A Response

Ok, so I'm diggin' the amount of posting going on and I will do my best to step it up. That being said, I'm here to respond to the last couple of posts... not negatively, just to get my thoughts out there (isn't that what a blog is about anyway?!?!?).

First: This is great news for KC (talking Monarchs here [I'll refer to the Penguins as the Monarchs until I here for sure they're staying in Pitt]). I would love to have a hockey franchise to root for. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a wealth of hockey knowledge, but the sport has always intrigued me. I will also say that hockey has the best, most intense playoffs of any sport (which is really saying something if you know how much of a ravenous baseball fan I am) and by FAR the best trophy. Which only makes the Monarchs in KC that much cooler, because they are looking to be the team to beat in the next three years (and barring major trade/injury should remain there for as long as they want). The fact that a deal has not been reached and that everyone is pushing for a final say this week only makes me believe that KC has a good chance at this franchise. WOOHOO for me. Oh and a side note, I know that my friends have said I'm an idiot and they would ridicule me and make fun of me, but I'm going to get a Monarchs jersey with number 22 and O'Neil on the back... I still say that's an awesome way to show appreciation to the greatest man to call KC home (isn't that why they're gonna name the team Monarchs?).

Second: I completely agree about the GM thing. Riccardi is an idiot and an asshole, and Moore made the right move (and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Royals fan... although I'm sure that has influenced my beliefs a little). The one thing that my cohort in crime did not mention, however, is a very important part of the decision (if he did mention this then I must have been interupted while reading). One of the biggest reasons for taking a job like the Royals and rejecting a job like the Red Sox is the fact that you can't fail. Ok, that sonds wrong, but hear me out. Say you take the job in Boston... that team is already playoff caliber and should not only make the playoffs but fight for the Series every year. That means if you don't make the playoffs you have failed (i.e. last year). It means that all the pressure to win is on the GM's shoulders, if they don't make that 1 move that catapults the team to a title they are a failure. Now, assume you take the job with the Royals... you can't look like a bad guy. All you have to do to look like a savior is get in the ballpark of a .500 season. If you can't turn the team around you're not a bad guy, you're not a failure... you just didn't turn a team around that, as far as MLB and the media are concerned, can't turn around. But if you win, if you make the playoffs, or (GASP) even the Series... you become a god among men, no bones about it, KC and every analyst in the history of sports will view you as the second coming of Christ. Now, I'm not saying that Moore took this job for that reason, he seems much too humble for that, and he's too hungry to win to settle for a .500 season. But the fact that it's a no lose situation had to help in the decision to try the role of GM for the first time (hopefully the only time [in other words, I hope Moore stays with KC for the long haul]); and it should be, every potential GM should heed Moore's example. Especially now that players can't be blamed for bad performances... it's the coach or the GM (which is an entire other blog in and of itself).

brandx[enator] - who has yet to play OOTP but can't wait to try his hand at being a GM... man I need that game!

ESPN Story + Possibilities = Happy Fan

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2747906

Read this story! It is very important to your future, that is, if your future includes living IN or AROUND KC and you love sports!

Yep, that's right; this is a feel good story about the Pittsburgh Penguins and their demands to have something in place by the end of the week, which means, based on previous stories that surfaced about how the Penguins were less than pleased with the offer, KC could be looking at an NHL team in the Sprint Center.

Isn't it possible, if we get the Penguins, that this could be the greatest KC sports story in the past two decades (assuming that the Royals' World Series win mattered to you, or that you even remember it). So a better tag would be, the best KC sports story in this author's lifetime.

Obviously, there are many pitfalls, but with Kansas City there always springs eternal hope! Hope like this will be the year the Royals contend or Juan Gone and Benito will push the Royals over the hump or Herm Edwards can take the Chiefs to the playoffs. Things that never seem to happen, but still enough is accomplished in these respective teams' off-seasons to instill false hope!

Well, if this is a false hope story, I'm willing to throw myself into it until I'm told otherwise.

No other way to state it; THIS IS HUGE!

Slow Newsday. Nothing New to Report.

How about RANDOM THOUGHTS OF THE DAY!

"RANDOM THOUGHTS OF THE DAY!!!"

Something has been on my mind for many a year since I started watching baseball in '03 (YES, I got interested when the Royals started winning, but I've been hooked since!!!). Hypothetically speaking, if I were a GM (and I am, on a computer game!) or a GM prospect I guess, like a Dayton Moore or JP Riccardi once were, I honestly think I would wait for a job like the Royals (as DM did). Why? Here are my thoughts; and I won't act like I know anything about the situation when DM turned down the Red Sox when Theo "retired", but here are my general thoughts on the matter if I were in DM or JP's shoes; consequently, this is also why I think JP is a moron (and also he bashed the Royals and ended up sounding really stupid, which makes me angry b/c Buddy Bell DID AN AWESOME JOB putting JP down and it was hilarious, which makes me ANGRIER b/c I began to have respect for Buddy, and I HATE BUDDY!). That was quite the tangent.

OK. Back to the point, and a fairly easy one to see, I think. Why would anyone want to take a position of power in the Yankees division as long as Georgie Steinbrenner is still footing the bill? A GM will never EVER win there as long as they aren't Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein (and only the Red Sox b/c they committed themselves to the dark side over the past few years as they spent more and more money, thereby matching the Spankees).

So, for arguments sake, maybe DM didn't want to be in an environment in which he wasn't in competition for a championship, he was only in contention with the Yankees. B/c, to me, that is ALL their rivalry is. Who can outdo the other? It's not REALLY about winning championships, that's a byproduct of spending big money on good players. It's one-up-manship. I would not want to GM in that environment, where if the Yankees make a move, I would have to make a move (smart or not; i.e., JD Drew, Matzusauka).

The Royals may be a bad, bad team, but DM (only after Allard was made a martyr) has financial and personnel freedom that he would not have had in Boston. He can choose (wisely or not) to make a move based on his perception of scouting and need; not make a move b/c the Yankees dictated him to. It may be a longer process to winning, but doesn't it seem more pure? The Yankees have JUST recently gotten back to the farm system (true baseball, one could argue, where you deliver training, and relationships with young men) rather than buying OLD men and hoping they pan out (Randy Johnson).

DM understands, and may actually like this brand of baseball (a brand the Yanks and R. Sox couldn't deliver). Plus, he has a chance to put HIS mark on the Royals, the mark he could have put on the Red Sox would be that he spends ownership money on big name guys. He would have been CRUCIFIED for trying to implement the "Braves Way" in Boston, a way in which you develop players and try not to frivolously spend money.

That all being said, this is why I think JP is an idiot. He knew all of this and was once a respected GM prospect, a Billy Beane "Moneyball" disciple. Now he is a joke. He can't win, he never will before he gets fired. He may back in via Wild Card if the rest of the league is down so there will be a Boston, Yank, and Jays playoff race, but other than that, he doesn't have the ability (mainly TIME) to develop players the way Moneyball/Braves Way dictate. Maybe that is why Billy Beane backed out of the Red Sox job a few years ago. He realized he couldn't do things his way. Sure, it'd be a challenge trying to outdo the Yankees, but it wouldn't have been his way. He would have failed, just like most GMs would in a situation like that.

Which leads me to another point. It must be that difficult to become a GM or Manager if someone is willing to accept a job with any team not Yanks or Sox in that division (which is too bad, b/c the Rays have some AWESOME talent, but won't ever contend with "Steinbrenner Ball" in that division). maybe that is why all the leagues have the retread policy. Maybe a fired Manager/Coach should have another chance, if only b/c he was handicapped by circumstances.

I don't think I couild wake up everyday and go to work knowing that I was in a division with "SB" (Steinbrenner Ball) b/c in my heart of hearts, I know Steinbrenner and Theo would never let me win. EVER.

That is why, though the Royals suck, I am happy they are in the Central. The Twins are small market, the Indians are small (small as in less than 100 million), and I believe the Sox are (though I may be wrong). Detroit probably isn't, but they aren't so extravagant in their spending. All the Royals need is a jump start to get back into contention with these other players. If they can do that, they can go to the playoffs more consistently, and may not compete when they play the Yanks, they'll at least get there year in and year out.

Strategic... and interesting?!

First for the interesting part: http://www.billybutler.com. The "hitter who just don't quitter" has opened up his own website with pictures, merchandise, statistics, and stories about himself and the Royals. A good marketing strategy? Quite possibly. He's a household name in KC (along with Gordon), but, unlike Gordon (an exceptional hitter and 3B), plays average to below-average OF.

Which brings me to the strategic:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/baseball/mlb/kansas_city_royals/16530274.htm

Whether the intentions of the agent are true, I will never know, but the story makes me happy for this 100 loss team. By milling Butler around town, his agent hopes that Billy will not be overwhelmed when he gets his eventual call up this year or next; thereby, improving his chances for having an immediate impact, or at least not having off-field issues to hinder his play.

To me, this seems well and good from the standpoint that it makes some sense. He'll be semi-familiar with his surroundings, he's done the meet-and-greets, and he'll be more able to focus on his hitting than on how the KC media works, where he'd like to live, etc.

Plus, for a fanbase that needs some love, it is nice hearing that another guy (other than Gordon) is interested in being called up; that he isn't afraid to play for a loser team, that he thinks he can help right itself. A winning team (winning record-wise, winning in the fans' eyes) needs to have more than one likable, well-known player. It seems Billy is trying to be that guy.

Think of it, a team full of likable players: Dejesus, Teahen (probably, but maybe traded), Gordon, and Butler. I think Greinke would qualify, but fans need to see something again from him. I think many feel for the guy, but even though I understand (but don't know) how Greinke feels socially awkward, he lost the confidence of the fans, and rightly so, for "quitting" so abruptly as he did.

Random Ponders of the Blog

It's an exciting transition we are seeing with this team. It's getting younger before our eyes! Granted, this year, we're still a pretty old team, but many of our "old" position players and pitchers will be gone next year paving the way for a possible Lumsden, Greinke, Hochevar, Meche, Hudson/Wellemeyer/Free Agent/Minor League call up.

Shealy at 1B, ? at 2B, Gordon/Teahen at 3B, ? at SS, Buck/Phillips/Donachie at C, and an OF comprised of Dejesus/Teahen/Butler/Costa/Gathie.

Don't be surprised when, and if, Gordon takes off at 3B and Teahen bombs in the OF, that he will become trade bait. I'm abating my crusade to outright trade Teahen at this point. I think his late bat (not his early April/May bat) can help this team offensively (which will still need to score a lot this season to win), but if his defense flounders, would it not be wise for the team to trade him for pitching? ...or a minor league 2B ready to play in the ML.

Life of Baseball - A Sentimental Offering

There are few things that depress me about my teams (A's and Royals) more than trades of guys that symbolize (in my mind) the team concept itself. The other things that depress me about my teams is just the Royals in general (cue cymbal crash).

No, in light of last weeks avoidance of arbitration with Kirk Saarloos, today they traded him to the Reds (FRIGGIN' BLAH). Was Kirk a great player, by no means. What Kirk symbolized in Oakland was a mindset (not totally going back to Moneyball) that a player didn't have to have SPECIFIC attributes to be a competent big leaguer. One does not need to hit 100 MPH on his fastball to be an effective ML pitcher. Kirk was basically the anti-ML stereotype. He probably hit 85 more than he hit anything else, but the guy had a semi-nasty sinker that got twice as many groundballs as flyballs. And now he has gone to a crappy team where he will languish. He will actually probably get better from the AL to NL move, or maybe not since Reds Stadium is homer happy (and Kirk can give up some HRs (19 last year, 11 the previous)).

Trades are mandatory and the A's seem to have gotten a stud closer that will start in AAA at the age of 24. It's just a sad phenomenon that has to occur, good for the organization, but also you lose the face of the organization; i.e., Damon, Beltran, Dejesus (sooner rather than later I'm sure).

This is more of a sentimental posting, Kirk was nothing but a 5th man in the rotation or a long man, but he will be missed and so will all of those that were traded and forced the fans to adapt to a new face of the team b/c the A's will have more a face of Jason Kendall (overpaid and old, though still serviceable) instead of "homegrown" (Kirk originally came from Houston, but for cheap), CHEAP talent.

Savior of Kansas City - Closer than we thought?

With all the talk of an improved Royals team and the Chiefs going back into rebuilding mode (most likely), we have neglected a future asset that will spring KC back into the winner's circle. The Kansas City Monarchs (formerly the Pitt. Penguins). With news that Pitt. may not be making as much headway as they had hoped, it's time for KC to dream about being a winner again. Not just a winner down the road (Chiefs, Royals), but a winner next year; and probably the most exciting winner in the NHL. Why?

First of all, the Penguins are 21-17 and 8th in the Eastern Conference. Similar to the NBA and not the MLB or NFL, teams are in conferences; 16 teams get in from each conference and though the Penguins are only hovering above .500, they are in the 8th spot, with the potential to go to the playoffs this year. Meaning that next year, with more experience, KC can hope for an 8th spot or better. Odds are going to be better because of a few essential personnel, mainly Sidney Crosby (19 years old) and Evgeni Malkin (20 years old), with 52 points (17 in the league). Crosby currently leads the NHL in his second year in points and a young goaltender (aged 22) in Marc-Andre Fleury, who saves 90% of the time and is allowing just under 3 goals per game. This stat says to me that the Penguins need to play better defense, but otherwise have a young core of players to grow up in, and excite, Kansas City.

Not only this, but a Hall of Fame owner in Mario Lemieux.

This team has a solid group of players who can only get better as they mature and a rink in need of a team to promote and revitalize KC. Fans would be wise to embrace these players when they move next year because, as fans, we may be perennially grumbling and grousing about the lack of wins from the Royals and Chiefs, but I predict winning for many years to come in Kansas City from the KC Monarchs, formerly known as the Pitt. Penguins.

Opposing the Opposing of the Opposing POV

DeJesus, Brown, Sanders, Gathright, Huber, Costa, Meier, Teahen

There are a few questionable moves that I am waiting for DM to make. One involves Gload. I highly doubt we see too much of Gload in the OF this year, AS LONG AS people manage to stay healthy. Just like we'll see (hopefully) very little of Esteban German out there this year. His play in the OF is a joke. I'm seeing a bench of 2-3 semi-versatile IF (Gonzalez (SS), German (2B, 3B), and Gload (1B, maybe OF). Not only that, but if Gordon goes down with an injury, who do you think we'll see starting, German or Teahen at 3B? I think the answer is obvious. In that case, MAYBE, you see Gload in the OF.

Having said all of this, the ONLY reason I question the Gload trade at this point is b/c the OF really is stacked. I waited (and assumed, I know, the word ASS is in assume) for a general release or trade of one of our many OF. B/c at this point, one of them would be an asset coming off the bench, and if this team goes with 4 bench players, well, that seems ripe for disaster... - OR - ... they release Costa b/c I believe he is out of Minor League Options, which means he needs to make the team or can be taken by another squad.

I assumed it would be Brown or Sanders or Sweeney (yeh right, but stay with my thinking here), Brown would be traded b/c he is a semi-valuable commodity, hits well and has a strong arm. But we gave him a pretty good 1-year contract so it appears like we are sticking with him. In that case, I had hoped Sweeney would be traded for some junk prospects, thereby making Brown a full-time DH. Brown has a strong arm, but his defensive skill are lacking, and though his #s are really good enough to be a full-time DH, the man is rarely hurt. So I'll take his production over Sweeney's potential if healthy.

Sanders obviously Ks too much to be a viable DH and he is too old and... "INJURY PRONE" to play OF, therefore, I assumed we'd have a trade for junk prospects and take part of his salary OR, release him. So far, it looks like an OF of Dejesus (back in CF if I'm not mistaken, which tells me Gathie may be back in the minors for this year w/o a strong Spring b/c he has options left), Sanders, Brown, and Teahen (unless the media is getting carried away and Gordon will stay in AAA). Leaving out Costa, who has potential to hit, though has some miscues in the OF. Maybe putting Gathie in AAA would be a good thing, but his potential to come off the bench and play above average defense and awesome speed would be missed at the major league level. Maybe they believe that with Gordon, Teahen, Berroa, and Dejesus (if the man finally figures out how to steal), we'll have enough speed to put Gathie in AAA for a year until Brown and/or Sanders' contracts run out.

Therefore, unless some of our guys have awesome springs (and become tradeable), I'm not sure how this OF will shake out.

IN OTHER NEWS-

I disagree that the Bengals were better than us and deserved it more for 2 reasons: A) they did go all Tony Romo and fudge a kick in Denver. Though I believe it would have tied the game (could be wrong, it was Xmas Eve) putting them into OT, which means, they still had a 50/50 chance of losing; and B) we played them our first game of the season. Kansas Citians realized we had no idea what we'd get from this team early on b/c of new personnel and retired personnel. Most I talked to and heard on the radio thought this team wouldn't find it's stride until 4-8 games into the season. Cincy was coming off the playoffs and a healthy Palmer, so it wasn't surprising they beat us; plus Trent was injured and the Damon Huard was probably overmatched during his first game. But while the Chiefs kept hanging in there, Cincy kept playing bad games, getting in off the field incidences (which may or may not have hurt them, I don't know how that affects the locker room), but everyone heard and saw Ocho tool-o having spiteful words towards his QB, Offensive Coordinator, and Coach. This happened all season. Our nasty comments from LJ occurred the 2nd to last game of the season and then they rebounded and beat the Jags.

Cincy did not deserve to be in the playoffs.

Now, I'd like to revise my previous statements (though I'm not sure I made them anyway). I am NOT saying the Chiefs are better than any of these teams, only that they DESERVED their PLAYOFF spot. The Chiefs were clearly the worst team to (talent-wise) to get into the playoffs, but they did b/c other teams faltered when the Chiefs did not.

Opposing the Opposing POV (kinda)

Here's the one team that wasn't desputed that deserved the playoffs more than KC: The Bengals. They got knocked out of the playoffs by being Tony Romo before Tony Romo became Tony Romo (botching the extra-point hold). Any way, I know the argument is going to be that they lost to Pittsburg, but Pittsburg is a better team than their record would suggest, they've had injury problems at some key positions and lost a huge offensive factor in the offseason (whether the stats suggest it or not) in Jerome Bettis (he was the perfect counter-point to Willie Parker). I would face Jacksonville before Pittsburg any day. Besides, the Bengals proved they were better than us early on by creaming us. Say what you want about that game or how Trent got hurt or how it was early and we hadn't gelled yet... they creamed us fair and square, no doubt about it.

Oh, and as for Brody - I like him and I'd be ok with him being our starter. My beef is that Green has become the scapegoat for our offensive woes when the blame rests in anyone's hands but his. If we send him to another team (that can protect him) I'd be ok with that because I want to see him succeed and it is questionable whether or not that will happen in KC (but not because of him).

And as for Sisco - I don't think this trade was bad... I'm just not sold on it. From what stories I've heard about Sisco in the recent past I'm completely ok with getting rid of him. If he's lazy like I've heard I have no reason to want him in KC. I just think Gload was the wrong guy to pick, not because of him... because he plays positions we don't need people in. Obviously Shealy could have a down season or get hurt, but we've got Sweeney (I know, he gets hurt), German (needs a position full-time anyway), Teahen (wouldn't this be an easier switch than to outfield anyway?), not to mention any other position player in our system... this is 1b people, as in: the only requirement to play is to be a functioning human with the mental capacity of at least a dumb monkey. Sure, a great defensive first baseman is a great commodity, but it is by no means necessary, plenty of teams succeed with guys who have no right to touch a baseball with anything other than a bat. And as far as the outfield goes (Gload's other position) we have like 8 guys competing as it is... DeJesus, Brown, Sanders, Gathright, Huber, Costa, Meier, Teahen... ok, so 7 I can think of, but that's for 5 position TOPS. Why not get something we can use, like, I don't know, another pitcher, or a solid Shortstop in case Berroa doesn't find his old form, or a catcher that might hit .280;20hr;80rbi? Just a thought.

brandx

P.S. Does anyone else think Indy was just messing with us all year? I mean, like they knew they were going to make the playoffs so they just pretended that their defense was complete crap so that they could fool everyone and destroy them in the playoffs? 'Cuz I kinda get that feeling.

Baseball Sim!

For the ultimate realism in GMing a baseball team, google OOTP. It's a baseball simulator in which you control everything except gameplay itself. You set your teams up (ticket prices, coaches, lineups, who you draft, minor leagues, etc.) It's like those games on the XBOX except MORE realistic and MORE fun.

Opposing POV

Football
First of all, I agree whole-heartedly with Herm Edwards (HE) assessment of our playoff situation. We DID back-in, but only b/c we won and the other home teams didn't. There is something to be said for that fact for two reasons: a) we beat a formidable Jacksonville team at home (like we should have, which means the Chiefs did their job) with the #2 defense in the league and b) Denver had an 'easy' home game against San Francisco and was beaten. Name teams in the AFC that deserved to go more than the Chiefs.
1) Denver - no, they had a rookie QB and a leaky backup QB. Their defense was floundering (recently fired D-coordinator b/c of this) and Mike Shanahan is an asshole. Enough said, he's an asshole.
2) Tennesse - boo hoo. They started off 0-4 or 0-5, so good for them that they managed .500. They didn't deserve to be in the playoffs. Granted, they beat some good teams, but only b/c the good teams got lackluster in the final quarters and TN managed to win their last 4 or 5 games in the last minutes. Not very convincing.
3) NY Jets - look at their numbers, we deserved a berth more than they did. We were 16/16 in Offense/Defense, the Jets were 25/25 overall. Chad Pennington had horrible numbers and isn't guaranteed a starting position next year (read more on ESPN.com or rotoworld.com).
4) Jacksonville - well, we beat them. They didn't deserve it. By the end, they were starting some BS 3rd string who only managed to do anything against the Chiefs b/c we have an issue with things like that and I'm sure he wasn't really scouted the week before the game.

Name another team and I'll try to dispute it if I've missed one. Here's the deal. Anyone of these teams was going to back in b/c the AFC was an AWESOME division this year. The big dogs (NE, SD, INDIE, BALT) beat up on EVERYONE! After that, you were either the Raiders (hahahahah) or in the cluster-f&^%$.

I do agree with the uber-conservative playcalling of run, run, pass. It is infuriating. But I'm willing to give it another year with more experience under Solari's belt. I'm also optimistic that Herm says "major changes will be made." Like fatty Hernandez, hopefully this will spell the end of Ryan Sims. All coaches who lost say they will make changes, but unlike other teams, we really need to make changes and therefore, I think Herm is serious.

Trent Green- he sold me the past few years. I was real excited to get him, but his first year he should have spelled his name TrINT. Year 2 and beyond of the Trent experiment were great. He's an awesome QB and a seemingly good guy. But I think he needs to take a backseat to Brodie Croyle; OR, trade Trent to a team that needs a good QB. Granted he was not right this year, and he is aging and can't put up the same production, but he can be good for another team. Just not this one for 2 major reasons. We will probably be bad next year and Trent doesn't deserve to get the same crap he's been getting this year. Every bad team has a scapegoat (Art Shell) and Trent doesn't deserve it. Therefore, reason 2, put in Brodie and get him some valued NFL experience and let this team lose. We have no good WR options, a shaky offensive line (Brodie is young, let his young knees scramble awhile), though we will have Tony. So, yes, I'm advocating the Croyle Experiment b/c why not. This team needs a miracle to make the playoffs next year, but we just need a few pieces from this draft and next years and we can contend again. Will Trent be able to sustain his play till then? Probably not; give Croyle the experience.

Baseball
Unlike BrandX, I am happy to be rid of Sisco. why don't people see that a) we needed a backup to Shealy b/c he will probably get hurt with this team (name one player that hasn't seem time on the DL, a critical player) nor can he play 162 games. Gload is a great choice. 1st base isn't a place I want to see Esteban German. Sisco was a slacker and lost any "bite" he once had. He started disintegrating at the end of his rookie year. His ERA bloated from low 2 to a low 3 b/c he was giving up runs the last month. He continued this trend and he will probably play better for the White Sox. But switch the situation, if he was traded by the White Sox to us for the same reasons, he'd probably turn it around here too. It's a matter of getting a wake-up call. It happens for lots of players on lots of teams. He could be good, but like Burgos, this team DOES NOT HAVE THE TIME TO WAIT! We have lost way too many games in the past and this fanbase and organization need an almost immediate turn around, which is why Moore has taken chances and gotten riske (pun intended) players and quality human beings who will work hard; blue collar guys.

The book is still out for me on Meche, but I'm not willing to say he's going to be bad or good. He can be whatever, I'm looking more towards the hopefully reincarnated Greinke. He will be the savior of this team. He's young, he's good and has proven himself. Put defense and wins behind this guy and his head will come along.

Gobble, just was resigned, I think this was great. He was a stud last year and his ERA was bloated by his 6 starts. The guy can't start, he's good for an inning or two. That's fine, that's why they have relief pitchers! He led the team in strikeouts and had a mid-3 ERA until he started 6 games. He's valuable and apparently has benefited from Bob McClure. Remember, previously, this guy couldn't strike anyone out in the MLB.

Da Royals' Moves

It took me a long time, but here's my rundown of the moves (I've left a few out) the Royals have made thus far this offseason:

Gone:
Runelvys Hernandez - Great move! I loved the guy for his competitive nature, but he lost it somewhere along the way. This gives him a shot to find it elsewhere and, more importantly, clears up a rotation spot for another young guy who might actually give some effort day in and day out.

Mark Redman - Another great move. I know he was our pitcher of the year, but c'mon! He was inconsistent and when he went on a bad streak it looked like he couldn't strike out a blind man. I hope he finds success, but he was taking up valuable prospect time in the majors for no reason.

Doug Mientkiewicz - Good move. I HATE to see him go. I love the guy, always have. But at this point, there's just no room for him on the team. With Shealy showing immense promise (offensively and defensively) and a slew of other potential First Basemen, there's just no way to justify keeping him.

Paul Bako - Good move. Honestly, will anyone notice he's gone? Was he even a Royal?

Adam Bernero - Good move. He showed some signs of being a pretty solid pitcher for us, but he always came across as a cocky guy (leaving for a couple of weeks to start in Philly), and I just think that he would rot in the minors when all is said and done, let him take up space elsewhere.

Scott Dohmann - Great move. He was really just a bonus player in a deal to get Ryan Shealy. He didn't work out... oh, well, Shealy was well worth it.

Andrew Sisco - Iffy move. Look, I know Sisco flat out sucked last year, but he's still a young lefty with some nasty stuff. Given that we only had him for two seasons, I'm not sure I agree with this one. I have heard that he was kicked off of the Mexican League team because he was lazy, so that's why it's only an iffy move. If he winds up torching us and others while in Chicago, this was a horrible move... but, then, only time will tell.

New Arrivals:
Dewon Brazelton - Decent move. The guy has not been impressive, but it is another arm to stock our minor leagues with potential Major League talent... the guy's still got a shot and maybe a change of scenery is all he needs.

Octavio Dotel - Amazing move. I'm still stunned we were able to get this guy. He was THE premier setup man in the majors with Houston for a few years and then became a solid closer in Houston and Oakland before he blew out his arm. Now in his second year back from elbow surgery this guy has the potential to be the next coming of Jeff Montgomery or better.

Gil Meche - Great move. The guy is young, he has wicked stuff... what's not to love. Obviously people claim he is an underachiever and is not a number one starter, but I declare shenanigans on both counts. He played for the Mariners, an underachieving club... that rubs off on players. Also wins don't measure a pitcher's success as much as analysts want you to believe... if I remember there are a lot more players involved in the game than just the pitcher. Anyway, a change of scenery will do him good, and Bob McClure will really help him out. And as far as number one starter - maybe he's not quite there, yet... but he could become that very quickly with his arm. Also, if he doesn't pan out... we can trade him to a contending club that needs one more starting pitcher. He's still young and would be an amazing third starter for a playoff contending team. This was a no-lose move.

David Riske - Great move. He has been a stud setup man for several years, he'll be a great guy to hand over a lead to Dotel.

Jason LaRue - Decent move. Maybe this will spark Buck into the player we all think he could be?

Zach Day - Good move. More Major League arms in the minors - in case of injusry we're not hosed.

Joakim Soria - Great move. Nothing but up-side here. Perfect game anyone (vs. AA or AAA type squad)?

John Bale - Great move. A solid lefty in the bullpen. He has shown the ability to start, relieve, and close games in Japan (which translates to the Majors). He'll be a great swing-man/lefty specialist for us.

Brian Bannister - Great move. The guy showed he was a stud pitcher for the Mets. Obviously he's making the dreaded NL to AL transition, but this guy is young and has great stuff. I think he will turn into a cornerstone of our rotation for many years to come.

Ross Gload - Bad move. Don't get me wrong, I like Ross Gload a lot. He is a solid, versatile player, but do we really need him? He plays First Base and Outfield... last time I checked we had too many First Basemen and way too many Outfielders. I also don't buy into the 'lefty bat' at first argument. I mean... Shealy can flat out hit, anyone... what good is a 'lefty bat' gonna do? We've got enough 'lefty bats' elsewhere in the lineup as it is.

So there you have it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. On a final note I would like to thank Dayton Moore for really giving us fans reason to be TRULY optimistic, whether or not the season goes well you made smart moves with tons of upside; keep up the great work!

brandx

Layoff!!!!

I am sick and tired of hearing everyone bash Trent Green. People need to quit blaming him for the offensive woes and start blaming those responsible. If you are confused as to who is responsible I urge you to read my previous post. There are others, however, who beg mentioning... I'll get to them in due time.

First off, the obvious: Green was hurt (major) for a good chunk of the season. He is obviously going to come back a little bit shaky/rusty, whatever you want to call it. And, at least for awhile, he's going to be a little sheepish... you know, waiting for that big hit. Put it this way - in little league baseball when you got beaned weren't you a little tentative the next few times in the batter's box? Now make that ball a 250lb. linebacker - you get the idea.

This is not the main reason, in fact it's a minor one. Here are the bigger reasons:

No protection - Huard saw great protection as the interim QB for KC. The reason: three-step drops. Our offensive line was in shambles this season - mainly at the tackles, but that meant that our QBs needed better protection. Rather than using our best reciever as a blocker (Tony G.) we needed quick drop backs. Huard got this; Green did not. With the return of Green came the return of the full playbook. This sounds great except for the fact that Green was suddenly forced to drop back 5 or even 7 steps before throwing. When your Tackles are struggling this is like putting a target on your quarterback and inviting huge Linemen to crush him.

Wide Recievers - Calling our guys wide recievers is really being too optimistic or generous. The one thing a reciever gets paid to do is catch (if you're lucky they'll block too). Even if the NFL passed a rule saying Chiefs recievers could no longer be covered by a defensive player, allowed their hands to be covered in glue, coated the ball with adhesive, and let the QB hand them the ball as opposed to throw it to them, our recievers would still not catch the ball with any regularity. I mean, really, I've seen dogs that catch better than this WR corps. It's sad really. But, when your WR drops passes that sets up defense friendly situations which create more interceptions and force the QB to force some passes.

Coaching/Game-calling/Game-planning - I'm gonna make this quick and easy. Run, run, pass. That's our offense... you try to throw the ball when even the blind, deaf, mute who's never even been exposed to football knows you're throwing... C'MON!!!!!!!!!!

So the next piece of work that claims Trent Green is the problem should seriously consider never watching football again, or at least keeping their mouth shut because they are only proving to everyone around them that they know absolutely dick about football and that they suck at life. To steal a quote - 'It is best to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.'

brandx (proud campaigner for: Green for Starting QB Until He Decides to Retire)

Time for an apology...

So yesterday's game between the Colts and the Chiefs proved that herm edwards was wrong. We did NOT belong in the playoffs, we DID back in to the playoffs, and we need to APOLOGIZE to everyone even moderately interested in football for getting in. We had no right being there and we made a mockery of every playoff team (even some non-playoff teams). When you come in to a game with one of the premier running attacks in the nation and you face one of the worst run defenses in HISTORY and you only manage to run for about 40 yards... something ain't right here, something is very wrong. I could go into all the statistics of just how poorly the Chiefs performed (aside from the defense, who surprisingly made an admirable stand) but we've all seen the numbers. The main point is that herm edwards needs to apologize to Kansas City and his team for a terrible game plan, and for a terrible season. I put almost all of the blame on his shoulders this year. He took one of the most prolific offenses and turned it into a predictable marty-Ball (let's not forget how predictable marty was in KC). I'm ok with a conservative offense, but you can't win in the NFL taking it as far as herm has done. The defense did improve this year, but not enough to claim herm had a hand in it. Basically we had a few good additions (Page, Pollard, Hali) and the rest of the unit (excluding law and surtain) just had another year of experience and grew as a unit. So, as far as I'm concerned this season is on herm, no one else. That being said, I am demanding that herm edwards personally write a letter of apology for destroying the Chiefs to every citizen in the greater Kansas City area. Beyond that I will never forgive him or give him a chance as the Head Coach for my beloved Chiefs.

brandx