The rest of the world is not unlike the baseball world, full of discrepancies and unperfected economic models. 94-99% of all burglar-alarm calls are false alarms. Who pays for that? Not the alarm companies, but the tax payers. 90,000+ people need kidneys worldwide, yet 46% of patients over the age of 60 on the U.S. kidney donor waiting list die before receiving an organ. Why? In America, it is unethical and illegal to offer money for kidneys. Then there is the college bookstore, where buying, renting, and reselling college textbooks provide examples of ancient systems riddled with failed economic principles. Irony perfected. Wait, I can get $20 now for this book I paid $200 for, $100 back in a week, but if I wait too long during that week I get $0? On top of it all, the bookstore at the university I attend isn’t even owned by the university. Can we get Ned a job there?

Here come the questions:

1. Best prank you have ever played on someone or witnessed? (April Fools question)

2. Have you ever been robbed?

3. Favorite adult beverage with brand specificity? (Under 21, favorite beverage?)

4. On a scale of 1-7 with 1 being “Keep Ned forever” to 4 being “Ned should at least get until August before judgment” to 7 being “Fire Ned RIGHT NOW”, where are you at?

April is upon us, time to dust off the lawn chairs (or shovel them off if your Phil), fire up the grill, grab your brew of choice, and crank up the AM dial. We’ve all invited friends over for a backyard barbeque, put Denny on, and then lost track of the game in the endless rambling of the uninvited neighbor (or OT topics in the game thread). Here is a way to keep everybody in the game: THE DENNY MATTHEWS DRINKING GAME!

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It is that time of the week where you must answer a completely random series of questions:

Best spot to vacation? Why?

In honor of Ron Swanson: How do you like your steak cooked? If you don’t eat steak, what is the best replacement dish?

Have you ever seen a UFO?

Assemble a band with anyone dead or alive. What would they sound like?

Bonus question: Would you buy a 2011 Royals Cactus League Champions shirt if it existed? Trick question. Of course you would.

Second in the blogger-on-blogger blogging series is the definitive Will McDonald interview. Prowling as the mystical Freneau, Will McDonald is the shepherd of Royals Review. I decided to search in the deepest recesses, digging to the center of baseball's soul, to unearth what makes the Will McDonald clock tick. The following interview was conducted over a series of emails. Detailed is a menacing story, including Pop Tarts, Sabermetrics, and even... Katy Perry. Enjoy!

Will, what year was Royals Review created and what was going on in your life at the time?

The site launched in May 2005, if you can believe it. At the time, I was finishing up my first year of graduate school at Iowa, beginning what I thought would be a glorious life studying American literature.

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Superbly impressed by a one Mr. Jeff Zimmerman’s interviews with the Royals’ front office, it got me to thinking, “How do we define what bloggers do, and what place do they really hold in the baseball world?” I think so many of us stumble upon Royals Review, glance at a few articles, and, like most things in life, never truly understand how all of the pieces work, or why they work. So…I set out to do exactly what Jeff did, interview somebody, starting with him, because he works on many baseball websites and could provide a blueprint for the modern Sabermetrician. This process was done over the course of several daily emails. Enjoy.

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I am one of about three people in Missouri that is completely jacked for the Super Bowl. Everyone else has basically told me: "I couldn't give two bird farts" or some version of "I love the food"/"I love the commercials." With that said, I recently contracted food poisoning for the FOURTH time in my life, so I will be very leery about what I eat come Super Bowl Sunday. I really don't have a solid rant here, but I will just say if karma really exists, I have some really cool prizes coming my way.

Here comes the barrage of questions:

1. Who wins the Super Bowl and 1 short reason why?

2. Favorite Super Bowl food?

3. Do you talk about Royals Review to others outside of Royals Review?

4. If the Royals are .500 at the break, who is the surprise All-Star?

5. Pick a show, sell me on why I should take the time to watch it.

Bonus for spite: Is Albert Pujols clean?

We, as humans, often act much different than the way we think we will act. If there is any questioning this fact, just google Stanley Milgram, or maybe take in the Breaking Bad catalogue. Ten years ago, I was a meandering college student with an external locus of control, blaming “the system” for any failures. Now I embellish school as a non-traditional student with “real world” perspective. “They’re screwing me!” turned into “Oh, that’s why it’s that way!”

This perspective that has taken years to mold (and several life-altering events) makes it hard to stomach the Royals from time to time. Basically what I am saying is that a GM should learn from his mistakes. The same guy that gave Jose Guillen a 36 million dollar contract is the same guy that traded several high-caliber relievers for the likes of Mike Jacobs, Ryan Shealy, and Joey Gathright is the same guy that just gave Yuniesky Betancourt 2 million dollars to ride the pine (supposedly). I think it is time we rethink the GM position. Not by who fills the role, but by how the role is filled. What would be wrong with co-GMs? Or board meetings where clear directives are lined out for the GM to focus on? Please, just something that tells me the Royals don’t have a one-man wrecking crew that wields a magic wand like Todd Haley drawing up offensive plays on a Saturday night. Most of us think we would be good GMs, but would we have the presence of mind to disembody the power and greed of internal pride and instinct by relying on external sources of information?

1. Have you ever had a situation you would like to share in which you acted much differently than you thought you would act?
2. If you were given $100K with the stipulation you had to spend it on 1 stock/company and you had to keep the money there for a minimum of 5 years? Which company would you choose?
3. If you were given money for a start-up business, what would that business be?
4. What do you hate most about Christmas? What do you love the most?
5. What gift are you realistically hoping to get this Christmas?

I drive the speed limit, literally setting the cruise control for the exact MPH limit on the highway.  I make sure to do my part to avoid giving any reason at all for a cop to flip the cherry on.  I don't drive slow, neither do I race from stop light to stop light.  I just try to drive as normal as possible.  This isn't because I strive to be the world's greatest citizen.  I just simply do my part to avoid giving law enforcement a reason to bother me.  It is an easy equation:  when you don't give an officer a reason to give you a ticket or arrest you, they normally don't.  Occasionally, this is unavoidable.  Here's to you Hiram!  On to the questions for today:

1. If you could make 1 change/addition to Kauffman Stadium, what would it be?
2. What was your favorite after school show or cartoon character as a kid?
3. If in an instant you could become an invisible man, where would you go and what would you do?
4. If you could recast 1 role in 1 movie, what would be the replacement?
5. How do you react to being pulled over or questioned by the police?  Why?

      “Hey man, I finally hear it’s gonna heat up tomorrow!” 

      I think the plot line from Falling Down could be a little more realistic if Michael Douglas was told it was hot outside about twenty times before he leaves his vehicle in a traffic jam and lights up a fast food restaurant.  Paying way too much attention to the weather is something I’ve never truly understood.  How do folks glare at the Weather Channel for 30 minutes at a time?  What I need takes all of about three seconds for an internet page to load or one click on my newfangled gizmo known as the cell phone:  high, low, percent chance of precipitation, end. of. story.  Get this:  sometimes…I don’t even look.  Living dangerously indeed.  It is hot, big deal.  Every one can still get around and, as long as the power grid is still humming, it is business as usual. 

      On a recent trip to the grocery store a clerk informed me that some local radio show did a survey on whether one would rather have this heat or be dealing with snow.  Snow, of course, won.  Welcome to Somewheresville, Merica folks.  Drink a little extra fluid and pack some Banana Boat and your golden.  And why does Quiktrip turn into a desert oasis for the criminally insane this time of year?  It’s like the heat drives every mad man to a central location.  I don’t get it.  I don’t want to get it.  Rant over.

Here are some mind-numbing questions for the fellow Royals zombies that will try to survive through August:

1. Name something your jealous of.
2. Are you related to anybody famous?  Have you had a run in with somebody famous?  Or just any tabloid material you have heard about famous people?  Because, dagnabit, we all care about famous people!
3. If you could go to college or back to college which major/minor would you choose if you knew you could complete it and the schooling would be free?  Why?
4. Early NFL sleeper fantasy draft pick?

I really need info for number 3 as I will likely soon be reentering college for the Fall as a 31 year old Junior that needs to declare a major…daunting.

"The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it."  ~Patrick Young

            Seeking to honor soon-to-be Royals megastar Andrea Pizziconi in averagegatsby-Taco-Be$11 tradition, I am unleashing the Pizza Coney upon the Royals Review faithful.  Fate, destiny, miracle, or mere personal choice, the Pizza Coney's heritage can be traced to June 1st, 2011.  On that groovy Spring day, Lucas May was traded for Andrea Pizziconi, and the inevitable fan post squabbling began.  In those fleeting moments that followed the news of the trade, it was as if time stood still, if only for a minute, so that the baseball gods could readjust to this new landscape that would now be professional baseball. 

            JKWard thundered, "It’ll be interesting to see what becomes of this pizzaconey, which to say that we got anything of anything for May is kind of absurd." 

            mitchfreakingmaier! followed with, "Are you saying that you just invented new ball park food? The pizzaconey? It sounds badass. A large pizza stuffed with hotdogs, chili and cheese. Where do I sign?"  Nothing was ever the same again.  

Insufferable hours were spent culling the possibilities.  Would it be a "hotdog wrapped with a New York-style slice of pepperoni" as the originator of the idea, JKWard, had thought? Or would it take on many forms, such as the "bacon cheeseburger pizza wrapped in a Sheboygan brat" that I suggested?  The ruminations were endless.  Something had to be done.  

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1.  A single is better than a homerun. 

This is the granddaddy longlegs of all baseball proverbs.  It goes something like this:  speedster gets on base, speedster flusters pitcher with threat-to-steal antics, pitcher hangs a breaking pitch, power hitter at the plate homers, and, voila, 2 runs instead of 1. 

Remember that crazy suck ball from the movie The Arrival with our good pal Chuck Sheen?  Well, listening to the Yankees/Cubs game on ESPN radio tonight, my ears actually began to create their own black hole where no time escapes, and, therefore, I would no longer hear this particular broadcast.  After awakening from daydream, a nasally version of Joe Buck proceeded to lay out this exact argument about Brett Gardner’s home run in the first.  Rationalizing to the national audience that Gardner is the Yankee’s speed guy, his logic was that Gardner’s goal is to get on base and disrupt the pitcher instead of hitting homeruns.  Adding, “You gotta like the homerun, but…”   Let’s just stop after liking the homerun.  Arguing that something is better than a homerun is like telling Kramer that Kenny Roger’s Chicken isn’t the best, like arguing for Batman with Jerry, or arguing anything with George Costanza.  Just. Stop. While. You’re. Ahead.  Chicks dig the long ball.  Try telling your lady that cubic zirconium is all the new rage.  See how well that plays…out. 

The tragedy of it is, as Royals fans, we can all picture this being a future Yost-ism:  “Damnit, Gordon!  You just cleared the bases.  If you could have gotten on base and distracted the pitcher, Frenchy would have knocked you AND himself in.  We could use that extra run!”  In all seriousness, the likelihood of Yost mentioning this kind of mutant logic in a press conference is high.  Hell, he probably has already done it.  

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“I think about baseball when I wake up in the morning. I think about it all day and I dream about it at night. The only time I don't think about it is when I'm playing it.”

Carl Yastrzemski

            The other day I was surfing the catalog at Half Price books trying to time my trip home to start exactly at the 6:15 start of the Royals game.  I am not one to normally buy a book, but if I float across something I can not get easy library access to, I will throw a couple of bucks at it, but for the most part, I love to just browse.  Looking at the sports section, I realized that my foray into sports books is lackluster.  Outside of Denny Matthews’s epic Tales from the Royals Dugout I don’t think I have read one single meaningful sports nonfiction book in the last 15 years.  Reading the responses for the OT thread about who influenced baseball acumen the most, I realized that a lot of the Royals Review faithful had received their tutoring from the literary field.

            Plodding and searching, I found no copy of Will’s Men at Work nor Lamb’s Stolen Season, and not only was finding a sports book looking slim, but there wasn’t a single copy of anything by David Foster Wallace or Mark LaFlamme (outrage!).  With every Cormac McCarthy book available except for the one I was wanting, Blood Meridian, I settled for a Cars magnet set for my boy and some Princess counting flashcards for my girl.  FYI, for those near the traffic quagmire that is the Southwest Trafficway/Westport Road intersection, that Half Price Books has many copies of Moneyball, a copy of Buzz Bissinger’s 3 Nights in August (almost went for it, but I feared TLR overload while the STL series was going), and a copy of Getting In the Game by Josh Lewin that I noticed is signed at no extra cost (imagine that).  One last thought, why the hell did JoPo plaster his face on his book The Good Stuff, not only that, a close-up of half of his face with plaque mountains on his teeth? 

Anywhahoo, let’s get down to brass tax pilgrims:

1. Three best sports books?  Extra credit for the order in which they should be read if it applies.
2. Is the IPad 2 worth the money?
3. What player would you most like the Royals to have, whether it be via trade or offseason signing (kinda/sorta within reason)?
4. What non-sports book do you recommend the most to people?

“The trouble with baseball is that it is not played the year around.”

Gaylord Perry

This is a hard subject for me in particular, because I am, for the most part, in the minority.  I think the Royals are headed in the right direction after many long off seasons of signing over-the-hill veterans to short-term contracts.  The stadium is basically as beautiful a stadium as anyone will ever see, and we have 140+ games on TV.  All that is left is to grab an A+ starter somehow and hope for the best, but I would really enjoy watching all 7 games of the 1985 World Series as I was only five at that time, so here goes some nitpicking: 

1.  First and foremost, erect 2 statues of Paul Splittorff:  one of him with the high leg kick and one of him standing with a microphone in his hand with Kauffman as the backdrop.  The logic is easy: 

a)he was with the Royals before they were thee Royals 

b)he pitched for 14 years with the Royals through the “dynasty” years, finishing with more wins than Sandy Koufax which is still a Royals record

c)after just missing a World Series ring in ‘85, he holds no grudge and becomes basically the best TV man most Royals fans have agreed to ever listening to

d)he was a “Yankee killer”

e)on top of it all, he was the first pitcher to throw in the stadium formerly known as Royals stadium and was with the Royals in some capacity until his untimely death- he was a Royals lifer- it is as simple as that 

2.  Try to sign a Japanese player- a good one.  This isn’t about affirmative action, this is me thinking that Japanese players bring an added element of excitement across the culture barrier and add revenue to the team via Japanese media.  I love the respect that most Japanese players bring to the game.  I don’t know, maybe I just loved the Nomo excitement and wish we had a player like that in his prime.

3.  Stop selling opposing teams merchandise at Kauffman Stadium.  Send at least some form of a memo that we are no longer the friendly team that allows opposing teams to take over our stadium while witnessing them lambaste the Royals and, on top of it all, get to go home with a shiny trinket of victory.

4.  The promotions are solid, but Sluggerrr pillow cases and Royals superhero capes only go so far.  How about History Day at the K?  Kids 14 and under get a small book detailing the history of the Royals.  Get the parents thinking about what a kid should really be learning, and that involves Dick Drago, Coneheads, Joe Randa jokes, Royals nicknames throughout the years, and probably something about stadium architecture history.  I think RoyalsRetro’s 100 greatest Royals should probably also be heavily involved.  How about going even further and having a Bill James-esque pamphlet give-a-way about stats or history of player contracts?  Ewing Kauffman always said, “Don’t give a man a fish.  Give him a fishing pole.”  Let’s start with the kids.

5.  Do something for the businesses in Jackson County.  I may be ignorant on this issue, but I know that a)Jackson County taxes payed for a boatload of the stadium and b)there is a Tourism Day at the K that involves coupons to local mega-corps.  So let’s combine the two and have some promos for local businesses in the Jackson County area- small businesses.  Offer extra money or Royals promotions to those businesses in the surrounding areas.  Something.  Just don’t take the money and run.  Scholarships to Jackson County students?  Something.  And maybe there are things being done, but can anyone name them?  So that means that a)nothing is getting done or b)the Royals are lacking in the promotional field for those items.  Don’t give me any of this “we give by bringing people into the county” crap.  Give back something, Ewing Kauffman style.

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This will just be a simple day-at-the-K experience post for the whopper of an exciting game witnessed on June 5.  It was such a spellbinding game that either there was no game thread or it was posthumously erased, which is a shame as I was looking forward to the endless euphemisms for the suckage witnessed firsthand.  This is for the Royals Reviewers that haven’t been to the newly renovated stadium or aren’t familiar with some of its attractions or just want a different take. 

Coming in from the Northland, we, four middle-aged married guys with hall passes, stopped to eat breakfast at Stables, a bar and grill in Kearney, MO, at the recommendation from one of us that it would be a good place to get in and out in 30 minutes while sufficing our pre-game appetites.  I had many doubts, but eating by our lonesome on the bar-side whilst listening to a barrage of 80s amalgam, from the high of “Where the Streets Have No Name” to the low of “Rag Doll”, while watching sports updates while devouring hot grease was a most pious way to start a Royals game outing. 

We entered the fine confines of the Kauffman stadium parking lot around 11:30 and quickly began the rituals: sun screening, beverage consumption, and baseball chatter. 

From here on out here are my game notes:

• The port-a-johns in the parking lot were amazingly pristine.
• Being able to walk completely around the stadium is a perfect, logical addition.
• The walkway above the fountains is a great view.  We got soaked trying to cool down.
• The Hall of Fame is done very well.  The simple, but exquisite museum is air conditioned and contains much more than expected.  Along with the Royals memorabilia there is a very hands-on game history experience that involves being able to touch the bats, gloves, and balls from all eras.  I was spine-tingled to see the “Pine Tar Bat” on temporary display and flowers from Splitt’s funeral.  We liked some of the merchandise, but weren’t going to spend 50 bucks for a T-shirt.
• The .390 club is “now open to the public”, or, in other words, needs to make more money, and is thus no longer elitist.  The view is fantastic and relaxing, like being at a horse track.  It wasn’t too crowded, but regardless we had to accompany a standing table because the seats next to the glass were all taken.  We were told we could sit in the comfy looking booths next to the field view if we ate the $25/person brunch buffet.  We opted to split some gourmet $12 nachos that were highly enjoyable.  The water was surprisingly free, which came in very handy for this designated driver.
• We had fantastic seats, 4 rows behind the opposing dugout on the third base line.  It was blazing and I am disabled, so these weren’t enjoyed as much as they should have been. 
• Next to us, Curt Schilling’s twin brother was wearing a Cuddyer jersey.  This was high comedic material for us.
• In front of us sat a family of Twins fans wearing Morneau gear.  They were highly personable and we enjoyed small talk and jocular taunting with them and their grade-schoolers. 
• The bizarro Jumbotron displayed the horrifying Twins lineup and its Mendoza-ness.  I remember thinking that was a bad sign, that it would be perfect Royals tradition getting swept against the worst lineup to ever grace a Major League Baseball field, the absolute worst. 
• Wilson Betemit has very long legs. 
• Hosmer should have never tried for that double play in the first.  The runner would have been safe regardless. 
• Even from the seats it is highly noticeable that Gordon, Hosmer, and Betemit are the only 3 Royals that are consistently getting good at bats.  Melky and Franceour looked hopeless.
• There was some confusion on one of Betemit’s strikeouts.  He clearly had an issue with the ump.  He had called for timeout or something, and the ump wouldn’t oblige. 
• In between every inning, the Crown-O-Vision zips up, loudly cranking out some drivel for the kiddos.  I found this highly annoying, but my children will surely enjoy it upon their first visit.
• As each left handed batter entered the box, we were put on notice to watch for foul balls by the drunkest of the three buddies in attendance with me.  This led to a discussion on foul balls in which another friend accidentally claimed, “I’d take one in the mouth from Hosmer!”  Priceless.  This will provide laughs for years to…come.
• After the fifth, we abandoned our seats for Sheboygans. 
• I needed to return with gifts for my kids.  Perusing the gigantic gift shop, I chose to go with some Royals pins and a plastic inflatable Royals bat after almost biting on some 10 dollar foam hands (pins were easy to carry and will last a lifetime).  The total was still $21.  It is understood that the prices are outrageous.  At most events (circus/carnival/theater) this really grates me, but at Royals games I am accustomed to it.  I wish I could adopt this philosophy at other events to enjoy them more.
• I spent $25 on water.
• Hosmer just plain looks like “the man”.  Is there a game that goes by where he doesn’t save a throwing error?
• Will we ever sniff .500 again?  

I have a theory that I believe predicted Joaqim Soria's downturn in production this year.  This particular theory is not one to be taken lightly.  It is highly scientific made-up, and as soon as this theory is released upon those standing pat in today's world gone mad baseball community, the ushers of a new dawn of physics fantasy sports will surely race to impregnate Mensa the blogosphere with it, not unlike a one Mark LaFlamme's Bender Argument.

Playing fantasy sports from year to year, a feel for "up" years and "down" years is acquired.  Most fantasy die-hards rely on age-related statistics to give them competitive edge, others use "gut" instincts to draft players they think will explode, much unlike a one Ross Gload.  Are these "gut" instincts truly intrinsic, or do we recognize submersed cranial data that we submissively pull out when nature calls? 

The book How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer is probably a good start for this question, particularly the first chapter detailing a Navy radar technician's decision to gun down a radar blip that could have been an enemy missile or a friendly aircraft.  The eventual months-long findings are stunning.  Unbeknownst to all involved, including said naval officer, the radar blip of an enemy missile and the radar blip of a friendly aircraft are minutely different.  When deciding between saving the lives of those on his craft, including himself, or possibly killing a fellow American, did he access hidden knowledge?  As much as I would like to continue this attack of words upon this blog that refer to sports as a war, I will get on with the show, exposing this so-called crack in the matrix.  So...who is ready to have their minds bent Dock Ellis style?

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I hope we all used yesterday evening as a chance for catharsis.  I, for one, relieved myself by spouting a few profanities across Royals Review.  I normally try to keep that to a nil, as some members would surely appreciate, but if 5/6ths naked women can be spiced in throughout the game threads, I am going to vent once in a while. 

In this edition, I will be sticking to a popular theme with Royals fans, underratedness.  We have treaded both lines of overrated and underrated, but for today, positivity is vital.  Underrated things have their own little niche in our lives.  They cause us great frustration in trying to understand the ways of the world; while at the same time, they provide us with our own personal viewpoint and ownership of that viewpoint.  Not a swan song, but a triumphant ballad that sings our individuality, and there is something most triumphant in claiming that something is better than the rest of the world sees it.  In a lot of ways, Royals fans can definitely relate to underratedness with all this “best fans in baseball” talk across the state. 

1.       Sports:  What current/past Royals do you think was underrated or not “given his due”?

2.       Literature:  What is the best underrated book you have read?

3.       Music:  What is the best underrated album you have listened to?

4.       Wildcard:  What is an underrated thing in everyday life that you enjoy?

"Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane."

The Royals played a rather uneventful Mother's Day game.  Most didn't see the game, apparently thanks to FSKC, and rightfully so- if we are minus a TV game I would rather it be Mother's Day, because I know my momma don't wanna watch no baseball on Momma's Day (now ice skating on the other hand...).  Anywhahoos, I figure I should jump the gun and unleash another off topic thread upon the Royals Review brethren and sisterhood.  I think I have a good one this time around.

This off topic thread will be an easy two-parter:

1.  I want to know what business has been good to you over the years and why, with a story.

2.  I want to know what business has made you so mad that you ran to the mountain tops (facebook/twitter) to tell the whole world not to frequent there, with a story.

"Son, six wardens have been through here in my tenure, and I've learned one immutable, universal truth: Not one of them born whose asshole wouldn't pucker up tighter than a snare drum when you ask them for funds."

"The dude was feeling darker than a black steer's tucas on a moonless summer night."

With spirits low after the Rangers knocking us flat on our tucases (or is it tucasi?), I thought I would get a jump start on my typical no-game OT thread.  I learn a lot from the OT threads, and am a big fan of 'em (can't wait to try the burger with two grilled cheeses in place of the bun).  

This thread will be focused on your screen name.  I always try to associate something with each screen name to get a feel for the person talking.  In some cases this is easy- averagegatsby and Taco Be$11.  In some cases this is hard- kcthis, kcthat, and kcthisandthat.  So I will open the floor for all to describe how they came about their screen names; and, further, expound on what all those quotes mean.  I think this will be a very helpful thread to bring out personalities and add to a even livelier Royals Review atmosphere.  

I have questions and they need answered.  Is KeepItCopacetic a member of Local H?  Is Mario Van Peebles Republic of China a jab at the current state of affairs in the world?  Is Will McDonald thee Will McDonald?  And I can't figure out what Scott McKinney is a pop culture reference to, all google brings up is this.  Feel free to divulge your life secrets to answer these questions.  After that Rangers series, now would be a good time for some group catharsis; if that isn't enough, this will certainly stir your emotions.  

"Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar eats you."

In the typicalness of my posts to Royals Review, I will contribute another off topic thread.  This time around we are going underrated on that black steer's tookus.  These are items that you think the general public has wrong in relation to their mass popularity.  If you covet said item way more than the public is perceived to enjoy it, I wanna hear it.  Categories will be similar, but in the Entertainment category I will go to Movies instead of Music for aesthetic reasons, and we all know the Beatles are UNDERrated anyhow, so don't even try to make an argument otherwise.

A) Sports Figure

B) Movie

C) Food/Drink

D) Wildcard

"Phone's ringing, Dude."

"Thank you, Donny."

We had some fantastic/interesting answers to the "hated but now love" thread.  This will be easy.  Let's hear your venom-filled tales.  Same rules:

1.  You must have previously intensely loved the object/person.

2.  You must now intensely HATE the object/person.

3.  You have "seen the light" and there is no going back.

Categories:

A) Sports figure

B) Music- Individual/Band

C) Food/Drink

D) Wildcard:  pick something and give a rant

This will be a two-parter.  The Things We Once Loved, But Now Hate column will be saved for another nasty off day.

Here are the rules:  

1.  You must have previously intensely hated the person/object.

2.  You now must intensely love the person/object.

3.  You know in your heart that there is no going back.  You've "seen the light" as to why you were wrong and will never change back.

Categories:

A) Sports figure

B) Musician or Band

C) Food/Beverage

With jubilant fervor for the Royals

Seeking a refuge to kill the lulls

I found an answer to my calls

In royalsreview.com

Kowtowing fans of sabermetric couth

Prideful and long in the tooth

The Tanqueray to my vermouth

A home, I had found

In the winter months of ‘06

Hiding remotely in the midst

Of snarky wit and comic tics

Positivity stood

“83 wins!” clamored from a tower

All that was heard was laughter

An ego tumbling after

Possibilities

“Butler is not yet ready.

Meche is good, but we need more steady

Production from Shealy and Greinke;

We’ll never make it.”

In the Royals Review fantasy league

Gordon in the fifth, a last-ditch heave

Followed by a season of fatigue

A palomino broken

In ’08, driven into the abyss

In a royal blue Buick of loneliness

Spring enthusiasm amiss

A defeated sychophant

A quivering shad with murky fate

Ozark catfish lurk in this lake

Do what it takes to not be bait

And trust the process

Ole Zack quit and then got shipped

Leaving the minors well equipped

For the boy commonly whipped

To man up in 2012

Phoenix rising, summer moon rising

With depraved talons prying

New wings, empathy guiding

Ashes of ’03 shed

Hosmer, Myers, and Moustakas

To come or go in blogger fracas

In the wind, only the dust

I will remain

So remember the Mighty Quinn and Hammer

Coneheads, foam hands, and the Joker Randa

Ah, the joys of nostalgic fandom

“Lemonade! Lemonade! Lemonade!”