Hi, my name is Richard, and I've never been a baseball fan.

Guess I’ve done the opposite. Started in KC and now living in PHX (BTW – I also find the Suns entertaining despite not really being an NBA fan, and I have an odd facination with hockey that I can’t explain – Go Coyotes!!!)

About “The Process” – I’ll try to give the short version. KC management doesn’t really like to be questioned or to divulge too many details. At one point, we (the fans) were pretty much told that we need to “trust the process”. Of course, at no point were we told WHAT the process involved (kinda like the Matrix “No one can be told what it is.”). So that catchphrase has become sort of a parody. When the Royals make some unexplainable and/or stupifying move, its obviously part of “the process”!

Always hate the White Sox and generally the Tigers. The Indians are less of a concern and I have never been able to dislike the Twins for some reason (maybe I spent too much time up there to hate them), but other people could tell you what they think. And of course we’re always up against St. Louis since they’re across the state.

Otherwise, I always advocate hating the Yankees and, at times, the Red Sox.

Oh, and one of the other lesser-known “rivalries” is with the Mariners, which is called the Battle for Grass Creek after the town of Grass Creek, WY, that is essentially equally spaced between Seattle and KC.

I played baseball so much when I was young, it took the fun right out of it. However, I found this site while trying to find more data on the Royals and I have not looked back.

I think when trying to understand baseball to a level that will make it very exciting is learning every thing that people use to evaluate a player, team, and franchise.

At first learning about some of these advance stats is rough, but it will make you look at the game in a way that it is now my favorite professional sport to follow.

with Kauffman Stadium. It was beautiful before the renovation and it’s even better now. Welcome to the RR community and Royals fandom.

My general impression of the Royals originally is that they acted as some sort of “elite” farm team for the rest of the major league. [Citation Needed]

As close as anyone has ever come.

It’s going to take me a long time to figure out just who the hell you’re talking about though I’m sure.

And Analgrams is officially going to be my band’s name once I start one in KC. Full of win.

FAN-tastic.

and you would see the birth of the next MEME O’ AWESOME!

More importantly, there’s more immediate interaction with the community in a baseball game thread than in a basketball game thread. In basketball, people are mostly just posting the equivalent of quick tweets then turning back to the action; there usually isn’t any “conversation” except during timeouts and halftime.

Baseball, you’ve got more time to kill while watching the game, so more electronic jaw-flapping ensues.

Basically, guys who will hit the ball hard(ish) but not hit many home runs. Literally the term refers to hitting the ball into the gaps between OFers. Basically the deep space in the OF between LF and CF and between CF and RF are referred to, generally as “the gaps.”

THE PROCESS!!

Oh SNAP!!! That’s it!

Kauffman Stadium actually plays pretty neutral. It isn’t an extreme pitcher’s park. Coors Field is an extreme hitter’s park, but not because it is small. The dimensions are actually pretty big (which helps gap hitters). Coors Field gives up so many home runs because the high elevation helps the ball carry much better there than anywhere else in the majors.

Too much leather, but a very good first effort.

A lot of people here know a lot of stuff and are happy to share what they know. There really aren’t any stupid questions. We all have things we know and things we don’t know. Just ask and you’ll get answers (sometimes contradictory ones).

A secretive self-hating Royals Lifer!!!!

You sir are most welcome here!!!

Kind of an in depth look at the complexities of baseball for beginners can be gotten here
 
http://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Between-Numbers-Everything-About/dp/0465005969

Really does an excellent job of breaking down the complexities of baseball without getting to numbersy.

Unfortunately parking is like $14. The food alone at the Stadium nearly makes up for it (also fairly expensive too).