Royals Rumblings - News for April 15, 2020

Last night was supposed to be the home opener for my Omaha Storm Chasers. Omaha World-Herald reporter Reece Ristau provided an interesting look at the financial impact of the delayed season:

A letter sent this month to the county from Martie Cordaro, the Chasers’ president, indicated that the team was making contingency plans because of lost revenue. The letter, dated April 3, requested a delay in two payments: a $238,230 semiannual lease payment due June 1, and a $40,000 payment due April 1 for a scoreboard that was installed in 2015. An $11,000 payment related to stadium improvements for Omaha’s new professional soccer team also was due April 1.

The team and Sarpy County do have a great relationship, so these items will probably be worked out. I wonder about other teams that might not have such solid civic footings - how many MiLB teams won’t survive?

Where to start with this Andy McCullough interview with Ned Yost about retirement? It’s great.

Are you still able to hunt right now?

Oh, yeah. I mean, it’s turkey season. And I was really looking forward to turkey hunting. And I haven’t gone one time. I got up this morning, 7 a.m., the sun was just coming up, and the turkeys were gobbling. You could hear them, all the way across the lake. (Yost impersonates the gobble-gobble-gobble of a turkey). I’m like, “Nah, go ahead.” The only reason I want to kill a turkey is so I can say I killed a turkey. And that’s not good enough. So I ain’t going to bother them. I’m going to let them chase the hens.

At Kings of Kauffman, David Scharff notes the charitable efforts of Royals pitcher Mike Montgomery:

According to the video, Montgomery and Royals Charities worked together on this effort and assisted Happy Bottoms, a diaper bank in Kansas City, by donating a 2 month supply of diapers for hundreds of families.

Montgomery and his wife, along with their organization and groups like Royals Charities are doing great things for members of the Kansas City community during this difficult time and it should make fans proud to have players like this on the home team.

MLB players and staff will be part of a massive Coronavirus study, which will use an antibody test to find people who have had COVID-19 even if they were asymptomatic.

Yankees co-owner Hank Steinbrenner died at age 63.

Former Red Sox player Steve Pearce was the MVP of the 2018 World Series. He abruptly announced his retirement during a re-broadcast of that series, and went on to adamantly deny the allegations that that team cheated.

Professional baseball was played in Taiwan over the weekend - could it work in Oakland or other places in the U.S. where aggressive social safety measures were taken?

If you read just one story from this section, make it this Atlantic piece about Joey Votto, by Sridhar Pappu.

Travis Lee, the original Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman, secretly had yips-adjacent anxiety his whole career, and never told anyone until Zach Buchanan at The Athletic rang him up for a different story idea.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl Anthony Towns’ mother, Jacqueline Cruz, died from Coronavirus.

Was the lack of a Super Bowl parade in San Fransisco actually a gift, considering the timing of COVID-19 reaching the Bay Area?

Please go enjoy the .gif in this article about a Hummer H2 outfitted with tiny wheels.

An old piece about the making of the masterpiece ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’

Who will be watching (and singing with) the Disney Family Singalong tomorrow?

‘Jeopardy!’ host Alex Trebek will release a memoir this summer.

What style of postage stamps should I order? My 9-year-old niece and I write letters to each other, a habit which long predates social distancing. I’m thinking maybe the Sally Ride ones, the State and County Fair set, or...the T-Rex.

I am so thankful to Gross(est) for retweeting this last night:

MUSIC: Faith Hill - Take Me As I Am. Look at her SLEEVES in the gauzy-backdropped scenes! (This is not some weird innuendo; I am referring to literal sleeves of a shirt.)