Royals Rumblings - News for December 12, 2020

Christmas lights, amirite? After two solid weekends of work, I finally completed the outside look. There’s just something about a string of light’s ability to light up upon first examination and then immediately stop working after they had been hung. I had 7-8 different official lightings due to that problem and consequently 6-7 blood pressure rising fits of swear words and promises to myself that I’ll never do this again. Then I’d turn on some Christmas music, crush up a candy cane for snorting, dump hot cocoa in my eyes, and get back to it. Alas, every light is lit and my yard is festive as hell. I cleaned up the mess I’d created and stepped back to survey the masterpiece I had created. I’ll be damned if one of the strands didn’t stop working. It was chewed into pieces by my own mouth fueled by candy cane dust and rage, and replaced to finish the job. They don’t call it the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” for no reason, folks.

On to the Rumblings...

Over at The Athletic old friend, Andy McCullough was asked to create a bracket of all the World Series champions of the last decade to get a Grand Champion.

No. 3 2016 Cubs versus No. 6 2015 Royals

The Ben Zobrist Bowl! Zobrist added an element of patience that was missing in the Royals lineup when he arrived midway through 2015. That winter, the Cubs signed him as one of the final pieces to their own championship puzzle. These two teams almost met in the 2015 World Series — though the Mets rotation made sure the Cubs’ drought would extend just one more year. It would have been a fascinating contest between two youthful, athletic clubs. The Royals actually matched up far better against the Mets than they did the Cubs, because Chicago played the sort of defense the Mets did not, which proved decisive in the World Series.

David Scharff for Kings of Kauffman looks at the Royals’ move up in the Bleacher Report power rankings prior to free agency.

This is too damn much sexy for one movie. Captain America? Baby Goose? And now Ana De Armas? Great googly moogly. Plus it’s a Russo bros movie so it’s probably awesome.

A few faces for the Game of Thrones spinoff were announced. I’m not super familiar with them but I see that some of the directors set to work on the new show worked on Banshee, Snowpiercer, and The Witcher, so expect a lot of the same swordplay and...bedding?...in it.

Fantasy Football Player Curse of the Week

D’Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

Lookout now! Josh got two in a row after going Tomithy Brady two weeks ago (QB5) and Jarvis Landry last week (WR13). I might have to start thinking about unstriking through that “player” in the title, huh? DON’T LET ME GET HOT IN TIME FOR THE PLAYOFFS!!!

Swift has been hit with an “illness” that’s been frustrating his managers down the regular season stretch. If you’ve survived that three week run, I think you’ll be handsomely rewarded with a big game in the first round of the playoffs. Before going down, Swift seemed to be breaking out in a big way averaging 19.3 points between weeks 9 & 10. He practiced on Friday but still carries a questionable designation. I think if he gets off the injury report, he’ll suit up against a Packers defense that’s giving up 23.9 PPG to the running back with the most touches in the opposing backfield, not to mention the 2nd most receiving yards per game to opposing running backs. This game is currently carrying the highest over/under total for the week as well, so as long as Swift suits up, he’ll get some production. Getcha some of that.

Song of the Day

“Walk” - Foo Fighters

I love the Foo Fighters. I finally got to see them live a couple years ago when Dave Grohl was touring on a broken foot. It remains my favorite concert of all time ((In my best David Rose impression) which is saying something because, not to brag, I’ve seen Yellowcard live so...). They straddle the line between pop, metal, and punk rock so well that it’s easy for non-junkies like me to wade into the same pools as those crowds without seeming like a big time noob.

And “Walk” is definitely one of my favorite songs by them (I said I was closer to pop rock so shaddup!). It’s got a clear message that’s not masked by artistic bullshit lyrics that you’ll only get if you watch their Behind the Music. It’s basic and relatable; deep but memorable. And the video is entertaining as well, which fans of theirs have grown accustomed to seeing over the years. Have a watch, go over the rest of their library, and have a dang Saturday!