March 28, 2024

The Pressbox

Blue is the new color of fall

Please excuse the giddiness my fellow Daily News staff member, Ty Rushing, and I are working under this week. Both of us are from Kansas and die-hard Kansas City Royals fans.

No way, the Kansas City Royals can win against Oakland even at home.

No way, the Kansas City Royals win against the mighty Los Angeles Angels of Anehiem in the American League Division Series.

No way, the Kansas City Royals beat the Baltimore, the beast of the East.

Well, WAY. Kansas City is the 2014 American League Champion. AND WAY, the Kansas City Royals are in the 2014 World Series.

While Ty wrote about witnessing a “miracle” earlier this week on the day the Royals would later clinch their third World Series appearance in team history, I raised the roof on my apartment building cheering and witnessing my third Royals’ run into Major League Baseball’s Fall Classic. I have different memories of games at Kauffman Stadium, which used to be known as Royals Stadium, and the years since the Royals came to Kansas City in 1969.

I was 11 when the Royals took up the Kansas City banner following the departure of the Athletics to Oakland. We watched and listened as the Royals began to build an outstanding team and organization. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Royals were awesome. Fans filled the stadium to witness history year-after-year.

One of the great aspects of my profession is I have had opportunities to witness some sports history. I covered the two runs to win American League championships in the 1980s by the Royals plus the one they lost to Detroit.

In 1980, I worked for the Linn County News (Pleasanton, Kan.) and covered the ALCS against the New York Yankees, but my boss at the time took the credentials for the World Series, which the Royals lost to Philadelphia. In 1985, I was the sports editor for the Iola Register (Iola, Kan.) covering the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays, then the World Series against St. Louis. The Royals gave the media covering the 1985 World Series special pins. The gold pin with the Royals’ crest featuring a blue R and saying “Second World Series” is one of my prize possessions.

Then came the 1990s — the baseball strike in 1994 in which baseball did not have a World Series. The Royals had a pretty solid team in 1994 and appeared to be set to make another run at the AL pennant. Didn’t happen. Kansas City professional baseball fell on hard times. Fans watched as good players, young, developing players were traded off.

“Wait until next year” was the mantra for the Kansas City organization.

Well, next year is here Royals’ fans.

No matter what happens in the World Series against the San Francisco Giants, you will see a big smile on my face. Sure, I want the Royals to win it, but for those of us who waited until next year, this is awesome.

The 2014 edition of the Kansas City Royals just brings smiles to your face. These players are having fun playing the game. I anticiapate a great World Series. The Giants seem to play much like the Royals.

The 2014 World Series should be a Fall Classic to remember. Go Blue October.