Boston: In tribute

The antithesis of the Kansas City Royals with this owner

From Yahoo! Sports last evening:

Dodgers continue unprecedented spending spree

The most expensive team in sports history spent another $147 million on Saturday night. This came 3½ months after the Los Angeles Dodgers spent $250 million, which came two months after they spent $42 million, which came two weeks after they spent $85 million, which came eight months after they spent $160 million, which came less than 18 months after they filed for bankruptcy.

This is something unlike what the sports world ever has seen: a franchise with seemingly no limits.

What did I say?

The antithesis of the Kansas City Royals.

While the Dodgers and the Yankees--famously--will spend untold money on a great bullpen, our own Kansas City Royals, infamously owned by Walmart's spendthrift, David Glass and Company, will only suck money and profits OUT of the team--and our wallets, and not give a fig for wins or a winning season.

Want to make it even worse?

Look who the Dodgers gave their biggest salary to.

None other than former Royals player Zach Greineke.

Ow.

Does Johnny Damon sound familiar to anyone else here?

Link to original story: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/breaking-down-zack-greinke-signing-050340056.html

Two big hopes for the Royals today

--That they can play their game today against the Yankees at 1 pm, given this weather and

--That they win against them in this four game series for a total of 3 of 4 games won.

Yowza.

Good luck, men.

Our Royals: This moment in time

What can you say?

It's Saturday night. (Sort of. It's late Saturday. Actually, it's Sunday morning but forget that).

It was Cinco de Mayo Saturday. (Forget about going down Southwest Boulevard. Yikes. That was crazy).

It's a huge and very full moon.

So beautiful.

And what happens?

Our own Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball Team beat the illustrious New York Yankees---AGAIN.

5 to 1.

We're two of 3 games on them.

Sure, we have to play them one more time tomorrow afternoon but right now we're two up out of three games for having beat them.

Wow.

That's a stunner.

What a gift.

So, tomorrow?

If I had to bet, I'd say we're going down.

But hope?

Sure, I hope we win.

It seems doable all of a sudden.

We've won 6 of our last 9 games.

And we beat the Yankees.

Twice.

Maybe--hopefully--we can do it again tomorrow.

Here's hoping, ya'll.

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/05/3596639/royals-beat-yankees-5-1-take-series.html

The sad thing about Eric Hosmer

Well, that didn't last long.

We got all excited about new Royals baseball player Eric Hosmer and he helped us whup up on the Yankees and it all seemed good and hopeful and exciting and then the cold splash of reality hit.

From the Star Friday:

Boras spikes any hope for quick multi-year deal for Hosmer

NEW YORK | Any effort by the Royals to sign first baseman Eric Hosmer to a long-term deal is likely to be a waste of time.

Agent Scott Boras, who represents Hosmer, scuttled those hopes Thursday by telling Yahoo! Sports that baseball’s changing financial picture argues against such an extension at this time.

“Athletes have to know that you have to look at the market you’re in,’ Boras said. “You can’t look at the markets of the past. For players like Hosmer, as you go back and look, as (Mark) Teixeira had his own market and (Prince) Fielder had his own market, Hosmer will have his own.

“And something tells me it's going to be a rather eventful one.”

Boras’ message seems clear: Don’t bother trying.
 

So enjoy the winning--and Mr. Hosmer--as long as he's here.

It was nice while it lasted. 

Links:   http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/12/2871403/royals-notebook-coleman-says-first.html#storylink=misearch#ixzz1MOacRTSN

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/11/2868869/hosmer-drives-royals-to-win.html#storylink=misearch

KC and Royals in NY Times by way of pitcher Tim Collins

Pretty cool.  We're in there by way of Mr. Collins statures, one physical, the other personal:

Rookie Aiming High

By PAT BORZI

At only 5 feet 7 inches, Tim Collins is attempting to join an exclusive club: short pitchers who have succeeded in the major leagues.

You might want to go check it out.

Enjoy what's left of your weekend, y'all.

On Major League Baseball: How is that supposed to work, anyway?

Statisic:  Alex Rodriguez's salary is nearly equivalent to the entire payroll of the Kansas City Royals.


And believe me, I'm not whining here.


I just think it's a legitimate question that should be asked.


When one person's salary is nearly equivalent to another team's entire payroll, how, exactly, is that supposed to make for a workable, sensible system?  How is one team, so much lower, ever really supposed to overcome that?


Yes, the talent and will to win are supposed to get you there but when other teams, especially the Yankees, have such a huge pool of money to draw from and purchase talent with, how are other teams really supposed to be able to keep up and have a chance at going all the way to the end of October?


Examples:  


The Yankees have three of the four highest-paid players. Pitcher CC Sabathia(notes) is third at $24.3 million and first baseman Mark Teixeira(notes) is fourth at $23.1 million. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Vernon Wellsnotes is No. 2 on the list at $26.2 million.


Sure, it's an old question but still, I think it's one that bears asking, repeatedly, until maybe there's good, equitable revenue-sharing in baseball, the way they do in other sports, to level the playing field, no pun intended.


It isn't going to happen but it should.


Link: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=sh-henson_salaries_payroll_foreign_players_crawford_rodriguez_yankees_040111 

Baseball screws up baseball, one more time

Further proof-positive of why Major League Baseball needs a true, independent Commissioner, one that isn't either one of the owners or owned by the owners but that does what's best for baseball, the game:

Let's Play Few: MLB's Half-Baked Opening Day

Written by: Jeff Passan

World Series games creeping into November bothered baseball's brain trust, particularly commissioner Bud Selig, and he vowed for it to end in October this year. Fox wanted the series to start on a Wednesday. So MLB pegged Game 1 of the World Series for Oct. 19 and worked backward from there.

Rather than start the season on the traditional Monday -- March 28 would have been the earliest opening day ever -- MLB chose Thursday, which works as the kickoff to March Madness but is hardly a guaranteed score in April. By offering home teams the opportunity to choose whether they wanted to play Thursday or Friday -- most with precarious weather situations took Thursday, and warm-weather and domed teams chose Friday -- they almost ensured the split.

I repeat, baseball, Major League Baseball, needs a Baseball Commissioner that is NOT a team owner and one that is not "owned" or controlled by the team owners so that he--or she (that'd be refreshing, wouldn't it?  a FEMALE Baseball Commish?--would make decisions for the betterment of the game.

It won't happen unless and until baseball fans raise hell and make it happen.

(Rather like campaign finance reform in the US--it won't happen until the people make it so.)

Enjoy your lightly-snowy weekend, folks.  Think of it this way--you likely won't see much if any more of the light, fluffy stuff until the end of next year, if we're lucky.

Link to original story:  http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201103/lets-play-too-many-baseball-slices-opening-day-half

Baseball season starts today

No, not officially it doesn't but unofficially it is, in effect:

Barry Bonds Perjury Trial Gets Under Way 

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

It's a shame it has to be this way, too.  I think everyone on the street who follows baseball and this story have pretty much come to the conclusion that Barry Bonds at least misrepresented some truth on whether or not he used performance-enhancing drugs but to me, this is his own and a side issue.

The bigger issues for me, regarding baseball are, first, is baseball ever going to get truly tough on steroids and other stimulants and--far more importantly--when are the fans ever going to truly stand up and take back "their game", by forcing the owners to have a commissioner who is for the game and not the owners?

I don't think we'll see it, sadly. 

Ever.

Sure, there's far more important and "bigger fish" to fry, so to speak, like the nuclear meltdown in Japan and the thousands of people missing there, after the earthquake and tsunami and the homeless people both there and in Haiti and, for that matter, the rest of the world but grant me this temporary diversion.

If baseball is important to these people--and you know it is--they ought to run it right and well and finally fix these issues, for the good of the game.

Link to original story: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/03/21/sports/baseball/AP-BBO-Bonds-Trial.html?_r=1&ref=sports 

Think we don't need an estate tax ("death tax")?

Look at these five estates above, from this past calendar year, and tell me, Mr. and Mrs. America, we don't need an estate tax on the wealthiest of us.

While you're at it, look, too, at the amount of tax revenue we lost by not applying it to these estates.

Mind you, I'm not saying grow government at all costs and I'm not an advocate of ever-larger government agencies. Not at all.  

All I'm saying here is that we have costs and debts associated with running this country and that's why we have taxes.

I find it difficult to believe these estates and the people they will now go to would be hurt substantially by having paid these taxes.

If you're not for an estate tax on the wealthiest of Americans, I hope it's because you're one of them.

Otherwise, I question your connection to reality.

And I say that with seriousness, gravity and respect.

Link to original post:  http://www.businessinsider.com/now-get-ready-for-the-lame-duck-congress-to-kick-the-can-on-all-the-hard-deficit-choices-2010-11

It could be worse--you could always be a KC Royals player this weekend

Ever think you have it bad? Of course you have. We all do it at times, right? Well, no matter how badly you have it right now (unless you're terminally ill or perpetually unemployed or something), you probably couldn't have it too much worse than if you were a Kansas City Royals baseball player right now. They lost last night and rolled up their 7th loss (of 9 games played) and this weekend, with their 47-67 record this year that "leaves them in a tie for last place in the American League Central division with Cleveland (according to The Kansas City Star) and, finally, they go up against the New York Yankees this weekend for a 3 game stretch. Anyone care to guess how that's going to go? Then again, you could be this guy: A Sugar Creek man suspected of several burglaries was arrested Wednesday after he tried to make a getaway on a riding lawnmower, authorities said today. Either way, it ain't good. Keep cool y'all. Links to original posts: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/11/2144412/offense-scuffles-again-as-royals.html http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/12/2145225/burglary-suspect-arrested-after.html