Royals Rumblings - News for November 21, 2020

With next week being Thanksgiving, we’re now officially in the Holiday season. Truth be told, we put our Christmas decorations up November 1. Yeah, we’re those people. When that calendar flipped to November, Christmas music playlists were dusted off and have been on repeat for the last three weeks. Our house is festive as hell.

But my main focus on this is the mental health of everyone. The old myth is that suicide rates rise during the holidays, and even though that’s not true, the holiday season can increase the feeling of loneliness and depression. And in the year 2020, with its tribalism, political tension, and pandemic related effects, this year’s holiday season could be darker than usual.

Taking that into consideration, why not seize the moment and embrace the holidays for what they’re meant to be: spreading joy and hope to everyone you can? Knock off the curmudgeony attitude you might be shouldering right now. Do something that generates joy inside yourself as often as possible and send that out to someone. Make the effort. Be a conduit of joy. You might be the difference to someone.

On to the rumblings...

The Royals began their new transactional approach with some 40 man shuffling last night.

Nothing too surprising outside of Angel Zerpa. I like to think I’ve got a solid grasp on the farm system and I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before. But I love the name and I’ll need to do some digging to see who he is now.

Lynn Worth with The KC Star spotlighted pitching prospect, Alec Marsh, and more specifically, Marsh’s progress in 2020.

(Paul) Gibson described Marsh’s repertoire as “special” by the end of Fall Camp at Kauffman Stadium. He showed the increased velocity along with the “pitchability” that had previously been his calling card.

Marsh’s ability to read swings and adapt accordingly impressed Gibson. Because of his four-pitch mix, he can attack hitters different ways from one outing to the next.

“He was just really outstanding in the Fall Camp,” Gibson said.

Apparently the Dodgers are interested in trading for another superstar this offseason because of course they are...

A little local sports podcast celebrate their 1 year anniversary with an “Our Favorite Moments” episode.

Michael J. Fox announced that he’ll be retiring from acting a second time while promoting his new memoir.

If 2020 was a food...

There’s always gotta be comic book movie news in my Rumblings

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Fantasy Football Player Curse of the Week

Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Bucs vs. Los Angeles Rams

I know what you’re saying. “Josh, how is Tom Brady your player of the week? The Rams defense is spectacular! They give up the 3rd least yards per game through the air. They have the 4th best sack % in the league! The nine touchdowns through the air they’ve given up this season is the lowest in the universe! How could you choose him as the FFPCotW?”

Well because I’m playing him in two of my most important leagues and sometimes Daddy’s gotta be a bit selfish. Sometimes Superman flew to the Daily Planet to beat traffic. Amirite?

Extra Fantasy Tip of the Week
Taysom Hill is to be the Saints starting QB this week and in ESPN leagues he’s TE eligible. You might take a gander to see if he’s still acquirable because having a QB in the TE spot will be huge even if he doesn’t have a good QB game. Unless you have Travis Kelce, you have a spot for Hill.

Song of the Day

“This is Me” by Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman Soundtrack

I’m a big time sucker for a good soundtrack, so I was predisposed to being in on The Greatest Showman. And I’ll say it, the movie was not as good as the soundtrack (very brave of me, I know). When I first heard about it, I saw Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya and I thought “oh damn, gotta look into this one”. Once I got into the soundtrack, I was blown away by the voice of a name I’d never heard: Keala Settle. Her range is nothing short of bonkers and she is showcased by “This is Me”. In looking for a SOTD, I happened upon the video below of the cast doing a read through/rehearsal of the song. The director, Michael Gracey, talks at the beginning about how special this rehearsal was and if you’ve got a pulse, you’ll feel it too. I’m ready to cry myself right through a brick wall! Have a Saturday, everyone!

P.S. If you check out the original soundtrack and dig it, be sure to check out the “Reimagined” album as well. Some great artists covering the songs from the movie in their own way. Zac Brown Band covering “From Now On” is my personal favorite.