It's next to impossible to describe how this feels. In a very real way, this is the Royals team we've all dreamed of during those long, hard years. And it happened almost literally overnight. Absolutely nuts. I find myself both confident and terrified every time we take the field. I'm with Rany. At this point, I want it all.
I really do think that the "Cardinals Royals" rivalry is an extension of the MO vs KS rivalry. While both teams are in Missouri, most Missourians root for the Cardinals partly because for many, the Royals didn't exist. It also seems that a lot of the hate comes from the Kansas side. There fans seem insufferable because they get to enjoy winning. The Yankees were picked on for the same reason. But other than it being an extension of the MO vs KS rivalry it truly does not make any sense for People in KC to dislike STL. We are in entirely different leagues! It would be like the Astros hating the Rangers a few years ago when they were in different leagues. It wouldn't make any sense. Instead of ragging on them, maybe we should take notes from a franchise that has won 10(!!!) more championships. But as of right now. I am not complaining one bit! Go Royals!
an examination of his track record would suggest that the real upset is how poorly he has hit over the past two regular seasons.
It's mystifying that you can say that when Moustakas' track record is only 4 years long, and by some measures it's been 4 years of steady decline, while by others, only 3.
I really don't get your comparison to Gordon. While year to year Alex has been erratic, it's erraticism at a higher level than Moose has ever achieved, prior to the last two weeks.
And 4 HR's from this guy is even less likely than the one from Escobar. Throw in all the runs scored, especially in late innings, from a team that has not shown any previous ability to score at any time, the streak of extra inning wins, and . . .
Well, it might look like divine intervention. But this is baseball, and I think it far more likely that someone has made a pact with the devil.
Well for many years beating the Cardinals in inter-league play has been the Royals' World Series. Hard to believe that with two more wins they may get a chance to do it again for real. Crazy ride!
Yost made two good decisions today. Not leaving Guthrie in to face the heart of the order for a third time and not planning to send Shields for game four. Hopefully, they can win with Vargas and the long rest will help Shields in the World Series. I don't want to be too greedy and worry about rest yet though. Just get to the WS even if it takes seven games. Regardless of rest, I feel like they have a better chance in game four with Vargas. I might even go with Duffy in game five to take another chance of finishing it off without using Shields if they don't win in four.
Agree with all sentiments expressed, but the Grammar Cop in me has to point out that the World Series is the "marquee" event in baseball. "Marquis" is either a level of royalty -- which I guess could somehow make it appropriate -- or journeyman pitcher Jason.
After attending so so many games at the K, now retired and living far away. How strange indeed seeing our seats on the television. That is knowing we can't just go to the game anymore.
Folks are asking me often here, where did this team come from. They look so so good too. Only thing I can think of, (last two years) is they always have been fast, athletic, good pitching, great D, and now they are hitting as they should.
Rany, why isn't Sung Woo Lee here for the playoffs? This is a great tragedy, no one thought about booking him a ticket? I tried to start a kickstarter account and they denied it, someone make this happen, we will all chip in $50 at least, lets do this already, the guy made us all believe again. When he hung that W up a little piece of me came alive again! I don't even know the guy but I want him back in KC so bad, lets go someone do this already!
Congrats! This Sox fan was pulling for KC from the start lest my dermatologist would "find things" while in a foul mood. Couldn't be happier for y'all!!!
KC got the job done. Close out the series and let the Giants and Cardinals beat up on each other for a while. If this turns out to be a rematch of the '85 Series, the Royals have a big edge with their speed and Yadier Molina hurt. A.J. Pierzynski couldn't throw out my grandmother...
If they haven't started yet, there are a whole bunch of people who need to start cooking up the crow! I was repeatedly blasted for suggesting that the Shields trade was anything other than the worst move in all of sports. Basically called an imbecile for not understanding.
This is not a told you so moment, but a chance to recognize that we are all fans of the same team and don't need to ridicule each other for differing opinions.
Any chance we can sign Shields? My thinking is why? The guy is one of my favorites, a real throwback hurler. He's done nothing but great things for the team too.
But, in today's MLB the great guy does have a lot of mileage on the ole tossing arm. Is he a Tommy John in waiting?
Most TJ injuries seem to be younger guys. Older guys like Shields who have never had elbow issues don't generally end up with Tommy John injuries. The part I'd be worried about breaking down at this point is his shoulder, ala Roy Halladay.
But that said, if we can somehow get him to aign a three year deal for a higher AAV, let's do it. I might go 4 years, but definitely no longer than that!
By the way, the days of an extra year to coax guys here should be over. Instead, we should be using our defense as leverage for signing team-friendly deals with free agent pitchers. Something like, "Come here and you ERA drops half a run, guaranteed."
That might work on someone who needs a 1 year deal to re-establish value (Josh Johnson?), but not someone in line for a huge multi year payday. For them we'd still need to be in the ballpark money-wise.
That's a great sales pitch for a pitcher who is coming off an injury but is healthy now and looking for a good year before entering the market again. Won't matter much to someone who is in line for a multi-year guarantee, though.
I can see KC jumping on the market like they did last year, when Moore got panned for signing Jason Vargas ahead of everyone else (which turned out fine for him). They can't wait out the market when there's a large-market team with a ton of cash (Boston) that needs a whole new pitching staff and likes to play the same game with free agents.
I used to read your blogs all the time. You seem to do your homework, are passionate, attempt to be logical, and write well, unlike some bloggers who don't appear to be above a high school level in language arts skills.
However, your shtick has grown old. Your saber metrics is one-sided and has major loopholes. And you owe people like Dayton Moore an apology. You never mention the human side of baseball, in particular as it relates to the Royals. You not only do not try to measure "leadership", you don't discuss it either. You rarely discuss clubhouse moral and how well personnel blends together. You don't discuss player relationships and their effects on the effort and performance of a team. You rarely, if at all, bring up these topics because you don't have information on them. And that's the problem with saber metrics: it can't and won't measure what it doesn't have access to, which is a critical component to the success of any team.
So, your critiques, which have grown mostly negative over the years, always have a big hole. You don't discuss the human side of baseball. And you refuse to have faith in Dayton Moore, who has access to that side of the team. Now it appears the James Shields trade was a stroke of genius. Admit it!! DM wasn't trading for Shields' stats, he was acquiring his leadership and that's something you're not able to measure. So, Rany, have fun with your stats.
Rany, I know you don't need me to come on here and defend you, but I feel like doing it anyways. Specifically against Ken Zeh and Jeff Barliss.
First of all, I love the Royals, and I have enjoyed this run as much as anything I have even rooted for in sports. Second, it's pretty much based on luck. That's fine. I can still enjoy a lucky run. But Dayton Moore doesn't get credit for building a juggernaut that steamrolled into the playoffs to fulfill their destiny.
They got in with 89 win, the lowest Wild Card total in the American League going back to 2002 (ESPN's standing didn't go back any further, and I felt like that was enough to prove the point.) Now, we were the first Wild Card, so we would have made it even without the second team, but we are lucky to do this in an atypical year when 92+ wins got a team into the post season.
Also, they have won four extra innings games and two 2-1 games out of their eight. There's luck involved there too. The shut down bullpen counts for something, but we caught breaks. I'm not ragging on the Royals either, that's just baseball. Any time a team wins 8-straight, it includes some luck. That's why even the best teams only win 6 out of every 10 games.
Dayton Moore put this team together, and the run is a magic carpet ride, and I am loving every minute of it. But to say that Rany owes anyone an apology is ridiculous. He writes a great blog, has interesting opinions, does his homework, and puts himself on the line. Jeff and Ken, did you end the last 10-years of this blog by posting that DM owes Rany an apology? Rany isn't right 100% of the time (no one is). And his points on the trade have logic even if it's looking good right now. And he does write about the emotional side of the game. He wrote a great blog a few years ago saying that if chemistry mattered, then the 2012 team would have won the division.
Rany, I love this blog. Roger Ebert died, the Sports Guy doesn't write as much as he used to, and you are quitting to focus on family and work. I don't blame you, but I will miss you. Your writing (along with the other two), has been a large part of my life the last ten years or so. This fan thanks you for your contributions to the game and my entertainment.
My husband reads me bits and pieces of your blog all of the time, we follow you on Twitter, and I love the fact that your 11 year old daughter is now a fan. My boys are 10 and 7 and can name the starting lineup, the 7-9 pitchers, and pretty much anything else I ask them. We are long-suffering fans like everyone else and yesterday an amazing thing happened. We got a call about four tickets to Game 2. We didn't have to think about it, we said yes. But now we are left wondering how we even get to the game. Parking being the number one issue. Do you have any insight? I realize that playoff baseball in KC is as foreign to you as it is to us, we just wondered if you had any ideas. Thanks Rany...it's all a dream come true!
Get there early and have plenty of cash. Parking will be a cool $25 for the World Series.
October 20, 2014 at 2:45 PM
Sixteen days ago, I was at U.S. Cellular Park simply
hoping – albeit with a good deal of confidence – that the Royals would clinch a
spot in the Wild Card game that night, a spot which still put them four tiers
away from a world championship, a spot equivalent to playing in the Sweet
Sixteen round of March Madness.
Twelve days ago, I was at Kauffman Stadium simply hoping –
with almost no confidence whatsoever – that the Royals could overcome a
four-run deficit with six outs to go. Somehow surviving that game was all that
my mind was capable of processing at that moment.
Today, anything short of winning the World Series would
be a disappointment. Failing to reach the World Series would be almost
devastating. With great success comes great expectations. I can almost see how
15 years of constant playoff appearances could turn someone into an
insufferable Cardinals fan. Almost.
But if expectations have been raised, so has the payoff.
For the better part of two decades, when someone would ask me how I’d react if
the Royals won the World Series, I didn’t know how to fathom the question. I
think it was Joe Posnanski who once framed a similar question as analogous to asking
“how do you wash a unicorn?” I was having enough trouble comprehending how I’d
react to a humble playoff spot.
And yet here the Royals are, with six wins in the postseason and just six wins away from a
championship, just two wins away from playing in baseball’s marquis event.
Mathematically speaking, the odds that a team that wins the first two games of
a best-of-seven series will go on to win the series is 81.25%. The Royals’ odds
are probably higher than that, because they won the first two games on the road,
and only need to win two of three in Kansas City to keep the series from even
going back to Baltimore. In LCS history, 11 teams have won the first two games
on the road in a best-of-seven, and all 11 won the series. Of course, that
perfect correlation does not hold up in the World Series – that was taken care
of by the 1985 Royals. (And later by the 1986 Mets and 1996 Yankees.) The
Royals are in a good place right now. But nothing is guaranteed.
They’re in this place because they continue to work
late-inning magic at a scale never before seen in the postseason. They are the
first team in major league history to win four postseason games in extra
innings, and they accomplished that feat by Game 1 of the ALCS. They’ve won all
six of their playoff games so far – something only the 1970 Orioles, 1976 Reds,
and 2007 Rockies had accomplished – despite entering the ninth inning trailing
as often as they were leading (once each). They’ve scored the winning runs in
the ninth inning once, the tenth inning once, the eleventh inning twice, and
the twelfth inning once.
From the ninth inning on, the Royals have outscored their
opponents 12 to 2 in the postseason. From the eighth inning on, it’s 15 to 3,
and the run the Royals allowed in the eighth inning came in the clincher
against the Angels when they were leading 8-2.
Averaging two runs a game after the eighth inning is a trait that is utterly unsustainable.
It is also a trait that, when accomplished over a six-game stretch in the
postseason, can profoundly and permanently change the narrative of an entire
franchise. The Royals were six outs away from being an afterthought to these playoffs.
They are now the greatest story in sports, and this has been the greatest two
weeks in my life as a sports fan.
So yeah, it would be a disappointment if they don’t go all
the way. But only because I now know that they have a legitimate chance to be
the greatest sports story I’ll have the privilege to witness in my lifetime.
The way they beat the Orioles in the first two games was
by beating the Orioles at their own game. While the Orioles had more steals (2)
than the Royals (1) in Games 1 and 2, the Royals out-homered Baltimore, 4-1. As
I talked about last time, this was both the key to the Royals’ success, and not
nearly as improbable as it would have seemed from the team’s respective home
run totals during the season. Granted, no one was calling an Alcides Escobar
shot, but Alex Gordon’s home run off of Darren O’Day was about as unsurprising
as a home run can be. And while in a vacuum a guy with Mike Moustakas’ regular
season numbers unloading for four homers in six playoff games would be a
massive upset, an examination of his track record would suggest that the real
upset is how poorly he has hit over the past two regular seasons.
I’m not going to tell you that six playoff games means
that Moustakas, at age 26, after hitting .212/.271/.361 during the season,
after hitting .233/.284/.364 last
season, has finally and instantaneously figured out how to hit. But I am going
to say that it wouldn’t shock me at all if he has. Gordon hit .232/.324/.378 in
2009 and .215/.315/.355 in 2010 – when offensive levels were higher – before breaking
out with a .303/.376/.502 campaign in 2011, when he was 27 years old. Like
Gordon, Moustakas was the #2 overall pick in the draft. Like Gordon, he was a
top prospect in the minors, albeit not the
top prospect. Like Gordon, he showed promise in his first two seasons in the
majors, albeit not quite as much promise.
Like Gordon, Moustakas was thought of so highly because
he was a very gifted player. Like Gordon, he struggled to make adjustments at
the major league level. Gordon finally figured things out after revamping his
swing with Kevin Seitzer over the off-season. Moustakas hasn’t done that, but
he has attempted to change his
approach at the plate during the
season, which might be even more difficult. He had more opposite-field hits in
the last six weeks of the season (9) than he had all year to that point (8).
While his four home runs in the playoffs have all been pulled, most of the
balls he’s put in play this month have been hit to the opposite field. Teams
are still shifting against him, but it’s no longer clear that it’s hurting him
the way it has all season.
As Fangraphs pointed
out, Moustakas’ struggles this year really came down to him getting
absolutely killed by the shift, as his BABIP was a mere .220, the third year in
a row that his BABIP had dropped (.296 to .274 to .257 to .220). Some of that
is bad luck, and some of that may be an inability to adjust – but Moustakas
finally started to show an ability to adjust late in the year. Maybe parking
four balls in the seats in a five-game stretch – the first time in his entire career he’s hit four homers in a five-game
stretch - is a side benefit to hitting to all fields, or maybe it’s just
another glorious fluke. But it’s enough to make me think that, even at age 26,
we can’t conclude that he’s a bust. By happy coincidence, this stretch all but
guarantees that he’ll get an extended opportunity next season to prove that he
isn’t one.
Ned Yost was far from perfect in Games 1 and 2, making
the one mistake I was most afraid he would make, sticking with a struggling
starting pitcher for too long. Neither James Shields nor Yordano Ventura were
on their game – Ventura, in particular, had diminished velocity and erratic
command from the beginning of the game – and yet both were left out there even
when they got into a jam in the middle innings. Shields gave up singles to the
first two hitters he faced in the fifth inning, but because he was in line for
a win, and because the rules state that a starting pitcher must complete five
innings to qualify for a win, there was little doubt that Yost would stick with
him. Shields gave up an RBI double with one out, and with two outs and the
bases loaded, gave up a two-run single that nearly erased what had been a
four-run lead.
The next night, Ventura pitched the fifth inning, and
gave up back-to-back singles with one out to put the tying run at third base;
when the Royals couldn’t turn a double play on Nelson Cruz – in part because
Omar Infante’s lame shoulder kept him from putting much mustard on the relay
throw to first base – the Orioles tied the game. Ventura was then allowed to
pitch the sixth inning, and while he retired the first two batters – thanks to
some typical outfield wizardry from Lorenzo Cain – he pulled himself from the
game after feeling tightness in his shoulder.
Keeping Ventura in the game hurt the Royals less in terms
of its impact on the game, but it might be the more indefensible error of the
two, because it was so clear from watching the game that Ventura was laboring
all afternoon. The Royals seem not at all concerned about his shoulder, and given
their training staff’s track record, they have earned the benefit of the doubt.
But it’s still something that could have been avoided.
But in Yost’s defense, those are about the only mistakes he’s
made. He replaced Shields with Brandon Finnegan and Finnegan immediately
allowed the tying run to score on a walk, a hard-hit single, a potential
pickoff play that turned into a double steal when Escobar’s throw hit Jonathan
Schoop in the back, and a fluke pop-up single that landed in no-man’s land
behind the mound. With the go-ahead runs aboard, Yost summoned Kelvin Herrera,
who himself had come out of a game mid-batter just a week ago, and Herrera got
a pair of groundouts, including a huge GIDP that kept the game tied. Yost then
brought Herrera out for a second inning and he breezed through it. Wade Davis
pitched the eighth, and after retiring the Orioles on just seven pitches, Davis
was asked to pitch the ninth as well, after the Royals had squandered their own
bases loaded, none out situation, and Davis struck out the 2-3-4 hitters in the
Orioles’ lineup on 11 pitches, one of the most devastating and important
innings thrown by any pitcher this season. Davis was rewarded with the win when
the Royals put up a three-spot in the tenth inning.
Herrera had been asked to get six outs in a game just
three times this year, the last time on July 22nd. Davis had been asked to get
six outs in a game just three times this year, the last time on May 29th. They
had never been asked to get six outs in the same game. But with the opening game
of the ALCS on the line, with four days of rest coming in, with an off-day
looming two days ahead, Yost adapted to the circumstances. That’s all we’ve
been asking him to do all season. It’s as if all the mistakes and frustrations
he’s given us for all these years were designed so that he would be ready for
this moment. He was, and Herrera and Davis responded by keeping the game tied
until the Royals could mount their rally.
Yost was able to get an inning out of both Herrera and
Davis in Game 2, and with Danny Duffy warming in the pen in the ninth, the
Royals mounted another rally that activated Greg Holland instead. Omar Infante
beat out an infield single on a swinging bunt – that’s about the best he can
offer us these days, and we’ll take it – and Yost weaponized Terrance Gore. He
then had Moustakas bunt, which seems sub-optimal given Gore’s speed, but
remember, this is exactly how he played it in the Wild Card game. With a
left-handed closer on the mound, Yost decided that even with Dyson or Gore at
first base, it was better to bunt them to second and then let them try to steal
third, because while left-handed pitchers have a significant advantage holding runners
at first base (since they’re staring right at them), they are at a slight
disadvantage when it comes to holding runners at third base because their back
is turned.
Gore didn’t get a chance to steal third, however, because
on the first pitch, Escobar grounded a ball inside the first base line for an
RBI double. However, Gore’s speed still might have contributed to this play,
because with second baseman Schoop having to play close to the bag to keep Gore’s
lead honest, first baseman Steve Pearce was forced to play farther off the
line. Pearce might not have gotten to that ball regardless, but it’s certainly
something you have to take into consideration on the play. Dyson then used his
speed to induce an error by third baseman Ryan Flaherty on his groundball, and
then Cain – the MVP of this series so far – roped a single into left field for
an insurance run.
And now the Royals come home, and while they have to rely
on Jeremy Guthrie and Jason Vargas in Games 3 and 4, the Orioles also have to
turn to their third and fourth starters, which means the Royals will get to see
Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez. Chen has very good command but is hittable,
allowing 193 hits and 23 homers in 186 innings this year; Gonzalez had a 3.23
ERA but a 4.89 FIP, as his peripheral numbers (25 homers, 51 walks, 111 Ks in
159 innings) simply aren’t that impressive. The Orioles might have a slight
edge in the Game 3 matchup, but the Royals have at least a slight edge in Game
4. And while they adapted just fine to playing in Camden Yards, the Royals
should have the edge from playing at Kauffman Stadium, given how reliant the
Orioles are on homers to power their offense, and given that Guthrie and Vargas
are both susceptible to the long ball.
And if the Royals should lose both games, well, they’ll
basically be where they were when this series started – tied up, with the
Orioles holding home-field advantage. But if they so much as split the next two
games, they’ll be a win away from the World Series, with three cracks at it.
I’m not taking anything for granted, and if you’ve been a
Royals fan for longer than about three months, you know not to take anything
for granted either. But I hope it’s not hubris to say that I feel pretty good
about our chances. And that I feel better about being a Royals fan than I have in
29 years. Truthfully, I wasn't sure I would ever feel as good about being a Royals fan as I do right now.
"Halfway To Eden."
38 Comments -
It really is a dream story. Just hoping we don't all wake up before it's over.
October 12, 2014 at 10:53 PM
It's next to impossible to describe how this feels. In a very real way, this is the Royals team we've all dreamed of during those long, hard years. And it happened almost literally overnight. Absolutely nuts. I find myself both confident and terrified every time we take the field. I'm with Rany. At this point, I want it all.
October 13, 2014 at 12:42 AM
Amen to that last line Rany
October 13, 2014 at 10:41 AM
Regarding Moustakas, it seems to me that virtually overnight, he has learned the strike zone.
October 13, 2014 at 10:55 AM
I'm glad the rest of the nation is finally recognizing how insufferable Cardinal fans are.
October 13, 2014 at 1:48 PM
Game 3 postponed. I am equal parts excited and scared.
October 13, 2014 at 4:32 PM
Well, just hope the Cardinals only make it to the Series in years where the Red Sox do, too. They seem to be the only team the Cardinals can't beat.
October 13, 2014 at 4:59 PM
and the Royals!
October 13, 2014 at 8:57 PM
I really do think that the "Cardinals Royals" rivalry is an extension of the MO vs KS rivalry. While both teams are in Missouri, most Missourians root for the Cardinals partly because for many, the Royals didn't exist. It also seems that a lot of the hate comes from the Kansas side. There fans seem insufferable because they get to enjoy winning. The Yankees were picked on for the same reason. But other than it being an extension of the MO vs KS rivalry it truly does not make any sense for People in KC to dislike STL. We are in entirely different leagues! It would be like the Astros hating the Rangers a few years ago when they were in different leagues. It wouldn't make any sense. Instead of ragging on them, maybe we should take notes from a franchise that has won 10(!!!) more championships. But as of right now. I am not complaining one bit! Go Royals!
October 13, 2014 at 9:05 PM
Tyrone, that was one of the dumbest things I've ever read.
October 14, 2014 at 7:36 AM
an examination of his track record would suggest that the real upset is how poorly he has hit over the past two regular seasons.
It's mystifying that you can say that when Moustakas' track record is only 4 years long, and by some measures it's been 4 years of steady decline, while by others, only 3.
I really don't get your comparison to Gordon. While year to year Alex has been erratic, it's erraticism at a higher level than Moose has ever achieved, prior to the last two weeks.
And 4 HR's from this guy is even less likely than the one from Escobar. Throw in all the runs scored, especially in late innings, from a team that has not shown any previous ability to score at any time, the streak of extra inning wins, and . . .
Well, it might look like divine intervention. But this is baseball, and I think it far more likely that someone has made a pact with the devil.
Cheers!
JzB
October 14, 2014 at 10:12 AM
Well for many years beating the Cardinals in inter-league play has been the Royals' World Series. Hard to believe that with two more wins they may get a chance to do it again for real. Crazy ride!
October 14, 2014 at 11:25 AM
3/4 of the way now!
October 14, 2014 at 10:42 PM
Yost made two good decisions today. Not leaving Guthrie in to face the heart of the order for a third time and not planning to send Shields for game four. Hopefully, they can win with Vargas and the long rest will help Shields in the World Series. I don't want to be too greedy and worry about rest yet though. Just get to the WS even if it takes seven games. Regardless of rest, I feel like they have a better chance in game four with Vargas. I might even go with Duffy in game five to take another chance of finishing it off without using Shields if they don't win in four.
October 15, 2014 at 2:53 AM
Agree with all sentiments expressed, but the Grammar Cop in me has to point out that the World Series is the "marquee" event in baseball. "Marquis" is either a level of royalty -- which I guess could somehow make it appropriate -- or journeyman pitcher Jason.
October 15, 2014 at 5:40 AM
Is it just me, or is this beginning to feel like a coronation?
October 15, 2014 at 9:10 AM
After attending so so many games at the K, now retired and living far away. How strange indeed seeing our seats on the television. That is knowing we can't just go to the game anymore.
Folks are asking me often here, where did this team come from. They look so so good too. Only thing I can think of, (last two years) is they always have been fast, athletic, good pitching, great D, and now they are hitting as they should.
Anybody got a better idea?
October 15, 2014 at 10:06 AM
Rany, why isn't Sung Woo Lee here for the playoffs? This is a great tragedy, no one thought about booking him a ticket? I tried to start a kickstarter account and they denied it, someone make this happen, we will all chip in $50 at least, lets do this already, the guy made us all believe again. When he hung that W up a little piece of me came alive again! I don't even know the guy but I want him back in KC so bad, lets go someone do this already!
October 15, 2014 at 10:51 AM
Congrats! This Sox fan was pulling for KC from the start lest my dermatologist would "find things" while in a foul mood.
Couldn't be happier for y'all!!!
October 15, 2014 at 6:38 PM
KC got the job done. Close out the series and let the Giants and Cardinals beat up on each other for a while. If this turns out to be a rematch of the '85 Series, the Royals have a big edge with their speed and Yadier Molina hurt. A.J. Pierzynski couldn't throw out my grandmother...
October 15, 2014 at 8:46 PM
If they haven't started yet, there are a whole bunch of people who need to start cooking up the crow! I was repeatedly blasted for suggesting that the Shields trade was anything other than the worst move in all of sports. Basically called an imbecile for not understanding.
This is not a told you so moment, but a chance to recognize that we are all fans of the same team and don't need to ridicule each other for differing opinions.
World Series baby!!!
October 16, 2014 at 9:10 AM
I'm with you Tampa Mike! Big league talent for minor league talent trades are underrated now with everyone so focused on cost control.
October 16, 2014 at 9:47 AM
Any chance we can sign Shields? My thinking is why? The guy is one of my favorites, a real throwback hurler. He's done nothing but great things for the team too.
But, in today's MLB the great guy does have a lot of mileage on the ole tossing arm. Is he a Tommy John in waiting?
October 16, 2014 at 1:05 PM
Most TJ injuries seem to be younger guys. Older guys like Shields who have never had elbow issues don't generally end up with Tommy John injuries. The part I'd be worried about breaking down at this point is his shoulder, ala Roy Halladay.
But that said, if we can somehow get him to aign a three year deal for a higher AAV, let's do it. I might go 4 years, but definitely no longer than that!
October 16, 2014 at 4:46 PM
Except Tommy John.
October 16, 2014 at 5:26 PM
I did say most now... :)
October 16, 2014 at 9:31 PM
By the way, the days of an extra year to coax guys here should be over. Instead, we should be using our defense as leverage for signing team-friendly deals with free agent pitchers. Something like, "Come here and you ERA drops half a run, guaranteed."
October 16, 2014 at 10:15 PM
That might work on someone who needs a 1 year deal to re-establish value (Josh Johnson?), but not someone in line for a huge multi year payday. For them we'd still need to be in the ballpark money-wise.
October 16, 2014 at 10:45 PM
That's a great sales pitch for a pitcher who is coming off an injury but is healthy now and looking for a good year before entering the market again. Won't matter much to someone who is in line for a multi-year guarantee, though.
I can see KC jumping on the market like they did last year, when Moore got panned for signing Jason Vargas ahead of everyone else (which turned out fine for him). They can't wait out the market when there's a large-market team with a ton of cash (Boston) that needs a whole new pitching staff and likes to play the same game with free agents.
October 17, 2014 at 12:07 AM
HAVE YOU APOLOGIZED TO DAYTON MOORE YET??!?!?
You and Cameron laid waste to him for the Shield trade. Eat your crow!
October 17, 2014 at 10:06 AM
I used to read your blogs all the time. You seem to do your homework, are passionate, attempt to be logical, and write well, unlike some bloggers who don't appear to be above a high school level in language arts skills.
However, your shtick has grown old. Your saber metrics is one-sided and has major loopholes. And you owe people like Dayton Moore an apology. You never mention the human side of baseball, in particular as it relates to the Royals. You not only do not try to measure "leadership", you don't discuss it either. You rarely discuss clubhouse moral and how well personnel blends together. You don't discuss player relationships and their effects on the effort and performance of a team. You rarely, if at all, bring up these topics because you don't have information on them. And that's the problem with saber metrics: it can't and won't measure what it doesn't have access to, which is a critical component to the success of any team.
So, your critiques, which have grown mostly negative over the years, always have a big hole. You don't discuss the human side of baseball. And you refuse to have faith in Dayton Moore, who has access to that side of the team. Now it appears the James Shields trade was a stroke of genius. Admit it!! DM wasn't trading for Shields' stats, he was acquiring his leadership and that's something you're not able to measure.
So, Rany, have fun with your stats.
October 18, 2014 at 1:51 PM
I believe Rany apologized a few weeks ago. His blog is still excellent.
October 18, 2014 at 4:34 PM
Yes, Rany had his apology published in the Star for crying out loud!
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article2302371.html
Read the part in the last paragraph especially where he says "Dayton Moore was right. I was wrong."
October 18, 2014 at 5:56 PM
Rany, I know you don't need me to come on here and defend you, but I feel like doing it anyways. Specifically against Ken Zeh and Jeff Barliss.
First of all, I love the Royals, and I have enjoyed this run as much as anything I have even rooted for in sports. Second, it's pretty much based on luck. That's fine. I can still enjoy a lucky run. But Dayton Moore doesn't get credit for building a juggernaut that steamrolled into the playoffs to fulfill their destiny.
They got in with 89 win, the lowest Wild Card total in the American League going back to 2002 (ESPN's standing didn't go back any further, and I felt like that was enough to prove the point.) Now, we were the first Wild Card, so we would have made it even without the second team, but we are lucky to do this in an atypical year when 92+ wins got a team into the post season.
Also, they have won four extra innings games and two 2-1 games out of their eight. There's luck involved there too. The shut down bullpen counts for something, but we caught breaks. I'm not ragging on the Royals either, that's just baseball. Any time a team wins 8-straight, it includes some luck. That's why even the best teams only win 6 out of every 10 games.
Dayton Moore put this team together, and the run is a magic carpet ride, and I am loving every minute of it. But to say that Rany owes anyone an apology is ridiculous. He writes a great blog, has interesting opinions, does his homework, and puts himself on the line. Jeff and Ken, did you end the last 10-years of this blog by posting that DM owes Rany an apology? Rany isn't right 100% of the time (no one is). And his points on the trade have logic even if it's looking good right now. And he does write about the emotional side of the game. He wrote a great blog a few years ago saying that if chemistry mattered, then the 2012 team would have won the division.
Rany, I love this blog. Roger Ebert died, the Sports Guy doesn't write as much as he used to, and you are quitting to focus on family and work. I don't blame you, but I will miss you. Your writing (along with the other two), has been a large part of my life the last ten years or so. This fan thanks you for your contributions to the game and my entertainment.
October 19, 2014 at 2:44 PM
And he certainly wrote about the emotional good luck factor from the Korean fan. A condensed version made the NY Times.
October 19, 2014 at 5:34 PM
I just woke up from a dream that the Royals won 8 games in a row and are playing in the World Series. Wait, that wasn't a dream???
October 20, 2014 at 5:46 AM
My husband reads me bits and pieces of your blog all of the time, we follow you on Twitter, and I love the fact that your 11 year old daughter is now a fan. My boys are 10 and 7 and can name the starting lineup, the 7-9 pitchers, and pretty much anything else I ask them. We are long-suffering fans like everyone else and yesterday an amazing thing happened. We got a call about four tickets to Game 2. We didn't have to think about it, we said yes. But now we are left wondering how we even get to the game. Parking being the number one issue. Do you have any insight? I realize that playoff baseball in KC is as foreign to you as it is to us, we just wondered if you had any ideas. Thanks Rany...it's all a dream come true!
October 20, 2014 at 9:07 AM
Get there early and have plenty of cash. Parking will be a cool $25 for the World Series.
October 20, 2014 at 2:45 PM