That’s the idea behind a project cooked up by a group of Royals fans, organized by Brett Parker. If you tour the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, you’ll read (and if you’re lucky, hear) stories about how fans would go straight from church on Sundays to the baseball park, dressed in their Sunday best. It was a time when men wore suits and hats, when women wore dresses, and America turned out to baseball games as if they were events.

Dressed to the Nines. Courtesy of Brett Parker

On Sunday, May 5, the Royals will face the Chicago White Sox at 1 p.m. and a group of fans have dubbed it “Dress to the Nines” day at the K. They’ve gotten Bob Kendrick of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on board, they’ve gotten Royals Hall of Famer Willie Wilson to celebrate the idea.

We can’t recreate everything about the era, but with the release of “42″ in theaters, CGI has recreated Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds, and Shibe Park. Fantastic casting of Chadwick Boseman (who looks quite like Jackie Robinson) sells the period even better. It’s clear that the old-time baseball of yesteryear is still of interest to fans all around.

Baseball is surrounded by larger than life personalities. Babe Ruth’s name is spoken with haunting reverence. Ted Williams is ordained as a god of hitting. Name after name – even those none of us have ever seen play in person – is brought up with such a sense of longing, of nostalgia, that the mystique washes over us.

Think of the movie Field of Dreams. While the movie may have had a similar effect if it had been about an Iowa farmer who tears up his crops to build a baseball field that then introduces Joe Schmo – unknown to us in the audience, but presented as a great in the film – the real power comes from its ability to inject the names of days gone by into the conversation. Shoeless Joe Jackson. Mel Ott. Gil Hodges. Names we recall. Names we recognize. Baseball is rooted, perhaps moreso than any major sport, in an appreciation for the greats who have come before the current stars.

Fans at the Polo Grounds in suits and hats. (via Wikimedia Commons)

So it’s only natural for fans to look back to bygone eras and wonder what it might have been like to witness a game. What would it feel like to be in the stands to watch Stan Musial face off against Sandy Koufax? Nevermind the battle on the field – what would the stands feel like? How would the game progress differently? For a few hours, at least, you could take in the sights and sounds of a game in style. A nod to the past.

Men in suits & hats; ladies in their dresses & hats to see the @royals vs White Sox on “Dressed to the Nines” Day at The K on 5/5!

— negroleaguesmuseum (@nlbmprez) April 29, 2013

Royals fans haven’t had a lot to cheer on the field over the years, but when given the opportunity to get behind a fun and interesting idea, they usually rise up. Royals fans are the group that launced Billy Butler’s “Country Breakfast” nickname into the national scene. We were so raucous in backing up our lone All-Star in own ballpark that it inspired multiple national columnists to try to scold us for the gall of booing Robinson Cano. We got Alex Gordon close to an All-Star selection in 2011 through the Final Vote. We can recognize a good idea and latch onto it.

And this is a good idea. It’s not established by the Royals. It’s not put forth by a radio station. It’s put out there by fans who want to put a unique twist on their attendance of the game and tip a cap towards an older era.

For more information, including organization of a group photo and any specific ticket sections, check out the event’s Facebook page.

UPDATE: Fox 4 Kansas City has picked up the idea and had Bob Kendrick on to speak briefly about it.

UPDATE of the UPDATE: Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star wrote a column about Parker’s idea.

Another UPDATE: Parker was on the Ballgame on ESPN 1510 discussing the event. Dane Iorg and some George Brett were also on the show later so it’s maybe worth a listen.

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.

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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.

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• Arrowhead Addict – For Chiefs fans.
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• Call to the Pen – All things MLB
• Thunderous Intentions – If Kansas City can’t get an NBA team, OKC is the next closest option…

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The nation worked itself into a frenzy this week in preparations for a record Powerball lottery jackpot. In the end, two people had winning tickets. One in Dearborn, Missouri, just outside of Kansas City, and one in Arizona.

Normal kind of lottery situation, right? Sure. There will be interviews and life-changing money involved. That’s all great. But more importantly, look at the winning numbers:

5, 23, 16, 22, 29 with 6 as the Powerball.

I wish I were the first to notice this, but, well, here…here’s NBC with the story:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

If you can’t see the video, or are at work, or just don’t want to watch it (I understand), here’s the significance:

• 5 – George Brett
• 23 – Mark Gubicza
• 16 – Bo Jackson
• 22 – Dennis Leonard
• 29 – Dan Quisenberry
• 6 – Willie Wilson

All but Bo are Royals Hall of Famers, and Bo may make it some day. Also, as the video states, the tickets were bought just outside of Kansas City as well as in Arizona where, as you know, the Royals have their spring training facilities.

Spooky.

Perhaps, it’s a good omen. There has been much made of David Glass and his talk about money, so this sign, this message from the universe could be speaking to that. It may be foretelling that spending is on the horizon, that Glass may be able to spend as if he’s won the lottery. That would usher in a new era of success.

“You guys following this guy?” ‘I think he needs some rest. Maybe see someone who can help.’ “Yeah, he’s just pulling this stuff outta nowhere…” Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

I can understand how you’d be skeptical, but check this out. Add all the numbers. 5 + 23 + 16 + 22 + 29 + 6 = 101. 101 converted to decimal is the number 5.  101 in binary would be like turning a switch on (1) then off (0) then back on (1). This mimics the Royals. On from the 1970s until winning the World Series in 1985. You could even say they were on until 1989, but after, there was an off period, one which we’re still suffering within.

Until now, because that third digit, that 1, turns it back on.

It’s a sign.

The Royals will be renewed this year. Even looking at the numbers again, you can see this year’s team reflected. While there’s no way to replace #5 (so we must omit it), #23 was also Zack Greinke who was traded, in part, for Jake Odorizzi who should spend much of 2012 in the big leagues. #16 is Billy Butler, the most consistent and productive hitter on the team. #22 is just like 2+2, which is 4, which is Alex Gordon‘s jersey number, another big part of the team. #29 is Dan Quisenberry and Mike Sweeney‘s number, both overlooked to an extent, but even more important, 2 x 9 is 18, but 1 x 8 is #8 Mike Moustakas. Also, adding 3+5 (or #35 for Eric Hosmer) will give you the number8. Then #6 is Lorenzo Cain but it’s also the number on the scorecard for the shortstop who we know as Alcides Escobar.

It all fits. It’s so obvious. The Kansas City/Arizona connection is the universe’s subtle hint to us all. The decoder ring, so to speak.

Or maybe it’s just a crazy coincidence and an interesting human interest story. At this point, though, I’m willing to accept any explanation that might point to the Royals being destined for something good. It’s just been so long since the organization has seen real success. The power of positive thinking has to count for something, right? Maybe I’m just better off trying to win the lottery myself and then buying the Royals myself.

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.

Now, he’s retiring the superfan persona. This is his statement as to why:

So here we are. Early October in KC. Of course the Royals are no longer playing baseball and the Chiefs are quickly dropping out of the race. For me October means a long deserved break, sort of. October means no baseball, no Roller Derby and normally is my vacation from life. Not so much this year but that’s a story for another article.

For me this October means putting away for the last time something I have become for three years. This October means putting away KCRoyalman one last time. I have been asked why, so many times since I made the announcement on Twitter recently and on Facebook shortly after. The reasons why it’s over will take far more than 140 characters to explain. That is why I am writing this.

I love baseball. I love it more than any other sport other than roller derby. I call Opening Day the best day of the year but this year it stopped being fun.  The Royals Organization does not care about the fans. They hide behind rules supposedly made by MLB but yet I never see the ‘rules’ at any other stadium. They treat their fan facing employees badly and make them fear firing, preventing them from giving the best experience to the fan.  They make up what they are going to enforce as they go. For 2 ½ years I stood in the same spot as Royalman. I was told many times it was fine as long as I ‘stayed behind the black line’ and out of the walkway. All of a sudden this year, standing room was foul pole to foul pole. Yes, it’s in writing that way but for 2 ½ years, that didn’t matter.

They have stripped numerous season ticket holder benefits because they could, because we were stuck if we wanted All Star Tickets. They didn’t give them back for 2013 either. What they did do for 2013 is raise prices on season ticket holders. Oh and remember how it was too difficult to give us a Royals Fan Fest in January because of the Fan Fest for the All Star Game in the middle of summer? If you buy that I have ocean front property in Nebraska for you.

Another part of why I am hanging up the suit is cost. The real me went to college on student loans which have come due. That book learnin’ isn’t cheap! Add that to the desire to buy a house and take care of other debt and it only makes sense to spend less on tickets.

Adding to the cost is the lack of time. There are 81 home games in a Royals Season and even making 60 of those is very daunting at times. How Superfan Chris has made every game for over 5 years is beyond me. I have other interests, other than baseball. Hard to believe I know, but it is true. I have been a Roller Derby Announcer for Dead Girl Derby in Riverside and Black Snake Roller Girls in St Joe since they began and that has opened doors for me to call events as large as the World Championship in Toronto so I find myself missing games in the heart of summer for that. I am also the online voice for Park University Men’s and Women’s Volleyball and one of the voices of iBN Sports High School Football. On top of that things come up (Like FIVE funerals this last summer in Nebraska). Frankly I don’t think it’s fair to claim to be a Superfan and go to half of the ball games.

Finally I need to refocus on my health. Before you all knew me I weighed over 300 lbs. I did all the right things and got down under 225lbs. Well as you can tell, I am back to the 280+ range. Its hard finding time to exercise while attending so many games and the other time issues I mentioned above. Maybe I will return as a slim trim Royalman.

So that’s the why. Now let me say, the last three years have been some of the most amazing of my life! I have met some of the most amazing people and had so much fun. Some people find it hard to believe but I never did this for attention. I did this for fun and it was. I stopped once it wasn’t. I have lived some of my dreams because of this. I have had my own radio show and have a very successful podcast because of this. I leave it behind with no regrets.  I will stay on Twitter as @KCRoyalman because like @PCBearcat said the night I announced I was hanging up the costume, ‘KCRoyalman is more than just the costume.’  It’s in my heart and will always be part of me.

I am going to thank some people and I am not going to mention some of you but that doesn’t mean I am not thankful for your contributions to the last three years of my life.

I was at the K one day thinking how the Chiefs have superfans and the Royals should too. The next year both Royalman and Superfan Chris were born at separate locations and the Royals had something special, even if they didn’t want it. I have been so grateful for all the amazing folks who have come along for this crazy ride.

Thank you to Shan Sheriff who was the first to put me on the air on 610 Radio out at the K.

To Nick Wright (@GetNickWright) for always supporting me and my work. He was one of the first ones to have backed this crazy idea and even said once I deserve a press pass. I am pretty sure this letter will not help my cause towards getting one of those.

To Jay Binkley and the guys of the original @3GuysInaGarage. Jay made me part of their show on 1510 and is a major reason why I started doing the Royalman Report (Now the Kansas City Baseball Vault). Jay has become a real friend. One of the best people on the planet.

To Ty and Jay from Soundtrack of the Week (@SOTWPodcast) you guys are the best. A little crazy, very weird, but when it came to me you were always legit. You guys are great friends.

To Bob Fescoe, Josh Klingler, Danny Parkins, Cdot Harrison and anyone from 610 I haven’t named. They have all been so supportive of me.

To the Big Dumb Fun Show. www.BigDumbFunShow.Com for promoting me and caring about me as a friend. Also for letting us use their studio very inexpensively. To Aaron Gnirk for hours of guidance and direction with the Royalman Report.

To Greg Schaum for always supporting Royalman and my show. He sent out a call to arms the night I had my car accident and was in the hospital.  I received so many tweets because of him and that made my recovery much better. This is just the surface of the many great things Greg has done.

To @PSAPrez who made my awesome KCRoyalman hat while I was in the hospital. This guy has also made the KC Baseball Vault and EKOH Website logos. Use him when you need Graphic design and shirts printed. My hat will be retired with the rest of the outfit.

To Superfan Chris for just being freaking awesome and becoming a great friend. Carry on strong my friend.

To @KCYeti, Brian McGannon, @BHIndepmo and all the folks that have been in since the beginning of Royalman. Especially Yeti who has become a good friend and ran the original server for the Royalman Report.

To Chris Kamler and Jeff Herr for their work on the show. To Chris for the home for the show for months and of course the great Kelly’s Westport Inn commercials. To both of them and all of the EKOH Network guys for being great friends. (The show will continue with Jeff, I and Mike as always)

To Michael Engel who has embraced doing a podcast with a crazy, tights -wearing superfan for two seasons now and has become someone I truly consider a friend.  The show will continue as long as we can keep it going and I have big plans for it.

To my girlfriend who has dated a man in tights for over a year and never complained. Heck she bought me a personalized bat that reads “KCRoyalman: Three years in tights for the love of the Royals.” Never had any idea it would end at the end of the year when she had the bat made.

To Matt from KCTV5 thanks for the awesome stories you did on me.

To the 2500+ of you on twitter who have supported me you have no idea how special you all are to me and how awesome it makes me feel to know how many people care.

To the haters out there. Screw you. I had fun. You made no difference to me.

Man it was fun. Thank you all so much. It was always for you, about you, the average fan. It’s not the end of an era but a changing of times.

Troy Olsen

The Kansas City Baseball Vault is a live podcast every Saturday at 12 p.m. that covers the Royals, their minor league affiliates and other aspects of baseball in Kansas City.

You can catch up on old episodes of the Kansas City Baseball Vault here on Kings of Kauffman. Episodes of the Royalman Report are available on the site as well.

Follow the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Twitter and Facebook for future programming updates. Also follow Kings of Kauffman for article updates, discussion and other information.

Justin Marks from last season with the Blue Rocks. (Photo: Jen Nevius)

Left-handed pitcher Justin Marks got the start for Surprise today, working three innings against the Peoria Javelinas. He allowed two walks and struck out two, but didn’t surrender a hit or a run. In 2012, Marks pitched primarily in Double A Northwest Arkansas but made one start in Omaha as well. His Triple A start didn’t go very well, as he lasted only 1.2 innings and gave up nine runs. In Double A, he threw 85.1 innings in 17 starts and compiled a 3.80 ERA and a 73/38 K/BB ratio. Marks was acquired with Vin Mazzaro from the Oakland Athletics for David DeJesus after the 2010 season.

The only other Royal to play today was Brian Fletcher. He spent half of his season in High A Wilmington before being promoted to Double A. While his batting average fell in the higher league, his power numbers increased (which isn’t uncommon when going from Frawley Stadium in the Carolina League to Arvest Ballpark in the Texas League). He went 1-2 on Tuesday with a single and added an RBI on a sacrifice fly. He also walked once and struck out in his other plate appearance. Fletcher is an interesting offensive prospect, but needs some work with his defense. He was drafted as an outfielder but played a lot of first base in High A before his promotion. Jen Nevius has a review of his season up right here - Fletcher was Baseball America’s #27 Royals prospect entering the year.

The Royals also added another player to their cache of minor leaguers in Surprise. J.C. Sulbaran, half  of the return from the Cincinnati Reds in the Jonathan Broxton trade, will join the group. He made six starts for Northwest Arkansas after the trade but struggled with his command, walking 22 batters in 26 innings. He did strike out 24, but that won’t matter if he’s walking a batter an inning. He also gave up 11.4 H/9 and 2.4 HR/9 for the Naturals, so his stint there went about as bad as it could have. If he can sort things out, he has some #3 or #4 starter potential.

The other Royals minor leaguers in the AFL are:

• LHP Jon Keck
• SS Orlando Calixte
• SS Alex McClure
• OF Whit Merrifield

The AFL season will run until November 17.

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)