The season is finally here. No more what ifs, no more predictions, just statistics and results. All the fans can do now is sit and watch what happens on the field. Many predictions have been made over the last six months about the Kansas City Royals yet like everything else in life all the assumptions account for nothing just the results. All the excitement about the Royals in 2012 can continue with the team having a good productive start to the season or the excitement could taper off like seasons in the past. Kansas City has not been this excited about their hometown team for a long time, the 1970s and 1980s to be exact. But this time it is different. This team wants to win not only for themselves but for the city itself. Also, not only do they want to win but they want to do it here in Kansas City. The future is still the future but the present is now and nothing feels greater than to have our team playing in our town right now.
In years past, the city has always been excited about the fact that baseball season has started but that was because they had another option for a night out on the town that started at Kauffman Stadium. Now, fans have the excitement on the field drawing them in. They are not just going for Garth Brooks in the sixth inning or hot dogs or over priced cold beverages. Now for the first time in years they are going to watch the likes of first basemen Eric Hosmer, 2011 Gold Glove winner Alex Gordon out in left field, a young gun pitching staff along with the whole cast of Royals. The team is finally the attraction and they want nothing more than to be the talk of the town. In years past teams that the Royals organization put out of the field were there to make their money and get on to the next thing. But this time it is different. Winning is now the only thing. Not many people outside of Kansas City are truly giving this team a chance. Reasons like they are young, they won’t spend the money needed to field a winner, they are breeding the next big New York Yankee or Oakland A, but that is exactly what some of the players on this team want the outside media to say. The underdog mentality will fuel this young ball club to do what I believe to be great things not only in years to come but this season as well.
The clubhouse has never looked as tight nit as they do now. This team of young guys who have grown up differently, gotten their shot in the Major Leagues in many ways, have come together to join as a team. Talent only can get a team so far but if these guys can stick together and be the family that a team needs to be success will come. All of this aside, what do we do now? All we can do is sit, wait, and hope that the team the Royals are putting out on the field is what we all think it can be. Royals teams of the past had their time but for now, like the season slogan states, this is the 2012 Royals time to shine. And shine they will.
