Kansas City Royals Fans Embrace True Nature of ASG

Everyone loves a good zero to hero story.  Until the zero wants to stay the hero.

The Kansas City Royals were the Cinderella story of last year’s Postseason, earning the hearts of minds of baseball fans with a youthful gusto and emotion, but even the players would agree that the defending 2014 AL Champs would enter 2015 with a target painted on their backs.

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At the outset of the 2015 campaign, the Kansas City Royals immediately flashed their October intentions by winning games in a flurry of offensive prowess.  The unhinged exuberance that once intoxicated baseball with delight soon became a Level 5 Hangover for opposing teams.  “The Royals are beating us? But we have Mike Trout/Miguel Cabrera/Jose Abreu!”  Some literary tear the shirts off their back in protest.

The targets upon the Royals backs were hurled upon with inside pitches, intentional or otherwise, and vitriol from opposing fanbases.  They couldn’t wrap their heads around how last year’s overall 2nd best team could still keep on winning when they lacked “authentic” All-Star calibre players.

Perhaps people aren’t watching Kansas City Royals games or paying attention to division rankings, but the Royals are in 1st place in the AL Central and currently hold the best record in the league.  Unless the Royals have a pact with the devil, hold a shrine to Jobu in Salvy’s locker, or are just generally the luckiest team in baseball history, I’d say they have an All Star worthy team.

With the Kansas City Royals’ back-targets aglow for the opposition to take aim, the fans are firing back with their own ammunition: ballots.

I won’t go into the details, but the MLB All-Star Game voting process has changed this year, allowing fans to vote for their beloved players many times over.  This has caused much distress with with pretty much every one of the other 29 clubs not named the Royals, as there is a virtual seven-card-stud brigade of our Boys in Blue holding down the AL side of the match.

“It’s not fair!” “Don’t let the Royals dominate the ASG. It’s supposed to be about the best players!” “Those bandwagon fans are rigging the system!”

Actually, it’s rather easily a fair ordeal.  The system, flawed as it is, allows for every fan of every team to push their players into starting positions.  The Royals are dominating because their fans are dominating.  And if you’ve haven’t watched any of the Royals’ players this year, you are missing out on a laser-light show of defense and fun.

The Royals play for each other, they play to win, not to be the stand-out best player.  David Price is shocked that his boy Miggy isn’t leading the first base vote, crying foul over the “popularity contest” that allows Eric Hosmer to reign supreme.  Miguel Cabrera is without a shred of doubt one of the best players in MLB, if not of all time, but he’s currently the best player on a third place team.

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Regardless of who should be in the game, one thing is certain:  The current weight of the All Star Game is inherently flawed and pointless.

The All-Star Game should be an exhibition match of great talent, not a significant tool that defines October baseball.   A lot of the bemoaning emanating from the masses arises from the fact that the league who wins the ASG takes home field advantage in the World Series.  The Selig Blunder gives great importance to a glorified beauty contest held during a much needed player intermission.

Kansas City Royals fans aren’t doing anything wrong.  The energetic fans are doing what every fan of every other baseball club should be doing: Vote and vote often.  The opposition can point its finger at the Royals and make accusations, but they should use that finger for clicking votes for their own players. It works both ways. If the Detroit Tigers or New York Yankees were dominating the ASG ballot, no one would bat an eye.  They’re the undisputed kings, right?

The new kings of baseball have arrived.  They hold down a throne at Kauffman Stadium.

Next: Royals Drop to Sixth in FSMLB Power Rankings