One Week In...

Well the Kansas City Royals are six games in and they stand at .500. Where do they stand? As Kansas City moves in to the renovated "K" can we say that the team has improved like the stadium? The short answer is yes, but the long answer maybe they are not quite where many thought they would be this season. Well the Kansas City Royals are six games in and they stand at .500. Where do they stand? As Kansas City moves in to the renovated "K" can we say that the team has improved like the stadium? The short answer is yes, but the long answer maybe they are not quite where many thought they would be this season.

Lets start with the positives. Pitching. No doubt the staff has drastically improved in the past 5 years, I cant remember when the top 3 in the rotation was this good. Meche, Grenke, and Davies are actual major leaguers and looking at the rotation in Omaha they are better than some rotations the big league club ran out there in the past few years. Soria is a stud...one of the best closers in baseball no doubt...now it is up to Hillman to not overwork his best player.

Now for the problems. Pitching. Yes it is a major issue, first the 4th and 5th starters are a joke. Seriously Sidney Ponson opening the new "K" simply terrible, however at least he is a 4th starter and not a number 1 like he would have been in the years past. Middle relief has not been great but not as good as one would like, Kyle Farnsworth must be a bridge to Soria if the Royals want to be successful. With that being said the boys in blue could get away with this if they pick up their offense. Somehow they (John Buck) were able to score more than 2 runs to beat the hated Yankees yesterday but here are a few embarrassing stats. Batting average .201, 14 runs scored, and an average of 7.7 runners left on base. In the first 6 games KC couldn't find a timely hit or lets be honest even a hit. Oh by the way the league average is 30 runs and .256 batting average.

Until the Royals quit killing themselves with a terrible roster (wasting 2 spots for players who will never see the field) they don't stand a chance. I think Dayton Moore has the team headed in the right direction but until the team finds some way to score runs it does not matter who is on the bump.

Mr. Obama Time to Put Up or Shut Up

As a moderate Republican who feels the party is leaving him behind I do not care who is leading this country as long as we are led into the future a proper direction. President Bush was not a great leader to say the least but there is no way we can be sure what President Obama brings us either. In the past few days he has been confronted with two very troubling items: North Korea launching a long range missile and pirate attacks on an American Ship.

These issues are very different, but both will show us what the new president will do when faced with international crisis. The U.S. and North Korean governments need to find a way to talk...this is one of the major flubs of Bush's Administration, failing to talk to "enemies" around the globe. Reagan talked to the Soviets and that is one of the ways the USSR started to come out of the darkness. Our current Administration seems to be going in the right direction on this point, however what about these pirates?

I feel like its 1750 and Johnny Depp is looking for gold...too bad its 2009. For the first time in 200+ years an American flagged ship was attacked by pirates...200 years. These rouge thugs in a lawless nation are "Ship jacking" multi-million dollar ships and we have done little to stop them. Yes our Navy along with other world powers is patrolling the areas but has it slowed them no...this is not because we don't know what we are doing but the resources we have will never be enough. Why are world powers including the United States sitting idol why street gangs take to the water in speed rafts and take these ships, hold sailors hostage, and ransom millions from companies around the world. There is no excuse for the U.S., Great Britain, China, Russia, and all the world powers to sit on the sidelines and let this go. This is effecting all of them, this should be an easy agreement between them all. Law and Order needs to be installed in Somalia, either by a government of their own or the rest of the world.

Mr. Obama you said you will bring Change, Hope and the rest of your one word slogans that united the dolts around the nation. I say put up or shut up, lead the world like the rock star you are and find a solution to these problems. These two problems will not be the only ones faced in the next 4 years...and most likely will not be the most serious. However, the world and us will find out soon how Mr. Obama will lead the world.

Seriously Trey what were you thinking???

Well you know it is spring when the boys in blue hit the diamond and Royals fans (including me) feel like the team has a chance to compete. Even though it was 38 degrees and Opening Day was pushed a day for snow I was pumped up and excited for what could be a special season for the Royals...then like always I was quickly proven wrong.

I may not be a great baseball mind but Trey Hillman has a long way to go to catch up with the great baseball minds. Maybe I am just old school (at the wise old age of 27) but 91 pitches from your ace who made a batter look foolish in his last inning of work is a pretty light day. Gil Meche was cruising and if it said Brinkman on the back of the jersey Gil would have come out for the 8th...no questions asked. There would be two arms warming in the frigid weather...Ron Mahay and Jokim Soria.

I heard people say there are 161 left...true...its only one game...correct...but its Opening Day. Its the beginning of a new season. The new K, hope for a good team, actual excitement pre-season for the first time in my memory. Trey you do everything to win the game...pull out all the stops. Kyle Farnsworth wasn't effective and you leave him in to face a hall of famer who OWNS the Royals. When Thome took the 2-0 pitch there was one thought in my mind...don't throw the heat, the rest is history.

Is this the "New Royals" or just another team that will raise the hope of Kansas City fans just to beat them down. I am hoping for the first option but really think this team will tease me for a while, get me excited and knock me out. I plan to visit the "New K" as much as possible this season and hope I don't see "Fire Trey" signs before the summer heat erases our memory of a freezing/disappointing Opening Day.