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Royals Rumblings - News for October 30, 2014
Vahe Gregorian writes that Royals fans should appreciate manager Ned Yost.
As a kid hitting rocks in his back yard, manager Ned Yost never thought about "bases loaded, two out, bottom of the ninth, game five of the World Series, you know? Never.
"It was always two outs, bottom of the ninth, game seven of the World Series, you know?"
So much so that Yost "secretly" had hoped the series would come to this scenario.
The downside of that desire to walk the high-wire, of course, was the extreme risk-reward stakes that came with it. Careful what you wish for. Maybe it hurt all the more to lose 3-2.
"As magical as our run has been, to end up losing the ballgame by 90 feet is tough," Yost said.
Sam Mellinger writes that a loss doesn't diminish these season the Royals had.
They will have a season celebration at the K today. With a world championship, it would’ve been a parade down Grand Boulevard, just like 1985, and there will always be a tinge of regret about what wasn’t accomplished. But this is one of those times in professional sports where the size of the rings won’t match the size of the achievement.
"We’re definitely going to realize what we did a couple days from now," says James Shields, the ace pitcher brought in to help change a losing culture. "It brought the city together. This city has been wanting this forever, for a long time."
This is the team that made baseball fun again in Kansas City, finally, cool enough for kids to wear their gear to grade schools from Olathe to Oak Grove without risking ridicule.
Marc Normandin writes that the Royals 2014 season was a success.
The Royals' 2014 season was a tremendous success. They didn't have to win the World Series for that to be the case -- in reality, they didn't even need to make the World Series for this to be truth. Kansas City snapped the longest active playoff drought in baseball by winning a wild card, and then rattled off eight consecutive victories to earn their World Series berth. A fan base dying for a reason to cheer rather than brood was suddenly bombarded with good news they scarcely remembered how to handle, and their joy was contagious: it spread to many others who hoped to see them slay the giant and keep them from their third World Series championship in five years. Maybe the Royals weren't "America's team" like much of the media kept stating during this World Series, but they were the underdog, and that's usually enough to get this sport's neutral fans behind you.
Ricky O'Donnell writes that no, Alex Gordon would not have scored in the ninth inning had Mike Jirschele sent him on that triple.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick looks at where the Royals go from here.
"Last year, at the end of the year, I was like, 'OK, I hope they got over the hump,'" Royals manager Ned Yost said. "There's no hoping anymore. These guys have gotten over the hump. They're still very, very hungry. It's a very dejected group in there right now. They didn't accomplish their goal. They know how close they came, and they're going to want to taste it again."
General manager Dayton Moore, who came to Kansas City from Atlanta in 2006 with specific ideas on how to build a contender on a limited budget, will not be leaving the organization to return to the Braves, as a brief flurry of media speculation had suggested. Instead, he'll try to make the needed upgrades to complement a Royals roster with a lot of pieces in place to contend again in 2015.
"The players here are different today than they were a month ago for this experience, no doubt," Moore said. "The only thing they'll think about as baseball players, from this day forward, is getting back on this stage."
Comedian and Kansas City native Rob Riggle is proud.
I love my @Royals!!! Thanks for the best Series I've seen in 29 yrs! Congrats San Francisco Giants.
— Rob Riggle (@RobRiggle) October 30, 2014
Royals fans are still proud, breaking out in a "Let's Go Royals" chant after the final out.
The Royals lost despite a rally Cam and rally Mitch during the game.
Cam and Mitch are ALL IN on the @Royals for #WorldSeries #Game7! (Good luck @ericstonestreet) http://t.co/1UHzt2THJp pic.twitter.com/MDYRdCztV1
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 30, 2014
Royals fan sign comes so close to being spelled correctly.
Dude, what was up with Chevy Guy?
David Roth writes about the mutilated Alex Gordon rookie card.
Jeff Sullivan at Fangraphs talks about the highest leverage moments in World Series history.
Former Rays manager Joe Maddon will reportedly manage the Chicago Cubs.
The Kansas City Symphony - which nailed the National Anthem before Game 6 - said they felt like "rock stars."
Projecting the College Football Playoff using advanced stats.
The Los Angeles Lakers got off to an auspicious start Wednesday night. Are they secretly tanking?
Marvel Studios set the dates for nine new superhero movies, including Captain Marvel.
Andy Greenwald at Grantland writes why the American sitcom is dying.
Your song of the day is Guns N' Roses with "Don't Cry."