Well, since "Our Time" is obviously not the right slogan for this year's Kansas City Royals, I would like for you to come up with the new slogan for this year. Our boys have now lost 7 straight in typical Royal fashion. Don't get bent out of shape on me, I realize the season is likely to get better. I'm just thinking it would be funny to see what you all would come up with for a new marketing campaign from this point on. This is not exactly a contest because I'm poor and too lazy to send you anything in the mail. Sorry.

Yesterday, my family made the trip to Omaha. My daughter's girl scout troop was going to the zoo, so I decided that we would go to the Stormchasers game in the evening. The Omaha zoo is very nice. It has to be one of the more impressive zoos in the country. We generally check out zoos when we take vacations, so we have been to quite a few. Omaha is easily the most impressive. The fun question is always asked. "Why do all you Kansas City area people come up here? Don't you all have a zoo?". I always come back with "Yes, we technically have a zoo. But, first off, it's piss poor and secondly, it's in the middle of the ghetto." That usually sums it up. But, now, on to the game.

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Okay, I want Jermaine Dye. The guy has been waiting for the right deal and you have to figure that if someone offers him what he's worth, he will sign. Here's the plan. Dayton will have to choke on his pride and move Guillen for almost nothing (think C level A player). Then, you sign Dye for 2 years and 13 mil with a club option for a third year. He costs less than Guillen and IMO, he will produce much better. Teams that could be interested in Guillen: Mets, A's, Blue Jays, Orioles, Astros, Padres. Even if we have to eat half his salary, it would be worth it. We'd essentially be paying Guillen's money to Dye. Well, I know there will be some to call me crazy, so let's go. Discussion.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/01/mariners-sign-eric-byrnes.html

So, the Diamondbacks are on the hook for the $11 million they owe to Byrnes and the Mariners get to pay league minimum? I think I'm going to be sick. Anybody want to make the case for Scotty Pods or Brian Anderson having a better year than Byrnes? Plus, he's got a better arm than Dejesus. We could've kept DDJ in left and put Byrnes in right. It just blows my mind. Discuss.

So, Jon Lester no-hit the Royals. It's a good story and he's been through a lot. It would really have upset me had this been Steve Trachsel or Kenny Rogers or (insert your favorite junkballer here). I'm not that upset because Lester is no slouch. The kid can pitch and seemed to have a little something extra for this game of his career. It just got me to thinking; Who's the Royal pitcher most likely to throw a no-hitter? Brian Bannister just doesn't seem to strike out that many batters. I think he'd have trouble tossing the no-no when he pitches to contact almost exclusively. Meche is a great pitcher, but I couldn't see him tossing one. Greinke certainly has the stuff and I could see him throwing one before his career is over. But, the guy that I'd have to choose would be Joakim Soria. He has been damn near untouchable this year and (as I never let anyone forget) he did throw a perfect game in winter ball two offseasons ago. Watching him last Spring in a few starts just making batters look stupid got me excited about his potential. And those guys weren't even the scrubs. I think this kid could become one hell of a starting pitcher and I think the Royals may be thinking so too due to the clauses in his new contract. So, what do you think? Am I wrong? Who could you see throwing the no-no for the boys in blue (if anyone)?

So, I'm not too keen on the Shane Costa calls (sorry RR), but Mitch Maier could be interesting. He's played in 19 games and he's putting up some decent numbers. If he keeps it up, he may work himself onto the big club. That would only work if you were to go with 11 pitchers because who else would you be able to dump there? It wouldn't be a bad idea to send Yabuta down to adjust to American baseball, but if you wanted to stick with 12 pitchers, there really isn't anybody with impressive stats pitching in Omaha. Roman Colon has a 0.00 ERA in 3 games, but that's hardly enough to gauge. Tyler Lumsden is looking like a bust BTW. Maybe sticking with the current roster isn't that bad after all. I mean, we have won 5 in a row. Anyway, I was thinking about Ryan Braun. I think the guy could eventually be a serviceable reliever, but I was wondering where he is. Does anybody have any info on him? He must be hurt, but what's the injury?

Live from behind enemy lines, it's a report from inside the belly of the beast. So, last night's game was awesome. I was going to make a live post from  my mobile device, but I spent a lot of time just taking in the stadium. It is beautiful! Y'all probably remember how we went to the Metrodome last year. Well, this stadium will show you how truly crappy the Metrodome actually is. The television does not do justice to "Ameriquest" or Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (I saw nothing about Ameriquest in the whole park).  The people were super friendly and many KC hats were in the stadium. I talked to one guy in a KC hat who said that he was from Arlington, but was a friend of Trey's from college. Another guy (after our 3 run first inning) asked me if he could borrow my KC hat. Anyway, we went up to the Rawlings Grille just over rightfield. My wife ( a little drunk because the kids were with my folks back at the hotel) and I were treated to a buffet of hot dogs, hamburgers, hot wings, bbq chicken and beef, chicken tenders, baked potatoes, and salad for only $12.95. I washed that down with a couple of frosty Miller Lites as we could watch the game through the glass or on the tv at our table. It was amazing! I found some Boulevard on the way back to our seats because it was the "beer of the homestand" (thank goodness). Then, we headed back to our seats to watch the end of the game. Nice little win for our boys in blue and a great stadium experience. If you want to take a Royals roadie, I'll give this one a big thumbs up. I'll make a live post from the stadium tonight. Go ROYALS!!!!

It's time for the division winners and awards predictions. Let's see what you got and we'll compare at the end of the year.

AL East

1. Red Sox- Duh!

2. Yankees- They need pitching and they might get it, but a little too late.

3. Devil Rays- These aren't the Rays you're used to.

4. Blue Jays- First manager fired: John Gibbons

5. Orioles- They are terrible, but McPhail has them in the right direction

AL Central

1. Tigers- Only the bullpen is a question mark

2. Indians- Pitching depth is amazing

3. Royals- Optimistic, but possible. The Twins will be looking to fit in here.

4. Twins- Could be number 3, but young pitching must show up.

5. White Sox- They're fairly old and injury prone

AL West

1. Mariners- Yep, I said it. They aren't bad.

2. Angels- Pitching injuries mounting and Vlad is in decline

3. A's- Not as bad as you think

4. Every bit as bad as you think

NL East

1. Braves- Hard fight, but they have the players to pull it off.

2. Mets- Tough battle, but they get the wildcat

3. Phillies- Guys, you need pitching to win divisions

4. Marlins- As tough as the fight will be for 1st, the fight for the cellar will be hot too.

5. Nationals- Young and improving, but not going anywhere this year.

NL Central

1. Cubs- Like beating up the kids from the short bus for their lunch money

2. Brewers- Braun and Fielder can't get them to the top.....yet.

3. Reds- They've got a decent team, but pitching concerns keep them from the top.

4. Astros- Just look at that lineup. Yeah, now look past Oswalt in the rotation.

5. Cardinals- Ha Ha Ha! They suck!

6. Pirates- Pittsburgh still has a team, right?

NL West

1. Diamondbacks- Baby backs looking good.

2. Rockies- In the wildcard hunt all season.

3. Dodgers- Not as good as the hype would lead you to believe.

4. Padres- Very bland and mediocre

5. Giants- Remember that movie Major League?

AL Cy Young- Justin Verlander

NL Cy Young- Johan Santana

AL MVP- David Ortiz

NL MVP- David Wright

AL ROY- Adam Jones

NL ROY- Kosuke Fukudome

Hello all. I'm sure you're all aware that random thoughts flood my mind constantly. Sometimes I like to share them with you because I value your opinions and I often learn something by listening to you guys.

- I don't know if any of you guys watch the show Psyche on USA, but you should check it out if you get the chance. Good humor and a good cast make it easily the best show on Friday nights. They're on break right now, but they'll pick up again in the summer.

Okay, so I overestimated the amount of people wanting to play fantasy baseball this year. I think most everybody got into the keeper league too. But, I set up a 12 team single season league for those who didn't get into the keeper and those who would like to play in more than one league. There are some different scoring catagories in both leagues so it won't be boring to get into both and they can be changed by team votes if needed. The point of all this rambling is that I still need 6 teams in the league so that we can make 12. Please don't make me beg. Join the league and we'll have a lot of fun. Thanks y'all. It is in Yahoo. The league number is 113897 and the password is brett.

If you got into the keeper league and feel up to a single season league too, come on along. If you didn't get into the keeper league and feel that single season may be more your speed, I invite you as well. If you're a fantasy baseball newcomer and would like to get your feet wet with friends rather than strangers, you as well are invited, but I'll warn you that some of these guys are ruthless and it will be baptism by fire (Don't let that scare you off). There are 12 openings for this league. Once this one fills and there are still some wanting to play, it would be nice if someone would set up a second division.

Scoring is set up as follows, but are subject to change if there are any objections:
Offense- Runs, HR, RBI, AVG, SB, OPS
Pitching- Wins, Saves, ERA, WHIP, Holds, Ks, Quality Starts

The league is in Yahoo. If you're new to fantasy baseball, go to baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com and register your team. The league ID is 113897 and the password is brett.

Hey y'all. Last year's fantasy baseball league was fun. I know most of us turned in our keepers for this season, but I'm getting a little worried. We haven't heard from Greg in quite some time. Are we still on for this year? I certainly don't want to step on anyone's toes, but I just don't know if that league is still going to happen. In any event, we will have to have more than one "division" this year. There are a lot of people wanting to play from what I have heard. My suggestion is to have 2 or 3 (depending on how many people want to play) leagues of 12-16 teams each. These would basically be called "divisions". Now, of course, we wouldn't be able to have the "division" winners play each other, so we could just say that there are division winners and the "champion". The "champion" would be determined by the best overall record of the division winners.  I may be completely off base. Maybe this is the dumbest idea you've ever heard of. That's okay. It's merely a suggestion and we can modify it anyway you folks want to. I would be willing to commish one of the "divisions" if necessary. Please leave your feedback. I'm ready to set up a draft because I have a really bad case of the winter blues. All this snow and cold weather is killing me!

Mike Maroth was downright awful last season. Even in the amazingly weak NL Central, he couldn't get back on track. Well, enter pitching guru Bob McClure. Last year McClure helped Gil Meche by showing him to land on the ball of his foot rather than hard on the heel. Maroth is hoping the same thing will work for him. One of the spring training notes on the team website says that McClure is showing this technique to Maroth and if it works like it did with Meche, I think we will have our #4 starter. If the Maroth of old can show up in the # 4 slot of our rotation, we could be in a good position to win every night out. A healthy, productive Maroth with even a pedestrian effort from Tomko in the # 5 (or even better if Hochever can show up and take that spot) would make our rotation very solid (if not slightly scary.) Let's just hope they get some run support. So, what do you think. Can McClure turn Maroth around?

Just a quick heads up. Tonight on FSN (at 6:30 according to my directtv box), there will be a Royals Fanfest show. It's a half-hour show and may well be fairly corny. But, any Royals television programming right now is very welcomed at my house. Also, it might provide some more insight for those of you that were unable to attend (and gear you up for a roadie next year).

A new story is up at the team's website about Jose Guillen not wanting to switch positions (even though it's still in the outfield). The piece says that Guillen was telling a reporter (and I'm paraphrasing) , "I'm not playing left field." Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were just volunteering this year and not getting paid far more than you're worth. It says that Dayton had a little talk with him and told him that Hillman made the baseball decisions. Of course, Teahen is a care-free dude, so he doesn't really care. He would rather stay in right, but he's cool with whatever. Guillen tries to pull some "I'm a veteran" bullcrap. Somebody needs to remind Guillen that Buddy's ass is gone and he ain't coming back. I want to try to like Guillen and it's hard and he's not making it any easier.

Well, Fanfest was a blast!! I got pictures taken with John buck, Dayton Moore, and Brian Bannister and I took some other pictures of Gordon, Butler, Zach, and others. Dayton Moore just walked around all night mingling with the fans. It was really awesome to watch him interacting with everyone, including the players whom he seems to have a great relationship with. There were various autograph sessions that you could go to. But, you had to get in line one hour previous (if you wanted to get a spot) without even knowing who would be signing at that station. My first group was Braun, Gload, Grudz, Hudson, Lumsden, and first base coach Dave Owen. The other group I had was Olivo, Gload, Greinke, Grudz, Gordon, and bullpen coach John Mizerock. There were Royals employees hovering over the players to make sure they only had to sign one item. I watched this little zit-faced kid argue with a mentally retarded man about him wanting Zack Greinke to sign two things. That bothered me a little. But, what bothered me the most was the fact that there was a stage where they were interviewing people and announcing things and you couldn't hear because they had music blasting in the batting cages. Safe to say, I caught very little of what was said on the stage. Other than that, the experience was awesome. I encourage those of you that can to go tomorrow and if you can't make that, then make plans for next year.

Some stuff that I found interesting:

So, Gordon's and Buck's answers (as well as tone and expressions) lead me to belive that Buddy was not very well liked amongst the younger guys. I now know that Buddy was behind the Buck slump (or at least mostly responsible). Dayton said that he is really happy with the way this team was coming together. So, that was my experience. Pictures will be coming later if I can figure it out.  

According to MLBTR, the Cardinals are taking a look at Juan Gonzalez. Personally, I love this! Nothing better than watching the Cardinals blow money and it couldn't happen to a nicer team.

With Marion Jones going to prison, one has to wonder about the fate of Miguel Tejada. Wouldn't that be something if the Astros dealt away all that talent for a guy who gets sent to prison? Probably not likely, but the Astros would need a shortstop going into the 2008 season, right? That's when Glass sweeps in and helps his friend by offering "El Diablo" Angel Berroa for a small price.

When will Steve Finley finally get the picture and go away? What happened to Shawn Green and why has nobody signed him yet?

Do we have any trade possibilities left to acquire a starter? Huber, Costa, Berroa, German? Anybody have a scenario that could work?

One last thing. Who do you guys see as the first manager fired this season? My money is on John Gibbons in Toronto. He should've been fired long before now after his run-ins with Ted Lilly and Shea Hillenbrand, but he and "Big Nose" Richardi were college teammates.

As you can tell, I'm really bored and having baseball fever.

And you thought the A's were rebuilding. Apparently, they still need superstars because they just signed Vlademil to a one-year deal. Filling that offensive void left by Nick Swisher didn't take long. Damn you, billy Beane. Always taking our superstars. First, it was Kevin Appier, then Johnny Damon. Now, Emily? What's next? Hiring George Brett as your manager? Farewell Emil. I smell a "remembering Emil Brown" coming!

The first annual Royals Review fantasy football league has finished up and we have a champion. Congratulations to NYRoyal for his championship. He truly earned it as his running backs kept having injury and suspension problems. But, he made some nice pick ups and worked his way through the playoffs. Sisquach Kids played him hard in the championship game and finishes # 2. Marbotty's McVick the Crime Dog overtook my Bustin Heads in the consolation game. Thanks to all who played this year. It was fun and I look forward to seeing you all back next year. And once again, nice work NYRoyal. You're on top of the mountain and there are going to be some hungry teams gunning for you next year.

Okay. There has been a ton of back and forth in here about Shealy. Why is this guy so controversial? Well, as we all know, Shealy was obtained from the Colorado Rockies for fan favorite (ha ha) Jeremy Affeldt and Pedro Martinez's cousin Denny Bautista along with relief scrub Scott Doh-man. He was expected to fill the Royals first base position and add power to the lineup. After arriving in 2006, Shealy hit relatively well and excited many Royals fans for the future. Then came the awful 2007 season. Shealy looked like he would have trouble catching up to my wife's fastball. With his slow bat came his Rob Deer-esque "hack at anything" plate approach. So, Royals fans are conflicted. Now that Emil is gone, Shealy becomes the most controversial Royal of them all. Where does he go from here? There seem to be opinions everywhere, so I thought we could put it all in one post. I look at Shealy and say that the kid deserves a chance. For a team so desperate for power, we can't just drop a guy like Shealy, but how tolerant should we be with him? Last year we witnessed our beloved Royals trot Jason Larue out far too often despite his non-existant bat. Does anyone want to see this again? I would love for Shealy to be sitting at .255/.320/.420 by May of 2008. That would be good enough for me. But, what if he's hitting .175/.230/.300 by May? Are we supposed to just keep on trucking with his bat creating a huge hole in our lineup? And, if not, does anyone really want Ross Gload as our starting firstbasemen? Well, I know a guy that probably does (Here's looking at you jmoney joel). Anyway, I want Butler at first and I know I'm in the minority. Maybe he can't handle it. Maybe he is just so terrible at first base that we just cannot stomach it. I don't think that is the case and we should be willing to give it a try to better our roster and free up the DH spot for more flexibility. But, if Shealy becomes our starting first sacker and fails miserably, Ross will indeed be boss while Butler's value will be very limited as a full-time DH at age 22. So, RR faithful, discuss. What's the deal with Shealy?

Wow. What an incredibly stupid move by the Mets. A marginal catcher and a questionable outfielder for the hitting prospect everyone has been after the past two offseasons. You have to think that if Dayton knew that the Mets were willing to dump him on the cheap, he would've been pressing for him. We screwed them over last year in the Bannister deal and it would've been nice to work them over again. I must tip my hat to Jim Bowden for his pickup. Anybody have any thoughts on this one? Would've been nice to have Milledge in our outfield.

Sometimes I read the comments for certain rumors at mlbtraderumors when they're talking about players that could become Royals. Sometimes people give some information that they have seen or heard. I often shy away from taking them too seriously unless they quote the source. Well, without further ado, I found this:
Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes said in a Dominican sportstalk show that Guillén is "very close" to signing a deal with the Royals. Guillén was at the stadium watching his winter team play on Friday and said he would be joining the team as soon as he signs a contract.

It's got a source, so if that is indeed correct (does anyone here speak Spanish to verify?), many of you will soon get your wish. I'm not 100 % sold on Guillen, but I will welcome some more offense. Hopefully we're still active in the trade market too. Huston Street could be available from what I hear and mlbtraderumors is still reporting Bay being available.

We saw a complete turnaround with our rotation this season. We finally have some pieces in place for a great rotation. The problem is that there doesn't appear to be a solid lefthander. Whether it's Hochever, Soria, Hudson, or Davies complementing the "known 3", a lefty has to occupy the 5th rotation spot. So, what are the options?

In House:
Jorge De La Rosa- very unpredictable. We saw brilliance and suckatude. Can we count on him for a full year?
John Bale: A career reliever in the majors, but did some starting in Japan. It worked alright with Braden Looper this season in Saint Louis, but I'm not sold.

Trade possibilities:
Sean Marshall (Cubs)- This kid had an okay year, but the team had more confidence in Jason Marquis when setting their postseason rotation. He could be rather Bannister-esque though.
Chris Capuano (Brewers)- Would be a great addition, but might be very costly. Is he worth it?
Zach Duke (Pirates)- Had a horrible season, but has plenty of potential.
Scott Olsen (Marlins)- Bad season. Bad boy. Tons of potential. I like him for the right price.
Nate Robertson (Tigers)- It's difficult to trade within your division and after this guy's season, why bother?
Chase Wright (Yankees)- would be very expensive (and probably worth it). Could be a longshot.

Free Agents:
Eric Milton- Looked good a few years ago in Minnesota, but awful the last couple of years in Cincy.
Randy Wolf- Wants to re-sign with the Dodgers and injury prone, but if healthy, could be nice pick-up.

Any thoughts/comments about this situation? Anyone I missed?

Well, I've been wondering for the past couple months if Bay might possibly be available in the offseason. mlbtraderumors said that he will be available for the right price. He's signed for the next two seasons at a reasonable rate (I think I read 7.5 for 08 and 9.5 for 09). What would it take to grab him? Would Dejesus and Buckner pull it off? Bay has had an off year, but I think a change of scenery may help. What's your take on this?

Friday night is Royals Futures Night at the K. I will be making my final trip down to see this group of potentially great future Royals. The group includes Mike "moose tacos" Moustakas, RR favorite Rowdy Hardy, Mike Stodolka, Clint Robinson, and a few other minor leaguers. The autograph/meet and greet session begins at 5:15, so I'll see you all there, right? Just for the chance to meet the legendary Rowdy Hardy is reason enough for me to go down there. Not enough? It's buck night and a Fireworks Friday. Are you with me?

September is such a sad month for this Royals fan. This is the time of year for excitement and joy for many a ballfans in Atlanta, Boston, New York, or hell, San Diego as far as that's concerned. I don't know if anyone else does this or not, but I find the one team that I'm going to cheer for once the playoffs start and take interest. As Nick Bakay once explained, not your team, but your "playoff girlfriend". I don't exactly stop watching my team. I'm still watching our games until the end. But, when our games are over, I watch for that teams highlights on Baseball Tonight. I even try to find a guy on that team that I can really get behind. For example, I kinda like David Ortiz because of the 2004 playoffs, the guy just knew when to step up. Some may call this "clutch", I call it "must see tv". You don't have to like the guy the next year. In fact, when David stole a base against the Royals and pranced around like he just solved world hunger, I called him a dirty name or two. But, all in all, Big Papi is an okay guy.  I mean, the guy's got to be a decent guy off the field. Teams with these players are the ones I root for to lose. Plus, one secret rule to "playoff girlfriends" is that you just can't pick the Yankees (at least, not if you're a Royals fan). So, the Yankees are out and if we're looking for nice guys,  the Padres are out (Now hear this, if Milton Bradley becomes a Royal, I reserve the right to retract this statement).

Anyway, has anyone guessed my playoff girlfriend? The Mariners you say? Well, not exactly, but I do like the underdogs. It usually makes for a good story (except when it's the jackasses accross the state. That just pissed me off). Maybe the Phillies? Well, I could easily get behind Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. But, Philly fans? I couldn't even be a poser in the Phillie Nation. Those people are nuts. The dude who was just wearing the Santa suit took off to a place where nobody would ever find him (He's a coach in the WNBA.) Well, I'll save the suspense and tell you that it's the Cubs. Yeah, the Cubs. Allow me to explain. The Cubs haven't won a World Series in 99 years. We haven't won in 22 and we're complainers. You know what Cubs fans say? "Ah, we'll get 'em next year"! I walk around my house ranting about how we're never going anywhere. And you talk about underdogs? The last time these guys won the World Series, like 5% of the nation had running water. To compare, the last time we won the Series, Nintendo was released. Oh yeah, they need that player that I can get behind. How about Ryan Theriot? AKA "The Riot". This guy plays hard and is just fun to watch. But the last reason is just weird. Remember when we opened our big fat mouths and bet Al over at the Cubs site that the Royals would win more games than the Cubs? Yeah, that's right. Ooops. So, if they're going to make me look stupid, they're going to make me look stupid all the way baby!!!

But, then the playoffs end and I see that team's fans cheering and I know I'm not one of them. I'm a Royals fan. Our guys are fishing and playing golf somewhere tropical. And I'm home, in the cold, watching a group of people that I wish we were. Then, it's into the offseason. Five minute interview with Dayton Moore is the only Royals talk I hear on 810 throuhout the month of November, but I get a hefty dose of K-State football (all day long). Basketball fills ESPN and I don't even get Metro Sports. So, I take my winter prozac (watch football). That's all fun and good for a while. Then, I'm like a high school girl away from her boyfriend on summer vacation. "I miss my Royals". See, I don't ever want September to come. At least I have a support group right here at RR or should I say RA (Royals anonymous). Hi, my name is royaldaddy and I like the Royals. It all started when I was a boy. First, it was catching a game here and there. Then, I was getting angry when there wasn't a Royal in my new pack of Topps......

Would anyone be interested in playing in a Royals Review fantasy football league? As fun as the fantasy baseball league has been, I thought it might be fun to do a football league too. I like to make it deep with scoring and even play with defensive players if that's okay with everyone else. If we can get about 14 teams to play, it should be a decent league and it will give us a little something to do during the offseason. Let me know if this would be a good idea.

I was just wondering if anyone watched the John Wathan interview on Channel 38 last night. Now, maybe this was just a stupid question asked by the reporter, but he was asked if he would take the Royals managerial position back if asked. In a roundabout way, he said that he would probably take it (he gave the, "well, I'd really have to think about it/ talk to my family" line, but basically said yes). The Duke is a coach in the Royals farm system. Does anyone really believe that John Wathan is a potential candidate? I don't know what to make of this. It's probably nothing, but I found it interesting nonetheless.