Welcome to the Royals beat, Thor Nystrom

Something tells us you're going to love it.

In honor of your first Royals story for MLB.com, here are... excerpts from your first Royals story!

LEAD: MINNEAPOLIS -- Royals third baseman Alex Gordon will likely return for this weekend's series against the Indians in Cleveland.

QUOTE: "It might even be the first day in Cleveland. That way we can get him back on natural surface and let him really get after it that first day and see how he feels," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "If he feels OK [in Minneapolis] and feels OK that first day in Cleveland, we'll see where we're at and maybe reactivate him for that doubleheader [on Saturday], get him back involved in one of those two games."

KICKER: "Yeah, I'll put [Gordon] back at third," Hillman said. "We'll mix and match Teahen. As soon as Alex comes back, I certainly don't plan on throwing him back playing every day after that injury. We'll kind of see how that goes, see how his body reacts. We'll mix Mark back in in the outfield and try to keep his at-bats going, as well."

The best part about covering the Royals, as everyone will tell you, is living in Kansas City and enjoying all the little gems our oft-overlooked and understated city has to offer -- gold in sand, as Russian novelists call them -- from Andre's prix fixe lunch menu to a beautiful Central Resource Library near the heart of Overland Park to the best suburban-chain-restaurant plaza-extravaganza (Outback Steakhouse! Dave and Buster's!) you'll find anywhere within 500 miles, located in Jackson County.

We have everything for your needs:

• Have kids? Let us introduce you to the Blue Valley school district.
  
  
• Want to raise a football recruit? Rockhurst.
  
  
• Commuter? Three interstates (three! unless it's four...) cut through State Line.
  
  
• And don't even get us started on the bevy of parks big and small, from Swope to Pinehurst.
  
  
• Not to mention four of the best disc golf courses in the Midwest (okay, at least three are really good).

Who knew Kansas City was all about such down-to-earth opulence, right?

This is all, you know, for if the Royals aren't entertaining enough. And we know that's a big if.