29 posts tagged “baseball”

First of all...

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK, BABY.

I believe that's all that needs to be said.  Monday night, DEFINITELY among the best nights of my entire life.  I can't overstate that.  WOO!

But anyway.  Let's talk baseball.  Sara and I have talked a little about the smoov jazz numbers her team and the Dodgers chose for the national anthem on their respective home opening days, and I was wondering what my Royals would do yesterday for their opener against the Yankees.  Well, I don't know who sang the anthem, but I DO know now that Garth Brooks will be leading a round of "Friends In Low Places" at every home game this season.  According to the Kansas City Star, Garth took a few hours recently and recorded several different openings to the song, just to be played during Royals home games.  The Star says he did 20-25 different openings.  So Royals fans will be singing along to that song this season in the 6th inning or whatever.  Sure, seems like a semi-ripoff of the Boston "Sweet Caroline" thing, but pfft, what do I care?  Ha.  I kinda like it.  I'm all for Garth hanging with the Royals.  Why not?

But still, who sang the anthem?  Hmmmm.  I may never know.  Couldn't you kick in just a little early on opening day, Extra Innings?

The Royals traded with the Reds today...

FOR BRAD SALMON.

Whoa!  As someone at the KC Star website wrote in a comment, "THE Brad Salmon?"  Ha.

And yeah, someone else wrote, "this could be the move."  Royals fans, so snarky.  They're probably just all excited about the NCAA's tomorrow.  Oooooh.  ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK, foo.

Pedro Feliz, a Phillie?  Interesting.

You know, I really, really hope Brett Tomko (BRETT! TOMKO!) can grab the 4th starter spot for KC this year, and be effective enough to stick there.  I know he's had his ups and downs, but I like the guy.  I like what I read in interviews right now.  I think the Royals will be a pretty low-pressure situation for him, relatively speaking, and I do like what he did after going to the Padres last season.  He was pretty abysmal with the Dodgers, but not bad at all with San Diego.  So, we'll see, but I'm hoping for the best.  The Royals need starting pitching depth, and Tomko could use a good year.  My fingers are crossed.

And on a completely unrelated note, books that aren't literature are just about impossible to sell on eBay, aren't they?  I mean, if you have the right book, it'll sell, but otherwise, wow.  There's a very specific market for books out there.

I think I need to spend some time with Mr. Adobe Illustrator today.  Hmmm!

Hooooly cow.  Brett Tomko is now a Royal.

Bartolo Colon, Royals?  Is that vague report from the unnamed Spanish-speaking nation correct?  Are we close to welcoming him to KC?  Hmmmm?

Well, now that the World Series is over, I think Red Sox fans, Rockies fans, all fans of baseball everywhere can agree: Tim McCarver is a moron, and Fox just plain ol' sucks.

And I still despise Ken Rosenthal.  Haaaate that guy.  I know this is Fox's fault more than Ken's, but deciding to drop the news about A-Rod opting out of his contract, in the 8th inning of the deciding game of the World Series?  BAD.  Ten minutes of talking about that instead of the game is just an embarrassment.  Shameful.

Oh, well.  On to college basketball.  Finally.  GO KU!  Ha.

Well, it's baseball's offseason now (well, it is for my team), and that makes me, of course, wish for certain players to be brought into the fold for next season.  Trade rumors, free agent signing speculation, managerial possibilities, it's fun stuff.  Usually, I have a few guys each offseason that I'd like KC to go after, which they never do.  But they're usually guys who, you know, I actually like.  This time around, I think I'm gonna hope for guys I actually don't like.  SO, this offseason, I want Kansas City to...

- Go after Tony LaRussa for their next manager.  Not at all my favorite guy, but i suspect I'd like him better if he were in charge of my team.  It's just high time that Kansas City hires not from the list of so-so cast off managers the way they seem to always want to do, but goes after someone who's a proven winner.  Not many guys are usually available who fit that description, but it sorta sounds like LaRussa may be on the market.  SO, David Glass and Dayton Moore, throw wads of money at the guy.  See if you can get him to listen.  Instant respectability.  Seriously.

- Go after freaking Pudge Rodriguez as your next catcher.  I hate the guy, yeah.  And I love John Buck.  But Buck is a pretty sub-par defensive catcher, and though he has 20-home run power, he's never gonna hit better than .250.  I want him to be an all-star, but forget it.  Pudge is awesome, and I want him behind the plate, even if he drives me crazy, the cocky jerk.  For $10-13 mil a year, I'd do it.

Now, aside from those guys I hate, I'd like to see a little effort made to maybe see if Torii Hunter would be willing to listen to offers.  I like Torii.  A lot.  Awesome, awesome, awesome defense, great offense, and a good guy.  A real middle of the lineup bat.

And ... I seem to be blanking on other guys I'd like to see KC pursue.  But I feel like we're right on the cusp of actually not sucking for the first time in YEARS (like, since the 80's, practically), and it's time to start behaving like something more than a doormat.

OH!  One other thing.  I see six teams listed on my favorite rumor site as remaining possibilities for an AL destination for Barry Bonds (lots of teams have been distancing themselves from Barry), and they are the Orioles, Devil Rays, Royals, Twins, Angels and A's.  I also read that there's some chance the hammer may fall on Barry as far as the steroid investigation goes, maybe sooner rather than later.  I think I'm to the point where, though I actually do like Barry, I'd prefer KC pull out of that sweepstakes, too.  I think it'd be advisable to take that $15 mil and yeah, put it toward a Torii Hunter.  Not a commentary on Barry, but I just think I'd like a guy who'll play in the field AND hit.  And I don't know if the traveling circus that'll follow Mr. Bonds would be worth it.  Part of me wonders if Barry's best option may ultimately be retirement.  Not sure he should retire as anything other than a Giant, anyway. 

Looking at all the photos taken on Friday of old Tiger Stadium in Detroit, I must say, it makes me very sad.  I guess the stadium really is finally headed for demolition at some point, and sorry, but I think it's beyond ridiculous.  From everything I've read, Detroit's doing just about nothing right on this one.  Making no particular effort to save what is, without a doubt, a national landmark.  I don't get why the city sees no value in keeping Tiger Stadium around.  They're simply not trying hard enough.  It's a beautiful old place, and it's overflowing with history.  Seeing it being ripped apart just disgusts me.  There's an auction underway for pieces of the place, and if I could get something for under $50, I would place a bid.  It's a place that shouldn't be forgotten.  I mean, it opened in 1912!  It's coming up on 100 years old!  And it still looks amazing.  I've been to Comerica Park, and it is nice.  But Tiger Stadium is so much more.  If I were a Tigers fan, I think I would have been disappointed to see the team pack up and move rather than renovating the old place.  I mean, TY COBB played there.  Come ON, Detroit.  You have statues of Cobb and Kaline and Greenberg at the new park, but their ghosts live at Michigan and Trumbull.  What you're doing is a disgrace.

I'm thankful for the Red Sox and the Cubs and their resistance to building new parks.  And yay Royals, for deciding to invest in Kauffman Stadium rather than moving.  Good choice.

Now, I don't at all think this will ever happen, so don't yell at me, but I keep reading stuff and hearing stuff about the Royals actually being interested in Barry Bonds.  There was an article about it in the Kansas City Star last week, and apparently it was mentioned again in some way on KC sports radio today.  I don't think Bonds would want to go to Kansas City, but it seems the Royals are going to have an assload of money to spend in the offseason.  Something like 30 million dollars.  So oddly enough, the money is there.  And the DH spot is up for grabs, since it looks like Billy Butler can actually play first base after all.  Again, I don't think Bonds would want to come, and I don't even know if I would want him, but it's interesting that it keeps popping up.  The end.