The Royals At The Crossroads in Charm City; 18-11 Looms

The last time the Royals had a chance to go 18-11 was this very day in 2009. Their opponent: the Mariners, their staunch opponent in the Battle for Grass Creek. The Royals won that day, setting the wheels in motion for what could only be deemed a catastrophic failure of a season. With their waxen wings, the Royals flew aloft seven games over .500 with nary a worry about the clubhouse.

By the end of May--a mere 25 days later--the Royals sat four games under .500, having been swept by the Angels, Athletics, and Pale Hoes, while also dropping series to Cleveland, St. Louis, and Detroit. The only series they didn't lose outright in that stretch was versus the Baltimore Orioles. The Royals played host to the Charm City Nine for a four-game tilt and earned a split in the series.

With the possibility of 18-11 looming in the very immediate future (like less than six hours from now), the Royals must decide whether they want to pay heed to the implied decree of the baseball gods--a decree which any Royals fan could understand would never have been heard by the Royals as there is no possible way that the lines of communication are open between the two parties judging by the futility they have displayed over the past two decades--or whether they will challenge the validity of Calvinist theory as pertains to baseball, throw caution to the wind, and let Ervin Santana, a man whose nickname last year may as well have been "Tragic," lay waste to the Orioles and potentially their hopes for contention with a pyrrhic victory.

The Royals' fate hangs in the balance. The faint of heart would be best served by keeping away.