a few random thoughts, since I haven't posted in like 4 weeks:
* I have pretty much been listening to Michael Jackson non-stop since his passing. Saturday night, the "Party on the Porch", it was just amazing. The demographics were across the board: we had the 55+ crowd, the middle aged, the "I swear I'm still young (aka me)", and the actual yutes; we had black and white, gay and straight ... like we do every pool day ... and yet everyone was rocking out to Michael on the stereo. Well into the night.
My 5 favorite MJ songs, since nobody asked:
5. "Dirty Diana". Love this song. Absolutely love it. Anytime you can sing about a slutty stalker, I'm tuning in.
4. "We Are the World". Whatever you think of the song, if you're my age or older, there's no denying it absolutely captivated the world. To this day, anytime I hear this song on Sirius 8, I sing along to every word, noting each friggin artist as they come on. Maybe I obscess about this too much. But its a great song. There's a great article on ew.com right now interviewing Huey Lewis of all people on how this song went down that night. Awesome read.
3. "Man In the Mirror". Holy Lord, what an amazing song. I know "Black or White" and "Remember the Time" came later, but I'd argue this was his last earth-shattering single. Just tremendous. As much as I love "Praying for Time" by George Michael (released at just about the same time), this song so kicks its ass ... "I'm starting with the man in the mirror! I'm asking him to change his ways! And no message could have been any clearer! If you want to make the world a better place, take a look in the mirror, and make the change!"
2. "Smooth Criminal". THE single most underrated song he ever did. Its absolute genius. Absolute genius. The remake a few years ago by Alien Ant Farm tried ... but this is one song that the original can NEVER be topped. This is artistic genius at its finest. Absolute genius. (Good God, I'm channeling my inner James Lipton here, verbally fellating this thing. I don't care, its that damned awesome). If its possible, this is almost the first rap / rock fusion song, a solid 15 years before anyone even thought of the genre. Its just brilliance on display. Just brilliance.
But the best:
1. "Billie Jean". From the second you hear the opening beats, tell me you don't immediately start tapping your feet, nodding your head, snapping your fingers. You know every damned lyric to open the song, "She was more like a beauty queen / From a movie scene / I said don't mind but what do you mean / I am the one / Who will dance / On the floor / In the round ..."
Or even better, the first bridge: "People always told me / Be careful what you do / Don't go around breakin' young girls hearts! / And mother always told me / Be careful who you love / Be careful what you do / Before the lie becomes the truth ..."
(go ahead, start singing)
"Billie Jean is not my lover!
She's just a girl who
Claims that I am the one!
But the kid is not my son!
She says I am the one!
But the kid is not my son!"
Good God, I love that song. I love that artist. You will be missed sir. Rest in peace wherever you are.
* Really looking forward to July 18th. Megan's triumphant return to Kauffman Stadium! Yay! Its gonna rock the parking lot.
* Also looking forward to July 24th, the (depending on your accounting) 100,000th ounce (doubtful), 250,000th ounce (possible) or 300,000th ounce (yup) of alcohol consumed by Steve tailgate! Should be great. For everyone but my liver.
* Kasey Kahne only 1 friggin point out of the Chase. As close as you can get. Thankfully, he has three tracks this month he runs really well at (Daytona, Chicago, Indy) to make up the difference heading into the stretch run. I hope to be there at the last one to root him on to victory. Or to at least make fun of Gregg in the Old Spice gear he'll have to be decked out in ...
* I know I'm in the minority, but I don't think this season is over for the Boyz n Blue. We're home for pretty much the entire month of July. We need a solid homestand this week (aka 6-1, 5-2 at worst). But remember, 2003? We led the division by 7 1/2 games at the All Star Break. We last led the division on August 28th. Collapses happen. Comebacks happen. Just put yourself in a position to win. The last gasp homestand begins tonight. Let's get it done guys.
* P Diddy is in a better place. Am I sad to have to let him go? Sure. I cried leaving his new home. I cried the whole drive home. Hell, I cried the entire time I was taking him there, thinking every stoplight was the last time I'd reach back and pet him. But he's in a good place, and I have to believe he'll find a family that will give him the love, affection, and attention he deserves. He never would have made it here on the 2nd floor. So, you make "The Best of What's Around".
Speaking of which ... and the point of this post in the first place I guess ...
* Since its the elephant in the room apparently thanks to my Facebook update (thank you 8 friends and counting with the "you guys are fighting?!?!" emails ...) yes, I am very pissed off over the way things have gone down the last couple months. I am beyond pissed off. Quite honestly ... and since its my blog I can be "quite honest" I guess ... quite honestly, I'm not sure the last time I was as pissed off at someone as I am right now. Really, really pissed off is an understatement.
Having said that ... since I'm not a fighter, and I need to just end this before I become a friggin zombie from being so hate filled that I can't sleep ... sometimes Dave puts it best:
"See You and Me,
Have a Better Time Than Most Can Dream;
Have It Better Than The Best,
And So Can Pull on Through.
Whatever Tears At Us,
Whatever Holds Us Down,
If Nothing Can Be Done,
We'll Make the Best of What's Around ..."
I wish things had ended differently. I certainly wish things had been handled differently in the year leading up to the ending. But it is what it is. ("lost" voice) whatever happened, happened. So let's make "The Best of What's Around" for the rest of the summer, champ. And going forward to boot. If you hate me, if you're pissed at me, fine. I'm not quite sure why, but so be it. I choose to embrace the opposite of my feelings, and make "The Best of What's Around". I refuse to let a couple bad months ruin a couple great years. I hope you feel the same.
* Just gotta say, speaking of "The Best of What's Around", we're a mere 47 days from the preseason home opener! The Grigsby Clan back at Arrowhead! 105 and sunny! Just go ahead and book my reservation on Russ and Mona's couch now, I'm gonna need a pass out spot ...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
its only june 3. don't panic ...
So I finish up with the bowling league last night, open up the phone, and can't believe that I got not one, but two text messages saying "season done" after the latest Boyz n Blue's defeat. And I thought really? Really? You're throwing in the towel now? We're two months in! There's still four months and a sh*tload of games to go! (Not to mention many a quality Sunday tailgate to go!)
But for those of you who think 5 1/2 games in early June is an insurmountable obstacle, an unachievable goal, I got news for you. You're wrong.
Because I'm a stats and research geek like this, I am choosing to focus on the three most thrilling Royals teams of the last 20 some odd years (non-strike seasons; I'm not analyzing 1994 because the season never finished).
(all research and stats courtesy baseball-reference.com)
Yes, this is lengthy. This is your first, old school, classic "Inside the Numbers" post of the season. Hell, I think its the first time I've analyzed a baseball team this much, usually I leave the heavy research for football. Not today though. The 2009 Royals are not "done". They are not "finished". They're just getting warmed up ...
---------------------------
* Let's start with oldest first, the 1985 World Championship team.
For 1985, I chose July 4 as the starting point:
California 45-33 ---
Oakland 41-37 4.0
Seattle 40-38 5.0
Chicago 38-37 5.5
ROYALS 39-38 5.5
On our nation's greatest day, the future World Champs stood 5 1/2 games back, with not one, not two, not even three, but four teams to overcome. And its not like these were the mediocre squads we're staring at today -- the Angels were a freaking powerhouse (its still amazing to me none of those great 1980s Angels teams made a Series), the A's were the beginning of the dynasty that would win the AL West 4 of the next 6 years and reach the Series three straight times, and the White Sox were still a viable bunch, the remnant of the 1983 team that won the division and the 1984 team that should have won the division.
The Royals had a tough hill to climb. And it only got worse, as they slid to 46-44, 7 1/2 games back on July 21. 7 1/2 games back with 62 to play. The odds of making that up are nearly insurmountable. Especially with multiple teams to climb over.
Off the top of my head, I can only think of four teams in the last 20 some odd years that have overcome a deficit of 7 plus games after the All Star Break, to go on and win the division. The 1993 Atlanta Braves, in the last true pennant race we'll ever see. The 1995 Seattle Mariners, who were actually 12 back with 50 to play and won the division in a playoff. The 2003 Minnesota Twins, who overcame the Royals 7 1/2 game lead at the All Star break and went on to run away with the division.
And the 1985 Kansas City Royals.
In doing the research on that team, I realized three things:
1. The 1985 Royals may have been the worst club of my lifetime to win a World Series. Seriously, look at the roster sometime. You can make a legitimate argument our current team is more talented than that one was.
2. Its probably good I was 8, because if the 2009 club gives me a summer like 1985 gave us, I'll be in a mental institution. Because ...
3. you can never, ever, ever!, give up hope on a ballclub, until its officially over. Consider the following:
* The Royals spent 27 straight days in August stuck at 1 1/2 to 3 games out. Its amazing. For 27 straight days, they couldn't gain (or lose) any position in the standings. I mean, how does that happen? How do you spend four straight weeks unable to move up or down in the standings?
* They started September on an 8 game winning streak to go from 2 1/2 out to 1 1/2 up in the division. Peaking at the right time, right? You want to be playing your best ball when it counts, right? Well, its the Royals. Because ...
* They dropped 9 of 12 after that winning streak, to go from 1 1/2 up, to 1 back entering the final week of the season.
Fortunately, the schedule makers set up a do-or-die four game series against the division leading Angels in Kansas City that final week. The Royals took 3 of 4, then took the first two against the A's, to clinch the AL West. But man, what a roller coaster to get there.
7 1/2 back with 60 to play. 3 back entering September. Whizzing away the divisional lead with a week to play. Finally emerging as champs. A roller coaster like that, and yet fans are worried over being 5 1/2 back in June?
* next up, the first Royals team I really remember living and dying with every day, the 1989 squad.
I chose July 24th as the starting point, because the Royals were set to play their 100th game of the season that day.
California 59-38 ---
Oakland 59-40 1.0
Texas 54-44 5.5
ROYALS 54-45 6.0
The summer of 1989 was a friggin blast for me. I was 12. Its the first summer I really remember going to a ton of games, the first summer I remember getting caught up in a pennant race. (So see, it really has been 20 years of sitting in left field GA every Sunday! Holy God, I'm old).
The '89 team was part of a great three-way pennant race, with the A's and Angels. The division was ridiculously loaded -- 4 of the 6 best records, and the 3 best records, in baseball that year were in the AL West. It made for an amazing summer and month of September.
The '89 Royals never led the division. Amazing, yet true. They were tied for first four separate times, the last being May 15th. But they never had the outright lead, at any point in time, during the season. Like the 1985 squad, they too had a four week stretch where they were stuck in neutral -- from June 12th to July 1st, the Royals sat between 1 and 3 games out every day. July was a rough month for the Royals, as they fell from only 2 games out, to 7 1/2 out entering August.
But then, the fun begun!
After treading water for a couple weeks (from July 30th to August 15, the Royals sat between 5 1/2 and 7 1/2 out every day, yet another multiple week stretch of no movement in the standings), the Royals went on their longest winning streak of the season, to cut the lead from 7 1/2 to 2 1/2. In fact, after a 12 inning win over the Rangers, the Royals entered September only 1 game out. And they had what I believed would be the best way to start the month ahead of them, 3 games against a horrible Tigers team that was on its way to losing 100 games.
Three days later, the dream of playoff baseball was all but dead. The roars of August, gave way to the sweep in Detroit, to fall 4 1/2 back with 20 to play. The Royals closed decently, but the damage was done. The A's had pulled away, and unlike 1985's late collapse, the Royals didn't have a home series left against Oakland to make the ground back up.
7 1/2 back with 62 to play. And they got it back to within 1 with four weeks to play. A rally like that, and yet fans are worried about being 5 1/2 back in June?
* finally, let's flash back to this day (June 3) in baseball history, the last time the Royals were serious contenders, in 2003:
Minnesota 32-25 ---
ROYALS 27-28 4.5
Yes, we were one game closer to first on this day six years ago ... but we were fading faster than a joint at a Dave concert. After winning a 14 inning thriller over the Twins on May 15 to get to 24-15, we'd lost 13 of our last 16 to drop below .500. And as if that wasn't bad enough, we'd won once in the previous 10 games. Yikes.
Plus, since it was a mere 6 summers ago, most of you no doubt remember that team. Specifically the pitching. It was atrocious. Runelvys Hernandez was on the DL, never to be the same. Jeremy Affeldt was our staff ace. Darrell May was our number two guy. Albie Lopez was our number three. And on June 4, the Royals, so desperate for a healthy body to simply eat up innings, reached into the freaking Independent League and signed Jose Lima. To start. Immediately.
After splitting two against the Dodgers to fall another game back, then came the break that jump started the season that was to come. The Royals fell behind 6-0 in Colorado after three innings on June 6 ... only then the heavens opened and the rains fell, cancelling the game. (Its almost as if God knew we'd suffered enough tragedy and bad times on June 6, 2003, in a park that evening, so he spared us from another one at Coors Field.)
The Royals swept the double header the next day, and tread water for a week, staying 5 games back until Fathers Day 2003. Arguably the single most exciting Royals game I've ever attended. Jose Lima's debut. Barry Bonds hits it off the roof of the old right field GA concession stand. And Mike Sweeney wins it with a 0-2, 2 out double to the gap in the bottom of the 9th. The win got the Royals back over .500, set up a tremendous week in which they went from 5 back to tied for first, and set the stage for the most thrilling summer we've seen around here in a while.
What I found most interesting about the 2003 squad, is that they never really hit a two, three, four week stretch where they were stagnant. They opened 9-0. They lost 13 of 16. They got hot again, going from 6 back to 7 up at the All Star Break. And promptly hit another losing streak, going from 7 up to tied in the span of 12 days.
The last day the '03 Royals saw first place was August 29th. They began a slow fade from that point on, ultimately finishing 7 behind the Twins in third place.
-------------------------------
So, what does all this mean?
Probably not a damned thing.
But to me, I'm fired up again. The best Royals teams of our lifetime, all of them, were in FAR worse shape later in the season, than the 2009 Royals are right now. (I didn't delve into 1994, but that team was 9 1/2 back on July 22. One little 14 game winning streak later, they were within a game of the divisional lead, and in peak position to be the first ever AL Wild Card).
Every single one of them overcame a late May / early June slump to vault into contention. Every single one of them rewarded the folks who kept the faith by giving them a summer and September to remember.
Every single one of them, at some point in June, made you think it was over. And every single one of them hung in the race for the long haul.
Look at it this way: we've taken the worst shots we're gonna take already. Fall from first place? check. Losing streak(s)? check. Ridiculous rash of injuries? check. Ace of the staff struggling? check. Idiotic managerial decisions? check. (I swear to God, explain to me ANY circumstance in which a sacrifice bunt in the second inning is a justifiable decision in the AL. Just one circumstance. I've got all day).
We start to get healthy over the next few weeks. We got Soria back yesterday. We should have Alex Gordon and Mike Aviles back soon. Jose Guillen won't stay ice cold at the plate forever. And I still believe, however stupid and stubborn it might seem, I still believe that when -- not if, when -- when this team is in it at the All Star break, that Dayton Moore will get the green light from ownership, and go out and get us what we need to get over the hump.
There's still four months of baseball to go folks! Four months! 111 games! Until and unless this team is mathematically elimiated from postseason consideration, I refuse to give up! Way too much season to play to pull the plug in June. First place is just one winning streak away!
In the words of the late, great Jim Valvano: "Don't give up. Don't ever give up!"
Or more eloquently, more articulately, more straight and to the point ... in the words of Steve: "season still f*cking on!"
But for those of you who think 5 1/2 games in early June is an insurmountable obstacle, an unachievable goal, I got news for you. You're wrong.
Because I'm a stats and research geek like this, I am choosing to focus on the three most thrilling Royals teams of the last 20 some odd years (non-strike seasons; I'm not analyzing 1994 because the season never finished).
(all research and stats courtesy baseball-reference.com)
Yes, this is lengthy. This is your first, old school, classic "Inside the Numbers" post of the season. Hell, I think its the first time I've analyzed a baseball team this much, usually I leave the heavy research for football. Not today though. The 2009 Royals are not "done". They are not "finished". They're just getting warmed up ...
---------------------------
* Let's start with oldest first, the 1985 World Championship team.
For 1985, I chose July 4 as the starting point:
California 45-33 ---
Oakland 41-37 4.0
Seattle 40-38 5.0
Chicago 38-37 5.5
ROYALS 39-38 5.5
On our nation's greatest day, the future World Champs stood 5 1/2 games back, with not one, not two, not even three, but four teams to overcome. And its not like these were the mediocre squads we're staring at today -- the Angels were a freaking powerhouse (its still amazing to me none of those great 1980s Angels teams made a Series), the A's were the beginning of the dynasty that would win the AL West 4 of the next 6 years and reach the Series three straight times, and the White Sox were still a viable bunch, the remnant of the 1983 team that won the division and the 1984 team that should have won the division.
The Royals had a tough hill to climb. And it only got worse, as they slid to 46-44, 7 1/2 games back on July 21. 7 1/2 games back with 62 to play. The odds of making that up are nearly insurmountable. Especially with multiple teams to climb over.
Off the top of my head, I can only think of four teams in the last 20 some odd years that have overcome a deficit of 7 plus games after the All Star Break, to go on and win the division. The 1993 Atlanta Braves, in the last true pennant race we'll ever see. The 1995 Seattle Mariners, who were actually 12 back with 50 to play and won the division in a playoff. The 2003 Minnesota Twins, who overcame the Royals 7 1/2 game lead at the All Star break and went on to run away with the division.
And the 1985 Kansas City Royals.
In doing the research on that team, I realized three things:
1. The 1985 Royals may have been the worst club of my lifetime to win a World Series. Seriously, look at the roster sometime. You can make a legitimate argument our current team is more talented than that one was.
2. Its probably good I was 8, because if the 2009 club gives me a summer like 1985 gave us, I'll be in a mental institution. Because ...
3. you can never, ever, ever!, give up hope on a ballclub, until its officially over. Consider the following:
* The Royals spent 27 straight days in August stuck at 1 1/2 to 3 games out. Its amazing. For 27 straight days, they couldn't gain (or lose) any position in the standings. I mean, how does that happen? How do you spend four straight weeks unable to move up or down in the standings?
* They started September on an 8 game winning streak to go from 2 1/2 out to 1 1/2 up in the division. Peaking at the right time, right? You want to be playing your best ball when it counts, right? Well, its the Royals. Because ...
* They dropped 9 of 12 after that winning streak, to go from 1 1/2 up, to 1 back entering the final week of the season.
Fortunately, the schedule makers set up a do-or-die four game series against the division leading Angels in Kansas City that final week. The Royals took 3 of 4, then took the first two against the A's, to clinch the AL West. But man, what a roller coaster to get there.
7 1/2 back with 60 to play. 3 back entering September. Whizzing away the divisional lead with a week to play. Finally emerging as champs. A roller coaster like that, and yet fans are worried over being 5 1/2 back in June?
* next up, the first Royals team I really remember living and dying with every day, the 1989 squad.
I chose July 24th as the starting point, because the Royals were set to play their 100th game of the season that day.
California 59-38 ---
Oakland 59-40 1.0
Texas 54-44 5.5
ROYALS 54-45 6.0
The summer of 1989 was a friggin blast for me. I was 12. Its the first summer I really remember going to a ton of games, the first summer I remember getting caught up in a pennant race. (So see, it really has been 20 years of sitting in left field GA every Sunday! Holy God, I'm old).
The '89 team was part of a great three-way pennant race, with the A's and Angels. The division was ridiculously loaded -- 4 of the 6 best records, and the 3 best records, in baseball that year were in the AL West. It made for an amazing summer and month of September.
The '89 Royals never led the division. Amazing, yet true. They were tied for first four separate times, the last being May 15th. But they never had the outright lead, at any point in time, during the season. Like the 1985 squad, they too had a four week stretch where they were stuck in neutral -- from June 12th to July 1st, the Royals sat between 1 and 3 games out every day. July was a rough month for the Royals, as they fell from only 2 games out, to 7 1/2 out entering August.
But then, the fun begun!
After treading water for a couple weeks (from July 30th to August 15, the Royals sat between 5 1/2 and 7 1/2 out every day, yet another multiple week stretch of no movement in the standings), the Royals went on their longest winning streak of the season, to cut the lead from 7 1/2 to 2 1/2. In fact, after a 12 inning win over the Rangers, the Royals entered September only 1 game out. And they had what I believed would be the best way to start the month ahead of them, 3 games against a horrible Tigers team that was on its way to losing 100 games.
Three days later, the dream of playoff baseball was all but dead. The roars of August, gave way to the sweep in Detroit, to fall 4 1/2 back with 20 to play. The Royals closed decently, but the damage was done. The A's had pulled away, and unlike 1985's late collapse, the Royals didn't have a home series left against Oakland to make the ground back up.
7 1/2 back with 62 to play. And they got it back to within 1 with four weeks to play. A rally like that, and yet fans are worried about being 5 1/2 back in June?
* finally, let's flash back to this day (June 3) in baseball history, the last time the Royals were serious contenders, in 2003:
Minnesota 32-25 ---
ROYALS 27-28 4.5
Yes, we were one game closer to first on this day six years ago ... but we were fading faster than a joint at a Dave concert. After winning a 14 inning thriller over the Twins on May 15 to get to 24-15, we'd lost 13 of our last 16 to drop below .500. And as if that wasn't bad enough, we'd won once in the previous 10 games. Yikes.
Plus, since it was a mere 6 summers ago, most of you no doubt remember that team. Specifically the pitching. It was atrocious. Runelvys Hernandez was on the DL, never to be the same. Jeremy Affeldt was our staff ace. Darrell May was our number two guy. Albie Lopez was our number three. And on June 4, the Royals, so desperate for a healthy body to simply eat up innings, reached into the freaking Independent League and signed Jose Lima. To start. Immediately.
After splitting two against the Dodgers to fall another game back, then came the break that jump started the season that was to come. The Royals fell behind 6-0 in Colorado after three innings on June 6 ... only then the heavens opened and the rains fell, cancelling the game. (Its almost as if God knew we'd suffered enough tragedy and bad times on June 6, 2003, in a park that evening, so he spared us from another one at Coors Field.)
The Royals swept the double header the next day, and tread water for a week, staying 5 games back until Fathers Day 2003. Arguably the single most exciting Royals game I've ever attended. Jose Lima's debut. Barry Bonds hits it off the roof of the old right field GA concession stand. And Mike Sweeney wins it with a 0-2, 2 out double to the gap in the bottom of the 9th. The win got the Royals back over .500, set up a tremendous week in which they went from 5 back to tied for first, and set the stage for the most thrilling summer we've seen around here in a while.
What I found most interesting about the 2003 squad, is that they never really hit a two, three, four week stretch where they were stagnant. They opened 9-0. They lost 13 of 16. They got hot again, going from 6 back to 7 up at the All Star Break. And promptly hit another losing streak, going from 7 up to tied in the span of 12 days.
The last day the '03 Royals saw first place was August 29th. They began a slow fade from that point on, ultimately finishing 7 behind the Twins in third place.
-------------------------------
So, what does all this mean?
Probably not a damned thing.
But to me, I'm fired up again. The best Royals teams of our lifetime, all of them, were in FAR worse shape later in the season, than the 2009 Royals are right now. (I didn't delve into 1994, but that team was 9 1/2 back on July 22. One little 14 game winning streak later, they were within a game of the divisional lead, and in peak position to be the first ever AL Wild Card).
Every single one of them overcame a late May / early June slump to vault into contention. Every single one of them rewarded the folks who kept the faith by giving them a summer and September to remember.
Every single one of them, at some point in June, made you think it was over. And every single one of them hung in the race for the long haul.
Look at it this way: we've taken the worst shots we're gonna take already. Fall from first place? check. Losing streak(s)? check. Ridiculous rash of injuries? check. Ace of the staff struggling? check. Idiotic managerial decisions? check. (I swear to God, explain to me ANY circumstance in which a sacrifice bunt in the second inning is a justifiable decision in the AL. Just one circumstance. I've got all day).
We start to get healthy over the next few weeks. We got Soria back yesterday. We should have Alex Gordon and Mike Aviles back soon. Jose Guillen won't stay ice cold at the plate forever. And I still believe, however stupid and stubborn it might seem, I still believe that when -- not if, when -- when this team is in it at the All Star break, that Dayton Moore will get the green light from ownership, and go out and get us what we need to get over the hump.
There's still four months of baseball to go folks! Four months! 111 games! Until and unless this team is mathematically elimiated from postseason consideration, I refuse to give up! Way too much season to play to pull the plug in June. First place is just one winning streak away!
In the words of the late, great Jim Valvano: "Don't give up. Don't ever give up!"
Or more eloquently, more articulately, more straight and to the point ... in the words of Steve: "season still f*cking on!"
Monday, June 1, 2009
steve reviews the new k
After yesterday, I've now been to four games at the refurbished Kauffman Stadium. (Yes, I know: only 4 games and its June 1st. I'm way low on that count by my standards ...)
So, here's my initial 10 thoughts of (the who voice) "meet(ing) the new boss, the same as the old boss ..."
The Great:
1. the tailgating situation has not only remained spectacularly good -- if anything, its improved! There are more port a potties in the lots than ever before, and unlike years past, none of them are locked! The parking lots, most have been repaved or will be by this time next year. Always a good thing for those of us who tailgate barefoot.
And unlike a Chiefs game at the same complex, there are no parking nazis to tow your car if you don't park where they direct you. Dusty, Kellie and I got out there about 11:30 yesterday. We wanted to park in the back of a lot, and be pointed out to escape easier after the game. So, we parked on the grassy lot behind Lot A, under a tree for some shade. Not only did the parking guys standing around us not say anything, they started making small talk with us, asking Dusty "when you gonna be back? We need you!" in reference to the Soria jersey he had on at that point. I'm telling you, friendly, courteous support staff who stay the hell out of the way unless you ask for them to get involved. What a novel idea. Here's hoping the new brass across the parking lot grasps this.
And -- another positive for tailgating! -- you now have easier access from the parking lots to the stadium! You don't have to stand and wait for 10 freaking minutes anymore trying to cross in from Lot A / B / C to the stadium while a never ending flow of traffic is in front of you! The former throughway is now a two lane, non-access road, and there are many more crosswalks than before!
Seriously, I hate to sound like I'm in love with a parking lot, but hell, I am in love with that parking lot. Any one of them out there. It ain't officially summer, after all, until I'm tossing washers in that parking lot, with a frosty cold adult beverage in my hand and wondering where the hell my t-shirt vanished to. I love that parking lot. I live for days like yesterday. I am thrilled -- absolutely giddy! -- that the revamped stadium's tailgating situation is, if anything, even better than it already was.
(Side note: walking in yesterday through Lot A, we passed some chicks sitting around on the ground, enjoying some margaritas ... on a beach towel. Tell me that isn't f*cking awesome: sitting on a beach towel, getting smashed, in a parking lot of all places. Not a beach, a parking lot! See, I'm not the only one with a strange passion for that slab of concrete ...)
2. the new center field seats. We bought tickets out there yesterday, but couldn't get 3 together. So, we just headed down to the front row and lasted almost 4 innings there. The view is absolutely jaw-dropping. The second hitter for Chicago sent a smash that Meier had to haul ass to retrieve. He lept no more than 15 feet in front of us to catch the thing. The only view I've ever sat in to compare the new CF seats to is in Omaha for the College World Series, if you get there early enough to get one of the front row spots near center field. (Which I always try to do).
3. the look of the stadium itself. Watching it go up last fall during Chiefs tailgating and games, I thought it would be hideous. I hate "modern design" for the most part. (Then again, I love late 60s / early 70s architecture, so clearly I have strange tastes in building design). But the final look is just awesome. The glass surrounding with the Royals logo etched into the glass, a great touch. Many more ticket windows, actually manned by living, breathing human beings. More gates for quicker entry. And I actually love the huge stones separating the parking areas from the main stadium. I think it looks neat. All in all, well done on the asthetics, design team. Job well done.
4. the Rivals sports bar, and the Miller Lite patio bar. Rivals is in right field, the Miller Lite one is in left. Both are wonderful options (if you get there early enough) to watch a game like you were at a bar, except the game is live right in front of you. Plus, as someone who's sat in that outfield for years ... ok, decades ... doing what I do best (sit in the sun with a shirt off and drink), seriously, vodka tonics! 100 feet from my seat! I don't have to walk all the way in to section 106 anymore to get something other than crappy domestic beer!
5. Oxygen Tank Dude is alive and well! Ran into him yesterday, and saw him Memorial Day as well. That man is a living, breathing institution. Nice to see the Royals still accommodated him with a front row outfield seat. Hell, they should comp the guy his seats, the last 5-6 years, he's been the only thing in right field worth celebrating. (Except, of course, for whenever a nicely shaped female shows up in the bikini top, that's always something worth rooting for!)
The Good:
1. You can now walk around the entire stadium. I've never cared much about it, but if you want to move from left field to right field (as we did yesterday in the 7th inning) to check out a different view, it is a shorter walk now since you just go behind the scoreboard instead of all the way around the field.
2. The Party Porch in right field. I don't think I'd want to stand for the whole game like those folks do, but I'm guessing come mid August, when the Royals are in the thick of the pennant race and its 105 and sunny out, standing in front of the fountains to watch the game is going to seem like a really good idea.
3. Prices really didn't go up much. Tickets did go up, but there's so many package options available that really, its no more expensive than last year. (Case in point: shop at HyVee, buy $50 worth of groceries, booze, whatever from them, take your receipt to the customer service counter ... and all Royals tickets become half off. Outstanding buying option for those of us hurting for money!). Parking held the line at $9, although I'd be perfectly fine with them charging $10. Never understood why you just don't round that up, who actually pays with 9 one dollar bills to park? (Oh wait, we did yesterday. Never mind).
Beer's up a quarter with the vendors to $7.25. La de friggin da, I always tip a buck anyways, now they just get $.75. There's still all the promotional item days from the last few years, like the Bob Evans loaded tickets (buy 4 tickets for $60 and each ticket comes with $10 in concessions loaded onto it. A ticket and a Smirnoff and Sprite for $15, I love it). College night is an awesome idea this year: if you show your college ID, you get in for $5 on Wednesdays. (And yes, I still have my college ID. Gregg ain't the only one who can milk that thing 10 years out for something good). And of course, everyone's favorite promo night, "Dollar Cocktail Night!" (Or as most folks refer to it, Buck Night).
The Ugly:
1. The tools the Royals have hauled out for their in-between innings promotions. Guys, seriously. This is MAJOR League Baseball. You don't have to act like ass clowns to get folks to show up. We don't need stupid gimicky ideas like the Midwest Airlines luggage game, or the Hot Dog Launch, to get fans in the seats. I'm there to watch a ballgame. Not a circus. Less of Josh and friends, more Garth Brooks singing "Friends in Low Places" and "Text Choice Songs" to pass the 2 minutes, 15 seconds between half innings.
The Outrageous:
1. Bathrooms. To say that the restroom situation at the new Stadium is ridiculous, is a little bit like saying Barack Obama won last November. You're stating the obvious and enraging the person hearing the news again. The outfield bathrooms, if you can call them that, are so badly designed, all I could think of was that famous exchange in "Armageddon" --
(bruce willis) who designed this? This is a piss poor design!
(engineer dude) Sir, I get that you think this is poorly designed --
(bruce willis) no, I didn't say poor. I said piss poor!
The outfield bathroom have one door in, one door out. Causing a constant backup. They also no longer have troughs ... but instead, now have 3 whole urinals and two stools to accommodate 10,000 people out there on a day like yesterday. 4 bathrooms, 20 toilets, 10,000 potential users. See a problem?
Seriously, whoever designed the restrooms at the new place needs to be forced to drink large amounts of water, then have an enema performed on them, while a game when Greinke is pitching is going on. Good luck not p*ssing on yourself. I didn't even drink yesterday during the game, I had two bottles of water. The one time I got up to pee, it took me an inning and a half to get back to my seat. That is outrageous.
To their credit, the Royals know they've f*cked this up, because for high-traffic games like yesterday, they have port-a-potties set up now to the sides of the Little K.
Which begs two questions. (1) When is the problem going to be legitimately fixed, and (2) who the hell thought putting rows of port-a-potties next to a kid's attraction was a good idea?!?! (2) bugs me more than (1) to be honest.
I mean, I know how I am at these things. Pushing a .15, no shirt on, needing to whiz like there's no tomorrow at some point during the game. We've all been there. (OK, most of us have.) So why do you put our area of relief next to where the kids are? Makes no sense to me. Then again, considering its me, that's not surprising.
Overall:
A-. Everything but the bathroom situation is a winner in my book. Newly paved, better planned parking lots and tailgating areas. Easier access to the stadium. More ticket booths and gates. New seats with vastly improved views. Once they stop putting Johnny on the Spots next to the merry go rounds, and start building more permanent fixtures for folks to use, that grade will go up.
So, here's my initial 10 thoughts of (the who voice) "meet(ing) the new boss, the same as the old boss ..."
The Great:
1. the tailgating situation has not only remained spectacularly good -- if anything, its improved! There are more port a potties in the lots than ever before, and unlike years past, none of them are locked! The parking lots, most have been repaved or will be by this time next year. Always a good thing for those of us who tailgate barefoot.
And unlike a Chiefs game at the same complex, there are no parking nazis to tow your car if you don't park where they direct you. Dusty, Kellie and I got out there about 11:30 yesterday. We wanted to park in the back of a lot, and be pointed out to escape easier after the game. So, we parked on the grassy lot behind Lot A, under a tree for some shade. Not only did the parking guys standing around us not say anything, they started making small talk with us, asking Dusty "when you gonna be back? We need you!" in reference to the Soria jersey he had on at that point. I'm telling you, friendly, courteous support staff who stay the hell out of the way unless you ask for them to get involved. What a novel idea. Here's hoping the new brass across the parking lot grasps this.
And -- another positive for tailgating! -- you now have easier access from the parking lots to the stadium! You don't have to stand and wait for 10 freaking minutes anymore trying to cross in from Lot A / B / C to the stadium while a never ending flow of traffic is in front of you! The former throughway is now a two lane, non-access road, and there are many more crosswalks than before!
Seriously, I hate to sound like I'm in love with a parking lot, but hell, I am in love with that parking lot. Any one of them out there. It ain't officially summer, after all, until I'm tossing washers in that parking lot, with a frosty cold adult beverage in my hand and wondering where the hell my t-shirt vanished to. I love that parking lot. I live for days like yesterday. I am thrilled -- absolutely giddy! -- that the revamped stadium's tailgating situation is, if anything, even better than it already was.
(Side note: walking in yesterday through Lot A, we passed some chicks sitting around on the ground, enjoying some margaritas ... on a beach towel. Tell me that isn't f*cking awesome: sitting on a beach towel, getting smashed, in a parking lot of all places. Not a beach, a parking lot! See, I'm not the only one with a strange passion for that slab of concrete ...)
2. the new center field seats. We bought tickets out there yesterday, but couldn't get 3 together. So, we just headed down to the front row and lasted almost 4 innings there. The view is absolutely jaw-dropping. The second hitter for Chicago sent a smash that Meier had to haul ass to retrieve. He lept no more than 15 feet in front of us to catch the thing. The only view I've ever sat in to compare the new CF seats to is in Omaha for the College World Series, if you get there early enough to get one of the front row spots near center field. (Which I always try to do).
3. the look of the stadium itself. Watching it go up last fall during Chiefs tailgating and games, I thought it would be hideous. I hate "modern design" for the most part. (Then again, I love late 60s / early 70s architecture, so clearly I have strange tastes in building design). But the final look is just awesome. The glass surrounding with the Royals logo etched into the glass, a great touch. Many more ticket windows, actually manned by living, breathing human beings. More gates for quicker entry. And I actually love the huge stones separating the parking areas from the main stadium. I think it looks neat. All in all, well done on the asthetics, design team. Job well done.
4. the Rivals sports bar, and the Miller Lite patio bar. Rivals is in right field, the Miller Lite one is in left. Both are wonderful options (if you get there early enough) to watch a game like you were at a bar, except the game is live right in front of you. Plus, as someone who's sat in that outfield for years ... ok, decades ... doing what I do best (sit in the sun with a shirt off and drink), seriously, vodka tonics! 100 feet from my seat! I don't have to walk all the way in to section 106 anymore to get something other than crappy domestic beer!
5. Oxygen Tank Dude is alive and well! Ran into him yesterday, and saw him Memorial Day as well. That man is a living, breathing institution. Nice to see the Royals still accommodated him with a front row outfield seat. Hell, they should comp the guy his seats, the last 5-6 years, he's been the only thing in right field worth celebrating. (Except, of course, for whenever a nicely shaped female shows up in the bikini top, that's always something worth rooting for!)
The Good:
1. You can now walk around the entire stadium. I've never cared much about it, but if you want to move from left field to right field (as we did yesterday in the 7th inning) to check out a different view, it is a shorter walk now since you just go behind the scoreboard instead of all the way around the field.
2. The Party Porch in right field. I don't think I'd want to stand for the whole game like those folks do, but I'm guessing come mid August, when the Royals are in the thick of the pennant race and its 105 and sunny out, standing in front of the fountains to watch the game is going to seem like a really good idea.
3. Prices really didn't go up much. Tickets did go up, but there's so many package options available that really, its no more expensive than last year. (Case in point: shop at HyVee, buy $50 worth of groceries, booze, whatever from them, take your receipt to the customer service counter ... and all Royals tickets become half off. Outstanding buying option for those of us hurting for money!). Parking held the line at $9, although I'd be perfectly fine with them charging $10. Never understood why you just don't round that up, who actually pays with 9 one dollar bills to park? (Oh wait, we did yesterday. Never mind).
Beer's up a quarter with the vendors to $7.25. La de friggin da, I always tip a buck anyways, now they just get $.75. There's still all the promotional item days from the last few years, like the Bob Evans loaded tickets (buy 4 tickets for $60 and each ticket comes with $10 in concessions loaded onto it. A ticket and a Smirnoff and Sprite for $15, I love it). College night is an awesome idea this year: if you show your college ID, you get in for $5 on Wednesdays. (And yes, I still have my college ID. Gregg ain't the only one who can milk that thing 10 years out for something good). And of course, everyone's favorite promo night, "Dollar Cocktail Night!" (Or as most folks refer to it, Buck Night).
The Ugly:
1. The tools the Royals have hauled out for their in-between innings promotions. Guys, seriously. This is MAJOR League Baseball. You don't have to act like ass clowns to get folks to show up. We don't need stupid gimicky ideas like the Midwest Airlines luggage game, or the Hot Dog Launch, to get fans in the seats. I'm there to watch a ballgame. Not a circus. Less of Josh and friends, more Garth Brooks singing "Friends in Low Places" and "Text Choice Songs" to pass the 2 minutes, 15 seconds between half innings.
The Outrageous:
1. Bathrooms. To say that the restroom situation at the new Stadium is ridiculous, is a little bit like saying Barack Obama won last November. You're stating the obvious and enraging the person hearing the news again. The outfield bathrooms, if you can call them that, are so badly designed, all I could think of was that famous exchange in "Armageddon" --
(bruce willis) who designed this? This is a piss poor design!
(engineer dude) Sir, I get that you think this is poorly designed --
(bruce willis) no, I didn't say poor. I said piss poor!
The outfield bathroom have one door in, one door out. Causing a constant backup. They also no longer have troughs ... but instead, now have 3 whole urinals and two stools to accommodate 10,000 people out there on a day like yesterday. 4 bathrooms, 20 toilets, 10,000 potential users. See a problem?
Seriously, whoever designed the restrooms at the new place needs to be forced to drink large amounts of water, then have an enema performed on them, while a game when Greinke is pitching is going on. Good luck not p*ssing on yourself. I didn't even drink yesterday during the game, I had two bottles of water. The one time I got up to pee, it took me an inning and a half to get back to my seat. That is outrageous.
To their credit, the Royals know they've f*cked this up, because for high-traffic games like yesterday, they have port-a-potties set up now to the sides of the Little K.
Which begs two questions. (1) When is the problem going to be legitimately fixed, and (2) who the hell thought putting rows of port-a-potties next to a kid's attraction was a good idea?!?! (2) bugs me more than (1) to be honest.
I mean, I know how I am at these things. Pushing a .15, no shirt on, needing to whiz like there's no tomorrow at some point during the game. We've all been there. (OK, most of us have.) So why do you put our area of relief next to where the kids are? Makes no sense to me. Then again, considering its me, that's not surprising.
Overall:
A-. Everything but the bathroom situation is a winner in my book. Newly paved, better planned parking lots and tailgating areas. Easier access to the stadium. More ticket booths and gates. New seats with vastly improved views. Once they stop putting Johnny on the Spots next to the merry go rounds, and start building more permanent fixtures for folks to use, that grade will go up.
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