For those with iPhones/iPads/iPod touch devices, I came across an app for the Omaha Storm Chasers and the Wilmington Blue Rocks. I have only downloaded the Storm Chasers app to this point, but would highly recommend it. It has daily news, recaps, schedules, and roster info. While it is not a detailed statistical app, it is great for keeping updated. Oh yeah, it's also free. Not sure about the Blue Rocks app at this point, but I will likely get it soon. Also not sure if these are available for other devices or if Naturals or other teams will have one in the near future. Just wanted to make sure RR readers knew about this resource.

I know the season is young, and I know someone will say "it's a small sample size", but is there any good statistical information on this year's defense? Just watching the games, it definitely appears that the defense has been much better YTD compared to last year (at least at particular positions). I would really like to see how much more Escobar has been "worth" to the Royals over Betancourt, even with a lower offensive numbers.

In particular, what are the early returns on:

1) Escobar vs. Betancourt

2) 2011 outfield vs. 2010 outfield

3) 2011 second base defense vs. 2010 second base defense

4) 2011 first base defense vs. 2010 first base defense


If it is not realistic to run comparisons at this time, no problem. I really appreciate any information that anyone may have. Thanks!

With Aviles hitting the ball (good to see him back), Maier earning more playing time, and Ka'aihue taking advantage of his one PA, the farm system is showing its potential. Maybe this will get the FO and Trey to think about giving someone else a chance. Between Omaha and Arkansas, there are some real possibilites right now. That being said, who do you think might be the next minor league player to get the call?

I was just wondering if anyone had any updates on Gordon's possible return date. I figure that they will wait until after the All-Star Break, but if anyone has heard any different please let us know.

Also, what roster and line-up moves will the Royals make once he returns? I figure that Mitch will most likely come out of the starting lineup, DDJ will move to center and TeaBag will move to LF. But will they send MM down or someone else? Like to hear your thoughts, that is, if everyone hasn't stopped caring at this point.

The dark knight revealed

Continue reading this post »

Is it just me or do Wee Willie and John Buck bear a striking resemblance to each other?  I have gotten them confused on more than one occasion. Seriously, they almost look like brothers that were separated early in life when their parents gave them up for adoption. I was thinking that maybe even GMDM had a little trouble differentiating between them as well, how else can we explain the signing of Wee Willie? I imagine it went a little something like this….. (cue fuzzy picture, then fade to flashback)

Location: KC Royals front office

Time: Early January 2009

(Bloomquist enters office, greeted by receptionist)

Bloomquist: Hi, I am here to see the General Manager about getting a contract.

Receptionist: Yes, do you have an appointment?

Bloomquist: No, but I think that he will want to talk to me. Just tell him I’ve got lots of GRIT.

Receptionist: (on phone to GMDM) Sir, there is a player here to see you about a contract, he doesn’t have an appointment, but he says he has lots of GRIT sir.

GMDM: (Putting down the Baseball Prospectus, telling himself he will never understand all those fancy numbers) Yeah, I saw him come in on the security camera. It’s Buck wanting to discuss his arbitration case. I’m glad he decided to settle this, but I don’t have time to see him. Just tell him we can only two years at 1.4 million each.  His GRIT is admirable, but his batting average, home run, and RBI numbers are below average.

Receptionist: (to Bloomquist) He says he willing to offer a very generous contract, 2 years at 1.4 million each year.

Bloomquist: Really, that sounds great! I wasn’t even expecting that much, given my lack of power and ability to get on base, but I was hoping that my exuberance of GRIT would pull me through. (Exiting the office) Woo Hoo! I’ve got a job! And my wife thought I was a no-good hack….

(A couple days later, same location)

John Buck enters office, greeted by receptionist

Buck: Hi, I am here to see the General Manager about getting a contract.

Receptionist: (Obviously confused) Uh, ok, weren’t you just here about a week ago?

Buck: No, this is the first time I’ve been in all off-season. I was hoping to avoid arbitration and get this settled today. I thought I could get a little more for all the GRIT I have displayed.

Receptionist: Okay, just a sec. (on phone to GMDM) Sir, there is a player here to see about a contract. It is the same guy from a few days ago.

GMDM: (Pulling himself away from the computer, where, upon browsing posts on RR, he just read the team had signed Willie Bloomquist). Uh, yeah, I see its Buck. Um, you know that player that came in about a week ago, I think I made a mistake. There is a good possibility that it was someone else and not Buck.

Receptionist: So what do you what me to tell him sir?

GMDM: Just send him in and I will talk to him personally.

Buck enters GMDM office. Notices a lot of Atlanta Braves memorabilia and I sign that reads: WWJSD (what would John Schuerholz do)

Buck: So I was hoping to resolve this contract issue and avoid arbitration.

GMDM: (Hoping Buck hasn’t heard about the Bloomquist signing) Sure, sure. Listen Buck we are really glad to have you here, but looking at your numbers, we really can’t go much higher. We already extended Olivio and he will be are starter. Plus, we spent a few bucks to get a top-notch, shut-down reliever. We can’t justify paying that much for a back-up catcher.

Buck: Well, I see that we signed Willie Suckquist for 1.4 million and I am at least as twice as good as he is.

GMDM: (Seeing that he is totally screwed and not wanting anyone to realize that he made a HUGE mistake, agrees to the deal). Ok, so how about 2.9 million? That is just a little more than twice what we gave…um, Bloomfield, er, Bloomquist.

Buck: That sounds great! I’ll get more than Olivio and I’m just the backup!

GMDM: (Just realizing that he offered more to his backup than his starter) Oh, yeah. Well that is because you are a little grittier than he is.

Buck leaves and GMDM starts to concoct a plan to divert attention away from his hideous off-season transactions. Maybe, he thinks, I can talk to Trey about tweaking how we use our bullpen. Yeah, like doing the exact opposite of what a normal manager would do. I’ll convince him that it’s a new strategy, very innovative. Hell, we can call it Treyball…….

Here's rooting for Luke Hudson.

Well, it is the most wonderful time of the year. With new beginnings and possibilities comes the excitement of the unknown for yet another baseball season. And one big hope that I have for this year is the return of Luke Hudson to past performance. The oft-injured RHP has seen his fair share of time on the DL, yet he is one of those players that has had brief flashes of “starter potential” that make you wish he could just stay healthy. Here are Hudson’s abbreviated stats:

Year       Record      ERA    

2004          4-2           2.42  (9 starts, called up in August) with Cincinnati

2005          6-9           6.38  (16 starts, 3 relief appearances) with Cincinnati

2006          7-6           5.12  (26 appearances, 15 starts, was 6-3 with 4.79 ERA in starts) with Royals

2007     (one start, versus Oakland. Do I really need to give the details of that game, I’m sure most of us remember       

                it*. Out for the rest of the season)

2008      Out of entire season

*I can actually remember that day pretty well and that is amazing for me, I tend to forget what I had for lunch by the end of the day. I work at a school and we had a group of students going to that game as a reward (some may doubt the effectiveness of that “reward”, but I digress). I was excited for Hudson to come back  because of the 2006 season and can remembering telling a fellow teacher that Hudson was a decent pitcher, he has a lot of promise, and that they should be in for a good game. Only one other time in my life have I ever been more wrong (and we won't go into that here).

Needless to say, Hudson has been extremely limited by his long string of injuries, which have most likely permanently affected his ability to be regular starter. However, I would really like to see him get healthy (and stay healthy for an extended period of time) and have a go in the bullpen. If he could stay off the DL he may very well be the most effective RH long-relief option for the Royals.  That all being said, he will most likely spend much of his time in Omaha this year, trying to regain some of his form. But it is something to think about and, after all, it is the time of year to be hopeful.

Questionable Hit by Brady Ends His Own Season

via blogs.usatoday.com

Sparks Cover Up Controversy

Yes, the NFL has truly outdone itself this time. This scandal ranks right up there with the cover-up of the Buffalo Bills and the four Super Bowls that actually won. Yes, the outright cheap shot by Tom Brady on a defenseless Bernard Pollard epitomizes the league’s desire to protect its "cover boys" and their image at the expense of other teams.

The hit took place early in the game between the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs on September 7 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA.  With the Chiefs Pollard attempting to regain his position after a block and still pursue the quarterback, Brady delivered a harsh and blatant knee to Pollard’s shoulder in an obvious attempt to injure the defenseless Chiefs player.

"I was shocked, I mean, I didn’t know what to think", said Pollard after the game, "I have never had a quarterback try to purposely hurt me like that*". 

*Pollard did make reference to a failed attempt by Brett Favre last season to bite off one of his fingers, however, no video evidence could be found.

However, the dirty play backfired on Brady as he suffered a season-ending knee injury due to the vicious hit he delivered on Pollard. Immediately the cover-up began. CBS replayed the hit over and over, but only after editing the film to hide the unsportsmanlike conduct by Brady. The picture below is believed to be the only evidence that Brady actually initiated the hit, unfortunately, the view is obscured by

via i.cdn.turner.com

Chiefs rookie lineman Glenn Dorsey. When pressed, Dorsey assured Chiefs fans that he was not in on the cover-up. "I was just trying to get to him (Brady), that’s my job. You know coach says, ‘you play to win the game’ and I was playing to win", Dorsey stated during a postgame interview.

The photo that was released by the NFL, below, paints the picture that Pollard acted

via d.yimg.com

alone and that the injury to Brady was purely accidental.  But it is believed that the League covered up the illegal hit by Brady in an attempt to protect his image as a "golden boy" and his team’s image as well. Of course, we do not have to delve too far into history to find another controversy that the NFL seemingly "took care of" for the Patriots. "Spy Gate" including the videotaping of other teams’ signals, however, these videos were destroyed by the league with no real explanation.

Questions surround the comments made by Patriots players who immediately placed blame on Pollard, claiming it was a cheap shot, even though it was obvious that Pollard was as vulnerable as a baby kitten stranded in a tree. New England wide receiver Randy Moss stated that, "he definitely met to hurt him, he’s a dirty player", even though Moss admitted to not actually seeing the hit as he has already given up on his route and was getting a drink on the sidelines. However, when pressed as to who he was referring to as the dirty player, Brady or Pollard, Moss replied "no comment". The response by the NFL regarding the play was unusually quick, as the Officiating Department declared the "hit" by Pollard as legal in a twenty-page report within 6 seconds of the actual play. It is believed by many that the league has prepared such statements for a variety of possible controversies that may need to be "handled".

While we may never know the whole truth regarding "Knee Gate", it does appear that karma has finally caught up with Brady and the Patriots. His absence will definitely make a return trip to the Super Bowl an uphill climb for the Pats as they must now rely on backup QB Matt Cassel. Cassel, before this game, had not thrown a pass in a real game since high school, but was confident when interviewed after the game. "Yeah", said Cassel, "coach told me not to worry, that all I had to do was throw the ball because ‘we can’t lose, it’s been taken care of’. I assume he meant I had trained hard and that I was ready, but he kept talking on a red phone to someone about invoking ‘Plan Armageddon’, but I had never practiced that offensive setup". Somehow Cassel was able to overcome nerves and rustiness, but also his inability to see colors. "Yeah, it’s impossible for me to tell the difference between our players and theirs" said Cassel, "but somehow the ball always found its way to my teammate". "It didn’t hurt that they pulled out a special ball whenever I came in".

OK, I read the recent post calling for the trade of Teahen and the discussion that followed. I agreed with many of the points presented and disagreed with some as well.

The reason that I want to post this is because I feel I represent the average fan. I am not a big stats guy, I still rely mostly on the typical offensive stats of BA, HR, and RBI to judge a players performance. I have wondered many times this year about Mark Teahen and if the Royals should trade him. The guy doesn't hit for much power, his BA isn't much to write home about and he seems to ground out to second base at least a freakin' game!

That being said, I believe there is more to a player than his stats. I like to consider the presence the player brings to a clubhouse, the willingness to play through pain, and other intangibles that cannot be quantified. Mark Teahen is a guy that has a lot of intangibles. He is the type of player that I would want on my team. He plays hard, he runs the bases well (and no one can tell me that doesn't matter), he doesn't complain, and he can provide guidance for younger players. Simply put, the guy is a ball player.

With the possible price tag o f $3 million next year, I think Teahen would be worth the money for the service he can provide. Yes, the Royals need another power bat at the corner outfield position and I don't see this team being competitive with Teahen as a STARTER. But as a backup, the guy is almost invaluable. He can play all four corner positions. His defense in RF and at 1B is very respectable and his recent stint at 3B has been very solid. Plus, he could play LF if needed. Now, those are four positions, that one person could possibly fill in for if there is an injury or someone needs the day off. On top of that, he brings a left-handed bat in the lineup.

At least for right now and until someone else can prove their worth with that much versatility; I believe that he deserves a roster spot next year.