For the Glory of the City

I will be honest: I did not watch the Royals game last night. They have wilted in the past three weeks, with a record of 10-10 since August 25, finally giving their hold on first place back to the Tigers. They currently sit 1.5 games behind Detroit, and after the suspended game with the Indians is officially completed this coming Monday, they will probably be 2 games behind. They do sit 2 games ahead of Seattle for the second Wild Card, so there is hope that they can still squeak through into the play-in game, which would likely be against Oakland. Better than nothing I guess. 

I did not watch the game last night because I had better things to do. I have given priority to the Royals MANY times over the years, and they have repaid that with awful baseball time and time again. As a true baseball fan, I can appreciate the small nuances and tactics that “small ball” teams like the Royals employ: things like good defense and stealing bases, pitchers that only pitch certain innings, and even bunting practically every time someone gets on base. While I enjoy a good home run as much as anyone, it is also exciting to me to watch a string of 3 singles in a row produce a run or two, followed by a starting pitcher dominate the opposing hitters once he has a lead. I do not mind if the Royals win a game 2-1, just as long as they win. And it is true that the Royals played decent small ball last night against the White Sox, walking off with a win after being down 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning with 2 outs. Speed, luck, and timely hitting, coupled with shutdown relief pitching, enabled the Royals to post a victory, a perfect example of small ball. If you haven't seen the video of the winning run yet, it is right here.

However, the Royals are the streakiest team in the MLB, and for every positive streak they put together, they seem to put together an equally devastating negative streak. They win a game 2-1, then they lose the next game 8-4. One step forward, one step back. They have put a lot on the line for this season and it feels like it will be a total waste if they do not make the playoffs. A waste of a season, a waste of being a fan, a waste of James Shields, a waste of an amazing hot stretch in August, and a waste of HOURS spent watching/writing/observing and discussing this team. I will probably always be a Royals fan, but right now it feels like I will have to stop caring as much until they prove that they want to win for KC, a city that has not seen a playoff victory in baseball or football in decades. 

As Rany points out here in his latest blog post, he is tired of writing the same old column about the same old problems. I feel the same. The Royals need to give us fans some hope. They need to give us more excitement, even if it comes in the form of a walk-off victory like last night. They need to realize that KC has suffered long enough and that they would be heroes if they can pull their heads out of their ass and finish their last 13 games with passion and fire and dedication to the franchise that has made most of them millionaires. There are hundreds of other things they need to do, but if I had to pick just one for the Royals to follow these last two weeks of the 2014 MLB season, it would simply be to play for the Glory of the City. 

Sporting KC, despite their strugglers as of late, has made playing for the Glory of the City emblematic of the soccer club. Their players embrace KC, and KC has embraced the players. They have passion, they sweat, bleed and cry, and they constantly thank the fans for their support. Their stadium is always full. Fans wear their gear with pride. The Royals have the opportunity these next two weeks for the same outcome. KC is a city on the verge of exploding if the Royals can make the playoffs. I can’t even imagine how amazing the plaza and downtown would look, or how the excitement and buzz around the city would feel, if the Royals can clinch a spot in the playoffs.

So my plea to the Boys in Blue is this: don’t settle for a wild card. You can catch Detroit. Step your game up. Compete with passion. Love your fans and embrace the Paris of the Plains. And above all, play for the Glory of the City.