White Sox take the AL Central

Well, thanks to the two games the Royals won in their final series with the Twins, the AL Central had to be decided in a playoff game last night between the White Sox and the Twins. I watched the first few innings before I turned my attention to other things. By that point it was obvious that it was a pitchers and defense game.

The Royals ended up being a key factor in the AL West with their excellent performance during September -- almost good enough to forget the rather poor showing in May, June, July, and August.

And they weren't at the bottom of the heap....

Royals End the Season With Dignity

Well, the 2008 baseball season is over for the Royals. They won their last series 2-1 and ended the season with a respectable .680 percentage for the month of September. They spoiled the division-leading Minnesota Twins' plans for a celebration, forcing them to await the White Sox make-up game that now holds the key to the AL Central.

The Royals' percentage for the season was .463, which is nothing to crow about, but considering the September record, demonstrates the rather poor performance over the summer. I sure hope we see some better playing in 2009. It has been a long time since the 1980s when the Royals were easy to cheer for.

It's a Little Late, Royals

I've noted with mixed feelings the fact that the Kansas City Royals have been doing much better than they did, in say, August when they were 7 for 27 or .259.

Thus far, in September, they are 13 for 20 or .650. Their last 10 games show 8 wins.

If they had played in May, June, July and August the way they're playing now, they'd be heading for the playoffs. (yes, I know the season began on March 31, but they actually did reasonably well leading off this season -- .444 for March and April)

Come on Royals -- we know you can do it!

On 25th anniversary, Brett recalls pine tar homer

On 25th anniversary, Brett recalls pine tar homer:

"KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- George Brett says he's surprised that people still make a big deal out of his 1983 'pine tar' home run at Yankee Stadium.

The Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer's ninth-inning blast was taken away after umpires ruled the pine tar on Brett's bat extended too far up the shaft. Brett erupted from the dugout in one of baseball's all-time tirades.

The Royals protested the call, it was later overturned, and the two teams finished the game weeks later. The Royals won 5-4."

It just doesn't seem that long ago...

What a game! And what an anti-climax when they had to get back together for the final three outs.

Go Royals!

It's been a while since the Royals have had a season open like this. With the 4-0 win over the New York Yankees yesterday their record improved to a quite respectable 6-2. I'm going to enjoy it while I can and hope I don't jinx them.

Can This Last?

As of last night, the Kansas City Royals were 3-0 -- a statistic that I was beginning to despair of ever seeing again. Keep it up guys!

First YouTube video cited in court opinion | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

First YouTube video cited in court opinion | Tech news blog - CNET News.com:

"Terence Evans this week became the first judge in the United States to cite a YouTube video in a written opinion.

Evans, a President Clinton nominee who sits on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was writing about a case involving a trademark dispute over 'Stealth' baseball bats.

The case deals with baseball Hall-of-Famer George Brett, who joined a baseball bat manufacturer after he left the Kansas City Royals. Now Brett Brothers Sports International is embroiled in a trademark dispute with Central Manufacturing, which is a hyper-litigious company owned by Leo Stoller that claims broad trademark rights in the world 'Stealth.'

As background, Evans included a description of what baseball fans remember as Brett's famous Pine Tar Incident in a 1983 game against the New York Yankees over whether the bat was legal to be used. Brett's home run was nullified by an umpire, the Yankees won, but on appeal to the American League his team got a second try and eventually beat the Yankees 5-4. ..."

Here is a blending of two of my favorite subjects -- the glory days of the Royals, and new uses of technology. Note that the video referenced in the judge's opinion has since been removed at the request of Major League Baseball.

This has brought back many fond memories of the 1980's Kansas City Royals and one of my favorite sports cartoons: George Brett is standing in the batters box, the umpire is bent over facing away from Brett brushing off home plate, and the catcher warns Brett "Remember George, only up to the label..."

Royals Showing Signs of Life

I was doing the morning drive to work, and I was snapped out of my lethargy (don't worry - my wife was driving) by the words "The Royals broke their winning streak last night..." You don't hear "Royals" and "winning streak" too often in the same sentence these days, so it does tend to bring my brain to wakefulness.

Looking into the recent performance, the Royals have won 7 of the last 10 and 9 of the last 15 -- so it seems to show improvement -- and that is about all we die-hard Royals fans have these days. Keep it up, Royals!