A Loss for Me, But a Win for KC

For the second straight day, I was fortunate enough to get to go wtach the Royals and the Twins play baseball at the Metrodome. However, I almost didn't get to see Kansas City's 3-1 win this afternoon.

On my way to the game, I was driving on Portland Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, within eyesight of the Dome, when I was struck broadside by a car in the middle of an intersection. This wasn't just a little fender-bender, folks, this was the driver's side of my wife's 1999 Honda Civic getting hit squarely between the axels. The collision spun my car in a cirlce on the rainy streets, with the accelerator going full-bore, and I wound up coming to a stop across the sidewalk on the right side of Portland Ave.

Luckily, neither myself nor the driver of the other car was severely injured, although my whole left side feels like tenderized beef, and I'm sure I'll be feeling the effects of the impact for the next few days.

I had been headed to meet my youngest brother, Evan, at Hubert's -- a bar and restaurant across the street from the Metrodome. Instead, he came to the scene, and provided a dry car for me to sit in as I arranged to have mine towed to a body shop close to our house.

I'm still unsure who's fault the accident was, but Minnesota is a no-fault state for insurance purposes, so I'm not sure it really matters in a case where there weren't any severe injuries. It just seems to me that, if I had been the one running a red light, with all the traffic in that area at that time of day, I would have been struck by several vehicles.

The accident happened about 11:45 a.m., and Evan and I were finally able to enter the Metrodome -- yes, of course, we still went to the game -- in the middle of the second inning, right after the Royals had jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

It was the third straight game against the Twins in which the Royals jumped out to a 2-0 advantage. However, unlike the previous two days where Kansas City's early lead vanished as part of Twins' wins, this time Kansas City was able to thwart a Minnesota rally.

Right-hander Brett Tomko (1-0) had to work hard for the victory, throwing 92 pitches in five innings, but he allowed just five singles and a double, while striking out three and walking just one to earn his first victory as a member of the Royals.

Offensively, designated hitter Billy Butler went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, while third baseman Alex Gordon was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in, and second baseman Alberto Callaspo also went 2-for-4 with a double.

Joakim Soria entered the game in the bottom of the ninth and struck out Justin Morneau, Delmon Young, and Jason Kubel to earn his third save in three opportunities. His strikeout of Morneau, who had crushed an upper-deck home run earlier in the game, was impressive. Soria threw three straight pitches right by the slugger, the last of which was a 68-mile per hour curveball.

Kansas City's victory allowed the Royals to salvage a 4-2 road trip to start the season, and to remain in first place atop the American League Central standings. The Royals now return to Kansas City for their home opener against the New York Yankees on Tuesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. Brian Bannister (1-0) will pitch for KC, while Phil Hughes (0-0) will toe the mound for New York. First pitch is slated for 3:10 p.m.

Joakim Soria Photo Credit: Paul Battaglia/AP

One Hurdle Cleared, and On to the Next

Okay, the Royals have cleared the first hurdle of the 2008 season, opening eyes all over the country by going to Detroit and completely dousing what most probably figured would be the first of many fireworks displays by the Tigers' new star-studded $138 million lineup.

In three games in Detroit, Kansas City's pitching sizzled, while the Tigers' offense fizzled. And now, the Royals head off to Minnesota to face the Twins this weekend as the lone undefeated team in Major League Baseball. Am I dreaming? Please, someone pinch me.

Yes, I realize that it's just three games into a grueling 162-game regular season. And, yes, I realize that Detroit played its first three games without speedy center fielder Curtis Granderson. Even today, the Tigers' newest megastar, third baseman Miguel Cabrera, was a late scratch from the lineup due to a sore quadriceps.

But whatever. As my old high school buddies would say, "Excuses are like asses. Everyone has one, and they all stink."

The Royals were without starting center fielder and leadoff man David DeJesus for the vast majority of this series, too, as well as having to play all three games with just 24 players due to the four-game suspension of catcher Miguel Olivo to begin the season.

So, I'm finding that it's really difficult to curb my enthusiasm, when I feel like bragging about my Boys in Blue to every person I see. The only thing that's kept me from going overboard and calling my brothers to rub it in about KC's great start is that I'm awfully superstitious, and I don't want to jinx the team. So, I'm enjoying it, and keeping it in perspective, as again, it's only three games.

But it's not often that I get to hear more than a very brief comment about the Royals on ESPN's Baseball Tonight. Last night, though, Peter Gammons was raving about Brian Bannister and Billy Butler and KC for several minutes! It's amazing what a few wins against one of the favorites to reach the World Series will do. I can't wait to watch ESPN again tonight.

Nevertheless, all of this excitement about a great start to the season will be diminished if the Royals arrive at the Metrodome this weekend and leave with a series loss.

I'm anxious to see how the back end of Kansas City's rotation will fare -- Royals' ace Gil Meche is slated to pitch Saturday, but lefty John Bale will be on the mound for Friday's game, and right-hander Brett Tomko will work on Sunday. I'm also curious to see whether new manager Trey Hillman seems to have the ability to keep the team focused when it's on the road, and playing well after such an emotional high in the Motor City.

The Twins (1-3) are coming off a four-game home series versus ex-teammate Torii Hunter and the Los Angeles Angels. Minnesota played well in three of the games, winning the season-opener by a score of 3-2, before losing by scores of 9-1, 1-0, and 5-4.

Minnesota is a team the Royals should be able to be very competitive with, and I'm hoping to see Kansas City win this series, especially since I'll be at Sunday's game -- Section 228, Row 1, Seats 9-10 -- with my brother, Evan, a Twins fan.

It would be amazing for the Royals to return to Kansas City for the home-opener against the Yankees with a record of 6-0 or 5-1 on the season-opening road trip. But it would be equally disappointing to lose two of three to the Twins, and lose the momentum that was gained with the impressive wins in Detroit.

My brand-new Royals shirt and hat are ready to go. I'll be wearing them during all three games this weekend -- watching the first two on television, and then screaming my lungs out at the final game of the series at the Dome. I'm hoping this successful start continues, so please, Royals, don't let me down.

Trey Hillman Photo Credit: Robin Buckson/Detroit News

This Type of Disrespect Has to Stop

I live in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, so obviously, things are very Minnesota-centric here in the middle of Twins Territory, as they claim.

But I was very excited to open my door Sunday morning, and pick up my copy of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, for I knew that it would contain a special American League Central preview section entitled "Grand Central."

So, I sat back on the couch, with ESPN anchors mumbling about something-or-other in the background, and dug through the paper, looking for the special section. When I finally found it, I opened it up and saw this picture (right) not exactly gracing the cover.

At first, I was angry because it looked like they had completely forgotten about the Kansas City Royals in this cute little piece of art by Tom Richmond. Then I took a second look, and saw the miniature Royals player cowering in the background, red-faced, boney-elbowed, biting his nails, and sweating as he peered up at the larger-than-life versions of Jim Thome, C.C. Sabathia, and (I'm assuming) Miguel Cabrera.

Are you effing kidding me?! The only thing that could have made this drawing worse would have been if Richmond had drawn the Twins player the same size as the three muscular-looking guys from Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit.

Well, now I'm already perturbed at the Star-Tribune, and that was before I opened the pages of the preview section, and saw ranking after ranking that listed the Royals fifth in the division! On every ranking that had anything to do with the players on the field, Kansas City was ranked last. Every single one.

So, I'm going to take the liberty to share these rankings with you, as well as to provide you with some commentary, which I think will be a little more fair, as Jim Souhan, La Velle E. Neal III, Patrick Reusse, and Joe Christensen mostly seem to be blind to the fact that the Royals are on the rise, and are no longer an automatic fifth-place filler for the rankings. You can see that I linked their names to their e-mail addresses, so that Kansas City fans can send them a message (in good taste) to let them know that we disagree with their assessments.

A.L. Central Lineups (by Souhan): 1. Tigers, 2. White Sox, 3. Indians, 4. Twins, 5. Royals. Souhan's Comments About KC: Stop me if you've heard this one before: still a work in progress. Billy Butler and Alex Gordon could be fun to watch at the plate, though.

Okay, it's impossible to argue against the Tigers in first. If this was a list of the best lineups in Major League Baseball, Detroit would more than likely be ranked first. But the White Sox in second? I guess I can see how the Royals are ranked fifth in this category to start the season, but as the year progresses, I think there will be more people who tend to think of the Royals' lineup as being more than simply Gordon and Butler.

The Hearts of the Orders (by Souhan): 1. Tigers, 2. White Sox, 3. Twins, 4. Indians, 5. Royals. Souhan's Comments About KC: Signing Jose Guillen helps, but Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen need to be the big sticks.

Again, I can see how the Royals are fifth, following a season in which they hit a mere 102 home runs. But I think the heart of Kansas City's lineup -- with Gordon third, followed by Guillen, Butler, and Teahen -- will prove to be more formidable than people think. I like having Butler bat behind Guillen, which will force teams to pitch to the Royals' new slugger, and Guillen will allow Gordon to see some better pitches, too. This group? I'd say better than expected this season.

A.L. Central Rotations (by Neal): 1. Indians, 2. Tigers, 3. White Sox, 4. Twins, 5. Royals. Neal's Comments About KC: Kansas City paid right-hander Gil Meche $55 million for five seasons last year - admittedly overpaying to get an innings-eater - and got nine victories out of him in 2007. If the Royals are going to get out of the division basement this season, righthanders Brian Bannister and Zack Greinke need to develop behind Meche. The rest of the rotation is in flux, but Minnesota players and fans will be relieved to learn Twins killer Jorge De La Rosa was designated for assignment last week.

I have to question the Tigers at No. 2 here. Yes, they have Verlander, and Bonderman, but Kenny Rogers is ancient and his arm is going to just drop out of its socket one of these days, and I have serious doubts whether Dontrelle Willis can return to his old form, or whether he's in for an eye-opening season facing much stronger teams in the American League than he ever did in Florida. I also have to question how in the heck Mr. Neal can seriously rank the Twins' young and inexperienced staff (other than Livan Hernandez) ahead of KC's trio of Meche, Bannister, and Greinke. I seriously don't think Scott Baker and Boof Bonser are everything they're cracked up to be, even with Baker's "almost" no-hitter against the Royals last season -- that is, until Mike Sweeney came off the bench to break it up.

A.L. Central Bullpens (by Neal): 1. Indians, 2. Twins, 3. Tigers, 4. White Sox, 5. Royals. Neal's Comments About KC: Joakim Soria is a talented closer. Jimmy Gobble is a good lefty, and righthander Joel Peralta was effective last season. Not a pushover here, but the group lacks name recognition and a track record.

Let's see, Zumaya is out until midseason, Fernando Rodney battled shoulder soreness in spring training, and Todd Jones will turn 40 years old in April, yet the Tigers are ranked third? I honestly think that pitching could cause the Tigers to finish not first, but second, in the division. Neal does get one thing correct, though, and that's that Soria is a talented closer. I'm hoping he can get to 30 saves this season, and I think this "no-name" bullpen (minus Peralta, who starts the year in Omaha) of Kansas City's is, once again, stronger than the folks at the Star-Tribune give it credit for.

A.L. Central Managers (by Reusse): 1. Jim Leyland, Tigers, 2. Ron Gardenhire, Twins, 3. Eric Wedge, Indians, 4. Ozzie Guillen, White Sox, 5. Trey Hillman, Royals. Reusse's Comments About KC: First season. Might be another Wedge - not much humor and obsessive about the job. He was successful in Japan. Then again, so was Bobby Valentine.

It's hard to make a case for a first-year manager with no previous MLB managing experience to be anywhere but fifth on this list. But I would lay a fair wager on Hillman not being listed last in this category again in 2009. Reusse is correct about Hillman being obsessive about his job, as most good managers are. Teams will come to discover just how obsessive he is when the Royals are showing vast improvement in their fundamentals -- running the bases and manufacturing runs -- but I've also sensed that Hillman has a lighter side that his players enjoy, and I think he'll do well in his first year at the helm.

A.L. Central General Managers (by Christensen): 1. Mark Shapiro, Indians, 2. Dave Dombrowski, Tigers, 3. Kenny Williams, White Sox, 4. Bill Smith, Twins, 5. Dayton Moore, Royals. Christensen's Comments About KC: Insiders generally believe Moore has put Kansas City on the right track since taking over in 2006. He gave Gil Meche a controversial five-year, $55 million contract last season. That deal looks OK now, but the three-year, $36 million investment in Jose Guillen is a head-scratcher.

Are you kidding me? Maybe I'm wearing Dayton Moore glasses that don't allow me to see his flaws, but I would list him at least third on this list. He's in the midst of taking what had been among the worst franchises in baseball for the first part of this decade, and is in the process of getting things turned around. Very few general managers would have been up to that challenge. He's also rebuilding the team's farm system, and has once again made Kansas City a presence in Latin America. It's still early in Moore's tenure, but how anyone could use Gil Meche as an example of a bad free agent signing is beyond me. And Bill Smith is a first-year GM. Delmon Young, Mike Lamb, Livan Hernandez, and other free agents Minnesota acquired in the offseason haven't done squat yet.

A.L. Central Owners (by Christensen): 1. Mike Ilitch, Tigers, 2. Larry Dolan, Indians, 3. Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox, 4. Carl Pohlad, Twins, 5. David Glass, Royals. Christensen's Comments About KC: A former CEO of Wal-Mart, Glass bought the Royals for $96 million in 2000, and last April, Forbes magazine estimated the team's value at $282 million. Yet, Glass has very little on-field success to show for it. The Royals did bump the payroll from $47 million to $67 million from 2006 to '07, so Glass is starting to reinvest some of his profits in the team.

I don't really know what to write here, other than it really says something when an owner as villified as Pohlad is in Minnesota can be ranked ahead of Glass. It must just be Christensen's way of kissing up to the organization he covers on a daily basis. Glass would certainly have ranked near the bottom of this list for all of MLB a few years ago, but I really think that Dayton Moore has helped to change his views on how to effectively operate a Major League Baseball team.

Preseason Rankings (by Christensen): 1. Indians, 2. Tigers, 3. Twins, 4. White Sox, 5. Royals. Christensen's Comments About KC: This is definitely a team to watch with designated hitter Billy Butler and third baseman Alex Gordon poised to blossom as second-year big-leaguers. New manager Trey Hillman spent the past five years in Japan, guiding the Nippon Ham Fighters, and his focus on fundamentals drew comparisons to Tom Kelly this spring. If the pitching staff comes together behind Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, Zack Greinke and prospect Luke Hochevar, the Royals could bypass the White Sox and Twins. And if that happens, it might not be a one-year fad.

Wow, this Joe Christensen guy just might know what he's talking about, despite the fact that he still ranked the Royals fifth after writing that. I completely agree that the Royals could pass up the White Sox and the Twins, but I'll take that one step further, and predict that the Royals will win the three-way battle with Chicago and Minnesota for third place in the standings. In the end, Kansas City will continue to make strides, finishing the season with a record of 78-84 in a black-and-blue division thanks to having to play Detroit and Cleveland for almost 40 combined games.

A.L. Central Farm Systems (by Neal): 1. Twins, 2. Indians, 3. Royals, 4. Tigers, 5. White Sox. Neal's Comments About KC: You are already seeing the promise that third baseman Alex Gordon and DH-first baseman Billy Butler have. They are no longer considered prospects, but shortstop Mike Moustakas and righthanders Luke Hochevar and Daniel Cortes have scouts raving. The problem is that there's a dropoff after this trio of top-end talent. Not good for a team that's the caboose of the A.L. Central.

Well, he sure is off about that final comment, but at least there was finally a ranking that didn't list the Royals dead last. Considering the sorry state of the Royals' farm system near the end of the Allard Baird era, it's an amazing achievement to have changed the perception enough in two years to already rank third in this category. The system will get even stronger this June, when the next group of draft picks selected by Dayton Moore and his staff enter the fold.

A.L. Central Baseball Towns (by Reusse): 1. Detroit, 2. Kansas City, 3. Cleveland, 4. Minnesota, 5. Chicago. Reusse's Comments About KC: This is a town with both the heritage of the Kansas City Monarchs of Satchel Paige and the Kansas City Royals of George Brett. Give K.C. just a hint of success and Kauffman Stadium (undergoing a $200 million face lift) will be full again.

Reusse has this one right. Detroit might be considered his top baseball town this season, but when the Royals start winning again on a regular basis, there are no better fans in this division than those wearing Blue on hot summer nights in Kansas City. Royals fans are starving for a winner, and it's on its way, folks. I can feel the electricity in the air, smell the concessions at the K, and hear the roar of the crowd as great KC baseball is returning in the very near future. It will be fun watching all of the young talent on this team grow stronger together.

Come Back in Two Years (by Reusse): Patrick Reusse takes a sneak peak at the A.L. Central ballparks in 2010, when the $200 million remodeling of Kansas City's stadium will be complete, and the Twins' new facility will be open in downtown Minneapolis. 1. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, 2. (Unnamed Stadium), Minnesota, 3. Comerica Park, Detroit, 4. Progressive Field, Cleveland, 5. U.S. Cellular Park, Chicago. Reusses's Comments About KC: Still a great ballpark, and it's only going to get better with the face lift scheduled for completion in 2009.

It's amazing to me that the Minneapolis paper could do a category like this, which seems perfectly set up to be able to claim the Twins' future ballpark as No. 1, but Reusse takes a jab at his own readers by stating that Kauffman will still be the best ballpark in the A.L. Central despite the brand-new digs being built here in the Twin Cities. This just proves to all the naysayers and critics of the renovations at the K that people around the division, and the league, really respect the beautiful stadium Royals fans get to appreciate 81 times per summer -- and for a future All-Star Game, too.

That was it for the rankings, and I guess it's not too surprising to expect anything else from an opposing team's home newspaper. But the fact is that the Royals are getting better, and it upsets me to see a full-page picture of the Royals being portrayed as timid, scared, frightened, awestruck, or however you might describe the cover of the Star-Tribune's A.L. Central preview section.

It's just that I'm tired of crap like that, and it has to stop. This isn't 2002-06 anymore.

This gets written about fairly frequently on message boards and blogs like mine, but it's time for members of the media to take notice of the baseball resurgence that's taking place in Kansas City. The Royals could at least have been standing next to the dude from the Twins in that drawing, and I would have had the White Sox similar to the Royals and Twins. After all, most pundits seem to think that it will be a two-team race in the A.L. Central.

The season begins today. I think it will be better than many people believe -- at least those who work in the sports department at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. It's time for these young Royals players to stand up for themselves, take pride in their fundamentals, and play the game the way Trey Hillman expects them to.

The challenge of facing what might be the toughest division in baseball this season will be daunting, but there is plenty of talent on this team, and I've always been one to believe that the first step to winning is believing that you will. Royals players have talked about the change in attitude that has been present in camp this spring -- that the team now walks onto the field expecting to win. It needs to start today in Detroit, against what is probably the toughest lineup in baseball.

Yes, another season of Kansas City baseball is here again, and this year, Royals fans have a team they can really be excited about. Enjoy Opening Day, Royals fans!

Kaegel's Description of Guillen is Interesting

I was reading the lead story, written by Dick Kaegel of MLB.com, on the Royals' official website this morning. And, just a few paragraphs into it, there was some wording used in reference to Jose Guillen that caught my attention.

Kaegel wrote: "One guy who is expected to hit home runs, though, is Jose Guillen who signed at considerable expense (three years for $36 million) to put juice into what has been a run-parched attack. He's averaged 26-plus homers and almost 94 RBIs in his past four full seasons."

Did you catch it? He said that Guillen would "put juice" into the attack. Now, in all probability, Kaegel didn't even realize that using the word juice to describe what Guillen will add to the Royals lineup was questionable. But isn't that a poor choice of words to employ when describing someone who's facing a possible suspension for allegedly purchasing PEDs? You almost have to wonder whether that was an intentionally subliminal jab taken at Guillen by an old-school writer like Kaegel.

Personally, I enjoy reading Kaegel's stories about the Royals. I think he does a fine job with his writing, and he's probably been crafting stories for as long as I've been alive -- I'm 38 years old, by the way. I think it would be challenging covering a baseball team over the course of a 162-game season, and trying to avoid having your storylines become stale or redundant.

But this description of Guillen was something that I felt needed to be brought to the attention of Royals fans in the blogosphere, to see whether I'm the only one who seemed to have noticed Kaegel's interesting choice of words. Did others feel it's as obvious and direct as it seems to me?

I'd love to have some feedback from readers to see if you agree. Was this simply a slip up, or do you think Kaegel knew full well what he was doing, and snickered, or sat back with a smirk on his face after typing that little statement? Writers who have lasted as long in the business as Kaegel has are clever, and by even wondering if it was intentional, I'm giving him the credit he deserves for being an intelligent and witty wordsmith.

But did this cross the line?

Jose Guillen Photo Credit: Getty Images

Huber is Lightning Rod for Royals Fans

Justin Huber is no longer a member of the Kansas City Royals organization, and many Royals fans are not happy, not happy at all.

In fact, as I'm writing this -- which, by the way, is not a rant about today's decision to part ways with Huber, but rather an examination of the issues behind the anger and frustration -- they're sitting in front of their computers, sipping on a can of Foster's*, and writing red-faced rants about how Dayton Moore is not the great general manager many of us (myself included) believe him to be.

They're angry about how this is yet another example of fizzled trades in which potential Royals stars are shipped off to other teams in exchange for the proverbial PTBNL -- that's Player to be Named Later for all you non-sports types who somehow got lost here, or for those who have had far too much Foster's prior to reading this.

*Huber is Australian, which is why I thought it would be humorous to create the image of angry fans sipping a can of the lager as they compose their rants. But, my brother traveled to the Land Down Under in college, and he reported to me that Australians actually don't drink Foster's at all. It's not even in the bars there, and I know my youngest brother well enough to trust he did an exhaustive study of a majority of the bars on that continent during his one month studying abroad. The company's slogan, "Foster's. Australian for Beer," is simply an American marketing campaign to sell a beer in the United States. Oh, and this is my second-ever Pozterisk.

So, what is it that has caused Justin Huber to be such a lightning rod among Royals fans? There are some very ardent Huber supporters out there, like Jeff of Royally Speaking, who will now be sponsoring the Baseball Reference page of a member of the San Diego Padres until February 28, 2009. In all fairness, Jeff's "rant" about Huber was incredibly under control, which surprised me when I saw that he had sponsored Huber's page.

I expected to check out his blog tonight and see a 5,000-word manifesto about how Dayton Moore sucks. Instead, he simply provided a quote from Moore about why he decided to trade Huber, and then took the liberty to disagree with Moore, calling the quote, "B.S...".

Here's the history. Huber was acquired by the Royals in a trade with the New York Mets on July 30, 2004. Kansas City sent utility player Jose Bautista to the Mets that day, and New York turned around and immediately traded Bautista to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

These days, Bautista is entering his second season as the Pirates' starting third baseman. But he only spent a month with the Royals after having his contract purchased from Tampa Bay, so remarkably, I haven't been able to find many rants about that move. Oh, and Crossing the Clemente, a "Pittsburgh Pirates blog celebrating the heroes of PNC Park," is the sponsor of Bautista's Baseball Reference page.

Back to Huber, who had been a catcher in the Mets organization. However, the day before the trade, he tore cartilage in his left knee. Then-general manager Allard Baird still went through with the trade, but Huber had surgery August 23 to repair the damage, and the Royals converted him to a first baseman in the process. He struggled to play first base, was tried in left field, and didn't fare much better, and the Royals haven't known exactly what to do with him since.

Offensively, Huber has some impressive credentials. He's represented Australia in international play, has been to numerous Minor League all-star games, and has batted .289/.369/.495 with 150 doubles, 12 triples, and 107 home runs during his seven seasons in the minors. The 2005 season was his finest, as he won the Texas League batting title (.343) for Class AA Wichita, and also played in Omaha (AAA), finishing the year with a combined line of .326/.417/.560, with 28 doubles, 23 homers, and 97 RBI.

But he has not been able to carry those numbers over to the Major League level. During that 2005 season, he played in 25 games for the Royals, getting his most extensive opportunity to make an impression. But he batted just .218/.271/.256 in 78 at bats, with only three doubles and 20 strikeouts.

The past two seasons, he's had a mere 20 at bats in a Royals uniform -- one of the biggest points of contention for those angry Foster's drinkers writing the rants -- but he's managed just three hits for a .150 average.

This spring, Huber was out of options, which meant the writing was on the wall. He needed to make the Royals' roster, or it was likely he'd be traded, and he did everything he could to try to make the team. Despite limited playing time, and playing him only in left field, Huber was impressive. He batted .346/.400/.615 in 26 at bats, with six runs scored, five doubles, a triple, and seven runs batted in.

He had finally caught the attention of a team in Major League Baseball, it just happened to be one other than the Kansas City Royals, and he was traded to the Padres for the aforementioned PTBNL.

It's understandable that people are upset with Kansas City for holding up Huber's career. The Royals spent the past few years playing Emil Brown, and giving Huber scant opportunity to make an impression. But I think the Royals' front office looked at Huber's Minor League numbers, versus the numbers he accumulated in his MLB at bats, and just determined that he didn't fit into their future.

It didn't help matters that Huber's defense in left field this spring was butcher-esque -- is that a word? -- perhaps even worse than Emil Brown's horrendous defense, if that's possible. Chalk that up to tough Arizona skies, and windy weather conditions during Spring Training. But I've noticed that the Padres' website has him listed as a first baseman again, which is where he should have been with the Royals if not for the likes of Ryan Shealy, Ross Gload, Billy Butler, and even Mark Teahen standing in his way at that position.

In the end, it just seems like Huber's three-plus years as a member of the Royals organization were wasted, which is where most of the anger stems from. But I trust Dayton Moore, his staff, the scouts, and all the other baseball people around him to make the right decision.

If Huber winds up as one of the top first basemen (or outfielders) in the National League someday, so be it. Dayton Moore isn't going to get every move right over his career. As someone astutely pointed out on a message board tonight, the best GMs are going to make mistakes, but they're going to make far more great decisions, and that's what I fully expect Moore to do.

For now, I think I'll just tip back a Foster's (actually, a Sierra Mist Free), do an "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!" cheer in honor of the newest member of the San Diego Padres, and enjoy the fact that the Royals are continuing to move in the right direction, even without Justin Huber.

Justin Huber Photo Credit: Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

Introducing, Trey's Triggermen

Most of you would have a hard time believing this, but your's truly is about to embark on my very first season -- yes, I said first -- of fantasy baseball. There. I said it, and it feels good. I admitted the fact that I am a complete fantasy baseball virgin. Not even an almost, as in, "I started to play a season, but withdrew before the season ended." No, this is my first-ever foray as a baseball GM.

I'm going to be taking part in a Yahoo! Sports league called Reversible Nines, with 19 other die-hard Kansas City Royals fanatics like myself. My team? Trey's Triggermen, of course, named after the Royals' fearless new manager, Trey Hillman. My team came into being last Thursday night, in a draft that I was so psyched and ready for. I was incredibly anxious to take part in the draft, and to be able to select my players, round-by-round, and put together an unbelievable lineup. My team would be unstoppable.

Then, Java ruined my night.

About 45 minutes before the draft, I started trying to click on the draft application button in order to open the window that would allow me to make my selections, and watch as all the other managers made theirs. I clicked. Nothing appeared but a window with the Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball '08 banner, and a few question marks. Click again. Nothing.

So I ran a test to see if my computer needed updated software in order to have the draft application work. The test said I needed the most recent Java Plug-In, and directed me to the Java website. Once there, however, it ran a test to see if I had the correct version, and informed me that I was all set. Great!

So I restarted my computer, and went back to the Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball site. I tried again. It failed again. Same blank window. Same message telling me that I need the latest Java Plug-In. Ugh!

I deduced that it must be something with my Firewall and security software, so I temporarily shut off the firewall. Still nothing. This was really starting to irk me. And it's about 10 minutes until the draft is slated to start. The pressure was mounting by the second, and I was stressed out and ready to hurl something at my computer screen.

I shot off a couple frantic messages to Antonio, the league's commissioner, but he really couldn't be expected to help me 10 minutes before the draft, with all the other things he had going on that night. I can't blame him. It was my fault for not having checked out the Yahoo! draft site well before the night of the event.

The only thing that made me feel even remotely comfortable was that I had taken the time to pre-rank my player list, using ESPN.com's fantasy expert recommendations. But I had only done a little over 200 players, and this is a 20-team league with 25-man rosters, meaning the draft would involve 500 players. So, after those initial 200 players were exhausted, who knows what I'd end up with.

To his credit, Antonio updated me through the first few rounds to let me know who I was getting with my selections, but I was just so angry at this snafu, and the fact that I wasn't clever enough to figure it out and join the rest of my new league online for my first-ever fantasy baseball draft.

Well, I bet you're wondering, how did Trey's Triggermen fare? All in all, not too bad for having been on autodraft all night long. I had the second pick, and it was a snake format, so I'd have to wait for it to go all the way down to the 20th pick, and then all the way back to me. But that meant that, every other round, I'd get two picks within four spots of each other. Here is the initial draft for the 2008 Triggermen:

Round 1: (2nd Pick) Hanley Ramirez (FLA), SS; Round 2: (39) C.C. Sabathia (CLE), SP; Round 3: (42) Aramis Ramirez (CHC), 3B; Round 4: (79) Aaron Harang (CIN), SP; Round 5: (82) John Smoltz (ATL), SP; Round 6: (119) Fausto Carmona (CLE), SP; Round 7: (122) Adrian Beltre (SEA), 3B; Round 8: (159) Ryan Garko (CLE), 1B; Round 9: (162) Ian Snell (PIT), SP; Round 10: (199) Jeff Kent (LAD), 2B; Round 11: (202) Zack Greinke (KC), SP, RP; Round 12: (239) Michael Bourn (HOU), CF; Round 13: (242) Ramon Hernandez (BAL), C; Round 14: (279) Greg Maddux (SD), SP; Round 15: (282) Joey Votto (CIN), 1B, OF; Round 16: (319) Moises Alou (NYM), OF; Round 17: (322) Jon Rauch (WAS), RP; Round 18: (359) Juan Cruz (ARI), RP; Round 19: (362) Edinson Volquez (CIN), SP; Round 20: (399) Ryan Doumit (PIT), C, OF; Round 21: (402) Jacque Jones (DET), CF; Round 22: (439) Philip Humber (MIN), P; Round 23: (442) Juan Lara (CLE), RP; Round 24: (479) Brandon Backe (HOU), SP; and Round 25: (482) Marlon Byrd (TEX), CF

I've already made some changes to my roster, which was top-heavy with pitchers. Three players -- Humber, Lara, and Byrd -- are no longer members of the Triggermen, while Carlos Gomez, Marco Scutaro, and Cla Meredith have been added.

I'm also in the process of adding Skip Schumaker, even though he's a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, and that goes against every fundamental bone in my body. However, I was desperate for a corner outfielder with a bit of power, and it came down to Schumaker or Carlos Quentin, and Schumaker's spring numbers -- 21 G, 24-for-64, .375/.412/.563, 15 R, 10 RBI, four doubles, one triple, two home runs, and three stolen bases -- made the decision easy. I'm also working like crazy to swing a trade or two.

I want to be the Dayton Moore of Reversible Nines, scouring the waiver wires and free agent market for undervalued or unnoticed talent that can be a surprise help to my lineup. Scutaro is likely going to have to start the year for me at second base, since Jeff Kent has a bad hamstring that has kept him from playing at all this spring. But Scutaro was a great choice, because he'll start the season in the Blue Jays' starting lineup after Scott Rolen broke his finger.

Yes, this is my first venture into the world of fantasy baseball, but I plan to learn the intricacies of the game quickly, and try to beat other team's managers to the punch. The fact that I'm coming off my first fantasy football championship (in my third year in my league) gives me hope, and confidence. But, just like I'll do with the 2008 Royals, I think I'll try to keep my confidence in check for awhile and see how the start of the season goes.

But come 2010, in my third year in the league (at least, I hope so), I'll be expecting a championship, baby! As long as Java doesn't mess with my draft again.

Check Out Sam Mellinger's Blog

Life can get crazy sometimes. I'm not trying to make excuses, but I do want to apologize for the way this site has been neglected recently. I'm a stay-at-home dad, it was my son's fourth birthday early this month, and my wife is in California for work as I write this, so blogging has unfortunately fallen by the wayside for a bit.

But I promise that, once the season gets started, I'll try to get back into a routine where something new is posted much more frequently. I don't know if I can promise every day, with summer vacations and weekend trips to the lake cabin, but I'll do my best to update this site on a regular basis. I appreciate having readers who regularly return to see what I've written. Thank you.

Today, I figured I needed to log on and write something to generate more views for my friend -- I think I can call him that -- Kansas City Star sportswriter Sam Mellinger, and his blog, Ball Star. In the next three days, Ball Star is going to be featuring a Roundtable series, with Royals-related questions answered by yours truly, as well as five other Kansas City Royals bloggers.

The others are: Craig Brown of Royals Authority, Will McDonald of Royals Review, Dave Sanford of Royals Corner, Anthony Tao of In Dayton We Trust, and Lee Warren of Royal Reflections.

I think it will be an interesting look at the perceptions of various Royals bloggers, with some interesting questions and scenarios being addressed, as well as our spot-on predictions for the 2008 Royals.

Sam Mellinger has been doing a great job with Ball Star, and I check it out daily to get some funny insights into happenings during Spring Training in Surprise, and for the types of stories and interviews you might not see in the newspaper itself. He's had some great interviews with some big names in the blogosphere (Link 1 / Link 2), has traveled to Florida and told us how he thinks that state sucks (I think he was kidding), and he posts daily links to other interesting things taking place in the game we all love -- baseball.

Check out the Roundtable, and leave some comments to let Sam know you appreciate the Star's efforts to give us more than just the typical game recaps and notes. Ball Star, it's worth a look if you haven't found your way there yet.

Grudzielanek Keys Middle Infield for KC

This is the fourth installment of a position-by-position look at the 2008 Kansas City Royals. Previous stories: C, 3B, SS

Mark Grudzielanek is set to play in his first spring game of 2008 during Friday's Cactus League contest against the Colorado Rockies, but no, the veteran second baseman hasn't been injured. Rather, first-year manager Trey Hillman has taken a new approach with Grudzielanek and fellow veteran Jose Guillen, allowing them the freedom to set their own timetable for when they're ready to play.

Hillman's decision pleases Grudzielanek, who earned a Gold Glove for his stellar defensive play in 2006, but was hampered by two knee operations in 2007. He has made comments this spring that hint at the fact that he was pushed to play too soon in the spring under former manager Buddy Bell.

"I love it. I'm glad we're on the same page," he said, in a story written by the Kansas City's Star's Bob Dutton. "We talked, and came up with a plan to make sure I get myself right and feel strong."

Even with the knee surgeries last year, Grudzielanek still managed to bat .302/.346/.426 with 137 hits, 70 runs scored, 32 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 51 runs batted in, and a 100 OPS+. Despite those numbers, and his solid defense, he still seems to draw criticism from many fans, who feel the Royals would be better off with someone other than the 37-year old Grudzielanek.

To give you an idea of the kind of player Grudzielanek has been over the course of his career, here is a comparison of two second basemen's career totals, also when they were 37-years old:

Player A was batting .257/.293/.389 with 1847 hits in 2107 games, 858 runs scored, 371 doubles, 56 triples, 156 home runs, 829 runs batted in, and an 86 OPS+ in 16 seasons.

Player B was batting .281/.335/.358 with 1949 hits in 1769 games, 913 runs scored, 278 doubles, 47 triples, 54 home runs, 550 runs batted in, and a 95 OPS+ in 14 seasons.

So, who are those players? Well, Player A has his number retired and proudly displayed on the base of the Kauffman Stadium scoreboard -- yes, it's Royals Hall of Famer Frank White. Player B is former Dodgers, Yankees, White Sox, and A's second baseman Steve Sax.

Did I fool you by making you think one of those players was Grudz? Well, here are the numbers for the yet-to-be-mentioned Player C -- Mark Grudzielanek. For those critics out there, Grudzielanek has batted .289/.331/.395 with 1911 hits in 1686 games, 900 runs scored, 367 doubles, 36 triples, 87 home runs, 605 runs batted in, and a 90 OPS+ in 13 seasons.

**By the way, Ryan Shealy just hit a game-winning home run against the Diamondbacks as I'm sitting here writing this, and so I couldn't resist joining the new trend, and adding my first-ever Pozterisk.

It's obvious that Grudzielanek is nearing the end of an outstanding career, but it's also still quite obvious that he's a very dependable defensive second baseman, who puts up solid offensive numbers. In my opinion, he should remain the Royals' starter at second base until an injury once again prevents him from playing, he's traded, or his contract expires.

This season, though, Grudzielanek will be challenged by Alberto Callaspo, who was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade for pitcher Billy Buckner during the offseason. Callaspo was Arizona's Minor League Player of the Year in 2006, and he comes to the Royals with an impressive baseball resume.

In six seasons, Callaspo hit .317/.370/.437 with 151 doubles and 353 RBI. What might be most impressive about Callaspo, though, is the fact that he's very disciplined at the plate, with just 141 strikeouts in 2897 plate appearances.

Callaspo is definitely considered the heir apparent to Grudzielanek at second base, but when that change takes place is still up in the air. Callaspo is batting .222/.222/.444 with a double and a home run in seven spring games so far this spring. But a season spent learning from a player like Grudzielanek certainly can't hurt his development.

Mark Grudzielanek Photo Credit: Ed Zurga/AP

Royals Looking to Run in 2008

In the past four seasons, Kansas City basestealers have been poor at their craft, ranking toward the bottom of the American League in stolen bases.

Last year, the Royals combined for 78 steals to tie with the Chicago White Sox for 10th in the A.L. Third baseman Alex Gordon was Kansas City's top threat to swipe a base, finishing his rookie season with 14 stolen bases in 18 attempts.

As a team, Kansas City's total last year was actually an increase over the previous three seasons. During 2006, the Royals tied for eighth in the A.L. with 65 stolen bases, while the 2005 Royals established a franchise-record low total of only 53, and they had 67 thefts during 2004. So it's been four years since Kansas City has reached triple-digits for stolen bases, something that has been accomplished 32 times in the organization's 39-year history.

First-year Royals manager Trey Hillman isn't going to stand for another meager season running the bases, and if Kansas City's first six Cactus League games are an indication, the Royals will be doing everything they can to become more aggressive on the basepaths once again.

Through those six games, the Royals have stolen 12 bases, with outfielder Joey Gathright leading the way with an MLB-best six steals in six attempts.

Gathright, long considered one of the game's fastest players, has struggled to steal bases at the Major League level. In four seasons with Tampa Bay (2004-06) and Kansas City (2006-present), Gathright has stolen 57 bases in 80 attempts, despite the fact that he was 196-for-256 in six Minor League seasons.

Gathright recently stated that he'd like to steal 30 bases for the Royals in 2008, a goal which seems very attainable if he can continue swiping bases like he has during Spring Training.

Kansas City hasn't had a legitimate threat on the basepaths since Carlos Beltran was traded during the 2004 season. Beltran had just 14 steals for the Royals that season, but he stole a team-leading 41 bases in 2003, when Kansas City finished 3rd in the A.L. with 120 steals.

In addition to Gathright and Gordon, left fielder Mark Teahen (13), infielder Esteban German (11), and center fielder David DeJesus (10) all reached double-digit steal totals in 2007. Teahen is considered one of the Royals' top baserunners, and has the potential to reach 20+ steals.

Due to the Royals' lack of power -- KC ranked last in the A.L. in home runs and slugging percentage in 2007 -- the team is going to have to figure out other ways to manufacture runs in 2008. Hillman would like to see his team be more aggressive running the bases, as well as more adept at advancing runners via sacrifice hits.

With Gathright, Gordon, and Teahen leading the way, an exciting Kansas City team might steal its way into the hearts of Royals fans in 2008.

Joey Gathright Photo Credit: Charlie Riedel/AP

Problems Arising With Miguel Olivo?

If you've seen today's Kansas City Star, you might have read the story about Miguel Olivo. The free agent catcher was signed December 27 by the Royals to come in and compete with John Buck for playing time.

Evidently, that was not what was communicated to Olivo via his agent, Martin Arburua, who had conversations with five or six teams, including the Tigers, after he was non-tendered by the Marlins during the offseason. But, in the end, he wound up coming to Kansas City because he thought he was going to have a good shot at being the Royals' primary catcher.

It was apparently a miscommunication, though, as shortly after pitchers and catchers reported to camp in Surprise, Ariz., new Royals manager Trey Hillman made it clear that Buck was Kansas City's No. 1 man behind the plate.

Olivo shrugged it off, saying that's not what he had been told, but that he would compete for his job and continue to work toward being the Royals' primary catcher.

"We'll work it out," Olivo said at the time. "In my mind, I'm the starting catcher because that's the way I've been my whole career."

Now, two weeks into Spring Training, today's story by Sam Mellinger appears in the Star, and it really doesn't sound like Olivo is content, despite the fact that he claims he's not angry, or bitter with his situation.

"If I'd have known it was going to be like that, the second catcher on the team, I would've (done) something else," Olivo said.

He came to Kansas City thinking that he was going to be the starter, and he could have been in an organization like Detroit's, so do you really think he'll continue to be happy if he's playing catcher twice a week, and DHing or playing left field other days?

For their part, Hillman and Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore have both stated that they never told Arburua anything about Olivo's playing time, or certainly not that he would be the starter. And both Hillman and Moore have also said that, just like with every position in Spring Training, Olivo and Buck are competing for playing time.

In front of the cameras and microphones, things have seemed fine. Olivo is a veteran, and he says that he'll deal with the situation, since there's really nothing he can do about it other than compete hard to earn the job. But you really have to wonder whether Olivo's blood is boiling deep down inside, and that he's regretting having signed with the Royals.

If so, I don't think this will be a healthy marriage in the long run, and it might be wise for the Royals to shop around for a team looking for a decent catcher, and see what kind of return they could get for Olivo when he's eligible to be traded on June 16. He batted .237 with 16 home runs and 60 runs batted in with the Marlins in 2007, and he's got a good arm and decent speed.

The Royals could always go with Matt Tupman as the backup to Buck, and unlike Olivo, Tupman would probably be thrilled at the aspect of making Kansas City's 25-man roster.

Tupman had an impressive offseason, playing in the Dominican Winter League for Tigres del Licey. The 28-year old Tupman batted .293 with 12 RBI during the regular season, and earned the chance to start for his team in the Caribbean Series. He helped his team win the championship with a 5-1 record by batting .353 in those games.

And, who knows, maybe Olivo will be the one to emerge as the starter. But Kansas City needs players who want to be on the team, no matter what their role is. And if John Buck is going to be starting again for the Royals in 2008, it might not be beneficial to have Olivo stewing on the bench.

Don't Mess With Texas?

I know it's just Spring Training, and these games don't matter. But geez, do you think the Royals could actually catch a break one of these days and win a game against the Rangers? Texas is pretty much a consensus pick to finish as an "also ran" in the American League West, so three straight losses against it is kind of embarrassing, don't you agree?

You know, there are signs all over the state of Texas that say, Don't Mess With Texas, and apparently the Royals need to heed that warning.

With Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Rangers, Kansas City fell to 1-3 in Cactus League play, with all three setbacks coming at the hands of the team with which it shares their Surprise, Ariz., training facility. Texas has outscored the Royals, 29-15, in the three games, and KC also allowed nine runs in its lone win (against San Diego), so Royals pitchers are allowing 9.5 runs per game. Ouch.

Sunday's defeat was made even more disappointing by the fact that the Royals held a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. But Joel Peralta surrendered three hits in a third of an inning, including a two-run homer to tie the score, and the Rangers rallied for the win.

But it's Spring Training, and you have to hope that the Royals are learning from their early mistakes. Despite the fact that it seems way too soon to start looking at stats, with only four Spring Training games played, here's a look at some of the notables from the first week of camp:

The Good
--Right-handed pitcher Luke Hochevar has to be at the top of the list of pleasant surprises. On Sunday, he made his second appearance of the spring, and once again pitched brilliantly. He's pitched a total of four innings, allowing just one hit, while striking out a pair of batters and walking none. It's too early in camp to get too excited, but if Hochevar continues to pitch this well, he could earn a spot in the rotation, or at least make the Royals' roster as a member of the bullpen to start the season.

--Kyle Davies also fared well, making his spring debut on Sunday. The right-hander, who was acquired in the Octavio Dotel trade last year, went three innings and gave up three hits and one earned run.

--I haven't written about this yet -- my son's fourth birthday was Saturday, so that kept me busy this weekend -- but Gil Meche had a decent debut, as well. Meche said after the game that he wasn't pleased with his curveball, but he allowed two hits and fanned a batter in his two innings of work.

--CF David DeJesus must have gotten sick and tired of reading all the comments from people who say they want to trade him, because he's off to a great start, with four hits (including a double) in five at bats, three runs batted in, and four walks in three games.

--Justin Huber is 3-for-4, with all of his hits going for doubles, and a pair of RBI in his quest to find a roster spot. His play in left field has been as one might expect when asked to move from first base to left field early in camp. If the Royals aren't smart enough to give him a shot, then hopefully he continues to put up impressive offensive numbers, so that he could at least attract decent trade value.

--LF Mark Teahen is batting .300 (3-for-10) with a double, three runs scored, and has drawn four walks for an OBP of .500.

--Ross Gload has played in three games, batting .444/.444/.778 with four hits (one home run), and three runs batted in. No wonder Trey Hillman said he likes his swing.

--Damon Hollins has about zero chance of making the Royals' roster, but he's been playing right field until Jose Guillen sees some action. Hollins, who hit 15 home runs for Tampa Bay two seasons ago, is 3-for-7 (.429) with two doubles, two runs scored, and a pair of stolen bases.

--Third baseman Alex Gordon is batting .375 with three RBI. He's away from camp until Tuesday, attending his grandfather's funeral in Nebraska.

The Bad
--Honestly, Brian Bannister was rusty, not bad, but he allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) in his three-inning debut on Sunday. I really don't expect him to be on this list next week.

--Kansas City has eight pitchers with double-digit ERAs.

The Ugly
--Esteban German committed a costly error in the first inning of the first Spring Training game, and has not made up for it at the plate. In four games, German is batting .091/.091/.182, with one hit in 11 at bats.

--OF Mitch Maier is 0-for-7 in three games.

--Julio Pimentel has a 36.00 ERA after allowing four hits and five runs (four earned) in his one inning of work so far.

Money Doesn't Always Equal World Titles

I often see posts on message boards and blogs, bemoaning or ridiculing the fact that the Kansas City Royals are a small-market organization. They make statements about how there's no possible way the Royals can realistically compete for a World Championship with a payroll that has ranked among the bottom-third in baseball since the strike season of 1994.

Basically, many of their messages could be summed up this way: "The Royals can't pay their players as well as the Yankees, or the Red Sox -- or now the Tigers -- so they might as well just throw in the white towel and give up before they embarrass themselves."

Of course, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea. Posts like this make me want to reach through the computer screen and ring the writers' necks. It's such a defeatist mentality, and I'm so glad these people have absolutely nothing to do with running the Royals.

According to USA Today's Salaries Database, during 1988-94, Kansas City's payroll was among the top half in baseball, ranking anywhere from first in 1990 ($23,873,745) to 13th in 1988 ($11,558,873). And it was among the top 10 in all of those years except for that 1988 season.

But during that strike season in 1994, the landscape in baseball changed. The Royals, who had the fourth-highest payroll in baseball ($40,481,334) for the second-straight year in 1994, emerged the next season with a $27.6 million payroll that had plummeted to 21st among Major League teams. Kansas City has not ranked higher than 21st in payroll since, and has been next-to-last three times.

However, does the Royals' drop in payroll necessarily prevent them from making the playoffs, or advancing to their third World Series? Does a Top 5 payroll always lead to postseason success, or even a trip to the postseason, for that matter? Are those fans who make negative posts about payroll correct to think there's no hope for teams like the Royals?

That answer is no, and the proof is in teams like the 2007 Colorado Rockies, or the 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins, both of which had payrolls ranked 25th among the 30 teams. The Marlins captured their second world title by defeating the team with the highest payroll in all of professional sports -- the Yankees, of course.

In fact, in the 13 years since play resumed following the strike, eight of 26 World Series teams have had payrolls that ranked outside the Top 10, with four of those teams winning a title, and half (13 of 26) of the teams have been ranked sixth or lower, resulting in six world championships.

For an even more dramatic example, there have been 104 teams qualify for the playoffs since 1995 -- four teams in each league for the past 13 years. Of those teams, a total of 42 -- or 40.4 percent -- have had payrolls among the bottom two-thirds, while 66 playoff teams (63.5 percent) have not been among the Top 5 for payroll expenditures.

In two of the past three World Series, both participants were not found among the Top 10 for payroll. In 2005, it was the White Sox (13th) defeating Houston (12th), while the 2006 World Series saw St. Louis (11th) topple Detroit (14th). So, payroll is not the end-all means of achieving postseason success.

All of this goes to show how tremendously important a deep and talented farm system is, and that's something Royals' GM Dayton Moore has been focusing on since the day he was hired. Moore has been working to stockpile Kansas City's minor league affiliates with pitching prospects like Luke Hochevar, Tyler Lumsden, Julio Pimentel, Carlos Rosa, and Matt Mitchell, either through trades or via the draft.

At the same time, Moore has gotten the green light from Royals owner David Glass to increase the team's payroll, and aggressively pursue players such as current starting pitcher Gil Meche or right fielder Jose Guillen, both of whom signed multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts. Kansas City also made enticing offers to outfielders Torii Hunter and Andruw Jones, as well as Japanese pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, during the 2007 offseason. So the Royals are moving up the ladder in terms of money spent on players' salaries, and could possibly move out of the bottom third in payroll for the first time since 1994 this year.

Teams that are able to combine a healthy farm system with a middle-of-the-pack payroll have fared well in recent years, as noted above. It doesn't always take a Top 5 payroll to make the playoffs, or to win the World Series. I'm certainly not making an argument that teams that spend more money don't fare well, because they obviously have had incredible success. But teams that don't have huge payrolls aren't always left standing on the outside, looking in.

I just wish all those negative bloggers and message board naysayers would realize this.

Royals Payrolls Since 1988 (Rank)
2007: $67,116,500 (22nd)
2006: $47,294,000 (26th)
2005: $36,881,000 (29th)
2004: $47,609,000 (22nd)
2003: $40,518,000 (29th)
2002: $47,257,000 (22nd)
2001: $35,422,500 (27th)
2000: $23,132,500 (28th)
1999: $16,527,000 (27th)
1998: $32,912,500 (21st)
1997: $31,225,000 (23rd)
1996: $18,480,750 (29th)
1995: $27,608,834 (21st)
1994: $40,481,334 (4th)
1993: $40,102,666 (4th)
1992: $33,643,834 (8th)
1991: $28,722,662 (7th)
1990: $23,873,745 (1st)
1989: $15,427,162 (9th)
1988: $11,558,873 (13th)

Playoff Teams Since 1988 (Payroll Rank)
2007
AL - BOS (2nd)*, CLE (23rd)**, NYY (1st), LAA (4th)
NL - COL (25th), ARI (26th)**, CHC (8th), PHI (13th)
2006
AL - DET (14th), OAK (21st)**, NYY (1st), MIN (19th)
NL - STL (11th)*, NYM (5th)**, LAD (6th), SD (17th)
2005
AL - CWS (13th)*, LAA (4th)**, NYY (1st), BOS (2nd)
NL - HOU (12th), STL (6th)**, ATL (10th), SD (16th)
2004
AL - BOS (2nd)*, NYY (1st)**, LAA (3rd), MIN (19th)
NL - STL (9th), HOU (12th)**, LAD (6th), ATL (8th)
2003
AL - NYY (1st), BOS (6th)**, MIN (18th), OAK (23rd)
NL - FLA (25th)*, CHC (11th)**, ATL (3rd), SF (9th)
2002
AL - LAA (15th)*, MIN (27th)**, NYY (1st), OAK (28th)
NL - SF (10th), STL (13th)**, ARI (4th), ATL (7th)
2001
AL - NYY (1st), SEA (11th)**, CLE (5th), OAK (29th)
NL - ARI (8th)*, ATL (6th)**, STL (9th), HOU (17th)
2000
AL - NYY (1st)*, SEA (15th)**, OAK (25th), CWS (26th)
NL - NYM (6th), STL (11th)**, ATL (4th), SF (17th)
1999
AL - NYY (1st)*, BOS (5th)**, TEX (2nd), CLE (4th)
NL - ATL (3rd), NYM (6th)**, ARI (9th), HOU (11th)
1998
AL - NYY (2nd)*, CLE (4th)**, TEX (5th), BOS (8th)
NL - SD (14th), ATL (3rd)**, CHC (10th), HOU (15th)
1997
AL - CLE (4th), BAL (2nd)**, NYY (1st), SEA (15th)
NL - FLA (7th)*, ATL (5th)**, SF (21st), HOU (22nd)
1996
AL - NYY (1st)*, BAL (2nd)**, CLE (4th), TEX (10th)
NL - ATL (3rd), STL (9th)**, LAD (12th), SD (18th)
1995
AL - CLE (9th), SEA (11th)**, NYY (2nd), BOS (19th)
NL - ATL (3rd)*, CIN (6th)**, COL (15th), LAD (17th)
1994: Postseason cancelled due to MLB Players Strike
1993
AL - TOR (1st)*, CWS (13th)**
NL - PHI (20th), ATL (7th)**
1992
AL - TOR (3rd)*, OAK (5th)**
NL - ATL (11th), PIT (12th)**
1991
AL - MIN (16th)*, TOR (9th)**
NL - ATL (20th), PIT (14th)**
1990
AL - OAK (10th)*, BOS (6th)**
NL - CIN (20th), PIT (16th)**
1989
AL - OAK (12th)*, BOS (4th)**
NL - SF (13th), CHC (20th)**
1988
AL - OAK (14th), BOS (3rd)**
NL - LAD (5th)*, NYM (4th)**
*Won World Series; **Lost in League Championship Series