybe you’ve been to your local mall or hotel lobby for a Royals Caravan in the winter.  One night, my uncle, a lifelong baseball fan, came by our house and told me we had to go see some Royals players.

I grew up in Hays, Kansas, which, if you’re not familiar with Kansas or western Kansas specifically, is about four hours west of Kansas City.  This being November or so, I couldn’t think of a reason for the Royals be anywhere near town.  On the way, my uncle explained the caravan and why they did it and who we might see.

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If you want to help, the Red Cross is the best place to go.  In the Missouri and Kansas area, there are various assistance drives for toiletries, supplies, canned goods and clothes.

To support the tornado relief effort text REDCROSS to 90999 (to donate $10) or visit redcross.org.

Doctors and nurses needed desperately in Joplin MO. All area DRs and nurses asked to call theRed Cross at 417-832-9500.

Outside AGENCIES should contact 417-623-7408 for information on how to help in Joplin MO (NOT FOR PERSONAL CALLS!)

Further, if you have loved ones in the Joplin area and have yet to hear from them or want to check on others (remember, it’s not just Joplin affected by this weekend’s storms, and similar tragedies struck Alabama earlier in storm season), you can look on the Red Cross Safe and Well registration: HERE.

I was fortunate enough to be selected for the event which included access to the pre-game media session, on-field interviews, the post-game session and a peek at the press box (we were situated in the Joe Burke Promotional Suite which is just outside the press box itself).

Back in January, I took part in the Royals first venture into the internet world at FanFest.  I think that gives me a unique perspective to the others who joined me on Tuesday.  Whereas the first event was more of an isolated situation – we were in a conference room with an interview subject and Mike Swanson, VP of communications and broadcasting and David Holtzman, director of media relations – this night had us in the mix with Bob Dutton, Dick Kaegel, Nate Bukaty and other mainstream reporters.

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Whatever the case may be with the 2011 Royals, we know this for sure: Don’t mess with a good thing. The Royals seem to be following these guidelines strictly.

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As always, I don’t want to put words in his mouth about who he is, so here’s his chance to share bit about his path of Royals fandom:

I have lived in Kansas City my entire life. I consider myself a helpless and tragic Royals victim. Born in 1986, I have heard about the glory days but I’ve witnessed nothing but the dog days. I have been to more than one hundred Royals games in my life and oddly enough, I’d say they have been in the victor in eighty percent of them. So with that said, life, as a Royals fan could at least be a little worse.

My top five favorite Royals players of all time might surprise some people. In all honesty it wouldn’t include George Brett. That’s really no different than me saying my favorite player of all time is Babe Ruth, and since I haven’t seem both of them truly play in front of my eyes, I think it’s a little tacky to just jump on the band wagon. This is more of a list of players that I grew up watching that truly made me fall in love with the Royals.

1.) Tom Goodwin-the most electrifying base runner I have seen in Kauffman stadium. The man could fat out fly and it was so exciting watching him stretch a single into a double.

2.) Mike Macfarlane- He was a very dependable catcher. I always thought his batting stance was cool, and he handled the pitching staff very well.

3.) Gary Gaetti- Need I say more?

4.) Johnny Damon- Blue collar and hard nosed. A tremendous asset to any team. Knew how to get on base and score.

5.) Mike Sweeney- The face of the Royals since Brett.

Losing season after losing season, I find myself still a Royals fan. Whatever that means, we’ll never know. In my mind there is a lot to be said for anyone who is so passionate about this team. It takes the most patient of the patient, and it is someone who is a believer in the underdog no matter the time or day. That’s me. That’s you.

We still stay for the end of the movie, although boring throughout; there is some deep, dark, hidden feeling in all of us. An eerie feeling that we will eventually have our big day as fans, and watch the Royals as they capture that second ring. Not today. Not tomorrow…but someday.

What a grand event in our lives that will be. That’s what makes us Royals fans. The fact that we are so confident we can somehow get there, despite all the wreckage.

Welcome to the club, Ethan Evans!

Here’s his story, straight from the source:

Truly glorious baseball moments for a Royals fan born in the post-85 era are few and far between. I’ve watched my team develop players until they were good enough to deserve a heftier paycheck, and then watched those same players hightail it and perform for other teams who were willing to risk a little more financially.

I love the Royals. I guess that’s not very elegant, but it’s how I feel and always will feel. I love being at Kauffman stadium. There is no better feeling than being there on buck night and eating rubbery hot dogs as you heckle opponents. I’ll even say there’s no better feeling than standing in line for 5 hours before a saturday game to get a free jersey, only to get depressed when you realize that the Royals put the number “40″ on the back (to commemorate their 40th anniversary) and all you can think about is how you are now forever associated with Kyle Farnsworth.

The Royals/Cardinals series at Kauffman generally falls at or around the time of my birthday. A few years ago I went to the series opener. We had already swept them at their place and all I wanted was a win at home to claim the season series. We got it and I walked out of the stadium in pretty high spirits. As I left, I saw a Royals fan talking trash to a guy in a red shirt.

“What’s the Royals record again?” snapped the irritated Cardinals fan.

“4 and 0,” was the confident reply.

There was no response to that.

This is the attitude I love about our fans. Even when we’re down, we’re never out. I think going through the downs (there haven’t been as many ups as I’d like) has made me love the Royals more. To fight and grind and claw and hope right alongside your team can only make your bond with said organization stronger. I know lots of baseball fans, but none who are more fiercely loyal than Royals supporters. I’m proud to consider myself one of them.

Last year this time, I was within three weeks of being laid off from my managerial job of nearly four years and taking some “me” time to gear up for the upcoming job search.  It was a crazy time – a bit scary, a bit relieving (in its own way), but it was certainly a time of change.

To bide my time during the day, I bookmarked everything Royals I could find, went on a Twitter following spree and immersed myself in everything Royals.  With spring training in gear, and with time on my hands, I wanted every update out there.

One day on my Google Reader, I saw a post calling for contributing writers.  By this point I’d already been reading article after article about Kansas City, which, building off my years and years of fandom, made me think it was worth a shot.  One article a week?  With no other obligations aside from job searching, I was signing up.

I’d never really written about baseball before.  Sure, there were messageboard posts and status updates on Facebook.  But 1000 words was a daunting task to me at first, so I wasn’t sure how to approach my “try out” article.  In fact, I wrote one entirely different from what I eventually turned in, writing a full column and deleting it and starting over.

Lead writer (at the time) Wally Fish apparently liked it and invited me aboard (and by the way, he’s now the lead writer on PuckettsPond.com – you should stop by).

That was one year ago today.  Here’s his announcement:

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Hence, I want to welcome the second of our new writers, Jeff Herr. I hope you enjoy his stuff and Gage, Kevin, myself and newly-added Ryan Wood are glad to have him aboard.

We’re also expanding beyond mere pages, as evidenced by Sunday’s new podcast – the Royalman Report co-hosted by Troy “Royalman” Olsen and myself.

But I don’t want to steal the spotlight from Jeff. I want our readers to get a chance to know our new staff, and like Ryan last night, Jeff has the floor to tell you about himself:

Hello everyone, my name is Jeff Herr and I am definitely excited to be contributing to Kings of Kauffman! I have been a Royals fan all my life and my fandom was passed down to me by my father who will be a die-hard Royals fan forever. I have always enjoyed writing and feel that I have an interesting viewpoint that I will provide to Kings of Kauffman and look forward to providing it so everyone can read what I have to say.

My first Royals memory is kind of cheating because it’s not really my memory, but a story that I have heard many times. Being born in 1985, I was around 6 months old when the Royals won the World Series. My parents had acquired tickets to Game 7 of the World Series where everything was on the line. They got a babysitter for me and my sisters and made their way out to what was at the time Royals Stadium. They saw the Royals take home the crown and then stormed the field with the rest of the fans in what is definitely one of my parents’ greatest sports memories of all time.

Growing up in Kansas City I have never been lucky enough to actually see the Royals make a playoff or World Series run, but I have been given hope through hearing my dad talk about the ‘glory days.’ From 1976-1985 my dad always talked about how good the Royals were in those years. It was always great to hear my dad tell me about the 1980 run, the 1985 World Series win, and to see him talk of how great the 1977 team was even though they weren’t able to get to the World Series. I have heard my whole life about how the Royals were one of the best organizations in the league for a that time span and look forward to having that time return to Kansas City.

As for what my great memories of the Royals are, there are a few that stick out in my mind. There were always the great times with my friends on my baseball teams as youth going out to the games and there are great times now going out with friends and family. My parents have a split season ticket package so I usually get to go out to a good number of games each year. One of my biggest moments out at the K was when I attended a game that Buck O’Neil was at before he died. They showed Buck on the jumbo tron and every single person in the stadium gave him a standing ovation and they had to stop the game. It was a truly great moment that showed how passionate KC fans are and how much we appreciate the history and game of baseball.

By day I am an accountant so numbers have always been a forte of mine and I think it’s one of the more interesting parts of baseball how numbers can tell so much of the story. I will try to back up my opinions as much as I can with the numbers in my writing but I feel that I am enough of a sports fan in general that I also have the ability to take a step back from the numbers and give an overall perspective that everyone will be able to understand and relate to. This is what I hope to contribute to Kings of Kauffman as a writer. Hopefully you all will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.

Jeff and Ryan will be posting their initial articles on Kings of Kauffman in the coming days, so you’ll want to keep an eye out for those (while we wait for the season to start).

You can follow Jeff on Twitter at @TheJeffReport.

If you follow the Royals on Twitter, you have to know about KC Royalman. Occasionally you’ll see him highlighted on a Royals broadcast – he’s the guy in the blue tights and the cape who loves the Royals.

For a while now, he and I have been kicking around the idea of putting together a podcast and the time is now to introduce you to the show.

You can download it directly HERE or at Royalman’s site – Royalman Report – where he’ll have updates on future guests and topics.

Sunday night, we were fortunate to get 2010 1st round pick Christian Colon as the first guest of the show and he was a great interview.  I think fans will really like him when he gets up here.

Among other things, we also talked about the pitching staff, spring training stats, and some expectations for the upcoming season.

The Royalman Report can be heard live on Sundays from 7-8 p.m. CST.

(note: had issues with the embedded player – hopefully that’ll be worked out by next show)

Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

I’ve been looking to expand for a while now and thankfully that opportunity has arrived.

Ladies and gents, let’s all welcome Ryan Wood to Kings of Kauffman as our newest contributing writer.

As is tradition here at Kings of Kauffman, I’ll let Ryan tell you where he’s coming from:

Hi everyone, my name is Ryan Wood and I am excited to be the newest contributing writer for Kings of Kauffman.  Baseball has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, so I’m looking forward to sharing my viewpoint with whoever takes the time to stop by and read.

Like many of us who cling on as Royals fans, my history with the team started back in 1985.  I was eight years old and my grandmother surprised me with a blue mesh trucker hat promoting the upcoming “I-70 World Series”.  I thought it was pretty sweet & wore that hat a lot.  Believe me, I know what you’re thinking, and no – I don’t know where that hat is today.  It would be a lot cooler if I did…

I grew up on a farm in Southwest Iowa, and the closest professional baseball team was the Omaha Royals.  We would try to make it to a few games every year, and I did my best to keep tabs on the future stars I saw on the field.  Sadly though, my best memories of Omaha Royals games were probably some of the post-game concerts that I saw there.  Huey Louis & the News, The Beach Boys, and my all time favorite concert – Weird Al Yankovic AND The Monkees.

After playing college baseball, I earned a tryout with the Royals that was to be held at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha.  However, as fate should have it, the tryout was cancelled due to rain and I never got another chance.  After a failed attempt with the Kansas City T-Bones, I hung up the cleats and became a full-time fan.

In the past ten years, I’ve experienced several memorable moments at the K.  From great times with friends, cheering for one more hit to make a dozen hits (for a free dozen donuts), yelling for Relish to run faster in the Hot Dog Derby, and seeing my 30th birthday greeting on the old scoreboard.  All were great times, but in 2004, the best came when I married my college sweetheart and we had our wedding reception at Kauffman’s Stadium Club.  The wedding party came up out of the dugout & we all got to walk onto the field, waving to our friends and family who were completely surprised.  The pictures taken show a smile on my face reserved for childlike delight.  I think about that night every time I walk through the turnstiles.

As far as my writing philosophy, I hope to come at this thing from a different point of view.  As someone who is passionate about the game and spent soooo many years playing, I feel like I can bring a player’s perspective to the ups and downs of a 162 game season.  You probably won’t find me buried in the stat book, but rather, analyzing the aspects of the game that I find entertaining, challenging, and important.  I’m going to try and pawn some of my opinions and thoughts onto the readers of this blog rather than my wife – I just hope that you won’t argue with me the way she does…

So, I hope you enjoy reading my articles as much as I enjoy writing them.  May this season be an exciting one and we all get to go along for the ride.  Here’s to a great summer – talk to you soon!

Cheers,
Ryan

You can follow Ryan on Twitter at @AreDoubleYou14.

There’s one more step before we crown a champion.

After fan votes, the NL East and AL East are both in the running for the recognition as the best divisional lineup  in baseball.

To read Nathaniel Stoltz’s breakdown of the two lineups and to make your choice, head over to Call to the Pen:

Even though there are no former Royals to root for in play, and the AL Central team was thwarted…it’s still the American League, so here’s hoping we can win this one (even if it’s only vicariously).

ou can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter,Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed. You can follow Gage on Twitter.

*You can see that roster and who they ousted on Call to the Pen.

Here are our AL All-Division teams, as voted on by the lead bloggers of the team sites:

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I realized that this weekend marked the two year anniversary of the launch of Kings of Kauffman.  In that time, we’ve had some writers come and go, but the main goal has been to give you quality, creative content every day (or close to it).  Your reading time is valuable and there are a lot of great Royals blogs out there, so I greatly appreciate everyone who stops by.

Recently, Austin Alonzo has left the site to concentrate on a new job as well as his life as a full-time student.  We wish him the best out in the “real world” and may see him come back around when it calms down this summer.

Until then, I’d like to beef up our numbers a bit, so I’m calling for opinionated Royals writers to join myself, Gage Matthews and Kevin Scobee.

If you’re interested in becoming a contributor on Kings of Kauffman (proud member of the Fansided network), here’s what to do:

• Write a 500-1500 word article about the Royals.  This can be about any topic you choose but it should represent your best work and be fully edited.  Writing is one part ideas and one part presentation, and both carry a lot of weight.
• I cannot stress this enough – your work should be fully proofread and edited.  Nobody’s perfect, myself included – but you should take the time to read, re-read and perhaps have a picky friend read your submission before sending it.
• Email your article (in pdf format or at least cut and pasted into the body of an email) to myself at michael.allen.engel@gmail.com.  Please put “Kings of Kauffman Contributor Article” in the subject line.  I’ll review the sample articles before passing the best on to the Fansided MLB Leadership Council.
• This should be obvious, but there shouldn’t be any profanity.  A “hell”, a “damn” – no problem. If they can say it on the radio, you can say it here. Strong opinions are necessary, but please be classy with them.

As a contributor on Kings of Kauffman, you’d be expected to post one (1) article a week, but would have the option open to post more if you chose to do so.  Focus on prospects, stats, news updates – whatever you like.

In a perfect world, a prospective writer would live near any of the Royals minor league affiliates, but that’s all just a bonus.  Above all, I’m looking for quality writing and anything else is a bonus.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us onTwitter,Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed

The AL Central writers who made selections (including myself):

• Southside Showdown (represented by new lead writer Travis Miller)
• Deep Left Field (represented by Steve Kubitza)
• Motor City Bengals (represented by Zac Snyder)
• Puckett’s Pond (represented by Wally Fish)
• John Parent of Motor City Bengals had voted before we were able to add Travis to the mix.

The panel came to agreement on every position aside from a final starting pitching spot and at third base.  Both were decided by fan vote.  Danny Valencia edged out Brandon Inge for the third base spot, while Mark Buehrle beat Gavin Floyd handily for the fifth starter spot.

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The participants (including myself):

• Southside Showdown (represented by John Parent)
• Deep Left Field (represented by Steve Kubitza)
• Motor City Bengals (represented by Zac Snyder)
• Puckett’s Pond (represented by Wally Fish)

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FanSided exists because of the success Arrowhead Addict had in the early days and continues to have today. Our founders, Adam and Zach Best, launched the network on the heels of AA’s success with the addition of sites to cover the other NFL teams. Shortly thereafter they made the decision to go all in and start team sites to cover all the teams in the 4 major sports.  If there’s no Arrowhead Addict, there’s no Kings of Kauffman.

We’ve grown by leaps and bounds since then, but none of it would have been possible if Arrowhead Addict hadn’t come into existence and blazed the trail for us. The site remains one of the cornerstones that this network is built upon.

You can show your support for AA, Kings of Kauffman and the network by voting for FanSided in the About.com Readers Choice Awards.

That’s right Arrowhead Addict is a finalist for About.com’s Reader Choice Awards in the category of Best NFL Team Blog.

Currently, Arrowhead Addict is in second place in the voting behind Mile High Report.  You Chiefs fans out there don’t want a Broncos site to win, do you?  Do you?!

So if you’d be so kind, we’d appreciate it if you could take a moment out of your day to vote for Arrowhead Addict. A vote for them is indirectly a vote for Kings of Kauffman and every other site and writer that calls the FanSided.com Sports Network home.

It’s really easy to do. There is no need to register, create an account or anything like that. Just click here and click on Arrowhead Addict (don’t click on any of the other blogs or your vote will go to them).

Wally Fish of PuckettsPond.com and Zac Snyder of MotorCityBengals.com present a case for the two frontrunners, Danny Valencia and Brandon Inge respectively:

Check out their arguments and make a decision. The full FanSided AL Central position player lineup will be announced shortly after the poll closes on Monday.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us onTwitter,Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed

A lot of other writers have started a trend of bemoaning the celebration of pitchers and catchers reporting, but not me.  I love it.  It’s the symbolic  start of baseball season when everyone’s tied for first, everyone’s in the best shape of their life, and everything is new and fresh.

That being said, there’s a lot to cover and while Gage, Kevin, Austin and myself catch a lot of it, there’s always more out there, especially once the games start.  I’m looking for more writers to help us catch everything.

If you’re interested in becoming a contributor on Kings of Kauffman (proud member of the Fansided network), here’s what to do:

• Write a 500-1500 word article about the Royals.  This can be about any topic you choose but it should represent your best work and be fully edited.  Writing is one part ideas and one part presentation, and both carry a lot of weight.
• I cannot stress this enough – your work should be fully proofread and edited.  Nobody’s perfect, myself included – but you should take the time to read, re-read and perhaps have a picky friend read your submission before sending it.
• Email your article (in pdf format or at least cut and pasted into the body of an email) to myself at michael.allen.engel@gmail.com.  Please put “Kings of Kauffman Contributor Article” in the subject line.  I’ll review the sample articles before passing the best on to the Fansided MLB Leadership Council.
• This should be obvious, but there shouldn’t be any profanity.  A “hell”, a “damn” – no problem. If they can say it on the radio, you can say it here. Strong opinions are necessary, but please be classy with them.

As a contributor on Kings of Kauffman, you’d be expected to post one (1) article a week, but would have the option open to post more if you chose to do so.  Focus on prospects, stats, news updates – whatever you like.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us onTwitter,Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed

Writers from every site in the network will choose the best players at every position in their respective division.  Then each division will select an All-Division team, first selecting batters, then selecting a pitching staff.

The All-AL Central team will go up against the teams compiled by the AL East and AL West bloggers.  The winning team by fan vote will take on a similarly vetted team from the National League side of things.

It’s gonna be a lot of fun and a cool way to check out some other sites in the network – so don’t be shy if you’re a hardcore Royals fan and check out our divisional cohorts and partners in combat (for a brief time, at least):

• Southside Showdown
• Deep Left Field
• Motor City Bengals
• Puckett’s Pond

More updates when we’ve created our team.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

These are some of the things I learned Thursday night at the Royals first Digital Digest at Fanfest.

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The show is available for your listening pleasure on MLB.com.  It’s something any Royals fan should be interested in. There are many questions about the Royals roster going into 2011 that need answered, from their infield starters to the makeup of the outfield and the everyday lineup. That’s to say nothing of the starting rotation which still needs a fifth member one way or another.  Right now the only certainties are Billy Butler and Joakim Soria.

It’s been a tumultuous offseason to say the least.  After the chaos, it’s time to start piecing things back together and seeing who’s going to stick around for when these guys actually start getting good.

On a side note, I wrote a bit last week about the Royals increasing attention to the online community of Royals fans, culminating with the Digital Digest next Thursday before the season ticket holders’ preview of FanFest.  I’m happy to say that I was invited to participate along with eight others.  Dayton Moore, Ned Yost, Billy Butler and Jeff Francoeur will be answering our questions, so if you have anything you want to know from any of them, post them in the comments and I’ll see what I can do to bring them up.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us onTwitter,Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

I’m pleased to highlight our new site logo, located in the top left of your screen (unless you’re on Google Reader or another RSS service, in which case, thanks for the follow and I suggest you click the title of this posting to view the logo!)

If you follow us on Twitter (@KingsofKauffman), you’ll notice the changes there, as well.  Additionally, we’ve added it to our Facebook page as well.

We’re quite proud of it and want to thank Cory Witt for investing the time and energy into creating it.  He nailed it.  Should you have any graphic design needs, I highly recommend you check with him first.

I lived in Kansas City from day 1 to year 27 before moving to Orange County, Calif., and I’ve been a tortured Royals fan the whole way. At one point as a kid my favorite player was Kevin Kozlowski. Seriously. After graduating with a journalism degree from Park University and spending a few years as a college pitching coach, I made my move to the west coast hoping to leave my Royals sorrows behind. Alas, it didn’t work. Today I spend most of my time watching and reading all things Aaron Sorkin, and trying to find some relief for my lifetime of Royals fan heartbreak.

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