Royals Rumblings - News for October 9, 2023

Mike Hendricks at the Star writes about the perils of relying on sales taxes to pay for a new stadium.

Three out of the 32 NFL stadiums have a ticket tax. Others depend upon a combination of those and other financial approaches that put the tax burden more on sports fans than folks who might never attend a game due to lack of interest or they can’t afford to buy a ticket.

“Generally speaking, that’s a much better approach,” says Patrick Ishmael, the Kansas City-based director of government accountability at the Show-Me Institute, a libertarian think tank. “A countywide sales tax is one way to do it, but it doesn’t make it a just way of underwriting an amenity like this.”

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter has three fan takeaways from this season.

In 2021 and 2022, it felt like the Royals were “gradually” bringing things back and implementing things that were commonplace prior to 2020. While it was great to simply have baseball back in 2021 and 2022, it also felt like the Royals organization was still trying to figure out how to connect with a diverse number of fans.

This year, it felt like the Royals were able to create a fan experience at Kauffman Stadium that reached and connected with everyone. Whether it was families with younger kids or young adults looking to socialize or passionate baseball nerds who bring their scorebooks to the K, the game experience truly felt like it had something for everyone.

Second baseman Peyton Wilson is off to a good start in the Arizona Fall League.

The 23-year-old was front-and-center for the Saguaros offense, collecting a team-high three hits and driving in his first two runs of the Fall League. After batting .286 with a .777 OPS and 45 extra-base hits for Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2023, Wilson is off to a .375/.474/.500 start in four games for Surprise.

Mike Gillespie at Kings of Kauffman grades Matt Duffy’s season.

The Rangers score early and often to take a 2-0 series lead on the Orioles in Game 2.

Pablo Lopez gives the Twins seven shutout innings to tie the series against Houston.

Clayton Kershaw was embarrassed by his Game One performance against Arizona.

Braves fans throw debris on the field after a controversial call in Game 1.

How the Rangers discovered outfielder Evan Carter, who is shining this post-season.

Reliever Jim Poole dies of ALS at age 57.

What could the Guardians be looking for out of their next manager?

The Rays could be shopping pitcher Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot.

Former Royals pitcher Richard Lovelady clears waivers and is outrighted to the minors.

The Blue Jays say pitcher Alek Manoah received an injection to relieve discomfort but doesn’t have any structural damage.

The Miami Hurricanes refuse to take a knee to end the game, and end up losing.

The Eagles aren’t the only team that does the “tush push.”

The warming planet has awoken viruses that have been dormant for thousands of years.

Why do runway models always look grumpy?

The new Exorcist movie proves how much the world has changed since 1973.

Your song of the day is The Allman Brothers with No One To Run With.