By CHRIS RASMUSSEN
If I’ve been negative in assessing Kansas City sports, there’s a reason:
We’ve hit bottom.
Sure, Kansas won basketball’s national championship and Missouri is a national power in football. Yes, that brings joy to some fans who have yet to visit either campus, let alone attend a class. But today, wearing “Kansas City” on a uniform guarantees a one-way trip to the cellar.
The Wizards, Royals and the Brigade are all in last place. The Chiefs finished last in 2007 and traded away their best defensive player in the off-season for untested draft choices. Our only team not in last place is the Kansas City T-Bones, surprising those unaware that the Northern League keeps track of wins and losses.
Arguably, the greatest sporting triumph for this town was David Cook’s victory in American Idol’s annual search for the best cover artist (or the best artist covering another artist’s cover).
Partly, this is the trade-off of living in a small market. New York gets well-heeled owners and lucrative crime-ridden subways; we get Wal-Mart’s David Glass but parking is ample. Los Angeles gets David Beckham and Midwestern imports vying to become the next Candace Bushnell; the Wizards get the disappointing Claudio Lopez but we successfully avoid the aspiring Bushnells unless they visit on holidays. Chicago produces Barack Obama and might draft Michael Beasley; we have no NBA team but our mayor is a tower of unintentional humor.
We’re smaller, but our fans are loyal and passionate – it's a miracle that people still pay attention to the Royals, let alone attend their games. When (not if) the Chiefs, Wizards and Royals win again, the victories will feel more important.
I’m not going anywhere.
Oh, and our gas prices are the cheapest in the country. Suck on that, LA.
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Nah, I'm more euphoric about Dayton Moore and how quickly he's signed his draft picks (and we're not even close to the 8/15 deadline) than anything on the field.
Moore, unlike Baird, has access to Glass' checkbook. Its the best news we've heard on or off the field in years.
Chris, I think that is the interleague euphoria speaking. Happened last year also. If I'm not mistaken, last year this time JoPo wrote a column the day after Odalis' 6 IP, 3 ER win in St. Louis in which he claimed that "even if the Royals don't win the World Series, Perez still has an outside chance at the Cy Young Award. How's that for crazy?"
Put the down the laughing gas and Royals #1 foam finger, and step slowly away.
I'm with Gus on this one. Mediocrity to me means 81-81. I'd take that.
And I think we might be above .500 soon -- 2009 or 2010.
oh, paul, there you go confusing me again. a run of "mediocrity"? if the royals ever acheived mediocrity, this town would never stop shitting silly string in celebration.
2007 National Champions and still ranked #1 in the nation -
http://www.kcrollerwarriors.com
I get so tired of hearing the small market excuse but dammit if it ain't the truth...or maybe just our lack of billionaire owners...
Kansas City sports fans attend Royals games at least in numbers not seen in most other cellar dwellers because they a) There is nothing else to do; and b) They are fearful of the team making good on its occasional threat to leave - like the stripper's boyfriend who goes to the club every night supposedly to see her dance (certainly not because he's scared to death she'll get her a new construction worker); and c) If you live in this town on purpose and are a rational human being, you have determined that you don't need the best. What folks so often forget, though, is that something less than the best often results in an extended run of mediocrity.
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