As we are one month out of the 2008 season and made the first trade in MLB, I thought I would put in my two cents of what has been the three best and worst things that have happened in the 21st Century with the Royals.  So here it goes.

GOOD:

1)  The hiring of Dayton Moore.  Before June of 2006, Allard Baird was playing with very little money and a very bad farm system.  Blame can be put on him but not all of it.  The Glass family didn't give him nothing to work with and thus a change had to be made.  Dayton Moore came in and instantly shook up the organization with trade deadline after trade deadline.  He "survived" a year and a half of Buddy Ball, got the man he wanted as a manager in Trey Hillman, and had defied experts thoughts on his moves.  He had brought a clear vision to the Royals.

2)  Farm System, Scouting, and FA's.  Due to Dayton Moore being hired, money has been usd in the farm system, scouting, international scouting, and free agents that the Royals nebver had a chance with.  This is Dayton's project and he does a very good job in what he needs and wants.  The farm system is coming and so is scouting for the drafts.

3)  Renovations of Kauffman.  Yes, yes, I know, a downtown stadium would be great, but Kauffman Stadium will be looking an feeling just like a new stadium with all you want and need in a stadium.  This will only help get people to the stadium, raise revenue, and be something that KC can be proud of.

BAD:

1)  Trades of Allard Baird.  Wow....trades of Damon, Dye, and Beltran were underwhelming and brought back very little in exchange.  Teahen and Buck are still here but still have not brought their game to the level you want from players you get in a trade for a 5-tool player.  Allard was used alot in trades, therefore not alot was there for Dayton to use.

2)  Season of 2003.  It was a great year for a Royals fan.  83-79 record and was in first place for a good portion for the season.  After the season we all felt good about 2004 if we brought in FA's that will help.  But we all know what happened.  All busts and went back to where we were before.  Plus delayed what really needed to happen:  start over.

3)  Season of 2006:  Uhhhhhh...yeah.  Just a sad year and where we hit rock bottom.  Alot of mistakes and just bad games.

We are on the right track and Dayton is the guy to get us to where we want.  I feel whatever he does will help us in some way.  GO ROYALS!!

Late
Wazzie

As I was thinking what to write today, I was thinking about those funny poems on SNL called Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy.  Those were funny and brought something to think about that you probably wouldn't of before.  Well, I doubt i will deliver like those did back in the 90's, but here are some thoughts as we go into the start of August and beyond.

1)  Having most, if not all, of our players that are on the team now will be for the rest of the year.  I feel this will help with the development of the team and going into next year with chemistry.

2)  Seeing who will contribute for this team next year in September.  When call-ups happen, we need to see how well our farm system can help provide depth in 2009 by playing in spots we need help in (middle infield, catcher, etc.).

3)  Raise the bar.  Right now we are not in the race, nor should we be.  But we can be spoilers in September this team sucks it up and plays with pride and shows the rest of the major leagues that we will be in there in 2009.

I feel if we can go at least 31-26 (as of July 28th) for the rest of the season and finish with at least a 78-84 record, I will feel we have shown some promise for nect year and hopefully bring that into next year.

Late,

Wazzie

Am I the only one that is tired of the strike zone being as different from ump to ump, because this is getting out of hand.  Last night, the ball can be 6 in. off the plate and it's a strike, tonight it wasn't even to that level.  I feel something needs to be done so their is some equality in the strike zone.  BALL?, STRIKE?, STRALL?, BRIKE?  I don't know, maybe robots are the answer.  If they are wrong at least we can unplug them.

Late,

Wazzie 

Wow, if anybody could do it in the top of the 10th, this was the man!  Wait...you say he doesn't come up clutch?  And he rarely get any RBI's when it counts?  Well, then today is the turning point of John Buck's career in KC!  Hall of Fame here we come!  In the mortal words of Jose Lima...It's John Buck Time......Believe It! .....or just think he is a good backup.

Late,

Waziie

Here are the three reasons to vote Jose into the All-Star game.

1)  He has a swing that alot of players don't have.  You will need this swing on the field and maybe in the clubhouse.

2)  He has the ability to translate for alot of players.  He may get sidetracked and go on a profanity laced tyraid instead, but that is ok....it's funny and good for moral.

3)  Will "try" to get to first base legging out a groundball in 12 seconds.  At least the thought counts.

Those reasons alone should put Jose into the all-star game.

Late,

Wazzie

Hello all,

I am a newbie on the blog network (writing, not reading) and I have always wanted to share my impressions of the 2008 Royals.  So if you give me a couple of minutes, I will give you my five thoughts on the 2008 Royals.  Please enjoy.

1)  Trade outfielder(s) and pitching for power:  One of the positions I feel we always need more pop from is our outfield.  Yes, Guillen has been really good, but not great.  DeJesus has been DeJesus, bat for average with some pop a couple times a month.  Gathright gets on base once a game, and Teahen has been better than last year, but not the 20/80 guy we need.  A trade at the deadline for prospects that can help next year with those numbers would be ideal.

2)  Can we hit a breaking ball?:  When our hitting is on, it usually it is on fire.  When it is off, it is down right ugly.  Barnett does a good job in helping hitters wait for pitches.  BUt for some reason we can't hit anything that is low or outside.  The hitters need more time to work on getting a bloop single on a bad pitch.  It would and will help in scoring more throughout the year.

3)  Tony Pena Jr.:  AAA?  Oh yeah.

4)  Billy Butler...future First basemen:  Has to happen for us to become a legit team in 2010.  Gload is good with the glove but little else.  If Butler can play first, then that lets us put in another bat that can help out through the order.

5)  Good Pitching, but need...:  a pitcher that will be a leaderon this team.  We have a solid pitching staff, but no one right now that will stand up and say. "I am pitching today and we will win!.  We need that attitude for us not to get into losing streaks that derail what we want to accomplish.

If this is done, I feel we will be really good next year and be serious contenders for 2010.  Thanks and I will be talking to ya soon.

Late,

Wazzie