tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58869410822832267102024-03-14T06:51:49.089-04:00In Dayton We TrustTurning around the Kansas City Royals one step at a time.The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.comBlogger537125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-23555572877285278112015-11-03T10:13:00.001-05:002015-11-03T10:13:18.891-05:00The Royals have won the World Series<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This will likely be the last post that appears on this blog, which I created in 2007 just before the start of the Royals' first full season with Dayton Moore as GM. I had to stop regular postings after moving to China, but I've always followed the team from afar, from arguing the Myers-Shields trade (can we call it the Davis-Odorizzi trade now?) to whispering in the spring of 2013 about how good that team could be.<br />
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But <i>this</i> good? No. Not ever had I imagined that, because the 2015 Royals are literally unimaginable. If I were blogging regularly, I'm not sure I could conjure enough words to describe this team game after game, after every new inventive way of winning. Maybe I'll just keep it simple then (something I wish this current version of me could go back in time to tell former me): the Kansas City Royals are World Series champions. The city is about to shut down for a championship parade, and I wish I were there.<br />
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I want to leave you with a question. But first, I need to set up that question with a bit of context. You already know all that follows, but let's call this for posterity's sake --<br />
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The Royals won the World Series for the first time in 30 years. They did it by winning against a team with the presumptive American League Cy Young winner, against a team with the highest run differential in baseball, and against a team with four starters with sub-3 ERAs and a closer who had not blown a save since July 30.<br />
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That Cy Young winner? Knocked around for 3 earned runs in one inning in a series-clinching game. That invincible team? Beat them so bad in Game 4 that they called on a position player to pitch, the first time that's happened since Babe Ruth. That closer who hadn't blown a save since July 30? He blew THREE saves in one week against the Royals.<br />
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The Royals won games after being shut out for eight innings, won in which their win probability dipped as low as 25%, 18%, 16%, 10%, 8%, and 1%, and won by holding a one-run lead in the 9th with a runner on third and no outs.<br />
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They won that do-or-die Game 4 in Houston after trailing by four runs with six outs to go. (However many years later, that victory will not seem less miraculous.) They won in 14 innings, tied for longest game in World Series history by innings. They won in 12 innings after scoring five runs in the top of the 12th, the most ever in an extra-inning World Series game.<br />
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They won while scoring 40 runs -- FORTY -- in the 8th inning or later this postseason, while no other team had more than 5. This feat will not be duplicated. They won seven times after trailing by multiple runs. Seven! This will not be duplicated. They won three times in the World Series after trailing in the 8th inning or later. That's never happened before, and is unlikely to happen again.<br />
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They won when a tie-breaking run was scored from FIRST BASE on a SINGLE. One year after the tying run was stranded 90 feet away in Game 7 of the World Series, they won after a 90-feet mad dash that was equal parts daring and outlandish. They won when a player who had not recorded an at-bat all playoffs -- whose last RBI came 41 days prior -- drove in the game-winner.<br />
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Little League coaches will tell their players to have fun like the Royals. Baseball executives will emulate Dayton Moore's team-building philosophy. Baseball analysts will conduct exhaustive studies on the flaws of their projection systems. National baseball writers will run out of words. And a generation of fans in Kansas City will never forget the names Gordon, Davis, Hosmer, Cain, Escobar, Perez, Volquez, Zobrist, Hochevar, Jirschele, Kuntz, Yost...<br />
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So, my question:<br />
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Is it possible that for the rest of our baseball-rooting lives, however hard we root, it will never get better than this past month when we rooted for THIS team?<br />
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(And how are we supposed to feel about that?)</div>
The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-74207233541346249412015-10-15T00:20:00.002-04:002015-10-15T00:20:40.182-04:00In Dayton We Trust: Vindicated<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This blog was created nine years ago. Here's what happened tonight:</div>
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-- Johnny Cueto pitched eight innings of two-run ball, retiring the final 19 straight batters. He was acquired in a midseason trade.</div>
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-- Alex Rios and Kendrys Morales, signed in the offseason, were supposedly downgrades from the free agents the Royals lost. Alex Rios hit a two-run double in the 5th to bring the Royals back from a 2-1 deficit. Morales hit a three-run home run in the 8th.</div>
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-- Ben Zobrist, who is an all-around fantastic baseball player and made a great grab to begin the 7th, was obtained after Cueto in a trade.</div>
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-- Wade Davis, as we know, came to KC with James Shields in The Trade.</div>
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All of these players factored into tonight's Game 5 win. How do we like Dayton Moore now?<br />
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Let's go Royals. Onward.<br />
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p.s. Also see <a href="http://grantland.com/features/2015-mlb-kansas-city-royals-dayton-moore-division-champion/">this story</a> by Rany Jazayerli:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Harriet Text', Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;">Having finally embraced analytics these last few years, Moore’s strengths in other departments that are far harder to teach are now shining through. In a world where every team has a general understanding of analytics, the</span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Harriet Text', Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;">marginal</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Harriet Text', Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;"> benefit of being a trailblazer has shrunk, increasing the importance of traditional skills like scouting and player development. That plays into Moore’s strengths perfectly.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Harriet Text, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">...</span></span><span style="font-family: Harriet Text, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Harriet Text', Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;">All of this has made the 2015 season a delightful, delicious, dizzying experience. It’s been difficult coming to terms with the reality that Dayton Moore is an excellent general manager, but no more difficult than coming to terms with the reality that the Royals won the pennant last season, or that this season they really are the best team in the American League.</span></blockquote>
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The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-71049340183417489522014-09-30T20:22:00.002-04:002014-10-01T01:35:21.710-04:00Royals vs. Athletics: Wild Card Game live-blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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7:18 pm CT, 8:18 am Beijing time: Oh shit.<br />
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Comeback time.<span id="goog_1824537656"></span><br />
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7:34 pm: Butler! Let's go Royals!<br />
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8:12 pm: Did I just see a "Cain is Able" sign in the crowd? That's inspired.<br />
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8:13 pm: Cain <i>is</i> able. And here I thought I'd have to sweat through seven innings to see the game reset. This is much preferable. Deficit gone...<br />
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8:15 pm: ...and now the lead! which means we're three innings away from Herrera-Davis-Holland. I've always relished, from an observer's point of view, the emotional ebb and flow of a baseball game. One minute you're clutching the physical manifestation of your heart in the form of a pillow, deathly hopeful, and the next you're pumping your arms as adrenaline surges and your body is like, "Dude, you're not even in a fight." And then -- is it too early to say? -- the game <i>ends</i>.<br />
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Note from the TBS broadcast: "Salvador Perez is the Yadier Molina of the American League."<br />
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8:56 pm: Yordano Ventura pounds his glove as he emerges from the bullpen. Go git em, young flamethrower.<br />
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9:42 pm: As easy and tempting as it might be, you can't really put this on Ned Yost. James Shields <i>might</i> have pulled himself out of the jam, but who's to say? He didn't look sharp in the first two innings, and those baserunners in the 6th were solely his responsibility. Kelvin Herrara <i>could</i> have done better out of the pen, but he wasn't exactly mowing down Derek Norris and Coco Crisp. One has to believe Yordano Ventura was told beforehand to be ready to come in out of relief, and that he relished the opportunity. Sometimes athletes simply don't perform as well as we -- or they -- hope. It happens.<br />
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Two innings left. Whatever happens...<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Hope!<br />
— InDaytonWeTrust (@InDaytonWeTrust) <a href="https://twitter.com/InDaytonWeTrust/status/517147962510565376">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Serious hope.<br />
— InDaytonWeTrust (@InDaytonWeTrust) <a href="https://twitter.com/InDaytonWeTrust/status/517149232860393473">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Oh my god, hope!<br />
— InDaytonWeTrust (@InDaytonWeTrust) <a href="https://twitter.com/InDaytonWeTrust/status/517149791931752448">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Clutch something, everyone. Bottom of the ninth.<br />
— Anthony Tao (@anthonytao) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonytao/status/517156203034447872">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH<br />
— Anthony Tao (@anthonytao) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonytao/status/517158379056136192">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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11:19 pm: I'm reminded of one of the best baseball game I've ever seen, the 13-inning Game 163 in 2007 between the Rockies and Padres, which <a href="http://indaytonwetrust.blogspot.com/2007/10/wow.html">I wrote about here</a>.<br />
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Lucky to be watching this one. Whatever happens...<br />
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Well, <i>that</i> happened. Been dropping thoughts on Twitter. I'll end the post with these, and then go celebrate. <i>As should you</i>. We all deserve it.</div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Ridiculous. There are A's fans in Kauffman laughing about it all. Whatever happens, this is probably already best baseball gm I've ever seen</p>— Anthony Tao (@anthonytao) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonytao/status/517173134026227712">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Two thoughts: 1) I like Oakland, Billy Beane. Always have. Tempers my joy 2) This gm was microcosm of season for both teams, in so many ways</p>— Anthony Tao (@anthonytao) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonytao/status/517176138058047488">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>So, Salvador Perez talked to his bat before that pitch, promised to never sacrifice another chicken if he didnt get something to hit, right?</p>— Anthony Tao (@anthonytao) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonytao/status/517176872405200896">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Since the sixth inning of this game two hours ago, everything has been gravy. Now onto dessert. Maybe this nightcap: <a href="http://t.co/d5pzdK7YOt">pic.twitter.com/d5pzdK7YOt</a></p>— Anthony Tao (@anthonytao) <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonytao/status/517178464139370497">October 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-5864111546909055762014-09-30T00:48:00.002-04:002014-09-30T00:48:24.520-04:00I'll be watching the Royals tomorrow from...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...Beijing. Where will you be watching?<br />
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Wherever it is, swing by for a live-blog if you'd like. Advance warning: it may be very onomatopoetic and recitative. Let's go Royals!<br />
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The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-64601639680653859052011-10-28T12:46:00.004-04:002011-10-28T12:54:34.202-04:00Last night's game...<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>Reactions from <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva El Birdos</a> and <a href="http://www.lonestarball.com/">Lone Star Ball</a>:<br /><br />9th inning:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR-Px97wQ5p48bGlkfBGrQG1GxhxEwQEM3-JMxr4KO7f8pwneJvHE-1NJMGccUu1Adlh-64t4QO7EcIbPb8IhbcTCEtuCDB3KSxNdwU710pBq-Lp_njXckSlNXpSSV6JccYmWmOy_n-f0/s1600/Cardinals+9th.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR-Px97wQ5p48bGlkfBGrQG1GxhxEwQEM3-JMxr4KO7f8pwneJvHE-1NJMGccUu1Adlh-64t4QO7EcIbPb8IhbcTCEtuCDB3KSxNdwU710pBq-Lp_njXckSlNXpSSV6JccYmWmOy_n-f0/s400/Cardinals+9th.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668586710823127378" border="0" /></a><br />...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNsqd7pEPILICRn-4fSA-z8UxFHehGuX6AEGZ7CFGaM7bRtqvO9PUMeuTNobX-1rhpzoAGn7CPiilL07Vwyshl03nNr8qZNycvOVXcNG9Ht0ONSZqcf8dJ_OzHRpI_c69qIvKwYW9G8rf/s1600/Rangers+9th-b.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNsqd7pEPILICRn-4fSA-z8UxFHehGuX6AEGZ7CFGaM7bRtqvO9PUMeuTNobX-1rhpzoAGn7CPiilL07Vwyshl03nNr8qZNycvOVXcNG9Ht0ONSZqcf8dJ_OzHRpI_c69qIvKwYW9G8rf/s400/Rangers+9th-b.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668586386077579170" border="0" /></a><br /><br />10th inning:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhNaUJphkVSQwKqS_TwQc-exD1QtaMjK20fcPmldvVZxoEaFoSG8uZke8T_WPpCYcBsz_avuHBKQ7M4NgVhJO6_pf7fs-SFZFLNXsyJccMOUpCrZ40w54UD2ZFLEOixpmuhnYrw7DC-wf/s1600/Cardinals+10th.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZhNaUJphkVSQwKqS_TwQc-exD1QtaMjK20fcPmldvVZxoEaFoSG8uZke8T_WPpCYcBsz_avuHBKQ7M4NgVhJO6_pf7fs-SFZFLNXsyJccMOUpCrZ40w54UD2ZFLEOixpmuhnYrw7DC-wf/s400/Cardinals+10th.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668586706642849954" border="0" /></a><br />...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqWDcvSUy01YeZGt1pteJa4BrpTmXW2LDLP4ZdHY20m4feN3FJFe5ZHgxF8iU1YB4OcN2EN4Unej8pWLUyd5tWHQxW5WHhwrwpeGkMUWR1qMr5KVQTDyqpl-8iGIMy0idAXysWepmsfhk/s1600/Rangers+10th.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqWDcvSUy01YeZGt1pteJa4BrpTmXW2LDLP4ZdHY20m4feN3FJFe5ZHgxF8iU1YB4OcN2EN4Unej8pWLUyd5tWHQxW5WHhwrwpeGkMUWR1qMr5KVQTDyqpl-8iGIMy0idAXysWepmsfhk/s400/Rangers+10th.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668586381563691746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />11th inning:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EwPdNo0IDdWcoUykJ-i8Q-xAS1RNuzFGpKeVzuYhIvBfYHxwtGHuMiYesNanjbK4q0goiL1dF9LBjTTSzh3AkKc8cic3Ivsrf_6hnKo_FHleRz1-A35uSP5VKYcZwI7YSkMit8eIwe_T/s1600/Cardinals+11th.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EwPdNo0IDdWcoUykJ-i8Q-xAS1RNuzFGpKeVzuYhIvBfYHxwtGHuMiYesNanjbK4q0goiL1dF9LBjTTSzh3AkKc8cic3Ivsrf_6hnKo_FHleRz1-A35uSP5VKYcZwI7YSkMit8eIwe_T/s400/Cardinals+11th.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668586699178508274" border="0" /></a><br />...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLeWce6SXTbRSYh7LYsYq0mMOHTajcDiUz4RC1LqblFOeeRPm5N3OwB5TkSCLfmRn3B86xqU9UHxBA0q2E2Fh2lR0nECsfWCuGFGAXABXi_xyuc_q9lrublUrzg-nXaDPJGskKYUPbNEc/s1600/Rangers+11th.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPLeWce6SXTbRSYh7LYsYq0mMOHTajcDiUz4RC1LqblFOeeRPm5N3OwB5TkSCLfmRn3B86xqU9UHxBA0q2E2Fh2lR0nECsfWCuGFGAXABXi_xyuc_q9lrublUrzg-nXaDPJGskKYUPbNEc/s400/Rangers+11th.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668586380140218050" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So, Rangers fans ... feeling good about today?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHJOXdZisy0LvqNna-tAdSYlBiZMs-zMmzdNcA7U6ZFTrmdxl1cGgHShgHax5HrCnRM02eZY6qe85Uu41DHq8lddEDlYjBx1B2v75kP8xSV1KzI-3IPZZPKeCbGV4RTTJE13POYMw742m/s1600/Rangers+poll.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHJOXdZisy0LvqNna-tAdSYlBiZMs-zMmzdNcA7U6ZFTrmdxl1cGgHShgHax5HrCnRM02eZY6qe85Uu41DHq8lddEDlYjBx1B2v75kP8xSV1KzI-3IPZZPKeCbGV4RTTJE13POYMw742m/s400/Rangers+poll.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668586388736181346" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas-rangers/headlines/20111025-you-tell-us-will-the-rangers-win-game-7-of-the-world-series-in-st.-louis.ece"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dallas Morning News</span></a>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-51678918677342695322010-03-24T04:43:00.001-04:002010-03-24T04:45:10.670-04:00A simple thought that has been running through my mind again and againYou know, even at a far remove -- geographically at least -- from my hometown baseball team, it's not very hard to feel the positive vibes coming out of camp. I feel very, very good things about this season, and if I'm proven wrong, well, that doesn't change the reality of these feelings at this present moment, when all teams are 0-0 and anything seems possible.The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-70291182365688699082010-01-26T11:30:00.003-05:002010-01-28T02:26:40.799-05:00Fake Dayton Moore<a href="http://twitter.com/fakedaytonmoore">http://twitter.com/fakedaytonmoore</a> makes me want to come back. Ah, <a href="http://indaytonwetrust.blogspot.com/2009/05/reason-twitter-was-invented.html">Twitter</a>. Alas, I think this blog has hit its logical end point. I just g-chatted to a friend these series of messages:<br /><br /><div id=":2f1" dir="ltr" class="kl"></div><blockquote><div id=":2f1" dir="ltr" class="kl">you konw</div><div id=":2f2" dir="ltr" class="kl">i'm kind of thinking to myself this lineup isn't bad</div><div id=":2f3" dir="ltr" class="kl">dejesus, pod, butler, jacobs, gordon ankiel</div><div id=":2f4" dir="ltr" class="kl">guillen, buck, shortstop</div><div id=":2f5" dir="ltr" class="kl">throw callaspo in there!</div><div id=":2f6" dir="ltr" class="kl">not guillen, sorry</div><div id=":2f7" dir="ltr" class="kl">jacobs would be dh obviously</div><div id=":2f8" dir="ltr" class="kl">that's NOT a bad lineup</div></blockquote><div id=":2f8" dir="ltr" class="kl"></div><br />I know, I know...<br /><br />I'm living in the past, and not even some distant past where the Royals were good or challenging for the playoffs. No, I was living in a past where I was expected to expect the Royals to be good, or, more accurately, expecting others to expect the Royals to not be bad. And I just don't have time for that anymore.<br /><br />But, nonetheless, go Royals, and since blogs never die, so this one won't, but, but, but...The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-59960993917511824812009-10-09T03:31:00.001-04:002009-10-09T03:31:33.274-04:00Viva El Birdos, indeedIf you're in need of a chuckle today, go check out SB Nation's Cardinals blog, like <a href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2009/10/8/1077278/gotta-be-kidding-overflow#comments">these</a> comments. But don't linger too long, you might start feeling an odd combination of sadness, bemusement and sympathy.<br> The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-44663819737156916142009-09-10T02:01:00.002-04:002009-09-10T02:11:46.451-04:00An amazing statistic via Joe PosnanskiIn the book Jitterbug Perfume, which is the sort of book that so poignantly asks all the universe's most important questions (e.g., life, death) that even if you hate Tom Robbins, you'll appreciate and respect this work, the caprine god Pan slowly dematerializes as fewer and fewer people believe in him. It's how gods "die," as he puts it.<br /><br />Our coverage of these Royals is kind of like that: slowly disappearing, soon incomplete sentences and broken links.<br /><br />But this is too good to not share: Joe Poz, near the end of a really hilarious <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/09/09/nfl.mlb/index.html">column for SI</a>:<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><p>I'm going to give you an amazing statistic about Kansas City Royals pitcher <b>Zack Greinke</b>. He is, unquestionably, the best pitcher in the American League. He leads the league in ERA, complete games, WHIP and home runs per nine innings. He is second in strikeouts, and fifth in walks per game.</p> <p>No, I haven't given you the amazing statistic yet.</p> <p>He leads the league in shutouts. He has made 20 starts where he allowed two runs or less, most in the American League. He has made 24 starts where he allowed three runs or less, most in the American League. He has only had two starts all year where he has given up five runs in a game.</p> <p>No, haven't given you the stat. Not yet.</p> <p>Greinke's first 10 starts, he had an 0.84 ERA. His last five starts, he has a 1.38 ERA. Greinke himself has a higher slugging percentage (.333) than the right-handed batters who have faced him this year (.318).</p> <p>And no, that's not the stat either. Here's the stat that will blow your mind.</p> <p>The Kansas City Royals have a losing record in games that Zack Greinke has started this season.</p></blockquote><p></p>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-3453880351955789972009-07-16T22:14:00.000-04:002009-07-16T22:14:56.895-04:00Catching up, kind ofIn the context of recent Royals events, my last two posts could not have been more off the mark. I understand this, trust me. They were deliberately -- and I'm just throwing out a few words here -- mild-tempered, light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, non-Royals-related. On the other hand, as far as I can tell, the prevailing attitude among bloggers and commentators falls somewhere between exasperation and resignation, or, on a slightly different axis, rage and despair. The fallout to the Yuniesky Betancourt trade has been damn near nuclear, and let's just say someone ought to check if <a href="http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/">Rany</a>'s still alive after his upcoming visit to the K. (His blog's tagline: "<span style="font-style: italic;">July 10th, 2009. The day the music died</span>.")<br /><br />I had no idea, however, the extent of the animosity towards the Royals' front office until I spent a couple hours today trolling the blogosphere (with a VPN, of course, as Blogger's blocked in China). Just click on any random link in my blogroll and you'll see (Royals Review has been leading the charge, e.g., <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2009/7/11/945964/is-dayton-moore-bravest-gm-in">here</a>, <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2009/7/11/945621/after-bizarre-betancourt-trade">here</a> and <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2009/7/11/946005/i-quit-as-a-royals-fan-mad-lib">here</a>). The line of disgust and antipathy and -- could it really be? -- hatred has been sunk so deep that even some blog readers have begun to cringe and ask something to the effect of, "Eek... <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span>?"<br /><br />A sampling of the comments to Rany's 4,254-word <a href="http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/07/breaking-point.html">renunciation</a> of his fanhood:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Travis:</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Bull shit. I don't buy you're quiting on the Royals. As much as I like your blog, I'm not begging you to keep writing it. We don't need diehards giving up whenever they get pissed. It's one thing to bitch about the Royals moves, it's another to quit on your team for good. Calm down, have a shot of whiskey, and lets hope for some more moves at the deadline.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">jason y:</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> its a sad day to be a royals fan....but how is that different from any other day? when you're at the bottom the only place to go is up. dont lose faith.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">(This one is kind of awesome) </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Keith:</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Rany, I kept checking your blog Friday night. I thought perhaps you pulled the plug on the whole thing. As an almost casual fan I was bothered by the trade immediately. If I've heard of Cortes then he must be valuable. This is clearly a lost season and I thought it was time to unload contracts and pick up players for the future. I've quit the Chiefs but the Royals are still meaningful. I think it helps not to care too much. Family and friends are whats really important.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.uncbears.com/">Scott</a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">:</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> And I also agree with Travis. You can't just give up. It doesn't work that way. I'm 27 years old (Betancourt's age! And I'm not nearly near my peak, thank you very much) and have never known the Royals to be good. Ever. But, here I sit, just waiting for what will definitely be one of the greatest moments of my life when the Royals finally "find a nut."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/11603395761909203584">stpat</a>:</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> ...All I can say is stick with them, if for no other reason than to give us (the Fans) a legit voice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Ryan:</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> I don't really see the big deal. It's not like they traded Hosmer or Aaron Crow or someone like that. Also, unlike the Jacobs deal, it's not like they are blocking someone better on the farm with this deal either. I really don't see it having that much of a negative impact. Maybe it costs Glass some money if he continues to tank but I don't really care about that. Someone other that TPJ has got to play short and I don't see any other options out there.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">And another thing, I'm sick of hearing people talk about I'm not going to anymore games, I'm done with this team, I'm not wearing anymore Royals gear.......good. I'm with Travis and Scott. We don't need you around making ridiculous claims about your loyalty. If you leave, stay gone. I don't want to see you back when the tide turns. And it will turn.....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Matt Berger:</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Rany im 20 years old, ive never really seen a winning Royals season 2003 doesn't really count. I want to give up, I want to stop caring but I can't and I haven't so you can't either. Might I suggest you keep being critical and hope you're comments reach ears who belong to someone in position to make decisions. You have a bully pulpit keep using it. I look forward to meeting you Saturday.</span><br /></blockquote><br />So on and so forth.<br /><br />I admit I did not read all 134 comments (I will never understand what would ever motivate someone, like <span style="font-weight: bold;">ejfunk</span>, to write a near-500-word response to a blog post; I mean that in the best way possible). I will also admit that despite the many affirmations of loyalty to the Kansas City Royals, I was still dismayed, or unconvinced of one thing or another. What that thing is exactly I can't or don't want to articulate. I feel as if the world's blown up and I was on the moon.<br /><br />Here's the thing: when you live somewhere that's removed from baseball, you lose touch with the rhythm of the season. You forget if those 1-0 losses were pitched by Brian Bannister or Zack Greinke, or if Luke Hochevar's still in the rotation, or why the name "Bruce Chen" is in the box score. I check the scores every morning and feel a distinct pang of disappointment when I see the Royals have lost, an unmistakable pick-me-up, like the first sip of fresh-brewed coffee (in terrifically short supply here), when they've won, but still -- you lose perspective. You find yourself clicking on "standings" every other week, something you shouldn't need to if you're watching Baseball Tonight every other day.<br /><br />And it is here that I admit that until today, when I had the good fortune to read the blogosphere's reactions, the Betancourt trade didn't bother me all that much. I didn't think much of it. I read Bob Dutton's article and felt it disingenuous to some degree, but I really didn't think it worth my time to fuss over yet another trade of a couple minor leaguers for a middling position player.<br /><br />Now I wonder...<br /><br />Those who run counter to the zeitgeist risk inducing something much worse than irrelevance, a pit where this blog has been fast descending (damn you, Great Firewall of China) -- disdain. I don't want that. Those who sigh and curse, pound their fists and wring their hands while following this maddening yet beautiful, wonderfully intricate and fascinating game deserve better than yet another loathsome Royals commentator.<br /><br />In other words, I'm not entirely sure whether In Dayton We Trust has a place in this current landscape. We're taking a vacation until the steam evaporates off Royals Land.<br /><br />I won't go so far as to quote Keith -- "Family and friends are what's really important" -- but right now I am going to slip on my flip-flops, walk to the convenience store and buy an ice cream cone.The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-52327555106315802852009-07-15T10:08:00.003-04:002009-07-15T11:50:49.959-04:00Zack Greinke wins the All-Star gameRoy Halladay really sucked, huh? Compared to Greinke at least.<br /><br /><table class="tablehead" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="oddrow" align="right"><td align="left"><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5883">Z Greinke</a></td><td>1.0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td nowrap="nowrap">10-8</td><td>0.00</td></tr></tbody></table><br />And <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar09/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=4328438">look</a>: wit!<br /><br /><p><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><p><span style="font-style: italic;">JAYSON STARK: </span>Yeah, not to suggest it's been a while since the American League lost an All-Star Game or anything, but after the AL had ripped yet another All-Star triumph off its relentless July assembly line Tuesday night, we couldn't find a single member of this year's AL All-Stars who could correctly answer the following straightforward trivia question:</p><p><i>Do you even remember the last time the National League won an All-Star Game?</i></p><p><i>...<br /></i></p><p>On and on it went, nobody quite recalling, until Royals pitcher Zack Greinke<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5883"></a> decided to get sneaky -- and turn the tables on us by asking US a question.</p><p>"The last time they won one," he wondered, "who played in it?"</p><p>Hmmm. We hadn't actually done the research on THAT question yet. So we guessed -- incorrectly, by the way -- that it was at least possible that Derek Jeter<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3246"></a> had.</p><p>"Yeah," Greinke laughed. "And probably Stan Musial, too."</p></blockquote><p></p><br />And lest you forget, Greinke is more or less <a href="http://www.emilykuchar.com/">Mr. Daytona Beach USA</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: Apologies to these Royals blogs, which should've been on my blogroll long before now: <a href="http://everythingroyals.blogspot.com">Everything Royals</a>, <a href="http://tangledupinroyalblue.blogspot.com/">Tangled Up in (Royal) Blue</a> and Royals Primacy. And if you're wondering, yes, I recently learned about at least two of the above due to the Yuniesky Betancourt trade. See, there is something positive to come out of it, and we haven't even given it time to play out yet.</span>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-8294430639441263522009-07-15T08:48:00.004-04:002009-07-15T09:00:58.859-04:00"If I had a good curveball I wouldn't be president"From Jeff Caple, <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar09/columns/story?columnist=caple_jim&id=4328439">ESPN</a> -- Ichiro's come a long way since "<a href="http://indaytonwetrust.blogspot.com/2007/08/hotter-than-two-rats-screwing-in-wool.html">two rats screwing in a wool sock</a>," hasn't he?<br /><br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">"My idea, when I saw him, was to say, 'What's up?' to him,'' Ichiro said through the Mariners team interpreter. "But I got nervous. You know, he has that kind of aura about him. So I got nervous and I didn't say that to him. I was a little disappointed about that. But I realized after seeing him today that presidents wear jeans, too. So my hope is that our skipper, Don Wakamatsu, was watching that and we can wear jeans on our flights as well.''</blockquote><br />And the NL fails <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tom_verducci/07/15/mlb.all.star.game/index.html?eref=sihpT1">yet again</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: Taking votes now -- Obama in blue jeans: cooler than this? </span> <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiST0TNaHIiAfHAM5i1DwzHdVlzD5B-VyPcfRVsXczyQZ0ujLzgFqpRc2t4PmEK5X_3hPjwCUcI53vEmDuvZv3nuZcmt8f6nFo7UTmiJ19lxPs7XnR_e7QajxoK0uc66K88iFvvrY2rdLz0/s1600-h/obama-beer.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiST0TNaHIiAfHAM5i1DwzHdVlzD5B-VyPcfRVsXczyQZ0ujLzgFqpRc2t4PmEK5X_3hPjwCUcI53vEmDuvZv3nuZcmt8f6nFo7UTmiJ19lxPs7XnR_e7QajxoK0uc66K88iFvvrY2rdLz0/s320/obama-beer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358670372147269122" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Because this is pretty damn cool.</span>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-59953079490955976472009-05-11T11:13:00.006-04:002009-05-11T11:45:34.014-04:00The reason Twitter was invented<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Matt Wieters Doesn't Take Pitches...He Shows Them Mercy.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Albert Pujols’ Mother Drafted Matt Wieters First Overall In Her Fantasy League.<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Matt Wieters Can Switch-hit From All Five Sides Of The Plate.<br /><br />In the First Jurassic Park Movie, The Tyrannosaurus Wasn't Chasing The Jeep. Matt Wieters was Chasing The Tyrannosaurus.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 130%; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.mattwietersfacts.com/">Matt Wieters Facts</a>.<br /></div><br />We checked www.ZackGreinkeFacts.com. URL not taken, surprisingly.<br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Zack Greinke Is The Reason The Suicide Rate Is 95 Percent Among Americans Named Zach.</span><br /></blockquote><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: <a href="http://www.billnorrisfacts.com/fact.cgi?id=129">Recommended</a>.</span>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-3024854765063911512009-05-08T22:29:00.003-04:002009-05-08T23:22:05.052-04:00Poor A-RodWatching Gilgameche against the Angels, and in the bottom of the 1st we got this classic exchange about Alex Rodriguez:<br /><br /><blockquote>Angels announcer 1 (paraphrasing): That says a lot, with all the distractions and the pressure, to step up and hit a home run in your first time up.<br /><br />Angels announcer 2, without missing a beat: Somebody probably tipped him to what was coming.</blockquote><br />And that's only one of the reasons I'm enjoying this telecast. Another: Meche is much better than Matt Palmer.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">UPDATE, minutes later: I hate MLB.tv.</span>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-59334340003346154472009-05-08T00:38:00.001-04:002009-05-08T00:39:33.123-04:00Your read for the day: Rany<a href="http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/05/game-on.html">Game on.</a>:<br /><blockquote><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">I think that the city is ready to embrace this team. Last night’s game garnered a 7.5 rating, the highest in the history of Fox Sports Kansas City. The previous highest-rated game was…the game before, with a 6.4 rating.</span></blockquote>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-15391676348047952652009-05-06T05:20:00.003-04:002009-05-06T09:59:23.717-04:00More on Zack Greinke<a href="http://mvn.com/royalblues/2009/05/in-case-you-werent-already-astounded-enough-by-greinke.html">Minda at Royals Authority</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">And...I can't even believe what a big number I'm about to type here...remember that MLB average is 100, and last year's Cy Young winners Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum had ERA+ of 175 and 167, respectively.<br /><br />OK, are you ready? Zack Greinke's ERA+ is 1173. Yeah, four digits. One thousand, one hundred seventy-three.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/05/zack-stat-pack-start-6.html">Rany</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Greinke has four starts in his career with 10 strikeouts and no walks.<span style=""> </span>Every other pitcher to suit up for the Royals in their history has <i>combined</i> for four such starts: one by Gordon, one by Gubicza, one by Johnson, and one by Rich Gale.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1178632.html">Sam Mellinger, KC Star</a>:<br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br />It’s an hour or so before Zack Greinke’s first pitch, and Billy Butler is talking to a teammate.<p>“I’m guaranteeing a shutout tonight,” Butler says. “What do you think?”</p> <p></p></blockquote><br /><a href="http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/05/05/greinke-fun-facts/">Joe Posnanski</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">This from brilliant reader Rob: Dating back to last year, Greinke has won nine consecutive starts, and in those nine starts he has an 0.69 ERA. How good is that? Well, legendary. There have been 50 pitches since 1954 who have won nine or more consecutive starts. Greinke’s is the second-best.* <p><em>*The best of those by ERA?</em></p> <p><em>1. Bob Gibson, 1968: 12-0, 0.50 ERA.<br />Note for posterity: Gibson completed all 12 of those games.</em></p> <p><em>2. Zack Greinke, 2008-09: 9-0, 0.69 ERA</em></p></blockquote><p><em></em></p><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: From Posnanski, a trip down <a href="http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/05/04/macdougal/">memory lane</a> to 2003.</span><br /><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1178632.html"></a><p></p>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-87485086437669948052009-05-06T00:43:00.006-04:002009-05-06T01:14:40.413-04:00An absolutely tremendous winDown four runs two different times, then down 7-4 with three to play... and a win in 11.<br /><br />Ozzie Guillen's still staring, blankly, into the long abyss.<br /><br />Lots of Royals commentators have been saying the game vs. the Twins a few days back, which the Royals also won in 11, was one the team had no business winning, in fact would not have won last year, three years ago, 10 years ago.... I put tonight's contest in the same category. Consider:<br /><br /><ul><li>The team drew 11 walks, with Coco Crisp walking on four straight plate appearances, often after being down 1-2 in the count.</li><li>The team's crucial sixth run was scored after consecutive walks, both on 3-2 counts (credit Crisp with that RBI... I should mention here that he is, officially, now my favorite player; after he stole second base in the 8th, I could've sworn he was going to score the go-ahead run).</li><li>Talk about picking up your starter: Kyle Davies gave up six runs in four innings; the bullpen went seven while allowing just one (how 'bout Jamie Wright's three scoreless? That's a good night's work. On a related note: is Joakim Soria still okay?)</li><li>And talk about picking up your starter (which is exactly what these players have talked about recently, actually): John Buck, hitless in his five previous at-bats, singles in the walk-off run with two outs after Mike Jacobs failed to get it done.</li></ul><br />The list goes on, but in conclusion, this was, from start to finish, one of the most remarkable wins of the season. In the early-going, this was the sort of game you wouldn't have minded losing, insofar as that's ever possible. You fall behind 4-0 and 7-4 and wonder whether you shouldn't just be happy to leave still in first place. But the Royals battled and scrapped -- not to use this most anathema of words, but the Royals <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> scrapped -- and, sometime around the middle innings, you somehow felt something would change. That the White Sox, obviously inferior, would break. And then it occurs to you: these Royals are different from all the others you've known and followed and loathed. These guys are actually <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span>.<br /><br />If this team -- the 2009 Royals -- don't revert to their old form -- in other words, if they play like they played tonight -- they will contend from here till late September. Perhaps some of you have known this for a while now (a week?). After today, I see it -- and I would have sooner if not for MLB.tv's frustratingly inconsistent streaming. I believe. And I don't mean it like we all meant it in 2003, with that silly catchphrase -- this time I believe with reason.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: Want to know what separates a good Major League hitter from a decent one who somehow rakes in the minors but can never seem to break through? This was actually something one of the Royals broadcasters said, but it was illustrated in tonight's game: the ability to take a strike, i.e. the confidence to hit while down in the count. Major Leaguers can put the same kind of swing on a 1-2 fastball as a 2-1. The moment that brought this to light for me was Mitch Maier's at-bat in the 8th, with Crisp on third, Mark Teahen on first and two out. The pitcher, Scott Linebrink, had walked Crisp earlier and obviously wasn't exhibiting great control. The first pitch was a ball. And then Maier, perhaps feeling he needed to justify himself because the White Sox had elected to intentionally walk Teahen, swung on the 1-0 count and flied out, ending the rally. It was exactly the sort of at-bat his teammates weren't taking all night and the sort the Royals resorted to all the time before this year.<br /><br />Not saying Maier doesn't belong -- I like him as much as the next guy. Maybe just that there's a reason it took him so long to make it to the big-league team.</span>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-5136243226340382802009-05-05T02:01:00.003-04:002009-05-06T01:20:31.038-04:00Stop itZack Greinke. <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1178648.html">Recap</a>.<br /><br />They are <a href="http://www.southsidesox.com/2009/5/5/865410/our-new-in-division-overlord">afraid</a>, <a href="http://www.southsidesox.com/2009/5/4/864555/anatomy-of-an-l">oh yes</a> <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9540898/Guillen-gushes-over-Greinke-">they are</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: This makes me like Ozzie Guillen more (above link): "I always loved this kid. I always thought he had great stuff and I always thought it was a shame he wasn't winning that many games."</span>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-49905903332983297212009-05-01T02:39:00.004-04:002009-05-01T02:40:18.876-04:00You give a little, you get a little<h3><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090430&content_id=4503480&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc&partnerId=rss_kc">Royals turn AL record-tying six DPs</a></h3><br />And now alone in first place.The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-30407761804429182632009-04-29T10:20:00.004-04:002009-04-29T11:11:33.485-04:00The long-awaited SI cover<span style="font-style: italic;">“So it’s a mistake. They’ll probably sell their least amount of magazines in a long time — except when NASCAR was on the cover.”</span> <div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;">--Zack Greinke, as quoted in <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1166062.html">KC Star</a></span> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5wBJu61SpmtebzZRIoc8TQTdmiD6m4W1_tCs-OnsEIdU9_ILmCXh9aIgd6u9G_EIC_yu_-NxoRgyDYhD1Gn_xUrG3vh-ggCngKrh6U9-fri6ea0BAaM3LdaCKMuCTAWAeRq16WZXC9kr/s1600-h/Greinke+cover+of+SI.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5wBJu61SpmtebzZRIoc8TQTdmiD6m4W1_tCs-OnsEIdU9_ILmCXh9aIgd6u9G_EIC_yu_-NxoRgyDYhD1Gn_xUrG3vh-ggCngKrh6U9-fri6ea0BAaM3LdaCKMuCTAWAeRq16WZXC9kr/s400/Greinke+cover+of+SI.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330120695734128018" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">--Zack Greinke, as on Sports Illustrated <a href="http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1155063/index.htm">cover</a></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Joe Posnanski: <a href="http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/04/27/come-on-baby-cover-me/">more</a>.<br /><br />By the way, that story relegated a Gary Smith feature to a small cover line. That's when you know -- as a writer -- that you've arrived.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: They finally unblocked Rany's <a href="http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/04/future-has-arrived.html">blog</a> in China! YouTube, on the other hand...</span><br /></div></div>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-3296803605553158272009-04-27T10:50:00.002-04:002009-04-27T10:52:37.512-04:00SI's Peter King writing about the Royals and Kansas CityOur <s>small</s> medium town's in <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/04/26/draft/4.html">MMQB</a>! His non-football thoughts of the week:<br /><br /><p></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><p>a. I am so ticked off I missed <b>Zack Grienke</b> Friday night. What a great story -- he threw a three-hitter to beat Detroit (and the kid from West Orange, <b>Rick Porcello</b>) to go to 4-0. The story of the month in baseball, with nothing even close for second place: Grienke. In 29 innings, he's struck out 36 and given up zero earned runs.</p> <p>b. And the Royals drew 36,363 to the refurbished Kauffman Stadium. Good for them.</p> <p>c. Was that you, Zack, in the Classic Cup on the Plaza for breakfast Saturday morning? If so, a lot of us left you alone on purpose.</p> <p>d. By the way, thanks to two Tweeters for steering me to the Classic Cup. Great pulse-of-the-Plaza breakfast spot.</p></blockquote><p></p>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-74275380699828738582009-04-24T23:30:00.005-04:002009-04-24T23:57:13.909-04:00Fire extinguisher, NOW!Zack Greinke:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW2v32SOA3995C0RVYoeMI5EeI56WX7kEri8NGDMgnztFLQWgxhZq2xTWjusiZpGVh42kQti9uBBbDgvR5t-XzBP_ymq2w7bua11Rdqq3XDBJv9qUC-yL6utzb9XLBjLMQdhidDe0LBhb/s1600-h/Zack+Greinke+4-0.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 46px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW2v32SOA3995C0RVYoeMI5EeI56WX7kEri8NGDMgnztFLQWgxhZq2xTWjusiZpGVh42kQti9uBBbDgvR5t-XzBP_ymq2w7bua11Rdqq3XDBJv9qUC-yL6utzb9XLBjLMQdhidDe0LBhb/s400/Zack+Greinke+4-0.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328467329633452306" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />In a game completed in two hours and six minutes in front of 36,363 fans at beautiful Kauffman Stadium.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_nqdA5Gq7uE2uK4IZk-7iKq5ScJDSldE_27So4PSfl1-nmjSAOvLmd18ycujNygX8JU4_kzRR3YDlGRB_rOoY1iHUf1bjAo7Dzln4xrMbe1o6iLUW-RvlbviGh7JBjYj97X0t8VGJSLq/s1600-h/Smiley+face.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 59px; height: 59px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_nqdA5Gq7uE2uK4IZk-7iKq5ScJDSldE_27So4PSfl1-nmjSAOvLmd18ycujNygX8JU4_kzRR3YDlGRB_rOoY1iHUf1bjAo7Dzln4xrMbe1o6iLUW-RvlbviGh7JBjYj97X0t8VGJSLq/s200/Smiley+face.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328468030115743346" border="0" /></a><br /></div>It's during those rare instances when a pitcher's on cloud nine or wherever it is pitchers go when they realize they're absolutely, sickeningly unhittable that we pause a moment amid teeth-gnashing (over Joakim Soria, perhaps) and withdraw from our daily minutia to appreciate the finer points of life. Birds and bees -- and no, not the kind some of you want unleashed in Trey Hillman's office -- and gallivanting trolls, or something. The physics of baseball is such that these sort of performances -- lined up back to back... to back to back -- are once-in-a-blue-moon occurrences, not to missed or taken for granted, like, in music, a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiBrnvR9plE">young diva</a> or prodigy who can "<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4144811n">bring tears to your eyes</a>." So, a weekend suggestion, if we may: lean back in your favorite sofa and take a breath. Things are gonna be a-okay.The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-52204064459121915632009-04-21T11:56:00.004-04:002009-04-21T12:21:15.371-04:00Your day's picksThree quick reads:<br /><ul><li>Via <a href="http://royalsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/293">Sam Mellinger</a>: something even the most awful of Royals teams <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2009/04/washington_natinals.html?wprss=nationalsjournal">never did</a>.</li><li><a href="http://royaleswithcheese.blogspot.com/2009/04/boost-to-wikipedias-credibility.html">Royales With Cheese</a>: Wikipedia demonstrates the extent of this fan base's anger with Trey Hillman.<br /></li><li>Joe Posnanski <a href="http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/04/19/sunday-night-thought-of-the-week/#more-1931">rants</a> -- or gets as close to ranting as you'll see from him -- on Hillman's mismanagement of the bullpen on Sunday.</li></ul>Royals at Indians, 6:05 p.m. CDT. Your starting pitcher: Sidney Ponson.<br /><br />And tomorrow: <a href="http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090421&content_id=4358036&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc">Brian Bannister</a>. Yes, Brian Bannister, riding a nine-inning shutout streak. Who cares if it was against minor leaguers... he's back!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: This is why blogs are the future: read the comments to <a href="http://royalsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/294">this</a> Ball Star blog post, particularly the thread about ERA+.</span>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-24164359432247740882009-04-20T04:13:00.007-04:002009-04-20T07:42:15.579-04:00Can we ever trust him again?At some point, Kyle Farnsworth's ERA will dip below 10.00. This I trust. The next batter he retires without allowing a run will drop his ERA from 18.90 to 17.18. One more and it's at 15.75. A couple scoreless outings after that it'll stand at 9.00. It's not impossible to imagine this scenario playing out. In fact, I'd give it eight or nine days if I were a betting man.<br /><br />However, the question was, is, and will be for the foreseeable future whether we -- the fans, the manager, the man who decided to pay him upwards of $4 million this year, his teammates -- will ever trust him to do his job. Allow me to put it this way: how many scoreless innings must Farnsworth string together for our first reaction upon hearing his name to not be, "Suck on a goat's balls you gutless shiteating piss of a fraud!" or, simply, <span style="font-style: italic;">$&%#!</span>?<br /><br />This is a serious inquiry.<br /><br />I ask not for myself but for an increasingly aggrieved fan base. <a href="http://www.royallyspeaking.com/2009/04/and-royals-lose-another-one-because.html">They</a> <a href="http://royaleswithcheese.blogspot.com/2009/04/good-news-everyone.html">are</a> <a href="http://haplessroyals.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-wouldnt-have-anything-to-write-about.html">angry</a>, and <a href="http://newbluetradition.blogspot.com/2009/04/note-to-hillman-and-why-you-cant-count.html">they</a> <a href="http://www.royalsonradioetc.com/2009/04/with-god-and-my-dad-as-witnesses.html">are</a> <a href="http://www.royalscentricity.com/2009/04/blown.html">angry</a>. And I can only imagine no one feels the brunt of Farnsworth's failures more heavily and personally than Dayton Moore, and on this topic I can provide no words of solace. You will remember that of this offseason's acquisitions -- all those <a href="http://indaytonwetrust.blogspot.com/2008/10/word-on-mike-jacobs-leo-nunez-trade.html">many words</a> volleyed back and forth about Mike Jacobs (it seemed like the baseball universe was focused on that trade), all the analysis of Coco Crisp, those many jokes cracked at Horacio Ramirez and Willie Bloomquist -- the only one I did not openly defend was the Farnsworth signing, dismissing criticism against him <a href="http://indaytonwetrust.blogspot.com/2008/12/hunting-of-snark.html">with</a>, "I'm willing to see how this plays out... to find the positive, hope for the best." Well, how long before we say there is no positive? Has that time already passed?<br /><br />Among the victims of Farnsy's collapses -- other than the Royals' win-loss record -- has been manager Trey Hillman. His reputation would be called collateral damage in another context. Royal Report Card titles a post, "<a href="http://royalreportcard.blogspot.com/2009/04/hillmans-gotta-go.html">Hillman's Gotta Go..</a>", and he doesn't mean shopping. The Royal Treatment is less subtle: "<a href="http://theroyaltreatment.blogspot.com/2009/04/fire-trey-hillman-now.html">FIRE TREY HILLMAN NOW!</a>" Ah, the things people will say when still mad as spit over a blown lead. <a href="http://undyingroyalty.blogspot.com/2009/04/fire-hillman-seriously.html">Undying Royalty</a> is one of the few who have kept perspective. In any case, even Sam Mellinger of the KC Star seems to be <a href="http://royalsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/292">baffled</a> by Hillman's latest <a href="http://www.royalsreview.com/2009/4/19/845035/a-breakdown-of-treydaddys">string of game decisions</a>. This is not a good sign.<br /><br />I tried defending Hillman after the Opening Day debacle to a friend by saying he'll learn from his mistakes and improve. I believe I used the phrase "he's still young," which prompted my friend to reply -- rightly -- that managers are not prospects. "They're either idiots or they're not," he said. "You, my friend, have an idiot for a manager." I'm not ready to go that far -- look, it's a tough job; you're dealing with 25 different personalities, 25 needs, and you're required to find some balance, conjure some nonexistent formula that'll keep everyone happy and the "chemistry" good. Put another way, you play the hand you're dealt, and it so happens that Hillman has Farnsworth (and let's throw Ron Mahay into this discussion while we're at it) in his clubhouse, a guy he sees every day. I'm not going to call for his head. But I do think it's getting damn near time for some lesson-learning.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">POSTSCRIPT: Via Royals Review, an *interesting* <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Answer-Man-Joakim-Soria-talks-big-TVs-wrestlin?urn=mlb,156925&post_comment=1&success=1">interview</a> with Joakim Soria. This shows, incidentally, why I was initially slightly uncomfortable when I heard his nickname was <a href="http://indaytonwetrust.blogspot.com/2008/07/wait-what-calmly-retired-who.html">The Mexicutioner</a>. As long as he's okay with it though...</span>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5886941082283226710.post-41798092087578893982009-04-15T06:36:00.004-04:002009-04-15T07:38:13.435-04:005-3 ain't a bad start, no it ain't<p></p><blockquote><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">“Today was that game that (general manager) Dayton Moore had in mind when he put this team together,” [John] Buck said. “If we can get to our strength, which is the back of our pen, we’re in good shape."</p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">[</span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1143259.html">KC Star</a><span style="font-style: italic;">]</span><br /></p></blockquote><p><br />The early-going of 2009 sure resembles '08, with Dayton Moore's bullpen locking down games for a methodical and effective starting corps. (Here's to hoping it gets better when Luke Hochevar and Brian Bannister come back). With Meche-Greinke-Davies at the top, one has to feel good about this season.<br /><br />As of yesterday:<br /></p><blockquote><br />Royals' team ERA: 2nd in AL<br />Strikeouts: 1st (tied)<br />Walks: 2nd (tied)<br />Earned runs: 3rd<br /><br /></blockquote><p></p><p>And the money stat:<br /><br /></p><blockquote>Wins: 4th (one behind the leaders)<br /></blockquote><p></p><p><br />On the subject of pitching -- specifically the bullpen -- apologies to <a href="http://www.royalscentricity.com/2009/04/kyle-davies-savior.html">Old Man Duggan</a> and anyone who thinks Joakim Soria needs to be moved into the rotation, but <span style="font-style: italic;">he's</span> the savior. <span style="font-style: italic;">Savior</span>. God what a filthy curveball. Yes, I'm still shuddering about that 68-mph knee-buckler he threw to Jhonny Peralta on Monday on a 3-2 count. <span style="font-style: italic;">With the bases loaded</span>. Excuse me for this: GAH-GAH-GAH-GAH-GAH.<br /><br />On a still-related note, when it comes to evaluating baseball, the feeling vs. stats debate rages on, as with the question of whether to use Soria in the bullpen or rotation. On this I will only say -- as one who wouldn't mind, necessarily, seeing him get a try in the rotation -- I think anyone who takes Joe Posnanski literally and decrying him when he <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/180/story/1138996-p2.html">writes</a>, "But it is true, as far as I know, that no statistic can measure the <span style="font-weight: bold;">feeling</span> of knowing that you have a game won in the ninth inning" (emphasis mine), needs to take a breath and ask himself why he follows sports. And I don't want anyone to accuse me of being a "traditionalist" in the Joe Morgan-type sense, but honestly, if your first reaction to words like "no statistic" and "feeling" is to denounce the writer, and if you don't<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>think things like "confidence," which Soria inspires when he enters the game with a lead -- what Buck was getting at, what Poz was hinting at, what Royals management is counting on -- are tangible -- the difference between fairy dust and <span style="font-style: italic;">believing </span>in fairy dust, between a sugar pill and the placebo effect -- then you've been brainwashed. You've officially crossed into that zone where baseball is no longer played by people but trading cards and dice. And, pardon me for saying so, but that's a sad state to exist in, better left for the professionals who get compensated for their enjoyment-nullifying efforts.<br /></p>The Taohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07647424661870773417noreply@blogger.com3