Time to Say So Long

My last day in America. I am heading to the airport in a few minutes and then onto an airplane and the 15 hour flight back to Australia.

It has been one heck of a trip. Eleven games in 15 days capped by a Royals win today in Anaheim stadium.

In the past two weeks, I have seen baseball at its best (a young kid hitting for the cycle or Bruce Pena completely confusing the Angels) and at its worst (the end of the line for several minor league hopefuls as they received their notices).

I watched the Royals present stars (Hosmer, Gordon, Moustakas, Butler, et al) and the hopes for the future (Starling, Billo, Odorizzi and all the others).

I rubbed shoulders with well known names like Steve Stewart and Joel Goldberg and found many new friends sitting beside me in the stands at each game I attended.

Everywhere I went and everyone I met have been friendly and wonderful; always willing to chat, always wanting to know about Australia and always wondering how I became a Royals fan. For those that don’t know, I grew up with the Royals, living just 70 miles from Kaufman Stadium in the corn belt of western Missouri.  I was nicknamed Piniella Pip in school because I always had the dirtiest uniform like Lou in his playing days. I grew up with names like Brett, Otis, Patek, Busby and Leonard. And caught my first MLB ball in the left field bleachers at the K.

I have loved baseball all my life and only retired after I had seen my 50th birthday a few years ago.  But my professional team has always been the Royals no matter where I lived or what time of year.

And now, after some 40 years, I had the opportunity to spend a week watching spring training and a weekend taking in the first 3 games of the new and possibly most exciting season in the last 28 years for KC fans.

I want to thank everyone for their kind and positive comments to my blogs the last two weeks. And especially to 5569 (Jerry) who has accompanied me to the 3 games this weekend where we could talk Royals, baseball and life.

It has been a great trip but now is time to go home. I miss my wife and think my work is missing me. But I will still be keeping an eye on the Royals through MLB TV and the internet. If any of you ever decide to visit Australia, don’t hesitate to give me a call. It is a great place to visit and to live.

But for now, it is time to go. Take care and God Bless you all.

Oh and finally…

Go Royals. Only 159 more wins to go.

 

Accentuate the Positive

As I have said often enough already, it is a long season and one game does not a season make. But today, I saw far more positives than negatives giving Royals fans high hopes for the remaining 160 games of this season.

1) Luke Hochevar – no bad inning, no melt down. Just a solid 6 1/3 innings against a very good hitting team. Yes, his bottom line says 2 earned runs but 1 of those really should have been unearned following the throwing error by Quintero and the high throw from Hosmer. And the other came off a hit by Tim Collins. Royals fans will be ecstatic if Luke throws this way all year.

2) Tim Collins – okay he gave up the hit and runs that were charged to Luke. But the upside was Tim threw all strikes. That is right, not one ball. And he had hitters dancing. He keeps that up and Royals fans will have two reasons to be ecstatic this year.

3) Chris Getz – In case you did not catch it, Chris hit a ground ball down the 3rd base line for a double. There are so many reasons this was a good sign. 1st, he hit it on the ground, not a fly ball to CF. 2nd, he hit it to the third base side meaning he had a chance to outrun the throw if Callaspo had caught up to it. 3rd, he used his speed to manufacture a run. This is where Getz can be a big benefit to the Royals. I don’t want him hitting home runs. Just get on base and let the big guns do the work.

4) Humberto Quintero – No, I don’t expect him to go 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk every game. But it is a nice upgrade on his solid defense and ability to gun down runners. Funny thing was when he batted, his note on the jumbotron said he picked off the most runners the last two years. Angels were not paying attention to the big screen on several occasions today.

5) Alex Gordon – Okay, he has not started hitting yet, but that will come. No worries, mate as they say in Aussie land. The big news today is he gunned down Albert Pujols at the plate. Funny thing was Alex’s big screen note was his gold glove and 21 Assists in 2011. The Angels paid attention to that golden arm on 2 previous occasions until Pujols ran through the stop sign and tried to test Alex. Will they ever learn?

6) Jeff Francour – good day for his 1,000th game. Got the scoring started and the seasons first RBIs with a solid hit in the 1st inning. Nearly threw out Kendrys Morales at 1st on a line drive to right that had everyone in the crowd buzzing. And made a couple of other very good plays to hold runners in place.

7) Greg Holland – Came back after his rough night last night. Amazing what a proper warm up can do. Yost did the smart thing and sent him straight back in there so he held his confidence. Greg will be find now.

8) Mike Moustakas – Still having trouble handling pitches down and in but showed what he can do when a pitcher leaves one out over the plate. He parked it in the right field stands very nicely. Moose is a work in progress but that progress will keep getting better and he will be a Moose on the loose in the future.

9) KC Royals – Had a great day on the national stage and showed despite being the youngest and one of the lowest paid teams in baseball, they can compete with the big boys.

Off beat subject of the day. Pujols got his first hit as an Angel today. And then got thrown out at the plate by Gordon. At the end of the inning, Hosmer threw the ball to a young boy in the crowd in front of us with a Hosmer game jersey on. You should have seen the ruckus that followed. Several Angels fans were more or less demanding the boy give the ball up to one of the Angels staffers who came down asking for it. But the boy got the ball from his hero, Hosmer, and refused to give it up. He had no idea what importance it had to anyone else that could be more important than his desire. Then the fans started getting testy with the boy’s parents as well when they tried to tell them to leave the boy alone .

This was followed by an MLB person coming down and trying to talk the boy out of the baseball. Finally, he and the Angels corporate person ushered the family to the back of the stands to discuss the issue as they were starting to cause all kinds of arguments in the stands. The family finally came back a half inning later.

I went down and asked them what had happened after the game was over. The Angels originally offered to trade the ball for a signed Pujols ball. But the family said no way, the ball meant more to the boy because of Hosmer throwing it to him. The Angels and MLB finally had to give up a Hosmer signed baseball, a Pujols signed baseball, a personal greet tomorrow with Pujols to give him the ball and game tickets the next time the Royals play in Anaheim. As far as I am concerned, good on them for sticking it out. The fans around them were not playing nice and it was obvious the boy did not understand what all the fuss was about.

That was our fun for the day. Oh, and 5569 and I did not feel so alone today. Must have had about 50 Royals fans sitting around us behind the Royals dugout. Tomorrow front row seats behind home plate. Can’t wait for that. Last day in the US as well before I get on a plane and the long ride home.

In the mean time, to all a Blessed Easter. Say your prayers, thank the Lord for all the blessings we receive that we really don’t take the time to be thankful for.

And don’t forget to be back for more Royals baseball at 2:35 CT tomorrow.

 

In a Sea of Red and White

Opening Day in Anaheim.

Got my tickets, got my game jerseys that say DownUnder on the back. Met up with 5569 and put together our game plan. Now just had to let the hours tick by until game time.

Actually, walked over about 4:30 pm even though the stadium didn’t open until 5. Had to put up with the cat calls from just about every car that I passed along the road. Guess my blue Royals jersey stood out just a little. Even the guy in the UPS truck was laughing so hard he almost drove off the road.

Arrived at the stadium where the atmosphere was filled with anticipation. Radio 830 am blasting pregame activities over loud speakers and arguing over who was the best ever Angel’s player. Angels had a spinning wheel for fans to spin and try to win prizes. Chevy dealers giving away tee shirts and other prizes if you came over and looked at their new cars. Hawkers selling everything from programs to Pujols flags. And video and still cameras flashing everywhere to capture the excitement.

Got in one of the lines to the gate and soon found I was the only blue shirt in a sea of red and white. But have to say that the fans here are the good kind. Everyone was friendly and told me I was lucky to be at Angels stadium and not Dodgers stadium.

Finally, at 5 pm the gates opened, but couldn’t get through until first passed through the bag line. Our security person must have worked at the airport for his day job because he was checking everything, even makeup cases. Got to watch those women, might be carrying a derringer in there.

Through the gate and straight down to the right field line to watch the Royals warm up and have a talk with some of the professional autograph seekers. Can tell they are professionals because they lug books almost too heavy to carry with every baseball card in the land. Or have a bag full of balls (one for each club). Have to hand it to Danny Duffy, he was the first player I saw come over and scrawl his John Hancock on several cards and balls. Interesting tidbit for those who don’t know, Duffy writes right handed but throws lefty. Asked him about it and he said he was just weird that way. Not weird, just different.

Checked out my seats for Saturday and Sunday and then headed upstairs to find my Friday night seats. Have you ever felt noticeably out of place. Well my blue jersey drew second looks from just about everyone from fans, to security, to the purveyors of tray goods. Just keep telling them there had to be one person for them all to pick on.

Actually, 5569 and I checked over much of the stadium after it filled. We found about a half dozen of us, noticeable because they did not have on red or white. Not bad in a crowd of 44,100. The most blue we did see was on the US flag. Think the Angels are already trying to one up the Rangers as had a Texas sized flag for the National Anthem.

Found a nice group of people up where I was sitting and we had a good talk on the young Royals and “new” Angels while waiting for 5569 and his buddy to show. Almost had to yell to be heard though as Angels stadium has a very good (and very loud) speaker system. Almost wish I had brought ear plugs.

Let me say here that after a week of spring training games in small 7.500 seat stadiums, I was pretty much overwhelmed by Angels Stadium. Think could have filled all the fans from all the Cactus League stadiums into this one arena. Okay not quite but sure seemed like it. And I was sitting about as far away from home plate as my hotel to home plate at Surprise Stadium. But they were still good seats on front row of upper deck.

One down side is that did not get to listen to the game on radio as I planned. I had reception and could get into At Bat but there must have been so many people trying to use wireless internet that it just kept saying “authorising” or “buffering” so never did get to hear Steve or Denny. Sorry guys.

The game itself was everything it was projected to be up to the moment Crow got up and started warming up in the top of the 7th. Still not sure why Chen did not pitch one more inning as he was actually improving as the game went along. But that is the manager’s decision, not mine.

Second question is why there was no one up in the pen when Crow started the 8th. Holland got ready in about 3 minutes flat when Crow ran into trouble and I am positive Holland was not ready mentally or physically when he had to come in. Why Eiland was not out stalling and talking to Crow is a question only NY and DE can answer.

So in the end the Royals lost but it is only game one and hopefully there will be some positive lessons learned from that loss. A few for example:

1) When the top of the order does not hit, the Royals will not score. Yes, Weaver is that good, but you also have to question why Moose, Pena, Escobar and Yuni only struck out once combined while the top 4 struck out 10 times. Swinging for the fences maybe?

2) Frenchy needs to keep his head in the game. Getting picked off second was not one of his better career moves. Doubt it would have made a difference in the game and sure Frenchy will be the first to admit he goofed. Bet it does not happen again.

3) Moose and Escy need to have a discussion about when Moose goes for the ball and when he doesn’t. Maybe a simple word, “Mine” would suffice.

4) They Royals have a deep bullpen and need to use it. One inning a piece is plenty this early in the season, especially when your starter goes 6 strong innings. And 3 minutes to warm up is not enough time no matter how good the reliever is.

5) Rodriguez needs to talk to Yuni about covering the bag on balls hit to left and center instead of standing in no man’s land on the outfield grass. Can’t gun a guy down at second if the base is left unattended.

But like I said, one game of 162. Hopefully, the Royals will learn and make adjustments for game 2.

Finally, got to see the battle of the dueling fireworks after the game. So happened the post game fireworks at the stadium went off almost exactly in time with the fireworks show at Disneyland some 3 miles away. Was actually fun to watch the double show with the added impact of reflections and echos off all the buildings in between. Thought I was in the middle of a war zone there for a minute.

The fireworks show also helped us sneak out of the stadium ahead of the masses so we were home a lot earlier than expected. The  fireworks show was better outside the stadium anyway where could see the dueling battle between the Angels and Disney.

So that was the night of Game 1. Today the Royals return for Game 2 and as is always the case, hope springs eternal. Hochevar needs a good game and I think we will get it from him. Now just need the top of the lineup to hit singles and doubles and leave the home run swing in the bag for a day. 5569 and I will be behind the Royals dugout today about 6 rows up. Won’t be hard to spot us on the Fox telecast. We will be the only ones NOT wearing Red and White.

Let the Games Begin

Sitting here in the airport waiting for my flight to Los Angeles and preparation for opening night of the 2012 Royals baseball season. So thought would take this time to jot down my top ten reflections of attending a week of spring training in Surprise. Take it away Dave…

10) Every Royals fan should attend spring training for a few days if they truly want to get the professional baseball experience. It is so easy to walk up to the gate and get seats in the second or third row behind the dugout where you can see the game close up and actually interact with the players, something very difficult to do in 40k seat stadiums.

9) Where have all the left handed hitters gone? I saw three below AAA level in all my week there. Plenty of left handed pitchers but the left handed hitters have gone on the endangered list. Don’t know if this is an aberration of the Royals or a trend of all teams. But if all teams are this bereft of left handers then baseball is in for a big change over the next 5 – 10 years.

8) It may cost you more but staying at the Holiday Inn Express or Residence Inn at Surprise Stadium has many advantages. Like being able to walk to the practice fields and games, not having to fight traffic on the way back to the hotel after the game and getting to rub elbows with many young players and their families morning, noon and night. And if you are luckly, you might get caught up in a baseball or other game of your own in the large park adjacent to the stadium.

7) The best parks I have visited during spring training are the Royals park at Surprise, Talking Stick (home to Arizona and Colorado), and Scottsdale (San Francisco). They have plenty of good seating and the ability to find shade during the hot day games. Scottsdale has limited parking so arrive early but the atmosphere is electric there. The worst parks were Tempe Diablo (Angels – due to lack of parking, lack of legroom and lack of shade or air) and Peoria (San Diego and Seattle – again lack of shade). Marvale (Milwaukee) is not in the best part of town but the park is really nice inside and enjoyed the game there.

6) Don’t be afraid to email royalsradiobooth@yahoo.com and send in your thoughts on the games or the commentary to Steve, Denny and Steve P. They were wonderful in reading and responding to emails.

5) Spend at least one game in the outfield lawn section where the people are almost as fun as the game. It is much more relaxed and a true joy to experience.

4) Talk to people around you and find out where they are from. I talked to one man who plays cards with a veterinarian I used to play softball with 30 years ago. Another had land that was mined by the company my dad worked for. And others had owned a hotel in Branson where I spent half my summers as a kid. It is amazing how small the world is when you start talking to people and find out where they are from. And besides, you can then also talk baseball.

3) Also don’t forget to bring lots and I mean lots of sun tan lotion. You will need it as the sun is unrelenting, especially in the stands where there is little room to move to change the exposed skin. Also, hats, sunglasses and lots of water. One important thing I learned the hard way. DO NOT crack the water bottle cap until you are inside the stadium. You can bring bottles in but they must be sealed. Lost 3/4 of one bottle that way.

2) The food is good and relatively competitive priced. But the beer is outrageous. Surprise and Peoria sold beer for $6.50 but other stadiums were up to $8 for one beer. Thankfully, I dont drink alcohol and the lemonades were only mildly exhorbitant at $5. Best bet is that most stadiums have entrepreneurs selling water for $1 a bottle and peanuts or popcorn for $2 a bag about 1/4 what they cost inside the stadium.

And the number one reflection of my week in Surprise…

1) While you are at spring training, don’t just go to the major league games. Get to the practice fields by 9:30 in the morning so you can watch batting practice through the holes in the outfield fence and be one of the first through the gates when they open at 10 am. Then spend the morning watching the minor leaguers square off and talk to the future Royals stars. You will also be able to interact with Royals coaches and many of the family members, and get the inside scoop on what is happening in the baseball world.

My final recommendation to any true Royals fan. Start planning now for spring training 2013 and get down there for a week. You don’t need a package, you can do everything yourself online, reservations, game tickets, car rental, etc. Trust me, you will be glad you did.

My next report will be after Friday night’s season opener with 5569. Stay tuned.

Time to Say Goodbye to the Valley

Both the Royals and I say goodbye tomorrow to the Valley of the Sun, or just the Valley to locals. The Royals have a morning workout at Surprise tomorrow and then head off to San Diego for Tuesday’s game at Petco Park. I also head off early in the morning to Missouri for a visit before flying to Anaheim Wednesday night in preparation for next weekend’s opening series with the Angels.

Will give a summary of my week in the Valley in the next day or two. In the mean time here are a few of today’s sights and sounds from Surprise and Peoria Park (spring training home of the Mariners and Padres).

As usual, got over to the practice fields at 10 am  in time for the gates to open. Royals were having batting practice on one field and also as usual; kids, their parents and unattached adults were lined up beyond the fence chasing home run balls or pleading with batting practice fielders to lob one over to them.

It is a daily ritual and actually fun to watch the mad scramble each time one of the fence peekers yells, “Here comes one!” The tarp covering the chain link fence has small holes cut in it so people can see into the field and provide forewarning.

I saw one boy had won the battle for 6 balls already that morning. He had 3 in his hands and his dad had 3 in his pocket. They both had Royals shirts and hats on so gave the boy my Royals backpack I received earlier in the week.  I don’t really have room in my small suitcase to take it back and thought he would get more enjoyment from it than me this season. He immediately put all his balls in it and wrapped it around his back. The joy of being a kid again.

Walked down and watched the final few minutes of batting practice, then over to the other fields as the extended spring training minor leaguers were also getting their BP in. One thing of interest I noticed during the last few days, I have only seen 3 left handed batters in the minor league camp all week. There may be more but that is all I could find.

The Royals have an abundance of left handed hurlers (close to 50%) but hitters from the left side are few and far between. I talked to one of the coaches yesterday and he said it has definitely changed the last few years. Anyone left handed either wants to or gets encouraged by coaches to become a pitcher due to the shortage of left handers in the game. That means, at least for the Royals, that left handed batters are rarer than swimmers at a shark infested beach (my attempt at Aussie humor).

The other reason I am told is that the percentage of Latin American players is steadily increasing and Latin Americans tend to be right handed or are pushed that way by their coaches.

Will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the majors in the next few years. The Royals have several left handed hitters on the squad right now but based on what I saw in the minors, that will change drastically in 5 to 10 years. The question then becomes, will teams stop stocking left handed pitching as all hitters will be right handed? Watch this space in the next decade to see if that subtle change occurs.

Once again, there were two scrimmage games this morning. But with the regular AAA, AA and A ball players gone, the four teams were made up of a hodge podge from the leftovers and a few pitchers doing tune ups before heading north. The higher game today actually pitted Mazarro against Odorizzi. Think Mazarro is headed to Omaha and Odorizzi to NW Arkansas. Odorizzi literally gave up a wind aided home run on his first pitch but after that it settled down and was 1-1 when I left.

Bubba and Cam Gallagher (Royals #2 pick in 2011) were on the same team for the first time since I have been here. Bubba got a two out two strike RBI single while I watched. One thing I will say, the kid is a natural born hitter, at least at this level.

After spending time watching the two practice games, I headed to Peoria Park for the main event between the Royals and Mariners. As usual got there as the gates opened.  Walked around talking to a few ushers then headed back to the food stands for a drink. While there, I noticed the pitching booth empty with minders calling for volunteers at $1 for 3 balls. Have not thrown a baseball at full speed in years but there was no line so why not.

Let me preface this next bit by saying I once had a good arm capable of cutting down runners at the plate from the outfield with some regularity. I also dabbled in pitching off and on through my years. But too many 5 and 6 game softball Sundays eventually did that arm in. The first pitch hit 55 mph, #2 was up to 59 and on #3 I actually broke 61.

I felt pretty proud of myself, especially when the minder told me that was the fastest pitch (for my age) all week. Of course then another guy near my age came up and clocked 69 on his final pitch ending my brief dream of stardom. Still I felt pretty good breaking 60 considering it has been 30 years since I last threw a baseball in competition (softball became my game after college).

Commercial over, now back to the game.

Chen looked outstanding. Four innings and not a single hitter got the better of him. And that is saying something with the wind blowing out and Chen not being an overpowering pitcher. Of the 3 hits, one came when Gordon totally lost a ball in the sun. When I say totally, I mean to the point he ducked and covered as if a mortar shell was inbound.

Another important point I learned after a week of spring training in Phoenix. The sky in the day time has not a cloud to be seen and the color is so perfectly uniform and blue that even if not staring into the sun, it is nigh on impossible to pick up the ball as it leaves the variant color of the stands. The sun is also so bright and huge that once the ball gets anywhere close to it, forget seeing it until you hear it plop down on the grass beside you, which by the way is far better than falling on you.

I have seen no less than 8 balls lost in the sun in the last 8 days and the only reason I did not see more is two games were played in the safety of night.

Back to baseball. One other hit off Chen got negated by Brayan Pena firing a strike to Escobar to take out Kawasaki. I have to say that Pena is looking better and better behind the plate the more he plays there. And he is starting to hit too with hits in both yesterday and today’s games.

If Chen is anywhere close to his performance today when he pitches next Friday nght then it will be a masterful duel between he and Weaver. Put Hochevar, Sanchez and Mendoza on the mound the next 3 days and I really think the Royals have a solid chance of taking 3 of the first 4. Mendoza has been solid all spring and Sanchez also looked impressive in his AAA tune up last Thursday.

Moose is another one starting to come around. His home run today would have been out even without the favorable winds as it landed high on the grass slope. He also fought off a pitch for a very good double down the right field line that knocked in another run. So big day for Moose and for Alcides Escobar as well in smacking almost mirror doubles to left and a solid line drive single to right.

Kelvin Herrara impressed compared to his last two appearances and returned my faith that he can get the job done. As I have said before, I believe he will be the closer by the time the Royals reach the all-star break. Aaron Crow also had a solid inning, showing his mettle in pitching out of a bases loaded jam.

On the other side, Tim Collins just plain had a bad day. The most disturbing thing I saw with him was that he let Moose’s error get to him and then got even more testy when Pena came out to settle him down. What followed can definitely be classified as overthrowing the ball costing Tim 2 HR, a walk and 6  runs counting the two that Blaine Hardy allowed to score.

To me this is where Dave Eiland has to get involved. I could see from where I sat that Tim was frustrated and showed it when Brayan came out to settle him down. Eiland needs to be out there as well because I think Tim will listen to Dave far better than Brayan.

It is obvious that Tim is still excitable and gets easily frustrated with himself. And when he does he tries to throw the ball past the batter instead of out thinking him. That is a high school mistake not a professional mistake. I just hope this was one of Yost’s tests in spring training and that he has a much quicker and firmer hand come next weekend.

The other person who did not have a good day was Chris Getz. His first swing was the standard long fly ball to center. And he struck out the next two times trying to pull pitches up into the favorable right field winds. The sooner Chris gives up being a power hitter and learns to drive the ball on the ground where he can use his speed, the sooner he will be an asset to the Royals offense instead of a liability.

In the end, the Royals took it on the Chen, sorry chin, in their final tune up in Arizona. But as stated many times, these games count for nothing and should not be viewed in anyway as a precursor to the season ahead. The Royals have the potential to score a lot of runs this year. The question as always will be whether their pitching can match preventing more runs than the offense scores.

That is all for me from the Valley. I promise to provide a summary of the week in the next couple of days. Until then, take care and may all your dreams be Royal dreams.

Oh Danny Boy

Let me begin by saying I am not a pitching coach and all opinions expressed here are based on my nearly 50 years of playing, coaching and watching baseball…and not getting paid to do any of it.

Got seats right behind home plate today specifically to watch Danny Duffy in his last official start of spring training. Ned Yost and Dave Eiland are correct, Duffy has electric stuff. Mid-90s fastball and mid-80s sharp breaking curve…when it breaks. Danny’s problem is he struggles to control the fastball and curve and also hangs way too many out over the plate.

Several times today, hitters laid off the curve and waited for a fastball down the middle, then smashed it into play. Sometimes Duffy got lucky and a Royal got in the way but several times his fastballs (or hanging curves) got crushed for hits, two beyond the fence and any Royals’ reach.

Duffy’s curve has another problem besides not breaking at times. When it does move it is fairly flat and too close in speed to the fastball meaning when it doesn’t curve, hitters jump on it without being way out front. Duffy needs a good straight change in the mid-70 mph category or a slower downward breaking curve that sets up that mean mid-90s fastball and keeps hitters from getting too comfortable in the box.

The reason Chen and Mendoza now do well is that they mix pitches and speeds to keep hitters off balance. Sean O’Sullivan did the same last night with excellent results. Yes, SOS was a tad bit wild but just enough that pitches barely missed, not widely missed as was Danny’s case today.

Which brings me to the other concern with Duffy. His inability to control pitches caused numerous 3-2 counts. The good news is it led to 4 strikeouts. The bad news is he chalked up 88 pitches in just 4 2/3 innings. Sound familar?

One final issue, Duffy gave up 3 ground balls (1 an error by Moose). However, all were hard smashes, the first magnificently stabbed also by Moose to save 2 more runs in the first. In comparison, hitters racked up 7 fly outs  and numerous flying hits meaning too many pitches up in the zone.

1969royals got it exactly right. At this point in his career, Danny Duffy is a thrower and not a pitcher. I concur with Ned and Dave that Duffy has the potential to be a truly dynamic starter for the Royals. But right now they are doing him no favors by sticking him into the rotation. If something doesn’t change drastically in the next 4 weeks, Danny will be headed back to Omaha where hopefully Dutch Henry can transform all that talent into a pitcher extraordinare instead of a thrower extraordinare.

Based on the last two days, I would strongly consider starting the season with SOS in the #5 spot and give Duffy a month of starts in Omaha. But that is why Ned gets paid the big bucks to manage and I get paid nothing to comment.

Other news and notes from Day 7 of my trip to Spring Training.

Saw a lot of goodbyes this morning as the Royals numerous minor leaguers finished their final scrimmages of the spring. The games started at 9am this morning so the players from AAA to A could have lunch and board buses to the airport for flights to Omaha, Ft. Smith, Wilmington, Chicago or other designated locations.

A few like Bubba Starling, will hang around a little longer for extended spring training before being assigned. But the rest are off to begin the real season and continue their dreams of one day being in a Royal uniform for real. Some teams even start Thursday night, the day before the Royals open in Anaheim.

I wish all the Royals players godspeed and good luck this year. I will watch the minor league scoreboards a whole lot closer after having the chance to meet and gain respect for many of these young lads and their coaches alike.

Also, had to say goodbye to Jerry, Mason, Marty, Shirley, Ron, Michael and Kathy as they saw their last game and began the long drives or flights back to California, Oklahoma or Missouri. Had a fun time with them watching Royals baseball and wish them all safe trips home.

Thank you to Dina as well for letting me in behind the scenes of Royal’s training camp. Maybe I will get back for fantasy camp one of these years and can gain the experience for a whole week.

Finally, thank you to Steve Stewart for his kind words today on the webcast. Hope that voice is getting better, Steve. You and Denny are a true pleasure to listen to on radio and based on what I have seen on the comment sites, will have a big increase in listeners this year. Have safe travels to California and hopefully will catch you on Friday night in Anaheim.

Today ends my first week of the trip. How time flies when you are having fun. Still one more game to go and then a 4 day rest before hitting the stadiums again for a final weekend of Royals baseball.

I look on today as a learning day for Danny Duffy and others. This loss counts for nothing in the grand scheme of things. As Charlie Brown used to say, “some you win and some you lose…and some just get rained out.”

If we have to lose, would much better it be today than next weekend because next Friday the quest begins for real as the Royals go in search of 2012 playoff glory.

Good night and God Bless.

Oh yeah, and Go Royals!

What a Wonderful World

News and notes from the evening as already recounted my day in the previous post. While there were some ups and downs, overall it was a wonderful day.

Got over to the park a little before 4pm and just in time to catch batting practice on the back field. No sooner had I got there than a coach came out and grabbed Alex Gordon and pulled him off the field. We conjectured everything from is he injured to is he being traded (we were reaching, okay). Thankfully it was the obvious answer, he had finally signed the extension. And talk about grin from ear to ear for the rest of batting practice and pregame.

Made it inside the stadium and had only been sitting a few minutes when califroyalfan (Michael) and his wife (Kathy) found me. We had a good talk and caught up live after only being able to post to each other up to now. Can I say that there are many great people on the Royals comment board and Michael is one of them.

Next, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and emailed the radio booth. Told them where I was sitting and to come on down. Didn’t really expect anything but next time I turned around here is Steve Stewart introducing himself. We had a great discussion despite his fighting laryngitis. How bout that. The guy needs his voice to perform his work and still took time to come say hello. I offered to fill in for him if he lost it altogehter but guess he didn’t need me…darn. Oh well, with my gift for gab, they may never have gotten me off the mike.

Then realised Jeff Montgomery was sitting just down the row from me and so moved down and talked to him. We had a great chat about the season, SOS,  the changes to the team and his work when the Royals open the season at home. Really great guy as well. Are there any bad people in the Royals organisation?

I also sat behind Steve Physioc’s wife tonite. She related how wonderful the Royals had been with Steve coming over and how much of a breath of fresh air it was to be in an organisation that shows it cares.

Okay, I admit it, I have been brainwashed. But on this day, I agree. The Royals have done everything right from my point of view and it showed in the faces of players, reporters and fans alike.

And to top it off, the Royals had a solid 7-2 win. I think it was 7-2, I was having so much fun, really didn’t catch the final score. Oh, did I mention that I also talked to 5569 (Jerry) and 1yankhtr (also a Jack) by phone as they were trying to find Michael and I in the stands. Sadly we were on the wrong side of where the camera was pointing so we did not get on TV.  Next time in Anaheim, Jerry, I promise.

After the game, Joel Goldberg came strolling by. He shook my hand and we had a good discussion about Alex’s signing, SOS’s brilliant night and other speculation before the season starts. Yes, I know, another good person in the Royals organisation.

I think I have now met just about every Royals broadcaster except the Great One, Denny Matthews. Who knows, maybe tomorrow.

Oh yes, said there was some downs. Well really only one. And this is for the autograph hounds out there. Not the kids who only want a signature from their idol…I am talking about the adults who have little consideration for players private lives.

Mitch Maier and Luke Hochevar’s wives and little girls came down to see them beside the dugout before the game. It was really quite poignant, daddies holding little girls and moms snapping away with the cameras. Jeff Francour also showed up laughing and joking with them and demanding a group shot.

BTW, that guy is always smiling. He is also always the first to sign autographs, the first to talk to fans, and tonite even threw his batting gloves to a fan when returning to the dugout after his last at bat. Can you tell I am gaining a great respect for this guy as the official Royals ambassador.

Anyway, back to Mitch, Luke and their families. In comes these two guys shoving their books in for Luke and Mitch to sign.  No thought of this being a private moment or that this might be the last time these players see their young families for several weeks or months. Instead, they just butted right in.

I have to hand it to Luke and Mitch, they signed, but you could clearly see they were unhappy about the intrusion. I know I am a rarity but I almost never ask for an autograph. These guys may be professional ballplayers but they are also human beings just like the rest of us and should be treated with respect, dignity and as equals just as any of us would wish to be treated.

So please, whomever reads this, learn to respect players when they are having private time and give them some space to enjoy it. In reality, that was the only downside to the whole day. Had nothing to do with the Royals. Instead it was  inconsiderate fans.

Finally, congratulations to Alex Gordon on his contract extension. Guess he also got his bat guarantee as the one he had tonight held true through a single and home run.

Also, a big congratulations to Sean O’Sullivan. It is not often that a player is given one final chance to prove himself and then makes the best of it. Sean did more than just showcase his ability, he put a definite stamp on it as well by pitching 5 innings of no hit ball. Save for one bad pitch call by the home plate ump, he would have had a perfect game through five.

My prayers are with you SOS. I hope someone grabs you off waivers and you prove your worth throughout 2012 just as Philip Humber did following his release in 2011.

Anyway, that was my night. Royals win, Alex gets the extension everyone prayed for, SOS performs magnificently under last chance pressure, got to meet some great sportscasters, and talked to some great friends off the Royals website. And still 2 more days to go in Phoenix.

Go Royals.

Good Morning, Surprise

I can just hear Robin Williams saying this title.  The early post today is for those who have never been to spring training.

Most people come to spring training strictly for the major league games…and miss the best part of the experience, the mornings. The Royals almost always have minor league games scheduled at 10 am or 1 pm on the back fields. Today it was AAA against AA and High A against Low A. This is where you get to watch all the future stars and talk to the people who know baseball from the inside. Plus players and coaches are a lot more sociable and willing to just have a chat.

This morning I ambled over a few minutes before the gates opened. There was a small group of people lining the outfield fences watching batting practice and catching HR balls hit over the fence. Started talking to one person I had spoken to for a few minutes the day before. Today he introduced himself…as Jim Starling…yes, that Jim Starling, father of Bubba.

Jim has filled out a little more than Bubba (the years tend to do that) and wears a mustache, but when they stand side by side, the resemblance is obvious. Jim is a genuinely wonderful man, quiet and genial, even with strangers constantly coming over to talk about Bubba. That included even Dayton Moore who stopped by to mention the curve ball Bubba drove into the gap for a double in his first at bat. It is obvious to any onlookers around the fields that Bubba is the must see item of minor league spring training.

We talked off and on throughout the morning as I switched back and forth between games. I asked Jim if he gets nervous when Bubba plays. He said he was the calm one, it was Bubb’a mother that gets excitable. I suppose I would too if my potential superstar son was on the field.

We talked about the pressures on Bubba with Jim admitting Bubba feels it at times due to all the comparisons to great players of the past like Brett and Rodriguez and even Mantle. I told Jim as I have told everyone on the Royals web site; I don’t like  comparisons. I just want Bubba to be Bubba and make his own name. My hope would be that someday people say this kid looks a lot like a young Bubba Starling. That will be the best comparison of all.

We also talked about the other pressures of today with Facebook and Twitter accounts and the media constantly following your every move. High profile players like Bubba find it tough to have a personal life because of the hype. Bubba already had a taste of that last winter when he was stopped for underage drinking and it made all the KC papers. Sadly, type Bubba Starling into an internet search engine and references to the incident still come up as often as his athletic references. Anyone else in the lower minor leagues would not have even rated a mention, but because this is the $7.5M kid, it is news.

One thing I do know though, if Bubba has Jim’s genuine attitude and common sense, I am sure he will be just fine. Bubba should be very proud of his father, for in the short time I got to know Jim, I found him a true gentleman who knows how to separate fame from real life.

I also spent some time with Kevin Kousmanoff, assigned to minor league camp yesterday. He is another person for which I gained immediate respect. Kous is headed to Omaha early next week where he will continue his recovery from injury and await the call from Dayton Moore that he is headed to KC or another major league team. I truly hope that call gets made because Kevin is another person that brings the game respect and he deserves another shot at the Show.

Aaron Brooks, who I talked to for quite a while on Wednesday, pitched today in the High A/Low A game. He is one of the myriad of young hopefuls playing out the final days of spring training. He threw at least two solid innings that I saw and I was proud for him even though he is no relation to me. I will follow Aaron this summer as he pitches at Kane County and wish him all the best. I hope we see him in a real KC Royals uniform one day.

One other person who impressed me this morning. Devon Lowery is one of those faceless minor league coaches out to teach his kids and help them climb the minor league ladder. A 2001 Royals draft pick, Lowery actually pitched 5 games in the majors in September 2008. He is now a minor league coach for the Royals even though he is only 29, his arm physically unable to keep up with his mental energy.

Lowery never sits still, contstantly walking over to check pitch counts and locations, encouraging his pitchers on the field or pulling them aside to review their innings as they come off. He grabbed Aaron after each inning and I could overhear them reviewing Aaron’s pitches and how to read batters’ intent and use that against them.

Lowery definitely impressed me in the short time I watched him. I found an article on him on the net that said his goal is to be a pitching coach in the majors one day. He get’s my vote already.

The funniest moment of the morning was my question for Dave Eiland, Royals pitching coach. In spring training games the coaches all sit on folding chairs outside the dugout with their backs to the stands. My question to Dave was, “What is the strangest conversation you have heard from behind you?”

He said I would not believe some of the things that get discussed in the stands with people unaware they can be heard by the coaches sitting just the other side of the open wire. He also said he eventually learned to just tune it out. I can understand why because I heard a couple of conversations the other day at Scottsdale Stadium I wish I could have just tuned out. They definitely should not have been aired in public.

Oh and by the way, did I mention Mendoza and Montgomery fought to a 1-1 standoff in 6 innings of the AAA-AA game today. Mendoza is just so smooth pitching now as compared to 2 years ago. The run he gave up was helped by a bouncer to short that took  an odd hop way over the shortstop’s head. Monty also looked nothing like the bad reports from last year and earlier in ST. His curve was especially nasty all day. Maybe a good sign as he might be needed in the next two months with all the games in a short time span, the Royals only getting 4 off days in the first 51 or so.

Finally, today was also a day of partings as I noticed or overheard several players saying goodbye to their families. Talking to a few after the game, I learned some are staying around for extended spring training but most will travel north or east tomorrow to join teams for the summer.

The players will be heading to Omaha, NW Arkansas, Wilmington or even Idaho Falls while families go back to where the players grew up or now live. Being apart from family is never fun especially when these partings in some cases last for months. I felt for the players and especially the small children that had to say those goodbyes.

That is my story behind the story for today. Kids playing ball, parents and loved ones watching them, the hanger’s on (easy to spot), and the rest of us just there to enjoy some good baseball in the Arizona sun. So the next time you schedule a trip to Phoenix for spring training, don’t just go to the big league games. Get yourself over to Surprise by 10 am every morning. You will find it far more entertaining and a whole lot more fun.

Day 5 – Does Anyone Want a Pitching Job

Today, I was at Tempe Diablo Stadium to watch the Royals face their season opening opponent, the Angels. Because neither team wanted to give anything away with next week’s starters, we instead got Teaford for KC and Hurley (a minor league free agent) for LA.

This was Teaford’s big chance to lock down a bullpen spot and maybe even a starting spot if Duffy choked this weekend. Sadly, Teaford was the one that failed, giving up a home run trifecta in a 5-run second that also included a near brawl between the homeplate umpire and Mike Scioscia.

This wonderful piece of entertainment came when Teaford plunked Bourges following the three cannon shots. OK, plunked is not quite accurate. Bourges got tapped on his leading elbow pad and it almost looked like he stuck the pad out to get hit. But that didn’t stop Mike from jawing at the ump until he got a warned to stop. Scioscia jumped from his chair, stormed to home plate and jammed his nose into the umpire’s all the while spouting expletives that we could clearly hear in the stands behind 3rd base. Think Mike forgot that a spring training stadium is much smaller and closer than Anaheim. Even after Mike went back and sat down, they still traded barbs for the rest of the inning.

Teaford did hold the Angels to no runs in the 3rd but I would not characterise it as a clean inning. So long Everett, Hope you like the atmosphere in Omaha.

Even with the 5-run second, the Royals still had a 2 run lead after three innings thanks to beating up Hurley even more than the Angels feasted on Teaford. Solid blasts by Yuni, Hosmer and Frenchie plus help from the bright sun and Angels shady defense allowed the Royals to score 7 times in the first two innings. Sadly, they could only muster one run after that and continued to show last year’s trend of getting people on but not being able to score them.

Bueno came next for KC in the 4th and sealed his fate in the minors by also pitching batting practice to Angels’ hitters. Coleman showed up for the fifth and just as he had done the previous two outings I saw this week; looked great for the first two batters then gave up two hits, a walk, and a run. Maybe Louis and Everett will be roomates at Omaha.

Hottovy again proved the one bright spot on the staff although he too finally gave up a run, his first in 9 plus innings this spring. However, he also had the easiest inning of all pitchers the last two days and still is my pick to make the staff of all the pitchers I have seen bar Mendoza.

Okay, not quite true. I watched Jon Sanchez pitch 6 innings against the AAA team this morning at Surprise and he was all business giving up just 3 hits and no runs. Guess my prediction of him starting on the DL was ludicrous because he is ready. By the way two of the hits came from Kousmanoff who again batted 3rd every inning to try and recover from his back injury and also show the Royals he is ready as well. And he did it in front of a crowd that included Yost, Moore, and most of the coaching staff.

I really do feel for Kevin K. You can see it in his face how desperate he is to prove he can be of benefit to the Royals and how much a simple injury from bending over to catch a ball has hurt his chances. I just hope he gets an opportunity at Omaha to continue improving his timing and hitting because he could be a solid backup if Moose struggles or gets injured.

Arguelles pitched against Sanchez in the AA versus AAA game this morning and he also threw up a string of zeroes until I left to go to the big league game. Both were getting a lot of praise from the scouts and players standing around behind the fence.

The other game was High A against Low A with Starling the feature attraction. But it was Eibner, Fletcher and the other High A players stealing the show while I was watching. It appears Bubba will start in Class A this year and will just have to watch his progress.

The other open spots on the 25 man roster really got no closer to being finalised from my point of view. Maier DH’d today but went 0-2 with a sac fly and really did not look comfortable at the plate. Ramirez struck out in his only appearance. Yuni hit another home run but also misplayed a couple of hits and/or throws in the infield. I did not stay around to watch Getz play as a late inning replacement. Wanted to find my way back to my car and get out of there before the traffic jamb started.

One word of advice for anyone coming to spring training. Stay away from Tempe Diablo Stadium. To start with, parking is an experience in itself. There is very little parking at the stadium and even though I arrived an hour before game time, I still got directed through several backstreets to a small business lot where I got charged $5 for the pleasure (Surprise lot is next door and free). And the seats have less leg room than a cheap airline seat. Not to mention there are not enough aisles and you are constantly up and down trying to let people through to their seats. It made the experience very average to say the least. I much prefer Surprise or even Maryvale (considered on the low end of the scale by experienced STers) over Diablo.

The funniest moment of the day…The great Pujols slapped a single to right and took a big turn around 1st as he usually does. Apparently, he didn’t realise that Jeff Francour is not one of his loyal subjects. Jeff scooped the ball off the grass on the dead run and launched a rifle shot to Hosmer forcing Albert to dive back into the base and get his nice clean uniform all dusty.

Albert and Jeff spent the next couple of minutes trading barbs until the next batter stepped in. They were still pointing fingers at each other with accompanied shouts a few innings later when Pujols exited the game and walked down the right field line to the clubhouse. I would say it was probably all in fun but I am sure Jeff had a good laugh over it. Even kings have their hecklers. Will be fun to see how they get along in Anaheim next week before the first game.

Tomorrow is another night game and televised in KC according to Mr. Goldberg, who I saw yesterday and reminded that his buddy 1yankhtr was looking for him when he gets back to the K. Anyway, that means tomorrow morning I will be back at the practice fields watching the kids play their hearts out and gathering more research for my final book in The Young Rebel trilogy.

Hopefully, will have some more useful tidbits to pass onto you then. And who knows, maybe Steve and company will invite me up to the booth tomorrow night to regale them on the wonders of Australia and getting up in the middle of the night to watch Royals baseball. Until then, may all your dreams be baseball dreams.

 

The Business of Baseball

Sorry, decided not to comment on tonite’s game. Instead, I want to fill you in on a part of professional baseball you don’t see on the sports news.

You know about the 40 odd players in the Royals major league camp all vying for positions on the 25 man team. But you may not know of the more than 100 other players vying for spots on minor league teams from Kane County to Omaha. I took time today to go watch these kids (and some older players) as they worked out and played games on the back fields at the Surprise Complex.

In the morning, there were no less than 5 fields full of running, throwing, fielding and hitting players, all trying their best to get noticed by the various Royals coaches roaming the fields on the last official day of minor league camp. The ones who did get noticed were assigned to games later in the day. I will talk about the others in a minute.

After wandering and watching players named everything from Atkins to Zumaya for a couple of hours, I found a shade tree and sat down for a brief rest near a group of people.

They explained that they were host families, people who take in players during the season to help cut expenses. For those that don’t know, minor leaguers generally earn less than $1,800 per month, and most of that gets spent on transport, food, or fines for team infractions. That leaves very little for housing. So the Royals find host families to take in players at most minor league stops. Some even do cooking and washing for them while others just provide the basic room.

It seems finding the right family is as important as finding the right team. They even have a “speed-dating” night where all the players and families show up and do short meet-and-greets to try and match players with comparable family types.

They then told me about the other part of spring training that I had not really thought about. Today was assignment day with most players getting their minor league assignments or no assignment. As players walked by to prepare for games, the host families asked, “Where you headed this year.”

Some were excited because they were moving up a level. Others were satisifed they were at least going back to the same level. And a few showed disappointment at being sent down a level. And then there were those we didn’t see. They were the ones who had been cut and were cleaning out lockers instead of heading to the fields for afternoon games.

The host families shared their shock at one player they thought sure to move up but instead was out of a baseball job. Maybe he had been squeesed out by the number of players at the same position coming up from below. Or because he was a free agent signee, maybe he got less consideration than draft picks who had large signing bonuses attached to their names. He was not alone either as a large number of other hopefuls would have been told to clean out lockers that day. Even worse, some had not received assignments nor been released meaning they were on the edge and their performance that day could send them either way. How about that for pressure.

Next, I went to watch a High A game and immediately noticed one player in a different uniform from the others. He was almost a head taller and definitely older. It was Kousmanoff. He was playing in a minor league game to get his timing and fielding back after nearly three weeks down with injury. The Royals were giving him a last chance before his contract cut off date this weekend. Kous was even allowed to bat third every inning to get more swings in and show he had recovered.

I could easily see the desperation on his face as he approached the plate each time. The opposing pitchers didn’t help either, walking him 2 of the first 3 innings. I also noticed Dayton Moore, Ned Yost and I think George Brett sitting upstairs in the center tower watching the game intently despite their touted prospect, Bubba Starling, playing on the next field over.

I felt for Kous like no young player who still had “the dream” to look forward to in their future. Kous was just trying to show he still belonged, hoping someone would see him and pick him up, or the Royals offer him a AAA assignment until a major league team needed his bat and glove.

As for Starling, he was the crowd favorite, more people watching his game than any other. To be honest, I was more impressed with Gallagher, the #2 pick last year. He is a hard worker and studies everything around him. Bubba is a kid in a candy shop with all the lollies in the world within his reach, and he knows it.

Something else I noticed during the games, some players had a white stripe on their pants, while others didn’t. I asked someone and they explained that white stripe means they have played a game with the pros, like Gordon and Butler. It is a sign they are moving up and have gotten noticed, and the most important and coveted stripe in all of camp. People like Kous,  Eibner, and Cuthbert have that stripe. But far more didn’t.

Finally, I caught up with a couple of players just watching Starling’s game. You could tell they were players by their obvious Royals warmup outfits. They turned out to be pitchers not pitching that day. When asked, they shared their excitement at both being moved up to Kane County (Low A) after spending last year in short season A ball. This was a positive jump for both. Yet both grew hesitant when asked about guys they knew who didn’t make it, as if it was taboo to speak of those now gone. I got both their names and will follow them at Kane County to see how they do. I wished them all the best and moved on.

At this point I had pretty well lost interest in baseball for the day, having been shown a little too much of its darker side.

As I waited in an open field near my hotel for my room to be available, I noticed two elderly gentlemen, one throwing baseballs for a 11 year old boy to hit, while the other chased down the hit balls. I ambled over and offered to help shag as I could see the granddads were tiring much faster than the boy. For the next half hour, the young boy hit balls and we chased them. I even threw him batting practice for 15 minutes or so when the granddads’ arms gave out. They kept saying that Mason should wear out soon but I knew better. He was like a labrador with a tennis ball, not quiting until his tongue hit the ground.

Finally, the boy decided he had hit enough, but then spent the next 20 minutes chasing flies hit by one of the granddads. Only when the granddads had reached their absolute limit did the game stop. It was then I realised that baseball is and will always be in its purest form, a game for children.

Yes, adults play it, some for big bucks and some continually dreaming of the day they will also see those big bucks. Sadly, at its darkest, baseball is also a business that most people never see behind the huge filled stadiums and even huger contracts.

It is possible the professional game may one day die at the hands of bloated salaries, ever climbing ticket prices and mismatched organisational attitudes towards dollars and talent over desire and commitment. But the game played by kids and their granddads will go on forever. That is baseball in its purest form.