In the anime classic Urusei Yatsura 2: The Beautiful Dreamer the characters struggle to understand a frightening realization: time has stopped on one particular day and a mysterious alien-mystical-magical being is controlling everyone's lives. Sorta like Groundhog Day, but a deja vu experience for everyone and a dose of semi-amnesia, which naturally means no one knows whats fully going on, or if anyone else feels the same way.
Thats what this Royals team feels like sometimes, especially as we slog through the season. Losing streaks are joyfully ended, only to be born again three days later. The losses pile up, as do the random comments from Buddy Bell, the negative columns from Whitlock and JoePo in the Star. This alongside the variously sympathetic and mocking the-Royals-are-a-joke portrayals on Sportscenter, in the New York Times and elsewhere in the national media. Another week, another random as hell appearance by a never was, be it a new Royal like Etherton or a Royal-retread like Kyle Snyder. Moreover, there's the annual Sweeney injury to mull over, as well as the bimonthly, "Sweeney used steroids" story/rumor to reflect on. Barely relevant players like Kerry Robinson, Aaron Guiel, Mark Teahen and the like shuttle back between the minors and KC, with such little importance or coherent reasoning as to make even thinking about it a sign of your own complicity with the insanity. If you're wondering what to make of the latest Kerry Robinson demotion, you've already submitted yourself too far. At a more horrifying level, whats worse: the Royals sending Teahen down, or brining him back up two weeks later.
And so the season rolls on, and it all seems the same. Mercifully the Baird saga finally resolved itself; but, with two key components of the ancien regime still in place (Team Glass and Buddisimo), we're not out of the woods yet. In fact, we're not even near it.
The Royals take a two-game losing streak into Orange County, prepared to take on the slumping Angels. As later flameout Scott Elarton once was, Bobby Keppel (0-1, 2.11 ERA) is the latest "tough luck" Royal starter, although the sentiment behind BK's labelling may at least have some merit. Personally, I think he's due for a shelling, but other's disagree on his merits. Its possible that a free-swinging, weak hitting Angels team isn't the best candidate to serve Keppel his first Royal meltdown, but we'll not know for sure for a few more sunlit hours.
The Angels counter with Ervin Santana (5-3, 4.32 ERA), who's building on a string of half-way decent performances after a sluggish run in early May.
Post your in-game comments and lamentations here. Our Royals need to start stealing some wins for the coffer soon, or we're gonna be the subject of national attention again.