The Kansas City Royals are the best team in the American League…
And maybe in all of baseball.
Just halfway through the season they have a more than 20 game jump on .500. They haven’t been 20 games over .500 since 1989, 26 years ago. Damn.
The club is likely to win over 100 games for the 2nd time in its history.
Courtesy of hotter bats and a defense that’s out of this world. They’re a pleasure to watch.
But what this club has lacked since the Brett era has been a true superstar player.
An everyday guy who could carry a team when needed – a player who was a strong .300 hitter, with power and that drives in important runs.
They FINALLY FOUND HIM and his name is Lorenzo Cain.
We all know that Cain is a late bloomer in baseball.
Last year he won the MVP award for the American League Championship Series. Well deserved. His defense is golden glove in center, he can steal bases, he hit well in the post season and had some power.
NOW, he’s even better. He’s hitting .321 – 4th in the league – with 10 homers, but lately he’s hitting more of them at important times. Cain drives in runs – 45 so far – with 100 possible. He steals bases.
He’s the real deal.
So while Eric Hosmer has been the fan favorite to lead this team, it’s Cain who now has that face! Don’t get me wrong Eric is very good, his defense is also golden to be sure, but Cain is the man you want up when you have to have that HIT.
Cain is now the clutch hitter we’ve been lacking.
If Lorenzo keeps it up, this team will be just unstoppable. It’s already very good, he makes them that extra thing….great. I hope he continues to rock at the plate and in the field. He looks to be the real deal. I know Mike Trout has 27 homers and bats over .300. Trout will be hard to beat for MVP. If Cain keeps it up he can battle for that title. More important his continued hitting success spurs everyone on this team to a higher standard. We have waited 30 years for a winner and close to that for a superstar. Lorenzo Cain fills that role nicely.
“A pessimist is a person who has had to listen to too many optimists.” – Don Marquis; or if prefer, Oscar Wilde’s definition a pessimist: “One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both.” Which, speaking of the Royals and Chiefs, is to say: don’t do it CG – don’t fall for the annual letdown; were that it was not so, alas, ’tis.
In a world too many Norman Vincent Peale’s and too few Pascal’s, allow me: time now for another edition ‘The Kerouac who stole KC’s sports Christmas’, parts 30 and 45.
The optimist embraces the Royals unattainable paramour, a team theme song sings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBQVrCflZ_E
… until SUDDENLY – the song ends, and it’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJwNMaYNMrw
The realist sees something ‘can’ stop them: cruel fate as it has so many before, those who tread the long & winding baseball season’s path afore them. Will it, case Royals?
Visions the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies: like the Royals, a Championship-bereft team for decades, one leading their league (case the Phillies, entire NL, one division at the time, a 90-60 mark and 6 1/2 game lead, but 12 games left to play.) Enter a 10-game losing streak, 92-70 end & exit a season 1 game shy Pennant, let alone World Championship.
Merits and demerits weighed, ‘wait till next year’ part 31… but, another Chiefs season appends and is sure equally disappoint, so, chose your poison!
🙂
I hope the Royals win it all this year. I hope they win it all this year for several reasons, not the least of which is to shut k-rac up and his stupid laments about annual let downs Royals and Chiefs oh my kids don’t get too excited you’re doomed for a heartbreaking fall, 30 years! 30 years! wah, wahhh, wahhhh…. etc., etc.
CG, nice post. Cain could be da man, no doubt. but as good as they are, the Royals are not “maybe” the best team in all baseball. as of now, that title still adorns the Cards.
That’s it, get it all out…
🙂
I’m calling glaze the “fill ‘er up” man…that’s becauseeveything he says
has been said at least a thousand times.
He’s like the dummy and the ventriloquist. The ventriloquist (fans/announcers/
writers/players etc.) say something a thousand times and then glaze wastes
hearnes valuable space with the same old things we all know and have
heard a million times.
THE ROYALS ARE THE BEST TEAM IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE! DUHHHHH!
but don’t forget teams like Houston who blew us out.
THEY’VE GOT GOOD DEFENSE….duhhhhh….glaze just keeps repeating what
we all know and we all have seen for over half a season this year.
what’s next…..ESKY IS A GOOD SHORTSTOP….HDH ARE GREAT RELIEVERS….
come on glaze…if you’re going to waste space on hearne’s blog say something
interesting or new…get some stats…maybe read the program at the stadium…
tell us something we don’t know.
But please stop boring us time and time again with this repeat after repeat of
what we already knew.
thanks…
your friend Harley
also kerowacky: STFU you idiot. We’re tired of your worn out pessimism
and b.s. Why not put yourself out of your depressing/low end/never anything
good to say attitude and go over to your buddy tonys blog. Tony loves gys
like you. Always negative…never positive…a bummed out mess….suffering
from continued depression. I’m sure you’ll fit in well with the losers at
tony’s blog. And you can use all the negative phrases you use here plus call
people names like the fools who use the “n” WORD and those who really
attack peple.
AS FAR AS THE ROYALS…THE LAST 2 SEASONS HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLE.
COME OUT TO RIVALS AND SIT WITH OUR GROUP AND HAVE A BLAST.
WE’RE TRUE FANS….WAS WITH THE TEAM WHEN THEY LOST 100 GAMES
AND WILL BE THERE WHEN THEY WIN 100 GAMES.
AND DESPITE THE CONTINUED NEGATIVITY AND INCORRECT STATEMENTS
MADE BY PEOPLE LIKE GLAZE AND KERO WACKY…I STILL LOVE THE
ROYALS AND CHIEFS…..AND I ALWAYS WILL.
Neither kerowacky or glaze has probably been to a game or supported the
team. Come on out and have some fun. Both of you need to get out of your
ruts!
Your friend
Harley
Harly I love you man. K is right and so am I. The reason the city is so in love with this team is THEY WIN. We’ve gone 30 years with the Royals being anywhere from average to bad, mostly bad. I always was impressed that with one of baseball’s least talented teams, often in last place most of the season, KC fans still gave them decent support. Now with a winner and tired of losing, MASSIVE SUPPORT. Our town wants winners and now they have one big one, THE ROYALS. As for the Chiefs they have teased us a few times with Marty, but overall also a poor franchise since Joe Montana in 93-94. We all know this. So again great support for teams that fell short every year, not the SUPER BOWL, just winning a playoff game, now 23 years and counting. So you can’t be mad at K. He’s more right than wrong. So am I. Cheers.
glaze…beena quick summer…goneby fast…
when do we get an update on the woodside scene?
I miss gus and the gang at the pool so I neverhear
whats happening.
saw a grand opening of a pool downtown…can you
gt the details…think its the new apartment complex
downtown named “one”
good luck…heard your cmedy shop is still going strong.
fyi…I was one of your first customers in Westport…
even though I give you hell…someone has to…it will
keep you on your toes.
good luck….saw the disgusting comments on tonys
blog…don’t let them get you down….to more good
you doin life…the more enermmies you have.
How about a charity event at your place? show the
haters that glaze has a huge heart.
my philosophy: we’re all human and make
mistakes….life is about second chances and redemption…
love ya…
keep the faith..
your friend Harley
question remains: WWBS?
heh heh heh heh heh
🙂
I’ll take the under on 100 wins, CG. They are trending towards around 97 and that has been done with some seriously good breaks and freakishly timely hitting. Those things typically don’t last for an entire season. The loss of Gordo hasn’t come back to bite them yet….but, it will. I’m thinking about 92 or 93 wins, which will still take the division. For the Twins to get to 94 wins, they would have to go 44-26. Detroit would have to go 48-22. Neither one of those things are happening.
Like you said, they are fun as hell to watch. Don’t know if they have the starting pitching (currently) to get back to the World series or not, but they will be making another run at it.
Cain will be in the conversation for MVP, but it is Trout’s to lose. That dude is a freak. Barring injury, he is a lock for the AL MVP.
Good, positive article, Glaze.
Thanks, and likely you are correct. 100 wins might be pushing it. I think the division race is over now, and hanging in first with no chaser could get this team a bit complacent down the road or in the post season. Short series and sometimes the best team doesn’t win. We all have seen this too often. These guys seem focused so I give them a strong shot to win American League title. So does Vegas, hell they are like just 2 to 1 to win it. Not the World Series the American League with Detroit and the Twins also in the top 5 teams.
thought royals were 4-1 to win….
as far as winning the division….winning early…like with 7-10 days to go in the
season would be great.
by then the pitchers and players are tired and days off mean some rest.
hopefully they keep playing good…but losing Gordon might cost them some
runs because of his defense (as we saw last night)….but overall if morales and
Orlando and cain pick it up they can win he division.
As far as kero wacky….he’s a loser. Losers think like he does. the wo is me
crowd that never had anything good to say. His thinking…his words exemplify
a loser. Regardless of what he says or the constant negativity he’s just baffling
us with bull sh*t because half of what he says is just more b.s.
He needs an attitude adjustment. Where was he last October? sitting trying
to run down the royals and he’s no genius glaze. Almmost no one (except for Harley)
thought the royals would do anything in the post season.
So stop the negativity kero wacky and do what glaze did. Keep telling yourself
ITS NOT OVER…ITS NOT OVER….ITS NOT OVER.
worked in 2014….it will work in 2015.
good day!
Angst… rancor… disappointment… so very, very Kansas City.
🙂
That Royals defense is a sight to behold. I never thought a good team could win it all on defense! This team just might. They don’t have an ace stater, other than Duffey nobody is a possible rock star, unless ‘Ace’ comes back strong. So its their defense that stands out. Escobar is at Ozzie Smith level. Just a show. I’m impressed.
However. Yes with no real big time starters winning it all will be uphill. But if anyone can do it, its these guys.