Bannister's sophomore slump must've been pushed back a game. Nunez looks alright so far as a setup guy in the pen. I hope Gordon either gets more calls his way or swings at the third strike from here on out.
April 2, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Anonymous said...
Same here, man...same here...and you know what? I'm okay with it. After basically two decades of just really pathetic baseball, I'll take every single opportunity the players and the team afford me to be optimistic and happy in wake of any reasonably strong performance. For a Royals fan, two strong games in a row is more than we're used to seeing in an entire month, so hey, I'm okay with them being lucky rather than good. I'm also okay with wondering if maybe it's not the other way around, too. = )
April 2, 2008 at 4:48 PM
Anonymous said...
ha ha ha!!!
i started thinking Neyer was guesting on yer blog for a moment...
You had me scared for a while, Rany. I was wondering where the heck this negativity had come from, or if Rob had gotten into your Blogger account or something. It's hard not to be giddy about 2 games like we've seen so far! Our pitchers today...breathtaking. Just absolutely, wow.
Brett, I think it would be wise for Gordon to learn to foul some of those borderline/corner pitches off, rather than hope the umpire calls them balls. I'm anxious to see what Barnett does with Gordon about those, because if he keeps watching all those outside pitches it will be waaayyy too easy for opposing pitchers to scout that and get him out.
April 2, 2008 at 4:51 PM
Anonymous said...
It also means we are THREE games away from a losing record. How's that for optimism!
And I'm eternally optimistic.
GO ROYALS!
Can't wait to see how Greinke does tomorrow. A three game sweep at DET to start the season may put me in the hospital with cardiac problems. I'll take my chances.!
April 2, 2008 at 4:52 PM
Anonymous said...
The Royals OWN the Tigers!
OK, I'll calm down now. Just 2 games.
April 2, 2008 at 5:20 PM
Anonymous said...
Rany, the last line of this entry had me cackling!
April 2, 2008 at 5:41 PM
Anonymous said...
The good news is we don't need to do it every game, we just need to do it 90 of the next 160 games... and we'll be in good shape...
I'm not even a real fan (Poz, Rob and you sparked my interest, but I wouldn't call it "fandom"), and I am enjoying the Hell out of this start. And Greinke going tomorrow for the sweep? WOW...
As for Butler, I will believe that he CAN get two hits every single day until he/reality proves otherwise...
Okay, everyone stay calm, but how much fun is it to say on pace for 162 wins?
April 2, 2008 at 7:43 PM
Anonymous said...
I'm real happy with the win, and I don't want to be nit-picky, but why put Soria out there to throw the 9th with a 4-run lead when he'd already thrown Monday, and the Royals have 4 games until the next off-day? With him throwing 23pitches today, what happens if he's needed both Thursday and Friday? I get that you want to get the series win in the bag against a likely playoff team, but in the long term, it's a bad idea to get less than maximum leverage from the best relief pitcher (best pitcher?) on the team.
And no, I'm not just saying this because I'm a Soria fantasy owner who wants him to get saves. Actually, as a fantasy owner I'm kind of psyched to get 3 strikeouts and a little ERA help.
I am excited because Baseball Tonight talked about the Royals and instead of "The Tigers must be doing something wrong for the Royals to beat them twice in a row" angle that ESPN usually takes when we have a little success, they actually talked about the things we are doing right! I mean I heard Peter Gammons sing the praises of both Bannister and Butler tonight without comparing them to anyone on the Red Sox!
173-0 here we come!!! (Hey, I am a Royals fan, optimism is all I got)
April 2, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Anonymous said...
Good stuff...I like our chances tomorrow.
Print 'em!
April 2, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Anonymous said...
162-0? C'mon people, get realistic. If we extrapolate the run differential out for the entire season, we can only expect the Royals to win 135 games.
I thought one key at bat to the game came when Butler delivered in the top of the eighth. The lead was just 2-0, and we had first and third with no outs. If they get out of the jam unscathed, it could have been such a momentum swinger for the Tigers. Instead, we were able to up the lead, and four runs have rarely felt so insurmountable.
I thought one key at bat to the game came when Butler delivered in the top of the eighth. The lead was just 2-0, and we had first and third with no outs. If they get out of the jam unscathed, it could have been such a momentum swinger for the Tigers. Instead, we were able to up the lead, and four runs have rarely felt so insurmountable.
I'm proposing a theory called "The Curse of Rob and Rany." You guys get rid of your joint blog and the winning begins. Coincidence?...I think not.
April 3, 2008 at 4:01 PM
It’s just two games. It means nothing. Tony Pena will not continue to bloop game-winning hits in extra innings. Brian Bannister will not go the entire season without allowing a runner to reach third base. Trey Hillman will not continue to get away with putting slow runners in motion with a low-contact guy at the plate to make something happen. (Yeah, Trey, you made something happen – a strike ‘em out, throw em out double play.) Leo Nunez will not strike out Miguel Cabrera every time they face each other. Billy Butler will not continue to rap out two hits a game. Mark Grudzielanek will eventually show his age. Joakim Soria will eventually give up a run. The Royals will not continue to hit .333 with runners in scoring position. They will not continue to score two-thirds of their runs with two outs. It’s just two games. It means nothing. That’s what I’ve been telling myself for the last few hours. It’s not working.
"Stay calm, people..."
23 Comments -
Bannister's sophomore slump must've been pushed back a game. Nunez looks alright so far as a setup guy in the pen. I hope Gordon either gets more calls his way or swings at the third strike from here on out.
April 2, 2008 at 4:46 PM
Same here, man...same here...and you know what? I'm okay with it. After basically two decades of just really pathetic baseball, I'll take every single opportunity the players and the team afford me to be optimistic and happy in wake of any reasonably strong performance. For a Royals fan, two strong games in a row is more than we're used to seeing in an entire month, so hey, I'm okay with them being lucky rather than good. I'm also okay with wondering if maybe it's not the other way around, too. = )
April 2, 2008 at 4:48 PM
ha ha ha!!!
i started thinking Neyer was guesting on yer blog for a moment...
April 2, 2008 at 4:48 PM
Here, here! It's awfully hard to not get excited.
I've hereby decided that I will stop worrying about calculating trends and predicting long-term outcomes and just enjoy each game as it comes.
April 2, 2008 at 4:50 PM
You had me scared for a while, Rany. I was wondering where the heck this negativity had come from, or if Rob had gotten into your Blogger account or something. It's hard not to be giddy about 2 games like we've seen so far! Our pitchers today...breathtaking. Just absolutely, wow.
Brett, I think it would be wise for Gordon to learn to foul some of those borderline/corner pitches off, rather than hope the umpire calls them balls. I'm anxious to see what Barnett does with Gordon about those, because if he keeps watching all those outside pitches it will be waaayyy too easy for opposing pitchers to scout that and get him out.
April 2, 2008 at 4:51 PM
It also means we are THREE games away from a losing record. How's that for optimism!
And I'm eternally optimistic.
GO ROYALS!
Can't wait to see how Greinke does tomorrow. A three game sweep at DET to start the season may put me in the hospital with cardiac problems. I'll take my chances.!
April 2, 2008 at 4:52 PM
The Royals OWN the Tigers!
OK, I'll calm down now. Just 2 games.
April 2, 2008 at 5:20 PM
Rany, the last line of this entry had me cackling!
April 2, 2008 at 5:41 PM
The good news is we don't need to do it every game, we just need to do it 90 of the next 160 games... and we'll be in good shape...
April 2, 2008 at 6:01 PM
oh god yes
April 2, 2008 at 6:20 PM
I'm not even a real fan (Poz, Rob and you sparked my interest, but I wouldn't call it "fandom"), and I am enjoying the Hell out of this start. And Greinke going tomorrow for the sweep? WOW...
As for Butler, I will believe that he CAN get two hits every single day until he/reality proves otherwise...
Joe
April 2, 2008 at 6:51 PM
Whew Yooh! We Royals fans deserve a little excitement. The bar for exciting us has been set awfully low, but first place sure feels good.
April 2, 2008 at 7:25 PM
I'm not a fan but really, this is GREAT. Looking forward to seeing Jonah performs tomorrow.
What more can be said of Bannister? That trade is looking better and better.
April 2, 2008 at 7:26 PM
Okay, everyone stay calm, but how much fun is it to say on pace for 162 wins?
April 2, 2008 at 7:43 PM
I'm real happy with the win, and I don't want to be nit-picky, but why put Soria out there to throw the 9th with a 4-run lead when he'd already thrown Monday, and the Royals have 4 games until the next off-day? With him throwing 23pitches today, what happens if he's needed both Thursday and Friday? I get that you want to get the series win in the bag against a likely playoff team, but in the long term, it's a bad idea to get less than maximum leverage from the best relief pitcher (best pitcher?) on the team.
And no, I'm not just saying this because I'm a Soria fantasy owner who wants him to get saves. Actually, as a fantasy owner I'm kind of psyched to get 3 strikeouts and a little ERA help.
April 2, 2008 at 7:52 PM
I am excited because Baseball Tonight talked about the Royals and instead of "The Tigers must be doing something wrong for the Royals to beat them twice in a row" angle that ESPN usually takes when we have a little success, they actually talked about the things we are doing right! I mean I heard Peter Gammons sing the praises of both Bannister and Butler tonight without comparing them to anyone on the Red Sox!
173-0 here we come!!! (Hey, I am a Royals fan, optimism is all I got)
April 2, 2008 at 10:00 PM
Good stuff...I like our chances tomorrow.
Print 'em!
April 2, 2008 at 10:14 PM
162-0? C'mon people, get realistic. If we extrapolate the run differential out for the entire season, we can only expect the Royals to win 135 games.
April 2, 2008 at 10:27 PM
I thought one key at bat to the game came when Butler delivered in the top of the eighth. The lead was just 2-0, and we had first and third with no outs. If they get out of the jam unscathed, it could have been such a momentum swinger for the Tigers. Instead, we were able to up the lead, and four runs have rarely felt so insurmountable.
April 3, 2008 at 8:14 AM
I thought one key at bat to the game came when Butler delivered in the top of the eighth. The lead was just 2-0, and we had first and third with no outs. If they get out of the jam unscathed, it could have been such a momentum swinger for the Tigers. Instead, we were able to up the lead, and four runs have rarely felt so insurmountable.
April 3, 2008 at 8:14 AM
Still, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. The only thing I've had for over 20 years is hope.
April 3, 2008 at 2:38 PM
3-0, Greinke and Bannister completely dominant against the Tigers, Gordon with 2 homers in 3 games . . .Can we get excited yet?
April 3, 2008 at 3:02 PM
I'm proposing a theory called "The Curse of Rob and Rany." You guys get rid of your joint blog and the winning begins. Coincidence?...I think not.
April 3, 2008 at 4:01 PM