2011, All in or Fold

Reality has set in. The so-called honeymoon phase has passed and wins don’t come as easy for the Royals as they used to. There is really no need to bash Mazzaro anymore than we have. It’s no surprise what happened. I think as Royals followers we can all submit to the fact that we will face at least ONE embarrassing moment throughout the season. On May 16^th we had that moment.

This is a reality we all knew would come sooner or later. We knew this team wasn’t as good as the record in late April showed. As writers, fans, and supporters we do the best we can to make good light whenever possible, especially for a team who really had no chance to begin with. That’s exactly what we have done thus far. The Royals gave us a stable reason to hop aboard their joy ride and express ourselves freely. It was fun, but most importantly, IT CAN STILL BE FUN…

As we free fall towards the bottom and separate ourselves even further from first place it gets harder to spotlight this team.

When we were winning I could only think of one word. I wrote a story all about it– the concept of aggression and how the team was fulfilling its space of potential by effectively using aggression. Stolen bases, sacrifices, sharp bullpen presence all became the main factor to the day-to-day success of the organization. It’s showed… It showed in our record.

Now that the Royals look flat there is only one word that comes to mind. That word is inconsistent. You start to think of all the negatives about this team. It feels comfortable to find a few reasons why once again this team is the butt of ridicule and failure. There is no longer any room for hope and positivity. It’s time to set sail on the blue collar and somber ways of the franchise. It’s a reoccurring illness a first aid kit can no longer cure-a larger problems looms.

You first want to blame your easy targets.

Kyle Davies feels right. This poor guy can’t get a break. No one believes in him. I can’t argue why they would, but you still have to feel a little bad. Say your goodbyes. At least he fell down to injury and Mazzaro soaked in some of his drudgery.

Here are the facts:

You will never see Vin Mazarro in a Royals uniform again. Enough said. Moore will be man enough to swallow the fact he really should have kept DeJesus around. Big mistake.

You will never see Kyle Davies in a Royals uniform again.

The waiting game is over folks. Dayton Moore has had enough. Patience is for rebuilding teams and today, as I write this, the ROYALS ARE NO LONGER A REBUILDING TEAM.

The time is now. The time has come. No more lolly gagging around. WE HAVE ALREADY REBUILT! Take the bottle out of your mouth and go all in. Expect the risky moves to be flowing. This is the last chance for Dayton Moore.

Hosmer is here. He has shown hope. Duffy and Teaford are here. ALREADY. Could we have ever guessed that? This season is a whole new ballgame. A whole new plan that Moore wasn’t ready for. He had convinced David Glass that 2011 was going to be a sleeper season and 2012 was when the fire begins. Not so fast. We have a team this year. We can make it work. The time is now to load the chamber get the best out of this season while you can. Every season goes into the record books. There is no time to wait around for 2012.

Dayton Moore is now faced with the decision to pull the trigger. The American League Central is weaker than expected. The Royals are stronger than expected. You do the math.

This is a five hundred team with guys that can hit the ball. It is also a team that has an awful starting rotation. A 2011 sleeper starting rotation. I’m not sure the Royals realize they are still in this thing…Why continue with a bland rotation with no expectations, when you could show awareness of present success and start making this years team better, NOW!

The Royals have all the young tools to start winning in the present. But most of them reside in Omaha, not in the current bullpen or rotation. Get the virgin arms here now and we might find ourselves in a playoff situation.

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The article below is one I wrote before the season in February. I gave nine key points to a successful Royals season. The Royals are following more guidelines than I thought.

But it’s time to put it ALL together. ALL OF IT- RIGHT THIS INSTANT.

People tell me, “Mitch, you are in too much of a rush.”

I simply tell them that when I see a good opportunity, I don’t have much time to waddle around.

Thanks for reading.

Feb 2011–

These are the nine points to success for the 2011 Kansas City Royals.

This is what must happen for the Royals to embark on a winning season.

1.) We NEED four starters out of the five to consistently keep us in games for more than six innings. We are notorious for pitching a great five-inning game only to eventually lose because of poor relief. I also believe we put ourselves at fault by pulling our pitchers out way too early.

This leads into my next point>>>

2.) We MUST have at least two relief pitchers that can consistently shut down teams in the 7th and 8th inning. I’m so sick and tired of seeing the entire choir getting a fair shot of playing time. Every position is important. There is a 7th inning man- one who only appears in dire situations where the starter can’t quite make it past the 6th.  He doesn’t have to be the same person, unlike the 8th and 9th inning man. If a starting pitcher is coming out of the game before the 6th inning, something is wrong. That’s why they are a starter. The best of the best. The smartest, the most talented, and the most durable. That’s why they are there. It’s a 162 game season and you have to get as much as you can out of every single player. Stretch them out. Milk them.

The 8th inning man is a staple in every rotation. He’s just as important as the closer.

3.) In any situation late in a game when we have any remote chance of victory, the only person that should be on the mound is Soria. Enough said. No Tejeda business. He’s a candidate for the 8th inning slot.

4.) Billy Butler needs to play DH everyday. I have said it before and I will say it again. No more lolly gagging at first base chewing the bubble gum. We need a Will Clark type of player at first. Hosmer is the man. Butler is the perfect representation of a DH. Anything else is out of the element.

5.) Moustakas and Hosmer need to be playing immediately. If they aren’t on the MLB roster by game 1 then expect us to be the same team. We drool over the potential of these players. What are we waiting for? For them to be Major League ready? Haha that’s funny.

6.) Two of the Greinke recipients need to give us “Greinke type performance,” which even last year, wasn’t that stellar. So Lorenzo Cain and Escobar should know that the expectations aren’t too incredibly high, but if they don’t put up numbers in the slightest bit, then bye bye Dayton Moore in my opinion. I think the young pitcher Jeffress will be a nice player for us. Escobar will surprise people defensively, and Cain has the ability to be a “rally around” type of player. No super stars, but they need to show their worth and back up the framed up intelligence Dayton Moore is still by rumor, ”known for.”

7.) Focus the attention on the team not the player. When was the last time the Royals just had a “team” and not a couple players that attracted all the attention? No more Sweeney, Gullien, Meche, or Greinke to lay the blame on and point fingers at.

8.) Don’t be hesitant with the minor league talent. I say we put the best player at the position. No matter age or experience. Dayton Moore has numbered days unfortunately and he needs to take this risk. Myers, Moustakas, Hosmer, Crow, Montgomery, etc should all play an integral part on the team from the beginning of the season.

9.) Stick to a routine. I think Ned Yost understands and trusts this concept. Trey Hillman was the worst at it by always making changes. No confidence is his game plan whatsoever. The playoff teams don’t have too much of a different team from day one to October and the Royals should be that way too.

Yeah it’s a downer, but these nine keys to success will never happen at the same time.

It’s just the way I would go about the situation considering A) the way of the past and B) the unlimited time remaining to make a change. At this point we can only take one approach and Robert Frost put it best when he said:

“I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference.”

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