How can anyone wonder why these idiots are going out of business? If KC is really lucky, they won't be dead last.

/Royals fan

knbber2: How can anyone wonder why these idiots are going out of business? If KC is really lucky, they won't be dead last.

/Royals fan

One of Joe Posnaski's semi-bold predictions is that Greinke wins the AL Cy Young.

FARK YEAH! It's a new day in Missouri sports. Mizzou is good in football, basketball and wrestling, the Chiefs are starting a new era, and the Royals might not completely suck this year.

bighasbeen: knbber2: How can anyone wonder why these idiots are going out of business? If KC is really lucky, they won't be dead last.

/Royals fan

One of Joe Posnaski's semi-bold predictions is that Greinke wins the AL Cy Young.

yeah, the same prediction is made in the article

Knee jerk reaction to the 2008 Rays.

People would rather be wrong on a longshot than wrong on an obvious favourite.

I understand the hypocrisy, I do- I mean, sh*t I live in Cleveland of all places, but I have to say it because it's true:

It won't matter if they win the world f*cking series, they'll still be stuck in Missouri.

man, look at that idiot further down the thread saying book it. done. he looks so silly, doesn't he?

CtrlAltDelete: I understand the hypocrisy, I do- I mean, sh*t I live in Cleveland of all places, but I have to say it because it's true:

It won't matter if they win the world f*cking series, they'll still be stuck in Missouri.

Most of the players live in kansas anyway. Its much nicer across the border

The fact they even chose the Cubs to be IN the Fall Classic is beyond me. Have we not learned anything yet?

Am I the only person who really dislikes what the Royals did over the offseason? I mean, Jacobs? If you wanted a lefty power bat who can't field, why not get involved in the Dunn sweepstakes? Even Coco didn't make much sense (but I'm glad they did it, since I'm a Sox fan). The only good move was the Greinke extension, but that doesn't really affect them at all this year.

When did we enter this magical land where the Cubs can win a playoff game?

Megain: bighasbeen: knbber2: How can anyone wonder why these idiots are going out of business? If KC is really lucky, they won't be dead last.

/Royals fan

One of Joe Posnaski's semi-bold predictions is that Greinke wins the AL Cy Young.

yeah, the same prediction is made in the article

Like I'm going to read two articles on the Royals before the season starts.

In his defense, at least the author wasn't foolish enough to suspect the Cubs would go the distance.

/Didn't RTFA.
//Fark you, Cubs fans.

Blaxabbath: In his defense, at least the author wasn't foolish enough to suspect the Cubs would go the distance.

/Didn't RTFA.
//Fark you, Cubs fans.

See, it's obvious you DRTFA, because he DID pick the Cubs to win the Series.

That's unpossible. They share a division with Boof Bonser.

/yeah, I know he's hurt
//jeez, what a loss!

Cubs vs. Royals World Series. Book it. Done.

I really like Kauffman Stadium. KC metro is an interesting city. I liked the people. Very friendly.

It may be time to institute drug testing for sportswriters too.

Royals who?

CtrlAltDelete: I understand the hypocrisy, I do- I mean, sh*t I live in Cleveland of all places, but I have to say it because it's true:

It won't matter if they win the world f*cking series, they'll still be stuck in Missouri.

But you're still stuck with the hypocrisy of saying that statement. As having been to both places, Missouri just eeks out beating Cleveland in being better. At least we don't have lake-effect snow.

Surprised no one is mentioning the Cards. Being a Missouri sports thread and all. Though I don't expect much happening them.

/wants to see the newly remodeled K though

Mrtraveler01: At least we don't have lake-effect snow.

That's true.

CtrlAltDelete: I understand the hypocrisy, I do- I mean, sh*t I live in Cleveland of all places, but I have to say it because it's true:

It won't matter if they win the world f*cking series, they'll still be stuck in Missouri.

better Missouri then Ohio

/lives in columbus, Ohio,
//prays the suckeyes go 0-12 this year

Sure the Royals will win the World Series.

And the Mets will be undefeated against the Marlins in September, Sam Wurzelbacher will get a plumbing license, GM will put out a non-Corvette car that doesn't suck and monkeys will come flying out of my ass.

Mentat: FARK YEAH! It's a new day in Missouri sports. Mizzou is good in football, basketball and wrestling, the Chiefs are starting a new era, and the Royals might not completely suck this year.

Sports Guy had a podcast a while back where he predicted this would be the "Year of Kansas City". Royals are a very chic pick to make some noise in the AL, Chiefs had just got Cassel and look to be improved, KC will be in serious consideration for an NBA team when people in Sacramento or Memphis don't re-up their season tickets en masse this spring.

Picking the Royals to win the Central is a bit of a stretch, as they still have some major questions in their lineup (namely Butler and Gordon) and young pitching is, well, young pitching. But I do think they'll hang around .500 most of the year, which, considering Chicago won the division with 89 wins last year, would put them in the hunt at least.

DeWayne Mann: Am I the only person who really dislikes what the Royals did over the offseason? I mean, Jacobs? If you wanted a lefty power bat who can't field, why not get involved in the Dunn sweepstakes? Even Coco didn't make much sense (but I'm glad they did it, since I'm a Sox fan). The only good move was the Greinke extension, but that doesn't really affect them at all this year.

Well the thing about Jacobs is that the Royals needed anyone in their lineup that would make a pitcher think twice about grooving a fastball over the plate with two men on. Their HR totals from last year were pathetic; adding Jacobs 32 increased the teams total HR's by something like 23%. He's basically protection for Guillen, and Gordon and Butler to a lesser extent, and yes the Royals are taking a bit of a risk on a guy who sort of screams "career year" but I think it could work out. The Royals have a lot of guys who can knock the ball around the field and get on base (even more so with Crisp now), what they needed was a guy in the 5 or 6 slot who can at least threaten to get those guys home. The Royals last year had 19 HR/65RBI out of the 5 slot and 20HR/61RBI out of the 6 slot. Not good.

For the sake of my fantasy team, I hope he's right about Greinke winning the Cy Young.

/Would settle for him not having a nervous breakdown

whodey: CtrlAltDelete: I understand the hypocrisy, I do- I mean, sh*t I live in Cleveland of all places, but I have to say it because it's true:

It won't matter if they win the world f*cking series, they'll still be stuck in Missouri.

Most of the players live in kansas anyway. Its much nicer across the border

Blasphemy! There's a reason all of the best parts of Kansas City are in Missouri. Except the roads, of course...

jayhawk88: Sports Guy had a podcast a while back where he predicted this would be the "Year of Kansas City". Royals are a very chic pick to make some noise in the AL, Chiefs had just got Cassel and look to be improved, KC will be in serious consideration for an NBA team when people in Sacramento or Memphis don't re-up their season tickets en masse this spring.

Picking the Royals to win the Central is a bit of a stretch, as they still have some major questions in their lineup (namely Butler and Gordon) and young pitching is, well, young pitching. But I do think they'll hang around .500 most of the year, which, considering Chicago won the division with 89 wins last year, would put them in the hunt at least.

As long as you guys don't take the Islanders from me we'll be ok.

I agree with you about looking like a .500 team though. Greinke, Meche and Bannister are 3 at-least-solid starters, Soria is awesome, and the lineup has potential. They've been a random team I've always wanted to see succeed and I think they can take a big step forward this year.

don't the new york times own the boston red sox?

FreakinB: As long as you guys don't take the Islanders from me we'll be ok.

Didn't the Isle's get a new stadium lease/deal or something like that using the possibility of a KC move as leverage recently? That's my biggest concern, that the Sprint Center is the next big Shangri-La every sports team uses to blackmail their local populace. Of course these days blackmail isn't going to go very far; I really think it's going to get ugly in the NBA this spring. From what you read the season ticket salesmen for most NBA teams are already on suicide watch, it's going to get even worse when they start calling people asking for those $5k deposits.

jayhawk88: FreakinB: As long as you guys don't take the Islanders from me we'll be ok.

Didn't the Isle's get a new stadium lease/deal or something like that using the possibility of a KC move as leverage recently? That's my biggest concern, that the Sprint Center is the next big Shangri-La every sports team uses to blackmail their local populace. Of course these days blackmail isn't going to go very far; I really think it's going to get ugly in the NBA this spring. From what you read the season ticket salesmen for most NBA teams are already on suicide watch, it's going to get even worse when they start calling people asking for those $5k deposits.

Charles Wang came out with a plan for an arena and to develop the surrounding area about 6 years ago (Google The Lighthouse plan if you're interested). The local government has dragged its feet to say the least, but now that he scheduled that game in KC they're at least having town hall meetings and stuff. It's a work in progress, we'll see what happens.

The other thing is that there's really no way for the Isles to get out of their lease in the Coliseum until 2015, and as you said at least one NBA team will probably be moving by then.

I'd love to see you guys get another team, I just hope it's not mine.

Well, it's totally conceivable that all five teams in that division could finish within 10 games of each other. Nobody is actually good, per se, but nobody is *bad* either.

With that said, despite playing like the 1927 Yankees against the Tigers, the Royals aren't gonna win it.

FreakinB: I'd love to see you guys get another team, I just hope it's not mine.

Well for a while there it looked like we might get the Pens (though of course that turned out to be a pipe dream), which was exciting since Sid the Kid was tearing up the league as a rookie at the time. I don't know, I think I'd almost rather have an NHL team. We've got the Thunder for an NBA fix close by now if we want it, and while it would be kind of cool to see like the Kings come back home, NBA in KC would be doomed to fail in the long run I think, as most people around here are college basketball fans first and foremost. NHL could succeed long term though, lot of minor league/semi pro hockey teams in this area do really well.

How about the fact that they picked the freaking Cubs to win the world series?

Is it just me or does the headline not make any sense? Can anyone explain?

jpat: Is it just me or does the headline not make any sense? Can anyone explain?

The Times is also known as "The Old Gray Lady."

jayhawk88: Well the thing about Jacobs is that the Royals needed anyone in their lineup that would make a pitcher think twice about grooving a fastball over the plate with two men on. Their HR totals from last year were pathetic; adding Jacobs 32 increased the teams total HR's by something like 23%. He's basically protection for Guillen, and Gordon and Butler to a lesser extent, and yes the Royals are taking a bit of a risk on a guy who sort of screams "career year" but I think it could work out. The Royals have a lot of guys who can knock the ball around the field and get on base (even more so with Crisp now), what they needed was a guy in the 5 or 6 slot who can at least threaten to get those guys home. The Royals last year had 19 HR/65RBI out of the 5 slot and 20HR/61RBI out of the 6 slot. Not good.

He had a .299 OBP. In a "career year."

They had a .320 OBP as a team last year, tied for 4th worst in the majors. They pick up a guy who has been below league average in OBP each of the last three years (Crisp) and a guy who had a TWO-NINETY-NINE OBP last season.

They had one glaring need this offseason, and got worse in that category.

You know who else hit 30 HRs last year? Kila Ka'aihue. Sure, it was partially in the PCL, but he's clearly got some power. Why not go with him? As an added bonus, he had a .456 OBP last season. So why is Jacobs better?

And like I said, why not Dunn? Jacobs is making 3.5 Mil. Farnsworth, who we can view as replacing Nunez (who is making minumum, is making 4.25. Alberto Callaspo is a fine 2B, so you stick with him at second, and non-tender Teahen, freeing up 3.5.

All in all, you just freed up just under 11mil. How much did Dunn sign for? 2yr, 20mil. So unless you can come up with a single reason why Dunn wouldn't be better, I have to call this a bad offseason.

jayhawk88: FreakinB: I'd love to see you guys get another team, I just hope it's not mine.

Well for a while there it looked like we might get the Pens (though of course that turned out to be a pipe dream), which was exciting since Sid the Kid was tearing up the league as a rookie at the time. I don't know, I think I'd almost rather have an NHL team. We've got the Thunder for an NBA fix close by now if we want it, and while it would be kind of cool to see like the Kings come back home, NBA in KC would be doomed to fail in the long run I think, as most people around here are college basketball fans first and foremost. NHL could succeed long term though, lot of minor league/semi pro hockey teams in this area do really well.

Can't see the area supporting another major league team, especially not while everyone is tightening their belts.

/agree, Royals play .500 ball this year. Which would be great improvement.
//can't wait to see a game at the "new" stadium
//Rock Chalk baby. Some "one and done" players coming to Jayhawks this year.

DeWayne Mann: He had a .299 OBP. In a "career year."

Here's a really good article breaking down why Jacobs is really, really bad:

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/dont-be-like-dayton-say-no-to-mike- ja cobs-on-draft-day

And remember, he's one of the worst defensive 1Bs in the game, as well.

DeWayne Mann: All in all, you just freed up just under 11mil. How much did Dunn sign for? 2yr, 20mil. So unless you can come up with a single reason why Dunn wouldn't be better, I have to call this a bad offseason.

Dunn would have been nice, but he's also an outfielder, something we actually have plenty of for the most part. Yeah I know, we have a lot of first basemen too, but it's not like he's replacing Pujols and Cabrera there; our 1B last year had something like 38 walks (compared to Jacobs 36 in 141 games) and had 18 less homers.

But more importantly, what did we really give up to get Jacobs? Nunez and $3.2 mil this year? We're only on the hook for him for a year, at a reasonable salary, so if he flames, so what? To me, getting a little more pop in the lineup was much more important than worrying about OBP or the defensive capabilities of a first baseman. Clearly the Royals are banking on the fact that guys like Gordon, Butler, maybe Teahan, and Aviles will all improve their overall batting stats this year. Which may be wishful thinking, but that's kind of the point of building and relying on a young team.

jayhawk88: Dunn would have been nice, but he's also an outfielder, something we actually have plenty of for the most part. Yeah I know, we have a lot of first basemen too, but it's not like he's replacing Pujols and Cabrera there; our 1B last year had something like 38 walks (compared to Jacobs 36 in 141 games) and had 18 less homers.

You do realize that Dunn has played 127 games at first, right? And according to UZR, he's only 3 runs a season worse than Jacobs at first. His offense more than makes up for that.

Besides, he'd be DHing: Ryan Shealy is the obvious choice for first baseman (as he's actually quite good defensively).

jayhawk88: But more importantly, what did we really give up to get Jacobs? Nunez and $3.2 mil this year? We're only on the hook for him for a year, at a reasonable salary, so if he flames, so what? To me, getting a little more pop in the lineup was much more important than worrying about OBP or the defensive capabilities of a first baseman. Clearly the Royals are banking on the fact that guys like Gordon, Butler, maybe Teahan, and Aviles will all improve their overall batting stats this year. Which may be wishful thinking, but that's kind of the point of building and relying on a young team.

But if they're banking on the young guys improving, why take ABs away from them? Butler will get less ABs thanks to Coco + Jacobs. Shealy will get less time thanks to Jacobs. Kila won't even see the majors this year.

Mike Jacobs, in all probability, is the worst starting first baseman in the majors. A random AAA player would be nearly as good as him. So why bother with him?

DeWayne Mann: Besides, he'd be DHing: Ryan Shealy is the obvious choice for first baseman (as he's actually quite good defensively).

Shealy is 30 and has a grand total of 164 games played in the majors over the past 4 seasons. Maybe he still has a breakout left in him, but it's not looking like it.

DeWayne Mann: But if they're banking on the young guys improving, why take ABs away from them? Butler will get less ABs thanks to Coco + Jacobs. Shealy will get less time thanks to Jacobs. Kila won't even see the majors this year.

Mike Jacobs, in all probability, is the worst starting first baseman in the majors. A random AAA player would be nearly as good as him. So why bother with him?

Now come on, we played Ross Gload for 111 games at first last year. You're never going to convince me that Jacobs is going to give us a worse season at first than Gload did last year.

Butler looks to be the DH for us and seems most comfortable in that slot, he'll get his AB's there. Shealy, again, is looking like a "never will be". Kila would be nice to see get some playing time I'll grant you, hopefully he will if they decide they need to platoon Jacobs against the lefties.

It comes down to this: for all the run they're getting this season as the '09 Rays, the Royals are still far enough away that defensive stats from first basemen and 30 points of OBS probably are not the major concerns for this franchise. 30HR/90RBI is going to be much, much more important for us, and if Jacobs can give us that, we'll be a much better team for it.

jayhawk88: Shealy is 30 and has a grand total of 164 games played in the majors over the past 4 seasons. Maybe he still has a breakout left in him, but it's not looking like it.

And whose fault is it that he played so few games in the majors? He went .283/.376/.503 with 22HR in the minors last year (while playing great defense). Why was he there in the first place?

jayhawk88: Now come on, we played Ross Gload for 111 games at first last year. You're never going to convince me that Jacobs is going to give us a worse season at first than Gload did last year.

Yes, Gload was terrible, and this is why he's no longer starting. But the sad thing is, overall, he was only 10 runs worse than Jacobs. That's it.

And, again, they didn't have to start Gload. They could've started Shealy, but, apparently, it made more sense to have him in AAA.

Oh, and, by the way: even in his short playing time, Shealy was worth six runs more than Jacobs last year. Imagine if he had a full season.

jayhawk88: It comes down to this: for all the run they're getting this season as the '09 Rays, the Royals are still far enough away that defensive stats from first basemen and 30 points of OBS probably are not the major concerns for this franchise. 30HR/90RBI is going to be much, much more important for us, and if Jacobs can give us that, we'll be a much better team for it.

Obviously, there's no way I'll convince you (especially if you're talking in terms of RBI). But prepare to be disappointed.

Then again, if you're a Royals fan, you're probably used to that. Which is a shame: the team has some decent talent, but Hillman & Dayton have no clue what to do with it.

Mentat: FARK YEAH! It's a new day in Missouri sports. Mizzou is good in football, basketball and wrestling, the Chiefs are starting a new era, and the Royals might not completely suck this year.

You're forgetting about the Blues making a playoff push with a bunch of young players, the Rams (hopefully) getting a good coach, and the Cardinals with a full season of Chris Carpenter!

Who knows, maybe he just threw the Royals in, so that way if they become 2009's Rays, he can brag about how smart he is. To me, the pick which invalidates his credibility is Cubs over the Yankees in the WS. He ignores two well-known precepts in modern baseball. 1) The Cubs suck and will always find a way to lose, even if in the bottom of the 9th in Game 7 of the World Series and, 2) the Yankees can never seem to buy enough talent to actually win. Plus, there's the fact that Jeter's old and A-Rod won't be 100% even after he returns. Their pitching might be good, but the defense is shaky and their offense could falter without A-Rod and Jeter at the top of their respective games.

As a Royals fan from about 1978, I have to say...buwahahahahaha..
no chance.

Wishful thinking, but I would never take that bet.