That Just Happened

Wow... I know I say I don't write until a day after the game, but this qualifies as an exception.

The Atlanta Braves tied the record for biggest collapse in September, minutes later the Red Sox one upped them.  I just can't believe it.

The Rays were down 7-0 in the 8th inning and down 1 with one strike left and won... The Red Sox were up one run, with nobody on, two out in the ninth and lost, this is crazy.  I honestly feel like I'm going to wake up and find out this didn't happen.  The Braves also had the lead in the 9th and blew their season.  No night in baseball will ever... ever top this (unless the Royals win the World Series).  My top two teams besides the Royals are the Braves and Sox but I don't care, witnessing this is completely worth it.

I called the Red Sox loss via a text, in the 7th inning, "It just seems the Sox are gonna blow it."  I also called the Rays comeback before the 8th pshhh.  I almost feel like this was planned, that's how crazy it is.  The Red Sox will probably blame the Yankees.  Thank god they won their World Series a few years back, or this would just add to the curse.  Amazing night, hope everyone got to see it.

On a Lighter Note

The Royals finished 71-91 by losing their last two games of the year to the Twins. 

I saw Moneyball and Catching Hell recently, both great films, learned a lot.

My fantasy baseball team tried to mimic the collapses, thankfully they did not succeed.  My team went 2 for 51 the last day, barely hanging on to first place.

At the start of the season, baseball was just something I would see on Sportscenter.  But with the combination of the Royals early success, and my choice to do fantasy baseball it changed.  Before this year I couldn't watch it on TV, it was too boring.  Now I watch baseball all the time, truly becoming a Royals fan, not just using them as the punch line of jokes.  I will miss watching the Royals for another 7 months, but look forward to this seasons playoffs and the potential the Royals have to make a run in future years.

The Chiefs Tried But...

I feel that the attitude of the coach is the personality of the team.  And Todd Haley's was awful yesterday, it almost seemed like he was worried about getting blown out again instead of winning.  The offense played scared the first half, not getting a first down until the third quarter.  When he realized he could win the game but it was too late.

Running the ball is overrated.  Establishing a good running game is not, Haley needs to learn the difference. When you run the ball well, it draws more players into the box to stop it.  When you average 3.0 yards a carry on 27 carries as the Chiefs did, it doesn't accomplish much.  Haley should give Cassel more options down field.  Bowe and Breaston can go vertical.  Have the backs and tight ends block more, they hardly gain any yards when they catch it anyway.

I'm not going to demand Todd Haley gets fired and Matt Cassel get replaced.  They have people way more knowledgable than me making decisions and I will trust they make the right one.  We as fans only see what happens on game day there is so much more to it.

I like to give it a day or so before I write about a game.  I want to hear other people's views and opinions instead of writing out of emotion and saying something stupid that I regret.  I hope you are enjoying what I'm writing I'm always open to suggestions about what I can do better.

Royals Report

They have been 3-3 since I last wrote.  Hosmer has been hot, he had a 5-5 night, and could win the A.L. rookie of the year.  Moustakas and Perez continue to hit.  Teaford had a rough start going 5 innings allowing 5 runs.  30 year-old Luis Mendoza has had made two great starts this year, going 14.2 innings allowing 2 earned runs.  Hochevar, Francis, and Duffy have been shut down, giving Triple-A call ups Vin Mazzaro and Sean O'Sullivan a start at the major league level.

The Royals' future is still bright with the potential to have one of the best lineups in the league.  They need at least two good starting pitchers, they have zero, with not much potential.  Vin Mazzaro, Sean O'Sulivan, and Danny Duffy could be ok starters, but nobody is looking like a number one or two starter.  For the offseason I feel they need to trade Melky Cabrera or Lorenzo Cain for pitching.  Easier said than done, but Cain is ready and can't spend another year at Triple-A.  As for free agent pitchers this year there isn't much, and to get anybody good they will have to overpay.  I think they still need to wait a year to spend big money in free agency.

This year has been a success, at the beginning of the year the royals were expected to lose 100 games, they will finish with about 90.  Here is a position by position breakdown of what went better or worse than expected.

Catcher:  Better, Matt Treanor and Bryan Pena were ok, but Salvador Perez has been great and he is only 21 (exactly one year older than me).  He is not expected to hit this well in the future but who knows.
First Base:  Better, Kila Ka'aihue was awful in April, but when Hosmer was called up he produced immediately.  Hosmer was a big time prospect but you never know what you're gonna get till he's here, we got something special for the future.
Second Base:  Worse, Chris Getz proved that he is not an everday player and Johnny Giovatella has been bad at the plate and in the field, it has been the biggest hole in the lineup the last month.
Shortstop:  Same, Alcides Escobar has been a plus glove and a below average bat.  He is still young and could develop into a more sound batter.
Third Base:  Worse, at least for this year, Betemit and Aviles weren't very good early and Moustakas hasn't been a factor until late.  Hopefully he picks up where he left off next year.
Left Field:  Better,  Alex Gordon was the biggest surprise this year.  He has been great in the field making teams respect his arm.  He's had an all star caliber season and if it was determined at the end of the season like the NFL he'd be in for sure.  Give credit to the Royals though, they could of given up on him and nobody would have argued, they did the same with Greinke a few year back.
Center Field:  Better, Melky Cabrera was a cheap signee this offseason who has produced at the plate this year, he just doesn't cover enough ground for a center fielder.
Right Field:  Better, the best addition this year was Jeff Francouer.  He's been great for the clubhouse and has revived his career here in KC.  The Royals have him signed for the next two years as well.
Starting Pitching:  Same, this was supposed to be one of the worst rotations in baseball, and it has been.  Hochevar looked good after the all star break but returned to normal.  Chen has been pretty good, Duffy not so much, and the Kyle Davies experiment finally ended.  Midseason acquisition Felipe Paulino has done pretty well with an ERA of 4.10.
Bullpen:  Better, especially early in the year, where they carried the team in April.  Aaron Crow was good pre all-star break, Greg Holland has been good all year.  Soria not so much though, he blew quite a few games early and never really recovered, hopefully he'll bounce back next year.  The bullpen is pretty young so hopefully they come back even stronger next year.

Most "Valuable" Player

Why can't pitchers win the MVP award?  I hear the same answer every time, how can somebody who plays once every five days win the award.  I thought of a way to compare their impact though. I took Justin Verlander, who has averaged 7 1/3 innings a game allowing 7 base runners a game, do the math, he faces 29 batters per start.  Then I looked at Jacoby Ellsbury, leadoff hitter for the Red Sox, the best position player in my opinion.  He averages 4.5 at bats per game, multiply that by 5, the same ratio as pitchers, round and you get 23 at bats.  I realize that I calculated only at bats, and they also play in field.  But when you consider who normally wins the MVP, the players defense is rarely a big portion of the debate.

I feel position players should win the award most of the time, but Verlander has the been the most dominate and valuable player this year.  He has 24 wins, which is crazy, hardly anybody wins 20 games anymore.  His ERA is 2.40 and has a WHIP of .92 which is really impressive as well.  Coach Toot also brought a good point to me.  If the there was a fantasy draft and all of the players were available, Verlander would be the consensus number one pick.

Now for the National League MVP Award, different situation, same use of the word "valuable."  The top two candidates are outfielders Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp.  Braun has led Milwaukee to its first division title since 1982.  He leads the league in batting, fourth in RBI's, and is second in runs.  Kemp has led his Los Angeles Dodgers to a third place finish in a less than stellar NL West division.  He has an outside chance at the triple crown, leading in home runs and RBI's, but his stats aren't so dominant that he deserves the MVP.  Until they change the award to Most Outstanding Player they have to give the award to a player who's team was at least in the playoff chase.

Random Things That Didn't Need a Paragraph

The Dodgers have the best pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who is likely to win the Cy Young and they have Matt Kemp the best position player, yet they are 12.5 games back in their division.

The Only Reason Notre Dame is still relevant is because ESPN feels Lou Holtz has to talk about them.  No other analyst talks about their former team as much as he does.

For the Chiefs... I am not going to write about them until they appear to care again.

I'm trying out for linebacker, well maybe d-end

I wanted to wait to do a KU football post until I got to watch them play, good thing I waited.  They gave up an FBS record 604 rushing yards in a 66-24 loss to Georgia Tech, I couldn't do that on a video game.  I feel bad for the offense, knowing they have to score every time they get the ball.  I realize they were going up against a confusing triple option offense but still.  They were slow, out of position and couldn't tackle, great recipe for success.  They better regroup because they play Texas Tech next week, their quarterback, Seth Doege was 40-44 today, with 401 yards and 5 touchdowns.

I feel KU is heading in the right direction though.  Turner Gill had a good recruiting class in his first year, and I think quarterback Jordan Webb can be really good, he's only a sophomore.  They have shown a good running game this year and... ugh it's hard to come up with positives after a terrible loss.  The success in the future for KU will depend a lot on where they end up after conference realignment.  Right now playing eight conference games and Texas is tough, I consider Texas an Independent.  If KU ends up in the Big East they could compete, but that league may be dissolving as well.  There are so many unknowns at this point.

ROYALS!!!

The Royals are on a roll, 7 strait wins.  People say the hardest time to evaluate teams is in September, I don't care, any positive news about the Royals is great for me.  Everett Teaford pitch great tonight in his second career start, allowing one run in 6 innings.  Teaford is a 27 year old rookie who was called up in May to add lefty depth in the bullpen, he could be part of the rotation next year.  Moustakas has hit 3 home runs in his last four games and has moved his average up to .252.  Salvador Perez has continued hit with his average sitting at .322 way better then expected.  Hosmer has a shot at AL Rookie of the Year, he is batting .289 with 17 home runs and 71 RBI's.  Johnny Giavotella is struggling though, batting .219 with sub-par defense.  Unless he gets hot I don't see him on the opening day roster next year.  

Chiefs

I don't know what I'm going to do without Eric Berry.  There has never been a player who I have loved more than him.  When we drafted him my dad and I disagreed, he wanted offensive tackle Russell Okung.  Every time Berry was remotely involved in a play last year I would say just two simple words "Eric Berry" and then remind my dad that Okung isn't doing squat.

Well... Eric Berry is done for the year, and I have already given up hope on the season.  Watching anything with my dad is bad enough, but having to sit there all season hearing him complain that we need a left tackle is gonna kill me.  I just hope Okung doesn't make the Pro Bowl, because if he does, I will probably be finding another residence.  O guess who's jersey I bought two days before the game?  Gonna have to hide that one in the closet.

The Chiefs do have something to build on though.  I feel Charles is the best back in the league, the difference between him and Jones last year was crazy, even if Jones is done.  Bowe is a top 5-10 receiver when his head has been properly attached.  Our offensive line isn't as bad as people think, Charles averaged 6.4 yards per carry last year, they deserve some credit.  Matt Cassel has proved he can be a good quarterback and the hate towards him goes too far, nobody can complete passes on their back.

The defensive line definitely needs helps.  D-end Tyson Jackson, who won LMP (Least Mentioned Player) last year, needs to step up big time.  I wish I had a copy of the scouting report on him last year, "as long as you get in his way you'll be fine."  Dorsey is an okay end, but Kelly Gregg is not a part of the future.  Fifth-round pick defensive tackle Jerrell Powe showed potential in training camp but red flags raised for me when I typed in "Jerrell Powe" on Google and saw that the first suggestion was "Jerrell Powe can't read."  Hali is one of the best pass rushers in the league hand down.  Derrick Johnson is a good middle linebacker, and the-round pick Justin Houston could be the best player in the draft if he sets down the bong.  Without Berry, this secondary goes from good to below average this year.  Flowers is a good corner, Carr is not, and needs to be replaced.  Safety Kendrick Lewis will get his chance to prove himself this year, and I'll pray Berry returns to himself next year.
 
One last thing, in honor of 9-11 couldn't of the Chiefs fans showed some respect by not ruining the National Anthem.

Royals

I've never seen the Royals play a meaningful game after July yet they are still "my team."  I constantly wonder how much more I would obsess if they were good.  I just imagine going to the K with 30,000 people there, and having an actual atmosphere at the ballpark.  Just imagine watching them play on ESPN.  Just imagine what it was like in 1985, wishing I could experience at least one playoff series in my life.

At least this team has hope.  They had the number one rated farm system last offseason.  They now appear to have a good outfield  as well, with Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera, and Jeff Francouer.  Eric Hosmer is locked up for 4 more years.  Alcides Escobar is a great defender with the ability to hit at least 250.  Mike Moustakas is starting to hit, though not the number of home runs we have expected, and Salvador Perez has been a great call-up at catcher hitting 318 with a great arm. They have a good offense but they still can't pitch.

They are 12th out of 14 in the American League in ERA, and that is with a good bullpen.  Our top two pitching prospects coming into the year do not look good.  Mike Montgomery has been awful at Triple-A this year, he was expected to be one of the June call-ups.  Danny Duffy has been bad too, he has an ERA over five with the Royals and a WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) of 1.61, 1.20 is considered good.  Aaron Crow was stellar pre all star break but has slipped since.  His ERA is over five with opponents his batting over 300 against him, who knows if he can be counted on to be a starter in the future.  The Royals don't have anything close to an ace now that Kyle Davies has been released.  Luke Hochevar shows signs but is not consistent enough.  They really need to find somebody in free agency but there is very little this year.

Dayton Moore is one of the best general managers in the league.  He has built the best farm system in baseball.  Signed good players cheap, like Bruce Chen, Melky Cabrera, and Jeff Francouer.  He gets criticism for signing too many players from his former team, the Braves, but if it's working I can't fault him.  With the budget David Glass gives him he has done a phenomenal job.  He has spent more money than any team in the draft.  He targets good high school players in later rounds who are planning to go to college and gives them big signing bonuses they can't refuse.

The Royals are on the right track and if David Glass gives Dayton Moore the budget he needs, Moore will make the most of it.

Introduction: John Grosdidier

Ever since high school journalism, I haven't had a place to voice my opinion in the sports world.  I stumbled onto this site through a friend, and thought this would be a great place to do so.

First tell me what you honestly think, if this is not something you enjoy reading there is no reason for me to write.  I have about 10-20 people who I think would like to read this.  I will talk mainly about Chiefs, Royals and KU.  I will post three things to start and get your feedback, if you enjoy I will continue to post.  My grammar is not great, but I will do my best to at least make sense.