I'm going to go out on a limb and declare my love and support of this hapless franchise. It's early April, which means I still have reason to be optimistic. I'd like to take a minute to document the reasons behind my love of the Royals: History The Royals, believe it or not, are storied franchise. While they have not been competitive for the last couple of years, I grew up watching the great Royals teams of the 80s. I've got two players that I grew up idolizing: George Brett: George Brett will always be my favorite player. Brett was, of course, involved in the famous Pine Tar incident, but he also is a member of the Hall of Fame, with 3 batting titles in 3 different decades under his belt. Brett absolutely played his heart out each and every game, and will always hold a special place in my childhood. Bo Jackson: Bo broke in as this mythical figure - he'll always be remembered more for his Nike commercials than his actual production on the field. That said, for a kid, there was nothing better than watching Bo go nuts in the '89 All Star Game, which gave you a glimpse of the talent that he possessed. Uniforms I'll always maintain that the Royals baby blue unis are the best in all of sports. I'm stoked to see they are back in the fold this year. I always felt like the black was a marketing ploy, intended to increase merchandise sales despite putting a second-rate product on the field. Current Roster Despite the fact that they have such a slim payroll, there are a few players on the current roster that I'm cautiously optimistic will have good years. While they may never reach the heights of Brett or Saberhagen, they still have a chance to be solid cornerstones for years to come. Alex Gordon: I truly believe that Alex Gordon will be an All Star in this league. He's started slow, and perhaps hasn't caught fire as quickly as some would have hoped, but he's the first player I've been excited about since Brett. He's a five tool player that should hopefully make an impact this year. Zach Grienke: I was lucky enough to actually be at the ballpark last year when Grienke threw the best game of his career, a 12k shutout masterpiece against the White Sox. At that game I saw all the makings of a staff ace: A mid-90's fastball with good movement, command and control of all the pitches, and a mean streak on the mound. Grienke has already delivered on this promise this year, with a solid 7 inning outing against the Tigers. 2008 Outlook Well, the Royals swept the Tigers, so they may have already had their crowning moment for the 2008 season. As it stands, they are tied for first place in the AL Central, which is nice to see. I don't expect that to hold up through the course of the 162 game season, but I do think they may surprise some folks (especially teams that underestimate them). I'm cautiously optimistic that they may break even with a .500 record, which would be a real achievement for this franchise. All said, I'm hoping they continue to play well and act as spoiler to other teams in the American League.
