Kansas City Royals: The Good Old Days

Remember the good old days, Royals fans? October 27, 1985 is still the greatest day in franchise history. There have been a number of exciting and memorable moments out at The K since then. But none of them will ever compare to October 27, 1985.

Sadly, that’s really the only thing Royals fans can hold on to these days. Things used to be more fun for the Royals. Things used to be a LOT more fun. And as every inept season passes, people are having a harder time remembering the good old days.

As we begin the annual “I-70 Series” in St. Louis this week, Royals fans are once again reminded how things used to be. Side note: It’s now the “annual” series because baseball decided they would try and ruin things by implementing Interleague play. But I digress…

Nowadays, there is so much energy, discussion and time spent debating things that a lot of fan bases don’t have to worry about.

“How can we get rid of our owner?”

“Dayton Moore has had eight years. He needs to be fired.”

“Ned Yost is a horrible manager. He needs to be fired.”

“Our #2 overall pick from 2007 can’t hit. He belongs in Omaha.”

“Our #3 overall pick from 2008 can’t hit for power.”

“We have a DH that is a .250 singles hitter.”

I could go on and on about the daily hot topics that get people fired up about regarding the Royals. But if you’re reading this, you already know every single one of them.

Generally speaking, the day in, day out frustration over the Royals is tough enough to take. But when they play the big, bad Cardinals from the east side of the state, there seems to be a little extra bitterness in the air. And why shouldn’t there be? It’s a yearly reminder of what we’re not.

We’re an inconsistent franchise that’s being led by extremely defensive people who make excuses for everything that isn’t working. That is what the Royals are. And every time the Royals and Cardinals play, it’s a painful reminder.

We’re not consistent. We’re not competitive. We’re not a franchise that continues to develop good/fantastic players. We’re not a division contender every year. We’re not a franchise that wakes up every morning expecting to win.

Instead, we’re an inconsistent franchise that’s being led by extremely defensive people who make excuses for everything that isn’t working. That is what the Royals are. And every time the Royals and Cardinals play, it’s a painful reminder.

The truly maddening part of the I-70 series won’t show itself until Wednesday the 4th when the split series comes to Kauffman Stadium. More than likely, it will be fairly full. And more than likely it will also be at least half-full of people who are dressed in red.

It’s early June and a good portion of Royals fans seem to be already defeated. Inviting a yearly reminder into your house certainly doesn’t do much to help the morale.