I'll admit it. Once Texas took that 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning I gave up all hope. So I did the unthinkable: for the first time this year I turned the TV off early in a Royals game. (As a result I enjoyed a remarkably frustration-free afternoon.)
As I mentioned before, I really wish they would decide to stop giving me reasons to do that. Baseball is my favorite sport and they're doing everything they can to ruin it for me.
Good analysis to confirm my suspicions. Time to blow it up? The Dodgers, for example, desperately need a shortstop and always have a loaded farm system. Witt for three of their top 10 prospects?
Yes, yes, yes! Baseball is a game of skill, not a game of chance. Luck has very little to do with this poor showing. Can you address the constantly changing lineup? Does any other team change their lineup daily? It seems so unsettling for the players to never know where they are going to play. Great column! I enjoy your analysis so much! Thank you
The analytical breakdown you've presented is both accurate and obvious. The question might be--what do you propose Royals management do in order to improve? For my own part, it's shocking to see them field a team this year with retread veterans (Reyes, Bradley) plus two new starting pitchers with the words "second division" stamped on their arms. What did management expect would happen? Also, is actual management happy with just turning a profit while not particularly caring about how the team performs? Since the departure of Ewing Kaufmann, I've always suspected this was the case.
Ohtani v. Clarke as an opener on Friday... I'm willing to say things will get worse, at least in the very short-term. I'll be tuned in, probably more due to morbid fascination than anything else.
I'm an optimistic fan (or a delusional one) but I just can't believe they're really this bad. I think they'll get it together at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, but I'm not sure what that looks like. With the hole they've dug themselves, they're never going to be in contention or even anywhere near. 500. Maybe they can avoid 100 losses. And I don't know what the personnel looks like when they start to look at least respectable.
But while I expect improvement, the problem is I'm not sure I see enough for it to matter. I'm impatient for success and I don't want to wait another 30 years to go back to the playoffs, but this whole thing has been so bungled and mismanaged since 15 (thank you for the pennants, DM, but wth were you doing the last 5-6 years?) that I'm not sure a complete restart isn't the right way to go. Definitely don't want to go down that road, but it might be the only realistic path to eventual success. Hopefully they prove otherwise with what remains of this season. Still a lot of baseball to be played.
I'll admit it. Once Texas took that 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning I gave up all hope. So I did the unthinkable: for the first time this year I turned the TV off early in a Royals game. (As a result I enjoyed a remarkably frustration-free afternoon.)
As I mentioned before, I really wish they would decide to stop giving me reasons to do that. Baseball is my favorite sport and they're doing everything they can to ruin it for me.
Good analysis to confirm my suspicions. Time to blow it up? The Dodgers, for example, desperately need a shortstop and always have a loaded farm system. Witt for three of their top 10 prospects?
Yes, yes, yes! Baseball is a game of skill, not a game of chance. Luck has very little to do with this poor showing. Can you address the constantly changing lineup? Does any other team change their lineup daily? It seems so unsettling for the players to never know where they are going to play. Great column! I enjoy your analysis so much! Thank you
Excellent analysis!!! Thanks.. Will seriously consider $$ support...
The analytical breakdown you've presented is both accurate and obvious. The question might be--what do you propose Royals management do in order to improve? For my own part, it's shocking to see them field a team this year with retread veterans (Reyes, Bradley) plus two new starting pitchers with the words "second division" stamped on their arms. What did management expect would happen? Also, is actual management happy with just turning a profit while not particularly caring about how the team performs? Since the departure of Ewing Kaufmann, I've always suspected this was the case.
Ohtani v. Clarke as an opener on Friday... I'm willing to say things will get worse, at least in the very short-term. I'll be tuned in, probably more due to morbid fascination than anything else.
I'm an optimistic fan (or a delusional one) but I just can't believe they're really this bad. I think they'll get it together at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, but I'm not sure what that looks like. With the hole they've dug themselves, they're never going to be in contention or even anywhere near. 500. Maybe they can avoid 100 losses. And I don't know what the personnel looks like when they start to look at least respectable.
But while I expect improvement, the problem is I'm not sure I see enough for it to matter. I'm impatient for success and I don't want to wait another 30 years to go back to the playoffs, but this whole thing has been so bungled and mismanaged since 15 (thank you for the pennants, DM, but wth were you doing the last 5-6 years?) that I'm not sure a complete restart isn't the right way to go. Definitely don't want to go down that road, but it might be the only realistic path to eventual success. Hopefully they prove otherwise with what remains of this season. Still a lot of baseball to be played.