:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69179940/usa_today_14925030.0.jpg)
Song of the Day
“Savior” - Rise Against
This was one of my favorite songs to play on Rock Band/Guitar Hero. Not too hard, not too easy, and one of the only songs that I had the rhythm and familiarity to do well in regularly. Also the video has a great Furry mosh pit so that’s certainly one way to start your Saturday.
On to the Rumblings...
#MyGuy, Kyle Isbel was optioned yesterday.
The Royals have optioned OF Kyle Isbel. No word yet on what that means for the 26th man.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) April 23, 2021
The word came and it was Ryan O’Hearn that got the call, which makes sense I suppose.
And as @ByRobertMurray said, Ryan O’Hearn has been called up, I’ve been told. O’Hearn has been hammering baseballs at the alt site.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) April 23, 2021
The Athletic’s, Jim Bowden ain’t buying the Royals as the division leaders long term.
In March, I predicted the Royals would finish third in the AL Central behind the White Sox and Twins, but I did think they’d jump over the Indians and become a legitimate contending team. Their pitching staff ranks 12th out of 15 teams in the AL in ERA (4.68), but their offense ranks eighth in runs and is much improved from 2020. Still, I think the Royals are a year away from being legitimate contenders, when top prospects such as shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., left-handers Daniel Lynch and Asa Lacy, and right-hander Jackson Kowar will be major-league ready. In the meantime, they’re a fun team to watch, and I expect them to play a spoiler role in the playoff races.
Sticking with The Athletic, Jayson Stark did a Weird and Wild recap of the week article.
SUPER BOWL FEVER – In the first Tampa Bay-Kansas City matchup since Super Bowl LV, we got no Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes. But you know what we did get Tuesday night? A football score (Rays 14, Chiefs – oops, I mean Royals 7).
Over in the NFL, the Chiefs haven’t lost a 14-7 game since 1977 – and those Tampa Bay Bucs have won precisely one 14-7 game in the history of the franchise (over the Saints in 2003). But we are not going to let those pesky “facts” get in the way of a great note.
Lynn Worthy at The KC Star writes about Whit Merrifield losing sleep over defensive miscues.
“Bluntly, it has been pretty embarrassing,” Merrifield said on Wednesday. “I don’t know. It has just been a pretty poor performance individually defensively the last couple of nights. Last night — I can’t think of a worse defensive game that I’ve had in my life. Not just my professional career, but my life.”
Anne Rogers wrote that Wednesday’s win over Tampa felt like deja vu for a lot of us.
“Just different people diving to the line,” Perez said Wednesday. “I wasn’t thinking about that, but as soon as I hit it, I was like, ‘Oh.’ And I think I reacted the same way. It’s kind of funny.”
Sam Dykstra with MLB.com discussed some of the potential destinations for some of the big prospects in the system including one named “Junior”. Who could that be?
“Kevin” Lesky held the first even Inside the Crown Mailbag.
Mike Gillespie with Kings of Kauffman previews the series with Detroit.
Cullen Jekel at KC Kingdom thinks the Royals rebuild is ahead of schedule.
The Chiefs made a HUGE deal yesterday.
Full details: #Chiefs get:
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 23, 2021
Orland Brown, 2021 2nd and a 2022 6th rounder
Ravens get: 2021 1st, 3rd, 4th and 20221 5th
After the Falcon and the Winter Solider finale, some future plans were announced.
Is Zac Efron’s face different?
Adrenaline Rush of the Week
The New Mortal Kombat Movie Reboot
Boy did I love the original movies. I rented them from our local grocery store on several occasions. On one of my birthdays, all I wanted to do was have some friends over for pizza and a Mortal Kombat movie marathon. Yes, that includes the abomination of the first abomination, Annihilation.
Sweet sassy molassey, it’s so much worse that I remembered.
When the trailer for this reboot was released, I was big time out on it. It looked awful.
**Note: this is not the red band trailer but even it has some gore in it so be aware**
Fast forward to Thursday night when the movie was premiering on HBO Max along with a theatrical release. There was actually quite a bit of positive feedback from it. As long as you didn’t come into the movie expecting more than a ridiculous and over-the-top gorefest action movie, it was enjoyable. So I thought I’d give it a chance.
Which is what I did. It was the first movie I watched in a theater since The Last Jedi and it did not disappoint. The fight scenes were all kinds of creative and do not disappoint in providing the adrenaline rush we’re all looking for these days. It will not win any awards, but I do not regret making it the movie I returned to theaters for.