Royals Rumblings - News for October 16, 2019

It’s a quiet day in Royals territory. The wolves, etc. must be hibernating readying their weapons of war.

A glass half-full look at Nicky Lopez’s future at Kings of Kauffman, from Ryan Sikes:

Lopez, 24, will be starting his offseason diet and exercise program shortly with the hope that he can take a second-year leap similar to Whit Merrifield from 2016 to 2017.

“This offseason I will be spending it in Arizona working with the staff at the complex every week”, Lopez recently told me. “I am super excited and ready to get after it. I have met with the nutritionist and will be looking to go on a strict dietary plan to help me eat the right stuff that will benefit my body. I look to get stronger this offseason and I am excited to see it carry over into the season.”

Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson was removed from ALCS game three between the Yankees and Astros after suffering a concussion. The ball that hit him came off the bat of former Royal Martin Maldonado.

ESPN apparently took a full season to realize that Jessica Mendoza working for an MLB team would have implications on the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, and may have to make some changes. (I love Mendoza as a broadcaster, but the conflict of interest is tough to square.)

Mendoza’s status as a New York Mets advisor put her in a difficult spot as a broadcaster in 2019. She was also not allowed in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ clubhouse due to her affiliation with another team. The Dodgers did the same thing with David Ross, who is both a broadcaster for ESPN and an adviser to the Chicago Cubs.

The problem with the Dodgers using Clayton Kershaw in Game 5 is that it’s 2019, basically, writes Andy McCullough at The Athletic.

Also at The Athletic, Katie Strang analyzed the legal implications of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs’ death by opioid overdose. Related: Sheryl Ring asks if the Angels were legally responsible.

Cubs exec Theo Epstein is in a doozy of a landlord-tenant dispute stemming from the house he rented in Spring Training in 2015.

The landlord says Epstein’s small family dog was a prolific piss-monster; Epstein says the home was overrun with disgusting venomous arachnids from the bowels of hell.

Adam Teicher at ESPN wonders how Patrick Mahomes will bounce back from the last couple disappointing games.

Costco is vertically integrating chicken farming to keep its 6-pound rotisserie chickens in abundant supply. The giant new facility in Fremont, Nebraska is the testing ground.

Panera heating up mac and cheese in a sous-vide bag is not a bad thing.

Now that I’ve gotten back to town and watched it, can we talk about the Succession finale today?

Music: this organ and piano cover of “First Step” from Interstellar, which was scored by the great Hans Zimmer.