Some Times Baseball is All That You Need.

By

Tim Pafford

 

       I am sorry I have not been writing as much as I normally do.  I have been going through more than the usual writer goes through and it has kept me from my writing.

       About a month ago, I was the victim of a horrible armed robbery and car jacking.  I got lost in a small town north of Kansas City and was forced to pay greatly for my loss of way.

        After a long and stressful day I had not gotten to eat and lost my way trying to get back home to my family.  I was starting to loose focus on the road and knew I needed to stop before I crashed my car.  I was listening to the Tigers and Royals game as Duffy and Verlander fought a very good rubber match to stay awake.  Eventually  I stopped in an open establishment, who was showing the game, and tried to regain my barrings to get myself back home.

       While there, I started talking to the patrons at the location.  The waitress eventually told me a sad story of having drug issues and her fears of her boy friend because he was very abusive to her. As I watched the game she disappeared and her customers started to become upset that she was not taking care of them.  Being the customer service person I am, I felt sorry for her situation in life and started taking care of her guests.  Eventually her boss came out and started accusing me of stealing from his establishment.  

        No matter how I tried to tell him I was not stealing, and merely trying to help as a decent human being, he became angrier and angrier.  When I told him that simply looking at the video footage of my work would prove that I didn't take anything from him he became enraged.

         When this statement did nothing but anger him he started threatening me with the gum he had hidden under the bar!  Needless to say, I panicked and ran out the door!!  I got into my car and drove away.

        When I had gotten about a block away I stopped and was met by several people I thought were there to help me.  Instead they also threatened to kill me and took me out of my car at gun point!!  They ransacked my car, and when they couldn't find anything they wanted, they stole my car, my wallet, my identification, my phone and then took me off to a fenced-in location with promises of further torment and torture.

       After the several threats to my life, and all of the theft that followed, I had a total mental break down and begged for them to stop their torture of an innocent man!!  I had only meant to help and was mistaken!!

       Luckily, one of my tormentors took pity on me and got me to a hospital where I was observed and eventually released.

       These events have kept me from typing.  I am trying to fight my torturers in the court of law and hoping I can win.  It will be tough.  
       I am shocked we live in a country that claims to be free and just, but such horrors are allowed to take place and the citizens back these violent acts.

        Baseball has helped to center me when nothing else has been able to.  The Royals are playing well and winning games.  They have tied or won their last 3 series and are seeming to have found new placement  for areas left vacant from injury.  I was not sure I would enjoy a season of Royals baseball without Joakim Soria pitching 9th innings.  
       He is sorely missed, and the games are not the same without seeing him waiting for the chance for a save.  But this is America's Past Time!  In Kansas City our team in the Royals!!  The start was rough, but now the team is rolling and out of the basement.  If they keep it up, they may well still have a chance at the Division Championship! Even if they don't, watching them play has helped me find a place for sanity when my life seems to spin out of control.  Thank you Royals, you have been there when no one else has.

What Will 2012 Bring to Kansas City?

By Tim Pafford

        Spring training is not far away.  Before we know it our Kansas City Royals will be reporting to Surprise, AZ and #BruceJuiceChen will be near running distance to his place of work.  If that isn't enough for this  comic veteran to look forward to, he also has two other Lefty Starters to assist him this year.

       Yes, The Kansas City Royals have picked up another Lefty Starter with the level of talent as Bruce!  None other than Jonathan Sanchez of the 2010 SF Giants fame!  This is a player who was 2nd in all of pro-baseball with strike-out percentage behind only team mate Tim Lincecum in 2010.  Though he did spend much of 2011 on the bench, he is reported to be full y recovered and ready to preform for Kansas City.  He says the only thing he is going to miss will be batting.

       With the return on Danny Duffy, with a new level of pro experience, this could make for a great batch of left handed starters in Kansas City.  Now, it is only a matter of seeing if Luke H. can maintain his level of command and strike-outs as he did in the 2nd half of 2011.  If he can, we maybe seeing a solid #1 starter in KC.

         The #5 spot will come in time.  There are plenty of strong pitchers on the roster for Kansas City.  It is just a matter of time who is chosen to be a starter.  Aaron Crow certainly has the experience of a starting pitcher from his years in college, but does he have what it takes to be a starter at the professional level?  I am not sure, but I will but money down on a bet that says Ned Yost will at least give him a shot.  Plus there is still Sean O'Sullivan.  He can eat innings and he has been taking more care of what he eats off the field.  If he does stay trim and can continue his level of consistency, I can see Sean being the #5.

         But that is all a matter of time.  I know I am growing impatient for the baseball season to start just typing this article.  I really should stop and go throw a baseball around in this Spring-like winter that Kansas City is enjoying.  I hope you will too.

       Here is to 2012 and a great baseball season in Kansas City.  (I didn't forget the All-Star Game....  That will be for later....;))

Frank White is Fired from Broadcast Booth

By Tim Pafford

        Frank White has been a part of Kansas City baseball since the 1970's.  Even after leaving the field as a player he returned to coach, manage, and work within the broadcasting booth as the fill-in when Paul Splittorff became too ill to continue his work.  Why would any front office let go of a loved, living legend, when he was more than willing to remain and lend his vast knowledge of the game to fans during a year that could be the best in recent Royals history?  I do not know.

        When I presented the news of White's dismissal from the booth, she cried.  I know I also had a feeling deep inside my guts of sad disrespect to one of Kansas City's best baseball players.  The man has 8 Golden Glove awards and is one of only 2 players in Royals history to have their number retired.  (There are three numbers on the wall, but #10 is Dick Howser's number in memory of when he was managing the 1985 World Series victors.)

         Frank White has also been quoted as saying that he will never return to Royals baseball in any form because of this bold dismissal of his commentating talents.  He was said to have been "too negative" in his broadcasts, but I only saw him picking apart the plays as they happened.  He would point out how a play could have been made better by either team's defense.   I never noticed him picking on the Royals any more than their play dictated.  They have finished last, or tied for last, for several seasons in a row in a division that does not have a dominate team.  I don't know of any commentator who could find many bright spots in a team losing that many games a year.  (I also don't remember Paul Splittorff  being particularly cheerful during seasons of 90+ losses on the year.)   So why punish a man for speaking the truth?  I know I would rather hear a commentator speak their mind than platitudes for a team that was not playing well.  I only hope there is an organization out there some where that will take up Frank White's talent and pay him what he deserves.

2011 Draws to a Close

By Tim Pafford

       2011, 2011, 2001!  What a season it was!  The Royals are on their way to being out of the basement for the first time in several seasons.  They may remain on the 1st floor, but it is still not last place.  Some may not see this as a great accomplishment, but it is a huge first step; especially when you consider how much more competitive that AL Central Division became this season.
        Many say that the Detroit Tigers not only boast in having the Cy Young contender for the AL, but also a team with the type of offense that may see the AL Championship and a World Series Birth.  Time will tell if they hold on, but when you consider what has been taking place in Detroit over the last few years economically, a Tiger's win of the Fall Classic will be an emotional victory even to those who aren't baseball fans.  (Think a fiscal version of the 2001 Yankee's.)

        As the season continued on, up and coming players from the minor league system came up to add in the young team's image and performance numbers. Eric Hosmer has impressed all skeptics and has been eyed by even the best prospectors in the sport as one of the next great baseball players of this generation.  It seemed as if he were a young man born to play pro baseball in Kansas City.  (And after his history making 5 for 5 last night, who would argue?)

        Tim Collins started out strong this season with an impressive ERA and pitch delivery.  Though he fought control issues as the season wore on, some see him as a potential "Lefty Specialist" for the Royals of the future.
       But, I think he needs to get over his "Napoleon Complex" and see that his team will not be perfect every time he allows hits.  I found his throwing of the rosin bag at Escobar, during a tight game in July, was totally unprofessional and made Collins look like the short whiner of the team. (Especially after he walked the next two hitters in eight pitches.)  I feel he needs to look to other short Tims around the Majors and see their level of professionalism and decorum, on and off the mound, as an example that being short isn't an excuse for a short temperament.

        Tonight's Game will be the last game Kansas City will get to enjoy until 2012 rolls around.  But it has been a beautiful and fun experience seeing the team grow and see young players being nurtured into pro ball players for years to come.  This last picture maybe how our last visions of the seasons materialize, but I know I can't wait till 2012 to see if the Royals can capitalize on new talents and see the first Play-Off Birth since 1985 when the team won the World Series in only its second appearance in the Fall Classic.