Helmet Nachos

I haven’t had a chance to post about the Royals lately, but after their dominance good showing against the Cardinals this week, they deserve some love.

After sputtering through another lifeless May, the Royals are 3-2 in June. Anytime you take 3 games from the Cardinals, including sweeping them in St. Louis, that is something to be happy about. And I am not talking about bragging rights in the Show Me State, but rather the fact that St. Louis always has a solid team, and Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha are very good pitchers with sub 3.00 ERA’s this season.

Even better than taking 3 games from the Cardinals is the fact that the Royals actually showed the ability to come back and win games. We all know how weak the Royals’ offense is, and when they are down by a few runs, it feels like they will automatically lose. They actually scored 13 runs after the sixth inning in their 4 games against the Cardinals. Very nice!

The Royals won last night after sneaking in some offense in the sixth inning. It was only 3 runs, but it was all they needed to win. I had to follow the game on twitter, while also following the baseball draft, all while at the Houston Astros game against the Angels. Quite a fun baseball night. Here are some thoughts:

First, the Royals had 4 draft picks in the first 3 rounds. They selected 3 pitchers and a catcher. I understand that good starting pitching is one of the hottest commodities in all of professional sports, but THE ROYALS NEED HITTING. I am so sick of seeing Billy Butler ground out and Mike Moustakas strike out and no one is hitting home runs and blah blah blah. There has been a rumor that the Seattle Mariners are interested in trading for Billy Butler and his $8 million contract. DO IT! Trade that slow SOB right now. Or just dump him near another city with a baseball team. Or not. Because all he does is hit, but he's not even doing that right now. 

Second, Twitter was blowing up about the Royals and Cardinals this past week. It is nice to (sort of) have a meaningful rivalry again, although neither the Royals nor Cardinals are relevant this year. The Cardinals have been found to be the most loyal fans in baseball, but AFTER 3 DECADES OF FUTILITY, any remaining Royals fans like you and me deserve the title as Most Loyal (and Longest Suffering) Fans. So suck it St. Louie. In all honesty, I do enjoy the Cardinals and Busch Stadium is probably my second favorite baseball stadium besides Kaufmann Stadium in KC, but I digress.

Third, Minute Maid Park in Houston was a fun experience. The Astros won 8-5 after some late-inning drama. With the tying run at the plate, Albert Pujols flied out to end the game. It was $1 hot dog night and the Astros reported that 18,000+ hot dogs were sold during the game. Disgusting. I had 3. No Shame. Hey, they were A DOLLAR, so get off my back. Also, my ticket was only $6, which is cheaper than the Royals and its not like the Royals are that much better than the Astros.

I did notice that the Astros offer Helmet Nachos. If you do not know what Helmet Nachos are, your life is meaningless. I haven’t been to a Royals game this year (yet), but I do not believe the Royals offer Helmet Nachos. I have had Helmet Nachos (I love saying Helmet Nachos) at a White Sox game, Minnesota Twins game, and a Dallas Stars game, and I will be damned if I don’t have Helmet Nachos in Houston. Below is a pic I found on the internet of Cincinnati Reds Helmet Nachos. A full-size, 80's style batting helmet full of tortilla chips, chili, cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, deliciousness and heart disease. America is amazing.

I wanted to provide an in-depth look at the Royals new draft picks here but I will leave that for another day. Next up for the Royals is 6 home games against the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians. They need to use those games to get out of last place in the AL Central and get back in the playoff hunt.