OMG OMG OMG

The Royals are playing in the World Series. This is not a dream, this is not a test. THIS IS REAL  LIFE.

And here is proof.

 

LET'S GO ROYALS! TAKE THE CROWN!

Holy Crap

The Royals are in the playoffs. I know I'm a little late here since they actually clinched a playoff berth in September, but things happened.

Amazingly enough, the Royals won their Wild Card game against the Oakland A's, then swept the team with the best record in the American League, the LA Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS. Now, the Royals are up 2-0 against the second best team in the American League, the Baltimore Orioles, and the series is now in Kansas City for three games (the third, if necessary).

How cool is this? I was 11 years old last time the Royals made the playoffs, and now that I'm 40, I appreciate this so much more. Back then, I figured we'd be back multiple times, never realizing that it would take 29 years for us to return. And we are two wins away from making the World Series. This is a fun ride and I'm not ready for it to end.

I Love the Royals...

But they are not a very good team. They did sweep a double header that I attended last Friday, but last night, they scored 10 runs in the first, yet lost the game! I'm hoping that they can avoid 100 losses this year, but I don't think they will. I just hope they do not lose more games than they did last year. We will see.

I was mistaken

The Royals beat the Yankees 7-6, which means that their 13-game losing streak is over and their 14 game losing streak at Yankee Stadium is over as well. They are still a bad team and unless they go on a 20-game winning streak (which won't happen), they will still be a bad team. They are now 11-35, and a 20-game winning streak will only make their record 31-35, under .500, but admittedly better than what they are playing now. Let's see if we can get two in a row.

I'd hate to say this, but...

The Royals really are the worst team I have ever seen. They are now 10-35, have a 13-game losing streak, and face the Yankees in New York this weekend. I feel the streak will be extended to 16 games. Sigh. I think the Royals need to make some moves, and drastic ones.

(1) FIRE BAIRD. Put him out of his misery. Don't stick this lame duck situation on him.

(2) Get rid of the veterans. I like the fact that Grudz is playing well, but he doesn't deserve to be in this situation. Field a team full of young players. Trade those you can, and just release those you can't.

(3) Don't let the Glasses run the team. Just let them own it. You cannot run the Royals like you run Wal-Mart. It is not the same. Playing on the cheap for a ball team will not help them compete. You want to spend some money, put it into development of the minor leaguers. Otherwise, putting in veterans that are just playing for the paycheck will hinder this team and they will never get better.

Man, I really hope the Royals get good again in my lifetime. Looking back, I know 2003 was a fluke. It looks like 2002, 2004, and 2005 were the real situation. 2006 is actually looking worse. Those three previous 100-loss seasons are looking better and better.

Runelvys has entered the building

Runelvys is back...at least for this game. Seven innings pitched, 2 hits, 1 earned run on 82 pitches. Well pitched game by him. Now let's see if the bullpen can hold the lead. Looks like we'll have Burgos in the ninth inning for the save, unless we get some more insurance runs in the eighth.

Back. Game over. Royals win, Runelvys with the decision, and Ambiorix with save. 3-1 victory over the Twins. Now, they are only 9 games under .500 for the season. They have been playing better of late, now let's just hope it stays this way. Tomorrow is a tough game, Johann Santana is pitching for Minnesota against Mark Redman. Let's hope for another victory.

Two in a Row!

The Royals won two in a row this weekend. They beat the Cleveland Indians both times. Glad that long losing streak is finally over. Let's see if they can get a third in a row tonight against the Minnesota Twins. Hey, if they sweep the Twins this week, we'll be out of last place by half a game. I think it's been since the 2003 season that the Royals have been out of last. So let's hope they make it out of last.

Tonight's pitching match-up:
Kyle Lohse vs. Scott Elarton

On paper, it looks good for the boys in blue. Elarton has an ERA of 4.07, which should roughly translate to about 2 wins in 4 starts, but unfortunately, he's 0-4. No run support. Like the present day version of Danny Jackson. Jackson had a decent ERA when he pitched for the Royals, but it always seemed that whenever he took the mound, the Royals' bats fell silent. He also has a BAA of .222. It looks good. Lohse, on the otherhand, is 1-1 with a 11.57 ERA this year. I hope these hold up for us tonight. Elarton has a good track record against the Twins and Lohse is so-so against the Royals. Based on this (and the fact that the Royals have had double digit hits in the last three games), I'm going to go out on a limb and say the final tonight will be Royals 6, Twins 3.