Royals

[Back2Lawrence]

Yeah I think the team is better now, and pitching seems to maybe have straightened back out.

21 days in a row of nervousness for games is a lot!!!!

I mean, I’m all for playing the best to be the best, but this seems a bit ominous.

Hope I’m just a nervous nelly.

[Sparko]

The Twins unnerved us all--then optimism washed over us.

[Back2Lawrence]

The Twins unnerved us all--then optimism washed over us.

I like how flush with it I am atm

[Back2Lawrence]

Having had to cancel my trip to DC a couple weeks ago as my buddy got TMJ (giving up his health deet’s to satisfy Shirley’s medical nerdness). Looked to reschedule and saw the last series of this stretch is @yankees.

Unfortunately, as I usually fly SWA direct into DCA, we are just inside the prices go sky high time bubble that usually goes with SWA pricing.

We talked about extending my trip for a couple days and going up to the city for a couple days of New York. Never been to new or old yankee stadium, and this would have worked great

[jfish26]

Yeah I think the team is better now, and pitching seems to maybe have straightened back out.

21 days in a row of nervousness for games is a lot!!!!

I mean, I’m all for playing the best to be the best, but this seems a bit ominous.

Hope I’m just a nervous nelly.

In the new playoff format, winning the division, or at least the first wild card, is a massive deal. Means you play the whole first round at home (meaning, of course, that getting the second or third wild card means no home games at all).

Ask anyone who was around in 2014 and 2015 what that means on the field.

And ask ownership, which has a big offseason ahead, what that means off the field.

[jfish26]

Having had to cancel my trip to DC a couple weeks ago as my buddy got TMJ (giving up his health deet’s to satisfy Shirley’s medical nerdness). Looked to reschedule and saw the last series of this stretch is @yankees.

Unfortunately, as I usually fly SWA direct into DCA, we are just inside the prices go sky high time bubble that usually goes with SWA pricing.

We talked about extending my trip for a couple days and going up to the city for a couple days of New York. Never been to new or old yankee stadium, and this would have worked great

Last minute flights have price breaks on Wednesdays, check back tomorrow. If you are going to book with points, you can also use this 20% off code of mine that will go unused by its expiration date: CMDHW82KRX

[Back2Lawrence]

Appreciate the points coupon. I have one of those too

[jfish26]

Appreciate the points coupon. I have one of those too

You might also check Baltimore. I find that it's usually cheaper than DCA.

[Sparko]

Q doing Q stuff. He platoons to start the game, then leaves Renfroe righty versus righty in the key 7th inning for an easy 5-4-3. He is such a stubborn dullard sometimes. Hampson blows a catchable fly ball for a triple. Because Isbel is not playing in the 8th. Grrrrrrr. Waits to pinch hit until 105 mph Joyce closes. 105 freaking mph. 105mph. 103 mph to strike out Witt. WTF are the Angels so bad with the best closer I have ever seen?

[Back2Lawrence]

Appreciate the points coupon. I have one of those too

You might also check Baltimore. I find that it's usually cheaper than DCA.

DCA has been cheaper for the last 2 years. At least when I check. He lives close to the ICC in Montgomery County, so either airport is equally ok.

I miss the $49 each way just out of Covid fares lol.

[jfish26]

Yeah I think the team is better now, and pitching seems to maybe have straightened back out.

21 days in a row of nervousness for games is a lot!!!!

I mean, I’m all for playing the best to be the best, but this seems a bit ominous.

Hope I’m just a nervous nelly.

In the new playoff format, winning the division, or at least the first wild card, is a massive deal. Means you play the whole first round at home (meaning, of course, that getting the second or third wild card means no home games at all).

Ask anyone who was around in 2014 and 2015 what that means on the field.

And ask ownership, which has a big offseason ahead, what that means off the field.

Here’s a question - and I’m not sure there’s a wrong answer - given the home field structure for the first round of the playoffs, if Royals are locked into the 2nd or 3rd WC spot with a week to go, do you throw Ragans/Lugo to chase the division or 1st WC? There are baseball AND GM reasons to do it.

[Back2Lawrence]

A game out? Yes. 2-3 games out…I’m sleeping on that answer.

I might go to the k tonight. I’m by myself, though, and get angry at things like $20 parking.

I’ve used public transit to go to every game since the 15 World Series…

…yes, this is me taking a shot at the k. Not the stadium, I love the stadium. But location, location, location. It’s so fucking awful.

[Sparko]

Parking will be more expensive downtown. One of the worst extra costs of going to the game. I always liked to carpool there. On Fish's question, I'm not sure Lugo or Ragans are even the best we have right now. Teams are just not swinging to extend the pitch count. I would start Singer with Bubic as long reliever. But if you make it, you have to go all-in.

[Back2Lawrence]

If you park a block from the stadium it will be more. Maybe 5 blocks.

My point there was that I’ve taken public transportation to every game I’ve been too since 15. Lots in Denver, Wrigley, SafeCo (or whatever), Nats Park, Camden (ok, we drove and parked there, I forgot).

Man, and I haven’t been to a game since 2020. Eeek!

If the stadium doesn’t end up downtown (adjacent), the Royals won’t be in KC. That much I’m pretty sure.

Good game tonight so far. I ended up on wrong side of town too close to game to go .

[jfish26]

Parking will be more expensive downtown. One of the worst extra costs of going to the game. I always liked to carpool there. On Fish's question, I'm not sure Lugo or Ragans are even the best we have right now. Teams are just not swinging to extend the pitch count. I would start Singer with Bubic as long reliever. But if you make it, you have to go all-in.

I mean - one of the points of putting the stadium in greater downtown (which it will be) is that you will have many more options. Choose Your Own Adventure on cost. Want to park a block over? That'll be $60. Want to park at the Plaza and ride the streetcar in? That'll be $0.

[Sparko]

The inevitable surge in traffic congestion is concerning. But the Royals do themselves no favors by picking pockets for parking at the K. I am one of those fans coming only for baseball who likes the K. Not sure what the calculations are at this point on longer range versus short commute ticket holders.

[jfish26]

The inevitable surge in traffic congestion is concerning. But the Royals do themselves no favors by picking pockets for parking at the K. I am one of those fans coming only for baseball who likes the K. Not sure what the calculations are at this point on longer range versus short commute ticket holders.

I just disagree with the traffic concerns.

One, I think they overlook that downtown frequently holds multiple simultaneous thousands-of-attendees events as it is - we already have shows or games at T-Mobile at the same time as there are conventions or events at the Kauffman Center, etc.

Two, more fundamentally, we don't deserve a professional baseball team if the city can't make the investment to make the logistics work, and the fans can't adapt to different logistics.

The logistics at the K are a goddamn nightmare in their own right, when you're talking about 30k+ people. It's just that that's been a rarity over the decades. I would hope that one of the goals of spending this much money is to ensure the era of attendance in the 10s and even low 20s is a thing of the past.

[Sparko]

The real problem was a decade of crap products and MLB's blackout policies on streaming games. Killed the fanbase in KC. Some cities have a lot more people, better teams and better logistics. The least of the team's worries has been an expensive stadium in which to showcase a 52-win team. They are better this year--but wow what a fall Dayton Moore made. The pitching busts alone cost the team $100M+

[jfish26]

The real problem was a decade of crap products and MLB's blackout policies on streaming games. Killed the fanbase in KC. Some cities have a lot more people, better teams and better logistics. The least of the team's worries has been an expensive stadium in which to showcase a 52-win team. They are better this year--but wow what a fall Dayton Moore made. The pitching busts alone cost the team $100M+

Agree in all respects. Absolutely insane, how big of an own-goal the blackout policies and local TV deals are.

But now's the time, and with the organization seemingly acting like it belongs at the adult table (of course there will be ups and downs), now's the right time to move into a best-in-class venue - and with KC being the center of the sports architecture world, I have all of the confidence in the world that that'll be the result.

[Back2Lawrence]

Strike zone is not good tonight. For either team.

Ump has missed a few each side. Hope that only helps the Royals later.