For the Giants, it is their third pennant in 5 years (2010, 2012, 2014, they hate odd years), which I guess makes them one step below a dynasty. If they win this World Series against the Royals, then will be indeed a bona fide dynasty, only 5 teams have won that ratio of titles to years (early 1910 A's, late '30s Yankees, early '50s Yankees, early '70s A's, late '90s Yankees). With surprising 2014 performances from guys like Joe Panik and Yusmeiro Petit, bench play from Joaquin Arias and Travis Ishikawa, clutch hitting from starters Brandon Crawford (he hit the first ever postseason grand slam by a shortstop in the Wild Card game against the Pirates) and Buster Posey, and a cult following of Hunter Pence, the Giants have eliminated star power from their winning concoction and relied on pitching and defense to get them there.
But I'll say it: I'm sick of the Giants. And the Cardinals too for that matter; for the last 5 World Series, the NL participant has been one of the two. It's not that I actively dislike the Giants or their style of play (although Bruce Bochy looks like he always has a paper cut between his fingers), I just want to see someone else playing in October. These classic NL teams have a fundamental way of baseball that is not necessarily thrilling to watch but it is great tactical baseball and that's why they are there, but I want to see the Pirates or the young Nationals take their shot at a title. But I guess I'll have to wait.
That's not the only reason I'm rooting for the Royals, though. For starters, finishing a game behind the Tigers, I tip my cap to the Royals for gritting their teeth and winning when it mattered. In the 19 games they played against the Central winners, the Royals went 6-13 and allowed 100 runs to the Tigers, the most they allowed to any team by 17 runs. They had to do some serious work against the rest of the Central (15 of their last 19 games were against the Central), and they did, finishing 33-24 against the White Sox, Indians, and Twins. The Royals also saw their season dwindling away in the dog days of summer; as of July 21st they were 8 games back in the Central, so what else do they do than rip off a 41-27 record for the second half and had a chance at a game 163 for the Central championship if the Tigers hadn't won on the last day of the season.
So yeah, the Royals battle, they're gritty, they're underdogs, however you want to frame it. They've overcome the odds, etc. They're the first team ever with a World Series berth without a 20 home run hitter (Gordon led the team with 19) and a 15-game winner (Shields and Ventura both had 14), which is fun, but it still isn't why I'm rooting for them.
The city. As I was driving to work the other day listening to my morning radio show, host Ryan Schuiling (@ryanschuiling on Twitter) made an excellent point about the city of Kansas City. Being one of the smallest markets in baseball, KC doesn't always have the electric crowd you've seen in October. They ranked 11th in AL attendance and haven't cracked 2 million fans since 1991. While The K is a beautiful stadium, Kansas City just isn't a hotbed for fandemonium until it matters (October).
We all know the Royals' last World Series was 1985, flirting with 30 years. That's a long time.
But what else do they have to root for?
When I mention small markets, I mean more than just attendance - Kansas City only has one other professional team, the Kansas City Chiefs. Since 2007, the Chiefs are 42-75 and have lost in the first round of the playoffs twice. In fact, since their inception in 1963, the Chiefs have won one Super Bowl: 1969, 45 years ago. Only a small sample of their fan base has seen two city championships, most have probably seen one, and probably the majority haven't seen any (or can remember any).
Compare this to Detroit, let's say. Detroit, routinely in the top 10 sports cities in the country, has the Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons, and Lions. The Tigers have won 4 straight AL Central titles as well as 2 pennants in the last 10 years. The Red Wings have won 4 Stanley Cups in my lifetime ('96, '97, '02, '08), and have been in the playoffs literally every single year I have been alive. The Pistons have the 2004 championship most recently and the early 1990s Bad Boys which won 2 titles themselves. The Lions, are, well, the Lions. I'm prouder of their 2008 0-16 season than I am of the Red Wings playoff streak to be honest, but the point is we are spoiled. The Tigers didn't win this year but the Red Wings will be competitive and the Lions are moving forward.
Let's look at San Francisco. Even though they don't have a hockey team, the 49ers have been a powerful force in the NFC the last few years, going to the conference championship game in 2011 and 2013 and going to the Super Bowl in 2012. Even the Golden State Warriors are fun young team with playoff berths the last two years and one of the best shooters in the game in Stephen Curry. Oh and their baseball team has 2 World Series in the last 5 years. That's fine.
As Schuiling pointed out, Kansas City does not have a whole lot to hang their hat on in terms of athletic achievement. Kansas City, Missouri, however, was awarded a municipal gold medal for their Anti-Drug Sales Tax campaign - in 1995.
I know as an independent blogger I should be remaining neutral, but what was the first thing you learned in kindergarten (other than how to spell my last name)? Sharing.
I'm looking at you, San Fran. Kansas City deserves a win. You've had plenty.
Thanks for reading.
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