Thank You Royals for an Incredible Season

The magic carpet ride on which the Royals carried our community for the last 30 days came to a quiet end last night as the Giants won the seventh and deciding game of the 2014 World Series by a 3-2 count. Between Omar Infante’s lead-off single in the fifth inning and Alex Gordon’s two-out mad dash to third in the ninth, Series MVP Madison Bumgarner retired 14 straight batters. He then induced a pop up from Salvador Perez with the tying run 90 feet away, and the Giants had their third championship in the last five years.

 The Royals threw some pretty good pitching at the Giants as well. The triumvirate of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland accumulated 5 2/3 innings of shutout relief, combining to strike out nine and yield only four hits. But one of those, a fourth-inning single fisted to right field by the muscular Michael Morse, was enough to score the winning run after Herrera had relieved starter Jeremy Guthrie. We can debate whether manager Ned Yost should have gone to Herrera one or two batters earlier, but the story of the game—and the Series—was Bumgarner’s ability to shut down the KC offense in historic fashion.

 While I was at the game I saw tweets and texts that the Fox broadcast crew were overly effusive in their praise of Bumgarner, so I won’t spend many words recounting his accomplishments. I will say his body of work this week was one for the ages. I just wish it hadn’t been against my team.

 But memories we will have of that team, which energized not only its local fan base but much of the nation. For the first time in three decades Kansas City could partake of the October spotlight, and fans everywhere embraced it. I have high hopes that the Royals will be part of future post-seasons, but we know from experience how difficult it is to reach this stage and that we should appreciate the moment. (Prior to 2010 the Giants franchise had gone 56 years without a world championship!) Thus it was appropriate when a significant number of fans remained in Kauffman Stadium, chanting “Let’s Go Royals,” which later morphed into “Thank You, Royals.”

My 2014 baseball journey began in January, when I participated in the Royals Alumni Fantasy Camp in Surprise, Arizona. For five days campers played baseball in a major league complex and interacted with former Royals. It was at the top of my bucket list and was great fun. Unfortunately on the first day I suffered a severe pull of my groin muscle while fielding a grounder hit by an 80-year-old retiree. (I did throw him out, in case you were wondering.) Thanks to the training staff I was able to continue to play on a restricted basis and enjoy the rest of the week, but the injury put a slight damper on my fantasy experience.

So it was at the end of the journey. I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying the Royals on this improbable October drive, which was nothing short of a fantasy. But the final night left me wanting for more.

Let’s now put a wrap on this 2014 World Series. It’s time to go back to our normal routines, catch up on our sleep and complete those neglected household chores. I am ready to settle in for a long winter’s nap, after I go see my barber to discuss getting “The Hos.” Upon further review, maybe not.

Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with you during the last 10 days, about a team that gave us all a chance to dream, and even believe.

Go Royals!!