Royals Rumblings - News for March 30, 2018

Everyone ready for Opening Day?!?

I had this strange dream that baseball did something silly like have Opening Day on Thursday - you know, the middle of the week. And the Royals first four batters all scored. But then James Shields shut them down the rest of the way. Duffy gave up the lead and the bullpen did far worse. Something called a “Matt Davidson” pulled a Tuffy Rhodes, Alex Gordon got a double the opposite way, and Alcides Escobar walked en route to the Royals losing by a touchdown.

Yeesh. I need to watch what I eat before bedtime.

So who’s ready to go 162-0?

Of course the big Royals news yesterday was Salvy’s injury along with some roster moves, including Nate Karns to the DL and Kyle Zimmer DFA’d.

Old friend Greg Holland signed with the Carsjamknlsjdnflkjasndf... the Canvnwnepvlksdns... the provel cheese eaters to the east.

Anonymous AL scouts gave their opinions on other AL teams. Guess which team this cheery report is for

I don’t think the near future is bright for them. They’re going to have some big holes, and they’re going to plug them with utility-type players. Their offense has been putrid out here. It’s going to be a long year.

Sports Illustrated also made their MLB predictions. Guess which AL Central team they predict to make the playoffs? Sorry, it’s the Indians and Twins.

Other teams played opening day games and MLB.com catalogued a list of 2018 firsts. It was a pretty cool day and I think there were more stories than usual.

Ian Happ of the Cubs homered on the first pitch of the season.

Anthony Rizzo also homered in a particularly meaningful game to him. In his return to Florida, he talked about his Stoneman Douglas High School.

”I’ve hit a lot of home runs,” Rizzo said. “That was probably the most out-of-body experience I’ve had hitting a home run in my life. It just felt really good. My emotions on Opening Day are usually pretty high, but with all this, you can’t really put it into words.

”I put my hand on the Stoneman Douglas patch and looked up to those kids up there, the adults who have lost their lives,” he said. “It was a special moment for me personally.”

The opposition Miami team, after trading away their biggest players, are potentially losing their biggest fan. Marlins Man is now a free agent.

Perhaps sensing that reconciliation was beyond reach, Mr. Man is now negotiating with other teams, including the Detroit Tigers. It seems unlikely that Mr. Man will reach an agreement before the Opening Day festivities begin, but rest assured that he had to get one last comment in about Jeter on his way out:

Said Leavy: “Derek Jeter is a Hall of Fame player and a virgin and inexperienced corporate owner and baseball manager of a team. I wish them luck and success, and I hope that they have a winning team in my lifetime.”

I swear this story can’t get any dumber from both sides but here we are. No word on if Jeter sent Mr. Man a gift basket.

Because, of course everything the Yankees steal touch turns to gold, former Marlin Giancarlo Stanton hits 2 home runs in his New York debut.

New Angels DH Shohei Ohtani singled on the first pitch. He’s slated to pitch Sunday. And how about the mustache Daniel Mengden is sporting on that page?

George Springer hit a leadoff homer for the second year in a row for as the Astros begin their title defense.

The Astros also debuted their 4-man outfield.

Maybe firsts aren’t what you’re looking for. How about a Braves modern franchise record with a 5-run Opening Day comeback? Nick Markakis hit the decisive home run. But he’s no Mendy Lopez.

And, for the third year in a row, the Orioles walked off Opening Day a winner.

This is the first time in MLB history a team has won three straight Opening Day games in a walk-off, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

I wanted to keep this all baseball but there was a fun hockey story last night, too. Imagine baseball had a position called emergency catcher. And they didn’t get in the game unless the starting catcher was hurt, the backup catcher got hurt in the game, and the team couldn’t call up someone in time. Of course we all know, it would just result in Whit wearing the catcher’s gear. But in the NHL, they have a designated emergency goalie. Last night, the emergency goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks, accountant Scott Foster, got into the game and made 7 saves. He also had a pretty awesome interview:

I have a feeling it’s going to be a busy day so we’ll just revisit Monster Hunter, which we originally talked about last September. This track is called Reincarnation of Light and Darkness and is the theme of the Shagaru Magala.