I'm fascinated by the Kansas City Royals in the first three weeks of the season. More so because of all the fights and near-fights than their 12-4 record (see timeline below), but they're the only team that's made me tune in for every game since the mid-90's Atlanta Braves.
The Royals became a fan favorite around the country during their World Series run last October. Now 16 games into the 2015 season, they're quickly becoming the most hated team in baseball.
Personally, I'm a fan. I started going to games there in 2006 when they were still terrible, so I've really enjoyed seeing their rise to the top the last couple of years. And I think I've always liked them for the very same reasons that other people are beginning to hate them.
They treat every regular season game as if it's a postseason game. Most other teams and fans of other teams hate that. It's a fact of life: Most people are annoyed by those who only know one speed, 100 MPH, and work every day as if their life depended on it. Kansas City is the new kid on the block, and people typically don't like the new kid on the block -- especially when the new kid is actually good.
The roster is filled with young, energetic, scrappy, work-hard/play-hard guys. There are no huge names on the roster. I like that about them.
But since the start of the season a couple of weeks ago, it's been one thing after another. Thursday night it finally resulted in an all-out brawl in Chicago. If anyone hasn't been keeping up, here's a little timeline of some of the drama they've had in the first 16 games:
April 6: Season-opener vs. White Sox: Lorenzo Cain not happy with pitch from Jeff Samardzija:
April 7: Game 2 vs. White Sox: Royals Hit By Pitch count reaches 4 in 11 innings
April 12: Game 1 vs. Angels: Benches clear after Yordano Ventura and Mike Trout exchange words
April 17: Game 1 vs. Athletics: Benches clear after dirty slide from A's Brett Lawrie
April 18: Game 2 vs. Athletics: Benches clear again after Ventura pegs Lawrie
April 19: Game 3 vs. Athletics: Five Royals are ejected, benches clear again
April 23: Game 1 vs. White Sox: Eaton doesn't like quick pitch, Ventura responds, brawl ensues
Baseball needs teams like the Royals. While I don't agree with going at someone's head with a 100 MPH fastball, at least they've made baseball interesting and fun for me again these last few years.
The Royals became a fan favorite around the country during their World Series run last October. Now 16 games into the 2015 season, they're quickly becoming the most hated team in baseball.
Personally, I'm a fan. I started going to games there in 2006 when they were still terrible, so I've really enjoyed seeing their rise to the top the last couple of years. And I think I've always liked them for the very same reasons that other people are beginning to hate them.
They treat every regular season game as if it's a postseason game. Most other teams and fans of other teams hate that. It's a fact of life: Most people are annoyed by those who only know one speed, 100 MPH, and work every day as if their life depended on it. Kansas City is the new kid on the block, and people typically don't like the new kid on the block -- especially when the new kid is actually good.
The roster is filled with young, energetic, scrappy, work-hard/play-hard guys. There are no huge names on the roster. I like that about them.
But since the start of the season a couple of weeks ago, it's been one thing after another. Thursday night it finally resulted in an all-out brawl in Chicago. If anyone hasn't been keeping up, here's a little timeline of some of the drama they've had in the first 16 games:
April 6: Season-opener vs. White Sox: Lorenzo Cain not happy with pitch from Jeff Samardzija:
April 7: Game 2 vs. White Sox: Royals Hit By Pitch count reaches 4 in 11 innings
April 12: Game 1 vs. Angels: Benches clear after Yordano Ventura and Mike Trout exchange words
April 17: Game 1 vs. Athletics: Benches clear after dirty slide from A's Brett Lawrie
April 18: Game 2 vs. Athletics: Benches clear again after Ventura pegs Lawrie
April 19: Game 3 vs. Athletics: Five Royals are ejected, benches clear again
April 23: Game 1 vs. White Sox: Eaton doesn't like quick pitch, Ventura responds, brawl ensues
Baseball needs teams like the Royals. While I don't agree with going at someone's head with a 100 MPH fastball, at least they've made baseball interesting and fun for me again these last few years.
