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Weekend Rumblings - News for August 8, 2015
Andy McCullough answers questions in his weekly mailbag.
@ActualJ_Proctor: who are some minor league guys we should watch for in September?
Andy: In these situations, always look to the 40-man roster. The 40-man is the key. If a player in on the 40-man, he has a better chance than someone who isn’t. But the best Royals minor-leaguers aren’t on the 40-man, which adds to the intrigue.
Here is one you can bank on: Paulo Orlando will join the club on Sept. 1. And that’s only if he’s not already back up.
If Terrance Gore is healthy, he’ll almost certainly get another shot to steal some bases, eat some Skittles and be called "G. Baby" by his teammates. Gore now is nursing an ankle injury. He hasn’t played for Class AA Northwest Arkansas since July 16.
The Star's Blair Kerkhoff has a nice piece about Ben Zobrist's near-brush with Kansas City after his high school career and how his professional career arrived after that.
What prevented Zobrist’s first trip to Kansas City? His high school coach encouraged him to attend a showcase camp for high school seniors. Zobrist came up with the $50 fee and impressed coaches from Olivet Nazarene, a nearby NAIA school.
Kansas City was canceled and a baseball career continued. After three years at Olivet, Zobrist transferred to Division I Dallas Baptist and that summer was selected in the sixth round by the Astros.
Over at Royals Authority, Craig Brown discusses the unpleasant road trip.
So while a 4-6 road trip where winnable games were lost may seem like the sky is falling, perspective is always important. The AL Central is incredibly weak and the Royals have found ways, despite the struggling offense, to outpace their own division in the smallest samples. They are thoroughly in command with a 9.5 game lead with 55 games left on the schedule. I take nothing for granted until I see that letter next to their name in the standings, (you know, the one that signifies they’ve either won the division or clinched a playoff spot) so I’ll refrain from celebration, but they are still in a great position.
I leave this with no comment.
With Chris Young waiting in the wings, and Kris Medlen working his way back, the time may be right to revisit that demotion for Ventura. The Royals will need Ventura to be back to himself, not just for the postseason push, but for years to come. If Ventura is going to develop into that ace starter, or even a solid front of the rotation pitcher, then it is imperative that he finds himself once again.
Much like a brief demotion to Omaha appeared to do wonders for Mike Moustakas last season, it may be time to give Ventura that same mental vacation. Perhaps it will work much the same way that break worked for Moustakas last year, and a more confident Ventura appears over the month and a half of the season, continuing into October.
Other items of interest
Here's an opinion about Jon Stewart and his final show who was there as an audience member.
Out of all the GOP debate hubbub, it seems Donald Trump made an astute policy observation.
Presenting comedy shows to college students at universities is a tricky business.
Verizon has given up phone contracts. It's a crazy world.
See the stunning winning photos in the National Geographic 2015 Traveler Photo Contest.
Weekend classic
French impressionist composer Claude Debussy completed his orchestral suite La mer, or 'The sea,' in 1905 and its world premiere was that October in Paris. The work is not a symphony, as it lacks the formal composition and structure of one, but its more fluid nature suits its subject material. Debussy and other impressionists were known for their depictions of real-life objects and ideas as music pieces. La mer features three interconnected movements, and all three invoke the feeling of the surf and the sea beautifully.
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