Royals Baseball Playoff Run Rejuvenates Kansas City. #MLB #Royals

Royals Make Me Feel Twelve Again!

Man oh man!  To be a resident of the Kansas City area these last couple of weeks has been amazing.  It’s been like a dream. The whole Kansas City area is happy! Mizzou fans, Kansas Jayhawks fans, and KSU fans are all harmonious with one another in their KC Royals fandom.

The Royals have, as of right now, won 6 straight MLB playoff games this year. And dating back to 1985, they have won nine playoff games in a row. We are watching something historic, as the whole country has begun to love the formerly lovable losers, the KC Royals. We are winners now!

Starting out on Monday Night Football, I took my 12-year-old son to Arrowhead Stadium, September 29th, to see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the New England Patriots.

In that game, the Chiefs curb-stomped the Patriots.  I mean, they kicked the shit out of them 41-14.  That is an ass-whomping, if I’ve ever seen one.  Versus Gray Hoodie, Tom Brady and the Patriots? What? What?!  That’s unheard of.  Whoomp, There it is!

I HAVE FIREBALLS FOR HANDS!!

@teedubya and his Son are World Record Holders

Oh, by the way, at the Chiefs/Pats game, the fans at Arrowhead rose the volume to 144.2 dB, a World Record. Yes. My son and I are world record holders.  Arrowhead beat the Seattle Seahawks of 137.6 dB from last fall.  They took it back from us at 137.5 dB from last year vs. the Raiders.  We stole it from them earlier.  Seattle may want to try to get it back… or, they can just relax and enjoy their Superbowl trophy.

43-8! Yeah! Suck it, Broncos!

When you read this blog post in the future, my son and I may not be Guinness Book World Record holders.

At the Chiefs game, many of the Kansas City Royals came to the game and were also World Record holders.  “Hopefully,”  I thought, “this Arrowhead magic will carry over to Kauffman next door, tomorrow.”

Credit: KansasCity.com

First Royals Playoff Game in 29 Years.

So, the Wild Card game is the next day. September 30th, 2014. Oakland Athletics versus the Kansas City Royals in a one-game winner take all playoff game.  Winner moves on. Loser goes home.

Many in Kansas City, still hate the Oakland A’s, since Charlie O. Finley moved the team from KC to Oakland at the end of the 1967 season. He left with Rookie of the Year, Reggie Jackson, and the core group of players that would win 3 World Series in a row.

The Royals are 45 years old. So, people who are 55 or older and live in Kansas City, they still have some A’s butt-hurt. I think they should simmer down though, after all, we took the Athletics from Philadelphia.

Needless to say, KC wanted to win this one.

So, I picked up a Standing Room Only ticket for $110 on StubHub a few days before the game. Now, if you get late to a playoff game with SRO (Standing Room Only) tickets… you’re going to have a hard time finding a good spot to stand and watch the game. They should be called, RST (Really Shitty Tickets), because you couldn’t see shit.

After 35+ years of being a Royals fan and 30+ years of being a Chiefs fan… I know heartache and misery. I was there at the playoff game when Lin Elliot missed three field goals in Jan of 1996 and the whole stadium left with sadness. I was there when the Broncos beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead in the playoffs, and I was there when the Colts stopped the 2003 Chiefs offensive juggernaut without allowing a punt. I’ve seen sooo much KC sadness and fans pouring out of stadiums all heartbroken that I had very small belief that the Royals could come back from 7-3 versus the Athletics in the WildCard game.

@teedubya Leaves Kauffman Stadium in the 7th Inning Like a Dumbass.

I had shitty seats, couldn’t see well… and left after the 6th inning. And Ned Yost had been pissing me off lately.  I was NOT pleased at him bringing in Yordana Ventura, instead of Kelvin Herrera… ugh! (I’m very good at second guessing my favorite sports teams.)

Ned Yost Image by nbcsports.com

So, after Ventura gave up the 3 run homerun and they ended the inning with Athletics 7, Royals 3. Ugh! After that was over, I left the stadium. By the middle of the 7th, I was in my car listening to the Royals on radio, like I used to do, as a kid.

I didn’t want to face another sad stadium of fans exiting. [lame excuses, followed by more lame excuses.]  So, I went home and watched the last few innings with my 12- year-old son. When they won the game, I was glad that I was hanging with him.

“Just like the Royals to lose a one-game playoff.”, I thought.

But no!  The Royals came back to win in one of the greatest KC moments in their history!

I, Travis Wright, am a dumbass and left in the middle of the Royals/Athletics Wild Card game.  #Yosted.

With this playoff albatross off our backs, the city could finally exhale a bit. As a result, I have more faith in this team than ever before. Thus, for game 3 of the ALDS, we had 4 tickets, one for everyone in the family, and it was amazing. We stayed the whole game and enjoyed one of the coolest moments in Royals history! The Royals swept the LA Angels, the team with the best record in baseball.

The best part of this whole ride is that my two kids get to enjoy in the success of the team. The whole city is happier than I’ve ever seen it. There are tons of people wearing royal blue in OCTOBER here in Kansas City! We wear Chiefs red in October in these parts! It’s been amazing.

For 29 years, the Royals have been out of the playoffs. For 20+ years, the Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game. There has been lots of sports futility here in KC, unless you count the recent success of Sporting Kansas City, which recently won the MLS cup. I think maybe SKC broke the jinx over our city? Anyway, it’s been one hell of a ride.

We’re two games up on the Orioles now and we are riding a 9-game playoff winning streak, dating back to 1985. In fact, it’s the 6th longest postseason winning streak of all-time. Even though the Royals haven’t been in the playoffs for 29 years.

Kansas City is Alive with Electric Playoffs Energy!

It’s quite a ride, and I feel 12 again. In fact, my son is 12 right now! So there is some symmetry to all of this. And my daughter is 8.  They are now HUGE Royals fan.  They’ve always liked baseball, I took them to the All Star festivities around town back in 2012.  And took them each to one game.  However, the World Series run is a whole other thing.  The games mean something!

The young fans of Kansas City now have a memory of their own. A memory of when the Royals were good again, instead of the doormat of the MLB. This feels incredible. Even if the Royals fail to win the World Series, I’m content. What they’ve done has been amazing. Relevant baseball is back in KC!

Enjoy it Kansas City! This doesn’t happen very often! And damn, does it feel good!  Oh, and if your favorite team is playing a playoff game… stay until the end, as they may come back to win.