Apr 1, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) is forced out by Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko (14) during the eighth inning at US Cellular Field. Chicago won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

If you based your expectations on their Spring Training performance you might be a little disappointed with Monday’s result. Don’t be. Spring Training games are like movie trailers, they’ll show you a little of what to expect, but not near enough to make a definite judgement. They didn’t show me anything during the opener that’s caused me to back off my belief that they’ll be a .500-ish team this year. Now onto some thoughts about the game itself.

• James Shields was pretty good. I forgot how much fun it is to watch a starting pitcher that can get out of jams with a strikeout. He wasn’t dominant but he did strike out 6 in in 6 innings. If he hadn’t gave up a home run to Tyler Flowers the game likely would have went into extra innings where Luke Hochevar would have served up a walkoff bomb to Adam Dunn. Shields continued a recent trend where the Royals’ opening day starter matched his opponent – in four of the last five openers they’ve given up 2 runs or less. Shields’ Game Score of 58 rates as the 16th best performance in Kansas City’s 45 year Opening Day history.
• Billy Butler‘s at bat in the third inning turned out to be their most important plate appearance of the game. With the bases loaded and 1 out, Sale didn’t panic. Butler, trying to hit the ball into the next century, struck out swinging. Butler later had his first Opening Day hit since 2010 and he also added a walk. That bumped his career Opening Day numbers up to .136/.240/.136 in 6 games and 25 plate appearances.
• Getz didn’t bunt. I point this out not to be snarky but because he came up twice in situations where he normally lays one down. In the 3rd and 5th innings he was at the plate with  Jeff Francoeur on first base and nobody out and swung away both times. The results were not idyllic. He grounded weakly to the second baseman in the third and hit into a double play in the 5th. Getz is the lone player on the roster that I never minded seeing bunt but I’m not going to bash Ned Yost here. If this is a sign that there will be fewer bunts this year I’ll take it.
• Adam Dunn didn’t hit a home run. I don’t know about you, but every time Dunn’s at the plate, I feel like the end result will be a home run. The only other player I’ve felt that way about was Jim Thome. Dunn hit 5 home runs in 15 games versus the Royals last year. A couple of those haven’t landed yet.
• Frenchy was Frenchy. He did have a couple hits but also saw only 8 pitches in his 4 at bats. With Eric Hosmer on second base in the 9th inning, he swung at the first pitch and grounded out weakly to end the game. There was a lot of talk during the spring about Francoeur finding his swing, but his swing has never been the problem, it’s his approach that needs changed. As long as he’s willing to swing early, and often, pitchers have no reason to give him anything remotely hittable.

September 24, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon (4) receives congratulations from designated hitter Billy Butler (16) after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

For instance, both Alex Gordon (.095/.136/.381) and Billy Butler (.105/.190/.105) have struggled immensely. Of the 18 Royals with 20+ career OD plate appearances, they are the only two to post on-base percentages below .200. Danny Tartabull easily has the most impressive line. He hit .500/.545/.850 in his five Opening Day’s as a Royal.

Here are some more random Opening Day numbers:

1 – Starts by both Luke Hochevar and Zack Greinke.

3 – Number of walks by Bo Jackson in 1990, the most ever by a Royal on Opening Day. George Brett holds the career mark with 11.

4 – Career home runs by George Brett. That’s twice as many as anybody else (Hal McRae, Frank White, John Mayberry and Gordon each hit 2).

7 – Starts by Kevin Appier. The Royals went just 1-6 scoring 3 runs or less in all the losses.

9 – Number of times the offense has been struck out 10+ times. They have gone an unsurprising 2-7 in those contests.

11 – The number of runs the Royals scored in 1979, the only time in 44 games they have reached double digits. They’ve been shut out twice (1976 and 2012).

.130 – The Royals winning percentage when they score 3 runs or fewer. They are 3-20 in those games and 12-9 when scoring 4+. Yay offense!

.424 – Freddie Patek‘s OBP in 33 plate appearances. His 4 hits in 1979 tied him with Lou Piniella (1969) and Frank White (1977) for the most ever in the season’s first game. Patek hit .367/.424/.600 with 4 stolen bases in his 8 Opening Day games as a Royal.

2.21 – Gil Meche‘s ERA in his 3 starts. That’s the lowest mark among the seven Royals who have started 3+ Opening Days. Jeff Suppan‘s 7.31 ERA is the highest. Shocking, I know.

Steve Farr

As you no doubt recall, the Royals became the first team in baseball history to have the AL and NL reigning Cy Young Award winners on the same staff. Wathan joked about the luxury of choosing between Cy Young winners with games on the line, but when he was handed the first opportunity to bring in his shiny new toy, he passed. Horn homered off Farr and the Orioles would eventually win in 11 innings. That game was a fitting opener for the Royals. Along with Mark Davis, KC had also signed 19 game winner Storm Davis away from the A’s, and were pegged as the team to beat in the AL West. And why not, they won 92 games in 1989 and on paper they looked like a complete team. It’s safe to say that the dual acquisitions brought high hopes (not unlike this year actually). Instead, the Royals finished 75-86, 27.5 games behind the A’s.

There are a lot of intelligent people, who to this day, believe the 1990 season would have turned out differently if Wathan had gone to Davis during that crucial moment on opening day. I don’t know about all of that but I think they would have won the opener. As bad as Davis was in 1990, left-handed hitters still only hit .182 against him.

When people think of Farr, they think of this game, and of John Wathan, and, of course, of Sam ‘Freaking’ Horn. And that, my friends, is unfortunate because Farr was one of the best pitchers in franchise history. In 1990 Farr became just the second, and the last, Royals pitcher to toss  100+ innings in a season with an ERA below 2.00. He recovered nicely from his opening day meltdown, even if nobody remembers.

Farr was more than just 1990 though, in 1986 he pitched 109.1 innings with a 136 ERA+, and two years later posted a 161 ERA+ in 82.2 innings. He finished his Royals career with a 135 ERA+, a number that places him third among pitchers with at least 500 innings.

Follow @RoyallySpeaking

I have spent the last year writing a book on the intersection of baseball and faith following the Royals.  With a little luck, the book will be a tangible piece of American baseball culture within the next month.  Part of the book-making process is enduring the tedium of multiple rounds of editing (read, “Getting rid of millions of commas.”).  In January, I submitted my manuscript to Mike the Editor, to help me share the stories and lessons baseball teaches us.

Mike the Editor lives in California and he loves baseball almost as much as I do.  His son is a left-handed pitcher for one of the top-ranked high school teams in the state which means that Mike still has someone who wants to play catch with him regularly.  Through working with the manuscript, Mike has developed a special fondness for the boys in blue.  Unless they are playing the Angels.  Mike loves the Angels.  The same Angels that now have Pujols.  The same Angels that are favored to win every game for the rest of the year.  The same Angels who hosted the Royals for the first three games of this season.

One day during Spring Training, Mike and I were working on the manuscript when we noticed that the Angels and Royals played each other the next day.  I made a snarky comment about placing a bet on the game — the loser buys the winner a book.  I felt guilty when the Royals took a huge early lead in a “meaningless” spring game and texted that we should postpone the actual bet until the opening series.  Little did I know that the Angels would come back to win.  I shipped him a book.

When Opening Day finally came Mike the Editor and I tweeted and texted and emailed while Chen battled Weaver.  I was glued to Gameday and a borrowed radio.  I had been asked to sing and play guitar for a Holy Week midnight service and had to set up before the game ended.  Mike continued texting updates to me.  As I set up my microphone, adjusted the stand, and tuned my guitar, I received a horrible series of texts.

Bottom 8.  Morales singles.  One out.

Trumbo singles.

Iannetta singles.  Bases loaded.  Still one out.

Pitching change.  Holland in.

At this point, I breathed a sigh of relief.  I knew the numbers on Greg Holland from last season, only allowing two inherited runners to score.  Only two.  All season.  Just two.

Infield single.  1 – 0.  Bases still loaded.

Triple.  4 – 0. 

Strike out.  Pujols IBB.  Hunter single.  5 – 0. 

My heart sank.  However, I was now in the appropriate mood to play guitar and sing at a Good Friday service.  If the Angels won on Saturday, Mike would be receiving a second book.

Thankfully, Saturday was a different story.  Luke Hochevar continued to pitch like he did all spring and the second half of last season.  I’m still thinking this is his Cy Young year of 20 wins.  The Royals jumped out to an early lead and held off a couple of small rallies at the end of the game.  The bet and the winner of the book would be decided on Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday meant more guitar playing and singing followed by lunch at a friend’s house.  We ate ham and brownies and celebrated a birthday.  We hid eggs and played Madden and had cardboard-tube sword fights.  The game finally started and it seemed that the Royals were barely holding on when the “miracle” (uhm, very loose application of the definition) occurred—Eric Hosmer hit a bomb in the 5^th inning, solidifying the victory.

Mike the Editor was very gracious and complimentary as the Royals took the series 2 – 1.  He praised our starting pitching (who would’ve guessed!) and harassed me for Gordo’s performance at the plate.  I told him that I wasn’t worried about Gordo and was simply thrilled that we kept Pujols in the ballpark.  I wanted to say something about Gordo’s first assist involving Pujols at the plate, but decided to bite my tongue.  I want a good book, not Barbie Fairytopia or Twilight or something on the sale table outside Borders or Barnes & Noble.

One of the most important things I learned writing my book last summer was this: Baseball helps us make new friends.  Thanks to baseball and the bookmaking process I’ve made a new friend in Mike the Editor.  When the Halos come to town, I’ll suggest the bet once again and hope that we don’t have to face Weaver.  By then, I’ll have my own book about baseball and a new friend for life.

Thanks for visiting Kings of Kauffman. 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 can also send your questions to our mailbag at KoKMailbag@gmail.com.

For the most part, it has been since the close of the 2011 and the moves of the offseason that has many chomping at the bit. Add in the fact that ESPN will be showing the game to a national audience although that reason is most likely to show off the Angels free agent signings. For Royals fans though, 9 p.m. Friday is Our Time!

Bruce Chen will toe the rubber and lead Kansas City in game one of 162 games this season where hope reigns eternal. Having the team be relevant past the ASG is what we want as long suffering fans and this might finally be the season that we’ve got hope going into September…and dare I say, October.

Waiting for the late night opening pitch will be tough especially since most of the league will have played already. As colleagues on Kings of Kauffman have written, this feels a lot like Christmas Eve waiting to open your presents. The home opener will be similar. If your team opens on the road, it’s like getting two presents.

We can talk about how the team will do later and for the most part it’s how we’ve spent the offseason. Chen versus Jered Weaver looks like a mismatch on paper, but anything can happen between the lines on the first day.

One game won’t make your season, but with high expectations for once, the team with the youngest Opening Day roster just has me chomping at the bit. I don’t need to tell Royals fans that optimism has been lacking since 1985. We had a strike shortened season in 1994 and the 2003 season with a lot of losing bookending all of this.

Tonight at Angels Stadium is Opening Day in my mind because it’s when OUR Kansas City Royals take the field and begin the climb to make us proud. Find your blue, wear it proud, have friends over or go somewhere to watch the game tomorrow night because 2012 is OUR TIME and I’m beyond excited for tonight!

Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed and follow Mike Vamosi on Twitter to be notified each time he posts a story.

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Twas the night before Opening Day, when all through the house

Every creature wore powder blue, even my computer mouse.

My stockings were pulled high, all the way to my knees

In honor of players from the last century.

My children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While condiments for hot dogs raced through their heads.

I laid out my ball glove, my jersey, and cap,

And walked off to bed in hopes of a nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter

I ran down the hall to see what was the matter.

The dog was a-howling, my crazy canine

Was barking at the appearance of the famed KC nine.

There was Gordo whose gold glove sparkled so bright

And swift-footed Cain, running faster than light.

Hosmer was grinning, his joy unrehearsed

Teasing Country Breakfast ‘bout holding down first.

Frenchy was signing L’il Frenchy’s new hat

While Moose slathered pine tar on a Brett Brothers bat.

Pena was decked out in gear head-to-toe

And Escobar and Getz invited me to come throw.

I threw on my jersey with number 20 on back

Flipped on the light switch and joined the pack

I crossed o’er the threshold when what should appear

But a huge field of dreams with a crowd shouting cheers.

The lights were a-humming, the grass was fresh cut

The chalk lines were drawn and vendors selling peanuts.

I turned and I saw posed on dugout’s top stair,

Seitzer and Eiland and Yost were all there.

The boys took the field while I strolled to the mound

My heart was full-pounding, I heard not one single sound.

The new cowhide was mudded and on the rosin bag laid

The umpires stood ready to call the game as it played.

Then I heard through the speakers Mike McCarthy call out,

“Tonight’s very first pitch, Ethan Bryan will throw out.”

Pena mock-flashed some signs, I reared back and let fly

The ump called it a strike as Bruce Chen stood by my side.

“Good toss, rookie,” he whispered as he walked up the hill

While telling me jokes he started his warm-up drills.

The stadium then silenced, you could’ve heard a pin fall

When the umpire pointed and shouted, “Play ball!”

There were homers by Hosmer and Gordo and Moose

Getz and Eski were flawless, Country Breakfast cut loose

Oh the famed KC boys played their best on that night

On that fanciful field under heaven’s moonlight

And every year on the eve of Opening Day

I remember watching the famed boys in blue play

Cross the threshold of my rental house door

On a field that I’d never, never seen before.

And I hold on to wonder, every game I attend

Was it just my imagination in a world of pretend

Until I saw Seitzer, who pointed my way

Motioned like he had something important to say.

“There are dreams that are given at a very young age

To musicians and poets and the dancers on stage

To those who will see with the eyes of their soul

These dreams are whispered to dare to let go.

“To chase after dreams, to hope Our Time is now

To suspend disbelief, to not worry how

To remember with awe and childlike delight

Your first baseball game on a mid-summer’s night

“The call for the fan, for the tried and the true

Is to keep dreaming dreams for the good boys in blue.”

So on Opening Day, when the ump shouts “Play ball”

I dream that this year is when we’ll rise above all.

Thanks for visiting Kings of Kauffman. 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 can also send your questions to our mailbag at KoKMailbag@gmail.com.

I don’t need to tell anyone who was born prior to 1985 about how being a Royals fan is special because it’s not like being a fan of the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs or Cardinals. Growing up in Omaha and going to college in Kearney, Nebraska, it’s normal to see Royals gear.  Spending the last three years in Melbourne, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas makes people ask why.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez might be out but Royals fans are used to setbacks. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

It’s simple.  The winning has been few and far between and I was two years old the last time October was achieved. I feel being a fan of Kansas City sports has allowed me to develop a sense of humor that you don’t get with your team winning every single year like postseason perennials such as New York, Boston and St. Louis.

Setbacks are common in life and sports.  It just happens that Royals village (a term I started a few years ago since we’re not big enough to be a nation) are used to them. Draft busts and bad free agent signings have been our story in past years. It’s hard to say how 2012 is going to turn out and to avoid fans saying, “here we go again,” with the events previously described.

Optimism was at an all-time high last September and lasted until early March I’d say, which is pretty good compared to the usual length of time. Am I ready for opening day? Hell yeah!  It may have something to do with missing the last three opening days at Kauffman Stadium in person (I will be there unless something unforeseen happens) after a string of 18 straight was snapped.

Will there be points of negativity and banging heads against walls? It happens during times of success and failure for every team.  We’ve just had more of it in Kansas City over the last 27 years.  At least we’re not the Cubs, right?

The clock says “Our Time,” but that doesn’t mean it’s our year.  Take it as a pronouncement that others are on notice as the Royals championship window opens over the course of the next handful of years hopefully. Don’t take that as me bailing on this season. For fans I think we should be excited if the Royals are competitive for half the year with the hope it lasts all season leading to the ultimate glory.

This year, next year or the one after things will be better and the ride will be much better than it has been recently. I don’t have to warn anyone about this being a bumpy ride because I don’t need to insult anyone’s intelligence who regularly follows the organization.

We’re resilient because we’re Royals fans and can laugh at ourselves because of previous failure in close to every aspect of this organization since reaching the summit. We’ve taken multiple approaches at climbing the mountain failing more times than (insert favorite joke here) we all would have liked. Opening day is approaching and I cannot wait to start talking about that.  Buckle up for what could be a potentially bumpy, but exciting, ride.

Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed and follow Mike Vamosi on Twitter to be notified each time he posts a story.

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.

For me, the New Year does not start on January 1, it starts with Opening Day. Opening Day is the physical embodiment of hope and new life. Instead of soon-to-be-forgotten resolutions, I make predictions about who will finally break Steve Balboni’s homerun record (Alex Gordon) and which pitcher will win 20 games (Luke Hochevar) and how many wins we’ll have at the end of the season (88). And every Opening Day is filled with miracles—you just have to look for them.

For example, on Opening Day 2002, I tailgated with my friend Chuck and his sons. We ate burgers and hot dogs, played catch, and made sure to get into the stadium early enough to watch batting practice. After all the pre-game fanfare, the players took the field as Jeff Suppan strolled confidently to the mound. Chuck said, “If the first pitch is a strike, this game is ours.”

Sure enough, the first pitch to Minnesota Twins left-fielder Jacque Jones was a fastball called strike. The stadium erupted. The second pitch, however, sailed over Chuck Knoblauch’s head and landed beyond the left field fence.

The Royals were down 3 – 1 after the first two innings. In the bottom of the third, they scored three to take their first lead of the season. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, Neifi Perez and Carlos Beltran hit back-to-back triples. Buck O’Neil is right; there is nothing more exciting than a triple.

After six innings, the boys in blue led 6 – 4. The Twinkies, though, plated four in the top of the seventh, winning the game 8 – 6. On that Opening Day, the miracle was this: Neifi Perez was the team leader with a .600 batting average—two singles and the triple. (The only other time Neifi impressed me with his bat was when he hit the farthest foul ball I have ever seen—it flew over the corner of the upper deck.)

The next year, 2003, Tony Pena’s simple mantra “We Believe” was in full-effect as Runelvys Hernandez took the mound instead of Jeremy Affeldt because of a Spring Training coin-toss. Seated near White Sox starting pitcher Mark Buehrle’s family, I tried not to be too rude as I cheered when Ken Harvey doubled twice off the crafty lefty. Hernandez, Jason Grimsley, and Mike MacDougal combined for a three-hit shutout, the first and only shutout victory in Royals’ Opening Day history. (They do have one shutout loss on Opening Day. In 1971, the Twins won 2 – 0.)

Probably the biggest miracle in recent Opening Day history took place in 2004, also against the White Sox. The Royals were losing 7 – 3 going into the bottom of the ninth. Brett Christie describes the scene beautifully here. That game only served to reinforce my belief that one should always stay until the last pitch; you never know what’s going to happen.

This year, I’m hoping for a different kind of Opening Day miracle. I won’t be at the stadium, or even in Kansas City for that matter. My cousin’s daughter, Rachel, has cystic fibrosis (CF). I’ve been asked to serve as the emcee for a CF fundraising event in Omaha—Rachel’s Raise of Hope.

Rachel is the same age as my youngest daughter and the two girls look more like twins than second cousins…or third cousins once removed…or whatever. In the last couple of years there have numerous breakthroughs in research regarding CF and every dollar raised brings a cure one step closer. Maybe the money raised from this dinner and auction will make the difference. Maybe this will be the year when CF can stand for “Cure Found.” Maybe next year, Rachel and her family can come to Opening Day with my family without worrying about all the hazards inherent in large crowds for those with CF.

Yes, of course, I’ll miss tailgating, high-fiving strangers, and walking around in awe of the most beautiful stadium in major league baseball.

I’ll listen to Denny on the radio every chance I get, trusting him to keep me up-to-date with the game. I’ll also ask a couple friends to text me updates from the stadium. Before bed, I’ll watch the highlights online and read the writings of Dutton and Kaegel and my KoK friends.

And while 40,000 fans are cheering on the boys in blue, I’m hoping to play a small part in an Opening Day miracle for the 70,000 people living with CF around the world.

For more information about Rachel’s Raise of Hope, click here.

Thanks for visiting Kings of Kauffman. 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. 

*Note: I have to watch the Angels broadcast because I’m in California.These announcers are more frustrating than the Royals guys, if you can believe that.

If you’re not around a TV and stuck in the office, feel free to follow along and participate with your own thoughts in the comments section below – I’ll address them as they come in. Sit back, relax, and Happy Baseball Season e’rybody!

3:00 – Angels’ broadcast shows a graphic explaining how Maicer Izturis will be a “key to the season”. That’s right, a 5’8″ third baseman. Tony Reagins is a genius.

3:05 – Alan Thicke doing a diabetes commercial. What happened to Wilford? Sad news.

(more…)