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No Love for World Series?

With nearly a week between games for both the Royals and Giants, there was plenty of time to dissect every part of the match-up. Sports writers are who they are because of sports – sporting events, not breaks in games.  Some baseball writers got bored with the impasse in games and voiced their opinion on the 2014 World Series.  The general consensus of the baseball world was excitement and buzz for another Fall Classic, whiles other took an alternative approach.

Multiple credible authors wrote this series off already, deeming it the “Worst World Series of All-Time”  because the series lacked the “must watch” factor. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a team punching their 3rd World Series ticket in 5 year a big deal?  The Giants are a borderline dynasty, and if they take the crown this year.  Who has been better the past decade or so?  They have owned the 2010’s.  They have household names like Buster, Panda and MadBum.  Okay, those are more like street nicknames but you knew who I was referring to.

On the other side of the diamond, you have the Royals. An organization who ended a 29-year playoff drought with a blazing 8-game winning streak.  An electric city who has embraced their “lovable losers” and has become a tough, tough place to win. A team full of youth, talent and most importantly heart.  Make no mistake these 2014 AL Champion Royals are must-watch TV. Their unique brand of baseball has caught not only the midwest but the nation by storm.  They have been called a team of destiny, a team that caught fire at the right time, a lucky team.  Maybe it’s a bit of all three.  The best part of baseball is unpredictability, and the Royals give you that in bunches.  Bunting in odd spots, stealing third, catching would-be gap shots time and time again.  These guys can play.

Maybe it’s a preference thing.  Some people like watching the same powerhouse teams battling with their $200 Millions dollar rosters, some people like stars – Trout, Kershaw, Jeter and then some people just appreciate the parity of the playoffs and enjoy the game.  No one person is wrong. At the end of the day, the remote is in your hand and the decision to watch is yours.  But be warned, you might just miss something you have never seen before.

Calling a World Series irrelevant before it happens is erroneous and holds zero merit.  This Fall Classic, now nodded up at 1, will be another classic.


And They’ll Never Be Royal(s)

Sports have a funny way of messing with our sense of time.  When a team is struggling, seasons seem to take years to finish, and when your team is rolling, weeks fly by.  Now take that struggling scenario I mentioned and multiply it by 29.  Almost three decades of forgettable campaigns. Fans always get promised that next year it would be better.  We know the old sports adage, “Just wait until next year, we are so close”.  These past three seasons, the one team that could legitimately believe in that statement would be the Royals.

Kansas City has been on the cusp of the postseason the past few years.  Their essentially homegrown core had started to show signs of what everyone thought they could be.  No longer were these Royals the doormat of the AL Central.  They were competing with the best of them, and learning about who they were.  Their ownership never wavered on decision making.  Like any great organization – there was a goal, a path and an action plan to turn that goal into reality.  Last night in front of 40,000 screaming, delirious fans who have stuck with them through it all, it all came to fruition for the Royals.

Royals fan or not, if you have watched them this month, you have to be in awe.  9 straight postseason victories.  Not one loss. They have defeated the two winningest clubs in the AL via the sweep. They have ignited a flame in a city that has had sub-par sports for decades.  This team is as real as it gets.  A humble group of not yet stars who have put their unique skills together at the right time.  The Royals play baseball unlike any team in recent memory.  Stellar defense, quality starting pitching, timely hitting, sneaky power, lightning speed and the BEST bullpen we have seen in years.  This team is no fluke.  This is a team of destiny, built correctly, been through hell and back and finally having their day.

It’s a great story, a true underdog story that will not rest until they are on top of the podium again holding the World Series Trophy. The Royals have arrived, America.  Sit back and enjoy.