H.G. Miller Sports Blog

Gonna be a Long (ball) Year

2011-02-24T15:01:00.001-08:00

Checking out the Twitter feed for Bob Dutton gives us this: So, are the hitters that good, or the pitchers that bad?

New Name for the New Year

2008-12-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

As always, I am boldly planning to increase my output in the new year.To help encourage myself, I am renaming this blog and moving to a new address.Royal Reactions by H.G. Miller can be found here:http://royalreactions.blogspot.comCheers.

Sports - Royals Trade Nunez for Jacobs

2008-10-31T22:01:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.kansascity.com“We need to get better now,” Moore said. “We can continue to develop at the major leagues, and we’re going to continue to get the same result we’ve been getting, and that’s not something we’re prepared to do anymore.” This quote from Dayton Moore says it all. No more using the major

Sports - Royals Shopping Teahen

2008-10-27T07:42:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.kansascity.comThe Royals are discussing a possible trade with the Cleveland Indians in which they would acquire an outfielder in exchange for Mark Teahen, according to sources with both teams. Talks are believed to center on three possibilities for the Royals in the deal: Franklin Gutierrez, Ben

Sports Guy Calls It

2008-09-04T14:21:00.001-07:00

It's going to be a long year for the Chiefs. After a long summer for the Royals, I guess I can look forward to seeing how KU does without the hooligans who helped win the national title in March.ESPN's Bill Simmons is not predicting good things for the Chiefs, as well. This quote from his season preview says it just about right: clipped from

Who are These Guys? - 2008 Royals Season Preview

2008-03-30T11:15:00.001-07:00

A new job and extended jury duty have kept me from doing the kind of preview my five loyal readers are used to.So, as the 2008 season begins, I’m going to do an abbreviated “Who are these guys?” preview, focusing on the players who are most-likely to contribute to the team on a daily basis, with a little love given to those who made the opening-day roster (sans catcher Matt Tupman, who we know is

Sports - Buck the Starter

2008-02-19T11:46:00.001-08:00

Before we get into the player previews (which will probably come before the season when the roster is more solid), let's look at some of the news as it comes along.I like Trey Hillman already for how he is treating John Buck. The quote below says it all. If the backstop can recreate the first two months of last year, he's going to be the man behind the plate. If Johnny Boy posts another sub-.600

Dayton Can't be Done

2007-12-05T15:43:00.000-08:00

The most famous Royals optimist out there, Rany Jazayerli, has hypothesized that the Jose Guillen deal is but one domino in a long chain of moves that General Manager Dayton Moore plans over this current off season.It had better be. According to Dan Szymborski’s early projections for next year, the best lineup the Kansas City Royals can produce in 2008 is this:Name P Age AVG OBP SLG

Royals "Win" Bidding for Guillen

2007-12-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Eager to continue the fine pharmaceutical heritage that began with Ewing Kauffman, the Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Jose Guillen to a 3-year, $36 million deal on Tuesday.The potential steroid suspension aside, are the Royals spending David Glass's new found money wisely? How about some charts!Below are two charts showing Guillen's On-Base Percentage (OBP) and Slugging Average (SLG) by age

Sports - Royals Hire Hillman to Manage

2007-10-19T14:29:00.001-07:00

I don't know what a Ham Fighter is, but there are several things I like about this hire.1.) We may have actually beat out the Yankees on getting this guy. It always feels good to beat the Yanks.2.) Beyond the track record of success, there are stories about Hillman being able to adapt his style to the players he has. He went to Japan as a walks and homers guy, and found out he had a speed team,

Re-signing Mike Sweeney

2007-08-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

While traveling for business last week, I missed this little item in the Kansas City Star: “Royals could re-sign Sweeney if Butler proves capable of playing first.”The reasoning goes something like this: The Royals have very little power in their lineup. Signing a free agent with power will be expensive. Mike Sweeney has power and is already here.I am curious about two specific aspects of this

If We Can Only Avoid Playing the Yankees

2007-08-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, May 8th, the Kansas City Royals lost to the Oakland Athletics by a score of 6-1. Jorge de la Rosa took the loss, giving up 10 hits in just over four innings of work, and the Royals season was already over with the team sporting a 10-23 record, on pace for 100 losses yet again.The Royals managed to eek out a 3-2 victory the next day, but dropped the series finale in style, giving up 17

Royals Trade Dotel for Davies

2007-07-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Salary number is a little rough, but for approximately $2.5 million, the Kansas City Royals got this from Octavio Dotel:23 Innings Pitched11 Saves29 Strike Outs3.94 ERAKyle Davies from the BravesWho is Kyle Davies? There are two ways to answer this questions. First, with the quick and dirty stats: 4-8 record, 5.76 ERA, 6 strikeouts a game (decent), 4.4 walks (not good).The other answer is

Royals Week in Review - 7/20/07

2007-07-20T14:53:00.001-07:00

After sticking it to the Red Sox, the Kansas City Royals prepare for a showdown with evil next week. But, before the Yankees come to Kauffman stadium, the boys in blue must first vanquish the front-running Detroit Tigers in the Motor City.Ivan Rodriguez’s ninth inning homer must be avenged!Month by MonthThanks to the hard work of people like Sean Forman, hacks like me can find stats like this

Royals Week in Review - 7/14/07

2007-07-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

Kansas City Royals come out of the All Star Break with a ton of momentum and a killer schedule. A few minor moves this week show that General Manager Dayton Moore may be warming up to be a player as the trade market heats up this month.All Star GameThe Royals sent their $55 Million Man to San Francisco to represent this week. Mr. Meche's line:DNPGood work, Gil.For a rundown of recent Royals in

Projecting the Second Half

2007-07-03T13:23:00.001-07:00

As Independence Day nears, the Kansas City Royals have passed the midpoint of the season looking remarkably like a good baseball club the past month.There will probably be many moves in the next month -- injured players returning, veterans getting traded, Buddy Bell giving Tony Pena Jr. a ten game shot at batting cleanup -- but for the moment, I want to focus on four numbers:68, 72, 77 &

Royals Week in Review - 06/29/07

2007-06-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

Having swept the California Angels of Southern Antiqua, the Kansas City Royals look to the Chicago White Sox, a team that is one bad weekend away from taking over the cellar position the Royals have held for so long.As this weekend will mark the halfway point of the season, let's take a look at some of the notable stats from the first 79 games.Offense & DefenseMo RS RA OPS ERAApr 3.8 5.1

MLB Piques My Interest in Women's Apparel

2007-06-28T13:46:00.001-07:00

First of all, let me say that I love my wife.Let me also say that it is easily apparent this is a photoshop job, as I found the same picture for all MLB teams with the logo switched out.Lastly, for the record: I don't care. As somebody who grew up on "Who's the Boss," watched "Charmed" in spite of the ridicule from my roommate, and recorded the episode of "Spin City" when Alyssa Milano played the

Royals Week in Review - 6/22/07

2007-06-22T14:52:00.001-07:00

Something happened to the Kansas City Royals bats around June first. I don't know what it is, but after losing seven in a row, the boys in blue have pretty much taken Pythag out behind the woodshed the last few weeks.The following chart has two lines:The RED line represents the Royals running pythagorean record based on runs scored and runs allowed as the season progresses.The BLUE line is a

Royals Week in Review - 6/8/07

2007-06-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Royals decided to take a week off from playing baseball, reflect on the lives they’ve led and generally kill any positive momentum from taking eight of ten contests before their big slide.How badly did the recent seven game losing streak suck?Here it is in sparkline form (Black bars are games decided by more than two runs):On May 23, the Royals stood at 19-28, on pace for 65 wins

Royals Week in Review - 6/1/07

2007-06-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

There's nothing much you can say about getting outscored 856 to 12 or whatever it ended up being while losing seven games in a row, so let's just drop it for this week.

Royals Week in Review - 5/25/07

2007-05-25T14:24:00.001-07:00

The Kansas City Royals once again stunned the world by putting together another winning week. The overall record stands at 19-29, on pace for 64 wins, which still sucks but at least shows signs of improvement.The last two weeks have seen the Royals go 7-3, giving them an 11-11 record for the month of May. Most encouragingly, the bats of Alex Gordon and Ryan Shealy have both started to come around

Royals Week in Review - 5/18/07

2007-05-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Royals are winners. There’s just no other way to put it. Check out the week-by-week record.4/2 – 2-44/9 – 1-54/16 – 3-34/23 – 2-54/30 – 2-55/7 - 2-45/14 – 3-1It has taken seven weeks to make it happen, but the Royals are finally a winning ball club. PitchingMillion-dollar Gil has been earning his dollars so far. Take out his horrid start on April 7, his numbers look like this:G

Royals Week in Review - 5/11/07

2007-05-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

Rather than try to comment upon a week that saw the Kansas City Royals get outscored 34-11, let’s just pull out some notable stats. These and many more can be found at Baseball-Reference, The Hardball Times and Fan Graphs.OffenseLine Drive PercentageButler 25.9%LaRue 25.0%Pena 21.9%Young Mr. Butler has been putting some good wood on the ball so far in his pro debut. Not shown is LaRue

Royals Week in Review - 5/3/07

2007-05-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Royals front office decided to shift attention from the poor on-field performance of the team by executing several questionable roster-management decisions this week.The ploy seems to have worked, as nobody noticed the Royals winning two games in a row for just the second time this season as the weekend creeps upon us.StandingsHeading into game 30, the boys in blue have put up a

Butler Called up from AAA

2007-05-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Royals have called up Billy Butler from Triple-A Omaha to replace Ryan Shealy, who in typical Royals fashion, was injured while trying to score in last night's game against the Angels.Butler has been considered the best hitting prospect in the Royals system for a few years, with only his defense keeping him from a big league roster spot. Through 25 games in the Pacific Coast

Yeah, I played a pretty good second base in pee-wee ball...

2007-05-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

I'm saving this link forever."Heath Once Subbed for Frank White."

Royals Week in Review - 4/27/07

2007-04-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year when it gets difficult for Kansas City Royals fans. When the tough losses start piling up and all of the pundits are proved right for predicting another miserable year for the Kauffman Faithful. When the boys in blue have lost five one run games and the training staff still can't get Octavio's oblique to oblige.When somebody puts their fandom up for auction and scathing

Twins' Hunter Keeps Promise, Breaks Rule

2007-04-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Minnesota Twins center fielder Torii Hunter has found himself in a little bit of hot water for making good on a promise he made to the Kansas City Royals after thier sweep of the Detroit Tigers gave the Twins a Division Title.Hunter had four bottles of Dom Perignon delivered to the Royals clubhouse in response to some comments from Royals designated hitter Mike Sweeney before the two teams played

Royals Week in Review - 4/20/07

2007-04-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Royals did win a game this week, which may not sound like a lot, but means something to their loyal fan base, so I wanted to bring it up. Here's a quick look at what else happened.The BeginningDespite Zack Greinke's horrendous start against the Tigers, the Royals starters have a 3.55 ERA three weeks into the season, placing them square in the middle of the major league pack.

Royals Week in Review - 4/13/07

2007-04-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Holiday travel meant a week off for the Kansas City Royals Week in Review, or KCRWIR, as I’m hoping the kids start calling it. That means this will be a season in review for the team as we prepare for week three of the young MLB season.The Money ManA quick recap: One earned run against Boston on opening day. Dayton Moore is a genius! Gil Meche is the greatest steal of the off season! Wait… 6 runs

Suck It, Sox! - BOS 1, KC 7

2007-04-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Look, I don't know what river the Red Sox pulled Manny Ramirez out of before the game, but it didn't matter. Shilling looked terrible and Gil Meche looked like a legitimate major league pitcher today.Tony Pena, Jr. will probably never hit another triple in the major leagues, but I think the core of the Royals line up can be reasonably expected to have more games like today’s than not.Grudzielanek

Royals Week in Review - 3/30/07

2007-03-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

A look back at the week that was for the Kansas City Royals.Roster DecisionsThe opening day roster has been set. These are the twenty-five men Kansas City will take into battle against the Red Sox on Monday.Rotation (5): Jorge De La Rosa, Brandon Duckworth, Zack Greinke, Gil Meche, and Odalis PerezThe great news here is that Zach Grienke came out of camp with his head screwed on straight and

One More Arm for Omaha

2007-03-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

The Kansas City Royals traded minor league catcher Maxim St. Pierre to the Milwaukee Brewers for right-handed pitcher Ben Hendrickson today.Despite having a kick-ass name, St. Pierre was one of a bevy of backup catchers clogging the Royals minor league system.Of course, any trade that doesn’t involve the names Emil Brown or Reggie Sanders isn’t likely to make Royals fans happy in the near future,

Royals Week in Review - 3/23/07

2007-03-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

A look back at the week that was for the Kansas City Royals.Notable StatsRecord: 9-12Spring training records have little to no correlation for the regular season, but it’s worth noting that the Royals current pace would give them a 69-93 record over 162 games.OPS:Butler 1.288 (37 Plate Appearances)Gload 1.257 (40 PA)LaRue 1.233 (26 PA)Billy Butler has been hitting in the last half of most games

Pine Tar Videos

2007-03-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

This Video Dog post from Salon.com collects a couple of different videos about the famed George Brett "Pine Tar" Incident from 1983.A few brief comments.1.) God, I love You Tube. 2.) I'd never seen the entire sequence like this before. It really is funny to watch. Could the two announcers have been any bigger homers for the Yankees?3.) Rick Dempsey as George Brett. This Rick Dempsey. High-larious

Royals Week in Review - 3/9/07

2007-03-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

A look back at the week that was for the Kansas City Royals.Grudzie Goes GimpThe Esteban German experiment at Short took a break this week when Mark Grudzielanek went down with torn cartilage in his left knee. German will take over the starting job at second base until the gold glover is ready to return, which according to reports is anytime between next Thursday and 2009.Leaving defense aside,

Royals Week in Review - 3/2/07

2007-03-02T16:49:00.000-08:00

A look back at the week that was for the Kansas City Royals.Games!It’s been five cold months since the Kansas City Royals gave up the first pick in the 2007 draft by winning the last game of the season in Detroit. Finally back on the diamond, the Spring Training schedule started with a loss to the Angels and a win over Texas.We won’t get into much heavy analysis over a couple of exhibition games;

"Who are These Guys?" 2007 - Relief Pitchers

2007-02-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

Previous Installments: C - 1B/DH - 2B/SS - 3B - OF - SPAnd here we are. The end of the line for the Kansas City Royals Spring Training Preview series. It’s fitting, then, that today we look at the men who will be tasked with finishing the games.Last year, the Royals were abysmal in the final innings. Rk Tm Save%1 MIN 80.002 LAD 79.373 DET 74.19League 65.8829 KC 53.0330 CLE 51.06Kansas City

Denny Matthews to Enter Hall of Fame

2007-02-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

Fantastic news for Kansas City Royals fans today: Denny Matthews has been announced as the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame.From the Royals website:Matthews has been with the Royals since the franchise's inception as an American League expansion team in 1969. He initially won the job after beating out more than 250 applicants for the No. 2 announcing position

"Who are These Guys?" 2007 - Starting Pitchers

2007-02-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

Previous Installments: C - 1B/DH - 2B/SS - 3B - OFThe Kansas City Royals have done more than just remodel the pitching staff in the last year. General Manager Dayton Moore has basically demolished the whole thing and started over with his own guys.Three of the top five starting pitchers on the current depth chart weren’t with the team coming out of camp last year and the other two spent

"Who are These Guys?" 2007 - Outfield

2007-02-16T17:20:00.000-08:00

Previous Installments: C - 1B/DH - 2B/SS - 3BHow old can an outfield be? The San Francisco Giants trotted out a creaky-kneed trio aged 39, 41 and 41 last season and lost 85 games.This year, the Kansas City Royals might feature a 39 year old veteran roaming the grass at Kauffman Stadium along side a 25 year old converted third baseman.A couple of twenty-something speedsters could provide great

"Who are These Guys?" 2007 - 3B

2007-02-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

Previous Installments: C - 1B/DH - 2B/SSA quick look at all of the Hall of Famers who have played for the Kansas City Royals will leave you with two lingering thoughts:1.) Orlando Cepeda and Harmon Killebrew played for the Royals? Really?2.) Thank God for George Brett. With a breakout performer and a sure-fire prospect competing for a spot on the hot corner, this may be the most interesting

"Who are These Guys?" 2007 - 2B/SS

2007-02-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Previous Installments: C / 1B/DHThe Kansas City Royals have had five different leaders in games played at second base in the last five years, and only one guy manning the other side of the bag (forgive me if I pretend the Neifi Perez year never happened.).Yes, it has been a long time since Frank White was racking up Gold Gloves in the powder blue, but last year saw the Royals get a nice trophy

"Who are These Guys?" 2007 - 1B/DH

2007-02-13T17:26:00.000-08:00

As the march toward daylight savings time continues, we continue our look at the players who will be competing for spots on the Kansas City Royals opening day roster. Previous profiles: CatchersSince 2003, the likes of Ken Harvey, Matt Stairs and Doug Mientkiewicz have all spent time chasing down Angel Berroa's errant throws and subbing for Mike Sweeney. Who will be the lucky contenders for that

"Who are These Guys?" 2007 - Catchers

2007-02-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

Geeks like me who routinely check in with the home team's website can tell you that we are only 3 days, 19 hours and 4 minutes away from the opening of spring training.There are twenty new faces on the Kansas City Royals forty man roster since the last time pitchers and catchers were asked to report, so I will now continue with one of the grandest traditions of this blog: "Who are These Guys?"

Who's on Third? A look at the '07 Royals lineup

2007-01-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

Now that Dayton Moore has satisfied fan lust for more minor-league depth at shortstop by signing Alex Gonzalez, the Kansas City Royals offensive unit is pretty much set. One could reasonably expect the following players to take the field on April 2nd, 2007:DeJesus CFGrudz 2BTeahen 3BSweeney DHShealy 1BBrown LFSanders RFBerroa SSBuck CBy taking the average on-base and slugging

Royals Make Off-Season's Most Insignificant Trade

2007-01-10T22:11:00.000-08:00

The Royals have traded Jeff Keppinger, an infielder that most people have never heard of, to the Cincinnati Reds for a pitcher nobody has ever heard of.With Mark Grudzielanek locked in as the starting second basemen and Esteban German seemingly able to field grounders without using his face, Keppinger had become a superfluous asset for the team.Russell Haltiwanger is the prize for GM Dayton Moore

The Royals Unoffensive Off Season

2007-01-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

Since the crickets are chirping on Royals coverage while the Chiefs make their “miracle” run into the NFL playoffs, let’s take a moment to examine what General Manager Dayton Moore has done with the offense this off season.Given that the team finished near the bottom of the league in runs scored last year, you’d think Moore would be stockpiling bats in the same manner he’s been picking up

Royals Continue to Pick Up Pitchers

2006-12-21T10:10:00.001-08:00

Originally Posted to OTB Sports.The Royals added veteran set-up man David Riske to their bullpen today.From the Kansas City Star:Riske, 30, has made a name for himself as one of the better setup men in baseball. He is 18-14 with a 3.59 ERA in 328 appearances in a seven-year career with Cleveland, Boston, and the White Sox....Riske appeared in a total of 140 games in 2003 and 2004, and since has

Breaking down Sisco for Gload

2006-12-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

So, all that stuff I said about Sisco returning to form. Yeah, um, forget about that.Since it's getting to be old news already, I'll just throw my two cents in here.First, a look at the pertinent stats:Andy SiscoYear Games ERA+2005 67 1392006 65 68Ross GloadYear Games OPS+2004 110 1152006 77 107Gload put up a 364/416/657 line at AAA in '05.Oh, and then there's this: Sisco is going to

The Pitching Picture

2006-12-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

Wow. Fifty-five mil for Gil?I don’t know if Big Money Meche is going to lead us to the promised land in this year, or the next, but I do feel like the offense will continue to improve and any, ANY move towards mediocrity by the pitching staff will be a step in the right direction.Here’s a quick look at where we were and where we might be going.Starters2006 2007Player ERA+ Player *

Please... say it again, Jeanne

2006-10-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the Cards for winning the World Series. Now that the curse of Donnie Dek has been avenged, I am looking forward to the Royals getting into the post season and kicking ass next year.On another note, it's beginning to get uncomfortable how many times Jeanne Zelasko keeps asking the owners and players to say "World Champion St. Louis Cardinals." She keeps repeating the phrase, then

Finishing Off the Season

2006-09-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

Now that the team has “achieved” the 100 loss plateau, I suppose it’s time to recollect on the season.I will be getting married in a week, so I wish to purge myself of these trifling, depressing thoughts before a few weeks in Tahiti with my new wife set my mind straight and get me ready for next year.To start with: a few tables for you.RunDiff G W L W%1 38 14 24 36.8%2 34 17 17 50.0%3 19 6 13

Adam Bernero - My New Hero?

2006-08-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

So, if you follow the Royals (and, if you’ve found this blog, then you probably do), you are probably asking yourself something along the lines of “Who in the hell is Adam Bernero?”Maybe you saw something like this. Year IP ERA2000 34.3 4.192001 12.3 7.30 2002 101.7 6.202003 133.3 5.872004 32.3 5.572005 47.0 6.51Then, you would have rightfully thought, “Man, Adam Benero sucks!”Of

What is Dayton Doing?

2006-07-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

As today's trading deadline nears, I thought I might take a quick look at Dayton Moore's first real action since he sent J.P. Howell to Tampa Bay for Joey Gathwright.To the uneducated observer, the motivation for Moore's moves may be hard to pin down, but I'm guessing that after he took over as general manager, he did a google search on the Royals farm system and found a page that looked like

The Devil Feels a Draft

2006-07-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last night, Angel Berroa was given two free passes by Ervin (not "Magic") Santana.I don't want to overplay the magnitude of this information, but it was perhaps the worst pitching performance against the Royals ever.Seriously, how do you walk Angel twice? Don't you know his stats? Last night's two unintentional walks now represent twenty-two percent of his total for the entire year!I mean, if you

Joe Torre is an Idiot

2006-07-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Let's get one thing straight: I hate the Yankees. It's been hardwired into me since I was a kid and the annual Royals/Yankees tilt in the postseason was something people expected.However, there is one Yankee player I will root for with gusto the remainder of this season: Aaron Guiel.Guiel deserves to play for a winner. To play on a team where he'll rack up RBIs and runs scored because everybody

Winning Baseball? What!?!?

2006-07-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

With the All Star break approaching, I thought I’d take a quick look at the improvement our lovable Royals have made.To do this, I’m going to take a look at the Pythagorean Record of the team, which is based on runs scored and runs allowed. (For a further explanation of the formula, please click here and here.)For those so interested, I’m using the ^1.83 model.Currently, the team’s pythag winning

J.P. Traded to the Devil Rays

2006-06-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Looks like Dayton Moore is finally on the job.J.P. Howell (Career ERA+ 70) for Joey Gathwright (Career OPS+ 72) plus a minor leaguer with a line of 280/336/358 in five minor league seasons. I guess that sounds about right.Gathwright is a speedster with good on-base skills and plus defense in the outfield (way plus when compared to some of the guys we've thrown out there this year). At 25, there's

RIP Allard Baird

2006-05-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

The Royals finally fired Allard Baird today.Baird talked a good game for a few years, and I think he made tremendous strides as a GM with the Royals, but this was a move that had to be made. The Royals need a complete overhaul of their management structure. Let's hope Dayton Moore is up to the task.I will say this, though: Moore's request for complete control over baseball operations makes me

What Would You Have Done?

2006-05-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Anthony Giacalone at Baseball Think Factory gives a pretty good rundown of the Royals offseason moves and how they really did have a decent plan going into this season.It's easy to knock the Royals these days, but there have been some moves that have worked out this season.

Sweep!!!

2006-05-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

KC 10, Cle 8Sure, we gave up runs late to let Cleveland back into it, but the pitchers K'd nine in nine innings and Guiel hit another homer to put the good guys in front for good. Burgos has done a good job of not getting fazed by trouble and the fans get to eat some more free donuts.Today is a good day.

So, You Can't Hack it as a Royals Fan

2006-05-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

What a pu$$y.This guy.Two or three hundred loss seasons and he's selling his "fandom" for a few hundred dollars. I hate to tell it to the people who put up the cash for this transaction, but that "loyalty" ain't worth the eBay server space it was loaded on.I hate to break it to all the naysayers out there, but every owner wants to make money. Every General Manager is trying to put a winning team

Wow... This Sums it Up

2006-04-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

From today's KC Star:"Singles by Mark Grudzielanek and Sweeney marked the first back-to-back hits this season by the Royals in the first inning."

Keep Ya Head Up

2006-04-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

You know it's hard out here for a Royals fanWhen he tryin' to help his team to get one little winFor the Yankees got the money and the Rays got a planAnd a whole lot of columnists keep on talkin' shitSo, I'm trying to find something positive in the Royals sorrowful start to the season, and Estaban German putting up an OPS over 1.000 doesn't seem to cut it since most of his playing time is going

The Sucking of Sisco

2006-04-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

Andrew Sisco had another poor outing for the Royals today.I'm wondering if it isn't best to handle Sisco this year the way he was handled last year. Only bringing him in during non-critical situations. Let him build up his confidence and control. Then start trusting him in tight spots.I admit, up three runs isn't a tight spot, but he was obviously shaky after the first couple of batters. The dude

Guiel Gets Cut

2006-03-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

Shane Costa won the 4th outfielder job with the Royals.This isn't that big of a deal, but Guiel is one of the guys I like to root for. I hope he gets a call earlier this year than last if anybody goes down (Laverne, I'm looking at you).My man AG was having a great spring, putting up a 351/479/622 line in 37 at bats.Joe McEwing was also cut after posting 436/500/667 in 39 ABs. Super Joe put up a

Graffy's Back

2006-03-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

The Royals picked up Tony Graffanino today.Tony Graffanino309/366/425OPS+ 161I'm a big fan of this move. Graffy has a solid track record as a utility infielder and the Royals are only obligated to pay for him this year.Hopefully, this move will keep Joe McEwing in Omaha and give Estaban German a chance to prove he can do something.For all of the bitching I keep seeing on the internet about the

Who are These Guys? - Outfield

2006-03-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

Our final installment for the position players will look at the men patrolling the vast amount of turf at The 'K' this year.David DeJesus293/359/445OPS+ 114David’s biggest drawback as a professional ballplayer has been his susceptibility to injury. A shoulder injury kept him out for the last month of last season and he missed significant time early in his minor league career.The Royals just inked

Who are These Guys? - Middle Infield

2006-03-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

Mark Grudzielanek294/334/407OPS+ 92Alphabet Soup #2, or “Grudzie” as I like to call him, has been brought in to ensure that yet another year is added to the streak of consecutive seasons with a different starting second baseman. (who would have imagined that Carlos Febles from ’99 through ’03 would be considered stable?)Mark is a better than average line-drive hitter (his 23.6% rate ranked 21st

Who Are These Guys? - Third Base

2006-02-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

Mark Teahen246/309/376OPS+ 82Marky-mark was slated to begin the 2005 season at Omaha when Chris Truby (who has probably gained more notoriety from this running gag at Baseball Think Factory then his actual ability to play baseball) broke his wrist.Teahen, who was never considered a power threat, lost even more value in the majors when he failed to maintain the high on-base percentage that had

Who are These Guys? - First Base

2006-02-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

Allard Baird has made it sort of a hobby to stockpile guys who can’t field very well, but do mash the ball a bit. The staggering amount of offensive talent the Royals have jammed at the wrong side of the defensive spectrum would cripple most fans’ spirits. I prefer to refer to it as “depth.”Mike Sweeney300/347/517OPS+ 127Sween-dog is officially listed as the third-string first baseman behind Doug

Who are These Guys? - Catcher

2006-02-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

Now that Spring Training is in full swing, I thought I'd bring back one of the more popular features from last year.I'll be listing the 2005 batting line for each player (AVG/OBP/SLG) along with their OPS+, followed by some brief commentary.Please check the Note About Stats for information about these numbers.We’ll start with the men behind the plate.John Buck 242/287/389OPS+ 79The good news is

Royals New Promo Spots

2006-02-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

I'm digging the new campaign for the Royals this year. You can view the spots by clicking here.I'm guessing the latter two spots will get the bulk of the rotation, but I find the first spot hilarious. Instead of just pretending that nobody knows how bad the team has been recently, they have some fun with the possibility that 2003 lightning will strike again.Here's hoping.

Chop Gets the Call

2006-02-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

The Royals have invited a guy with the same nomenclature as one of my groomsmen.This Chad Allen is a lifetime 269/321/389 hitter and on the wrong side of thirty. Nonetheless, I'll be rooting for him to make the team, if only so I can compare Allen's success to that of Heath Miller of the Steelers and talk some trash to my buddy.

Me and My Pal, Ronnie

2006-01-31T16:28:00.000-08:00

Baseball Prospectus just posted their 2006 PECOTA projections, and I plan to peruse them post-haste.In the meantime, I don't have anything important to say, so I am going to throw up this picture of me with Hall of Fame Defensive Back Ronnie Lott at the LA Auto Show.As this photo was taken a day after Texas beat USC in the Rose Bowl, I decided not to ask him if he thought Pete Carroll had done a

Why I'm Rooting for Pittsburgh in Two Weeks

2006-01-25T16:56:00.000-08:00

King Kaufman, the resident sportswriter over at Salon.com often refers to a complex calculus of teams that he roots for. This idea has fascinated me for a while, as I am often watching national sports broadcasts (and postseason contests in particular) without one of my hard-wired favorites participating.Rather than turn off the television, I find myself relying on my own twisted matrix of fandom

REPEAT!?!?!?

2005-11-30T16:29:00.000-08:00

Stumbled across a blurb in the Kansas City Star that mentioned my high school winning the Kansas 6A state championship. Now, the football team when I was in high school managed to win about one game a year, so I knew this had to be a serious typo.Then, I found this article about the big win in the local paper and I find the phrase "beat Olathe East 24-7 to repeat as state champions."Wait a second

My Job is EVIL!!!

2005-11-29T10:48:00.000-08:00

In case you don't know, I work in advertising. However, I do realize that this is a callous and evil way to make a living. Nontheless, it pays the bills. It also provides for fine moments in life like this story about a man who spread his mother's ashes during an Eagles football game. It seems like such a sweet gesture, and then he says this: "I know that the last handful of ashes I had are

God Hates the Royals

2005-10-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

Great juxtaposition by Flanagan in his latest piece for the KC Star: "When I was a catcher or when I'm at first base now," [Mike Sweeney] said, "if the pitcher is of faith and he's kind of scuffling, I'll go talk to him and say 'Hey, dude, what are you doing? Rely on the Holy Spirit that lives in you.'" The Royals were last in the league in team ERA at 5.49

Talk about an understatement

2005-10-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Check out the lead from this AP story: "Former Sox farmhand Michael Jordan admits being 'stupid' in his gambling, but never jeopardized his livelihood or his family, he told CBS' '60 Minutes' in an interview to be broadcast Sunday." How on earth does a journalist feel that the most important identifying characteristic about Michael Jordan was his time with the Chicago White Sox minor league

The Onion on the Royals

2005-10-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Wow... this is just classic.

Pst... Alex, you there?

2005-09-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

A fine piece by Allard Baird (er, I mean David Boyce) inthe Kansas City Star todayfeaturing this money "quote" from Chris Lubanski about signing right after the draft: "If I would have missed that whole summer I could be a level back right now," Lubanski said. "Instead, I got rookie ball out of the way that first summer and started my career. It was definitely the right choice." I hope Alex

Chiefs 23, Raiders 17 - No one said it had to be pretty

2005-09-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

2-0.Sounds good, doesn't it Royals fans?One of the nice things about football is that you get a whole week to enjoy your victories. The intensity on Sundays is much easier to sustain for the game, and no matter how miserable the season is, you'll only have to endure a little more than a dozen games.Due to a class I am taking on Sundays this winter, this will be the first year I haven't had the

Trade Sweeney? H, E, double hockey sticks, NO!!!

2005-09-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

The KC Star's (and I think the country's) best sports columnist has gone fishing for ideas at the website Baseball Think Factory. Joe did this before the season started as well, and came away with a few good ideas to while away the spring. Unfortunately, as the Royals tumble towards another 100-loss season, the attitude of the generally intelligent Primer folks has turned nasty and negative.

Royals 7, White Sox 5

2005-09-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

That makes two out of three for our Boys in Blue, against the team with the best record in the American League.Now, while it's true that the Sox have been struggling lately and were never as good as their lofty record indicated, it's still nice to see that our lineup can occasionally put some runs on the board.

Are you ready?

2005-09-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

As the Chiefs prepare for their last pre-season game, I will set aside my worry about Trent Green's mystery leg surgery and just point out that Kansas City is a town that REALLY gets behind their football team. From today's KC Star: "Chiefs at Rams, 7 tonight; Channels 2,5 and 13; KCFX (101.1 FM)"

Angel grounds out...

2005-08-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

Looks like walking Teahen was the right move.Sigh...

Fear Terrance Long

2005-08-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Denny Mathews, but he just said a few things during the bottom of the ninth that made me cringe.The situation: Royals & Twins, tied at 1, bottom of the ninth with Aaron Guiel on second base and one out.Terrance Long at the plate. Denny says:"And they are not going to intentionally walk Terrance Long."As if T-Long were to be feared in this situation.Long pops out on the first

Who needs anouncers?

2005-08-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this article for my dad, who hates the idiotic ramble from most sports announcers. In Canada last weekend, a CFL game was broadcast sans announcers because of a media workers strike. How did the viewing public react to watching football without the inane babbling of sideline reporters and former athletes in the booth? Turns out 10% more people tuned in than in an average week.

17 Down - Mariners 4, Royals 3

2005-08-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Give the boys credit... they are certainly imaginative in finding new ways to lose. From the AP story: "The Royals' losing streak reached 17 games Tuesday night when they lost 4-3 to the Seattle Mariners on Yuniesky Betancourt's go-ahead infield single in the eighth inning." Stealing third with two outs is one of the cardinal sins of baseball, yet the gods decide to punish us with the infield

Fifteen in a Row

2005-08-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been around.I've had many ideas to write about... who will be the September call-ups, who should be player of the year, how much resistance to a little losing should we have...It's all bad. Fifteen losses is hard to take. 11 runs in the ninth is unbelievable. Jose Lima pitching a complete-game and allowing one run sounds as if it is from a dream. Football is starting soon, and I will

Hey, Joe. Leave an easy target alone.

2005-07-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

In his latest column, Joe Sheehan takes the following dig at the Royals: "Angel Berroa: .299 OBP, 68 K, 11 BB. This is a building block?"Of course, the Royals are an easy target for analysts of all stripes, but I would like to provide a little bit of context.At the start of the 2004 season, the Kansas City Royals signed a shortstop who was 25 years old and coming off a rookie campaign in which

Royals trade Graffanino to Red Sox

2005-07-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

The KC Star is reporting that the Royals have traded Tony Graffanino to the Boston Red Sox for prospects.What we lost:T-Graf Age AVG OBP SLG 2005 33 0.298 0.377 0.393 Career 0.263 0.335 0.388What we got:Chip Ambres Level Age AVG OBP SLG A 20 0.231 0.343 0.366 A 21 0.265 0.36 0.416 A 22 0.236 0.323 0.365 AA 23 0.258 0.376 0.439 AA 24 0.241 0.352 0.449 AAA 25 0.294 0.401 0.495Juan Cedeno Level

Oh, Elvis... tsk, tsk...

2005-07-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

It was nice to see the Royals get a shot at a highlight package in the first half-hour of Sportscenter last night. I wish I could have seen Mike Sweeney's home run, or Mark Teahen's catch, spin and throw play to get Rondell White out.But alas, one jackass plunking another trumps all.I'm not going to defend Hernandez here. I did think it was a pretty funny read in the AP story, though:The Royals

Beltran vs. These Other Guys

2005-07-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Baseball Prospectus has a look at the players most prominently involved in the Beltran trade last year, excluding Mike Wood.Here's a quick breakdown of the current stats for each player involved in the trade, including Baseball Proscpectus's VORP stat (Value Over Replacement Player): AVG OBP SLG VORP John Buck 227 270 356 0.8 Mark Teahen 251 302 353 -1.2 Carlos Beltran 264

Adam Dunn and Looking Past Batting Average

2005-07-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

I heard a rumor the other day that the Reds were looking to dump one of their extra outfielders. I mentioned to a friend that the Royals should try to pick Adam Dunn up, but was told that he "strikes out too much."Since it's the All-Star Break and I've got some time on my hands, I thought I'd try to win this argument with my friend in a forum that allowed him no chance to respond (God, I love the

Matt Stairs for the All Star Game

2005-07-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time for the annual discussion over who should be the Royals All Star. Mike Sweeney is no doubt the front runner, but I think there are a few other players who could make us proud in Detroit.On the pitching side, Andrew Sisco has been quite a feather in Allard Baird's cap. Since Terry Francona needs to load up on pitchers, having a big lefty with a 2.75 ERA would not look out of place.