Kansas City Royals: Us Against The World

The Kansas City Royals’ Opening Night is just a day away and Royals fans everywhere can’t wait for the first pitch to be thrown, even with the ensuing drama. Will this year be the KC Royals versus everyone else?

The Kansas City Royals won their first World Series title in three decades last season. It was one hell of a ride that came one season after yet another hell of a ride, only in that ride, the Royals came up short, 90 feet short, if you want to be politically correct).

The beginning of last season saw the Royals being picked on by other American League teams, but fans seemed puzzled as to why. This was a team that just a season before that, were the lovable underdogs that everyone was rooting for in the playoffs.

When they made it to their first World Series in 29 years, it seemed like destiny for the boys in blue to win the whole thing, but those big, bad, hated Giants and their winning ways ruined that dream.

Fast forward to five months later, and the Kansas City Royals were dubbed as the “bad boys of baseball” due to clearing the benches on five separate occasions and retaliating when one of their own was picked on by the other team. The other teams in the league were sick of the Royals feeling so on top of the world, so they went after them, and the Royals fought back. Somehow, that made them the bad guys.

This is a team that the more you push them, the more they’ll keep fighting.

With the regular season beginning in just a day, however, drama surrounding our beloved KC Royals has surfaced once again. The Royals are once again the “bad boys of baseball” and is it getting to the point where fans should just embrace this and roll with it? After all, our team did win the World Series after being thrown at and picked on all season long. This is clearly motivation for guys on the team.

A lot of you reading this are probably thinking, “Duh, Leigh, where were you all of last year? Of course, this is motivation! Why write about this?!”

Well, this resurfaced old feelings for me, especially after reading Dieter Kurtenbach’s piece on how the vigilante Royals are what is wrong with baseball these days. Kurtenbach’s article stemmed from Marc Carig of News Day with reports that the Royals are planning to retaliate on the Mets.

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They’re evidently thinking of getting even on them because Noah Syndergaard threw at Alcides Escobar‘s head (why is Escobar always getting thrown at or hurt in these games?) in Game 3 of the World Series.

The fact that this is even still being talked about it is ridiculous, but it really shows that people still think of the Royals as the bad guys in this situation. Why would Kansas City even want to retaliate anyway? They showed the Mets up by beating them four games to one in the World Series to take home the ultimate prize.

The Royals don’t need to retaliate. They won the trophy. They got the glory. They got their parade. They’ll get their rings on Tuesday evening when playing against… Oh yeah, Syndergaard and the Mets. Why fight when you’re already the winner?

Ned Yost even said in Carig’s article that the thought of getting even wasn’t even on the team’s mind, and why would it be? They have nothing more to prove to the Mets. They beat them last season on the biggest stage, and it’s over with.

Next: Ten Facts All Royals Fans Should Know

I guess being winners comes with consequences. No one in the nation roots for you anymore. The Royals are no longer the underdogs or the lovable losers that they were for most of my life.

No, for once, the Royals are THE team to beat in Major League Baseball. They’re the team that everyone loves to hate because they’re so good and are building something special.

This is a team that the more you push them, the more they’ll keep fighting.

In other words, bring it, media. You’re only feeding the fire.

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