That’s exactly what I found myself repeating time and time again throughout Tuesday’s unbelievable sudden-death game between the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics.

It was a tale of two lengthy stories in a do-or-die Wild Card game. First, the Royals and their “never say die” attitude fought from levels of obscurity to find themselves right in the midst of an American League Central Division title. While not garnering the division lead after a brutal 162-game schedule, they captured a playoff berth and the eyes of baseball nation. The Cinderella of baseball went up against, well, the once-Cinderella of baseball.

Oh, the Oakland Athletics: the featured team in “Moneyball” that made Billy Beane quite possibly the most well-known general manager in sports. While the tactics featured in the film got them into the playoffs with a salary well below the likes of the AL West superpower Los Angeles Angels, it wasn’t a winning strategy in the playoffs. So what did Beane do? He went completely out of his typical mind and traded his top prospect and best power bat to acquire exceptional rotation additions in Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel and Jon Lester.

Before that trade the A’s had the best record in baseball. Since? They’ve lot 30 of 46 and stumbled into the postseason, struggling to regain the same outstanding lineup composition that had them as World Series contenders.

Two different roads lead to the same destination, one on the upswing and other trying to find theirs once more. But that isn’t the story, rather just the background. The story is how the Royals singlehandedly sparked baseball.

After not reaching the playoffs for 29 years, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City was as electric as any stadium I’ve ever seen, and I watched the Kansas City Chiefs break the stadium sound record across the street just a night earlier.

Fans, dressed fully in blue, were never out of the equation, even when trailing on three different accounts. Their resilience matched the team – one of small ball, never giving up and a blue-collar attitude. The fan base represented their team just as well as the team played for its fans.

And through our televisions we witnessed the beauty and perfection of sport combined with a flawless relationship between athletes and fans. Never were the Royals out of it – not following a two-run, opening-inning deficit, not when down four runs with a seasoned playoff ace, Lester, staring them down on the mound, and not even when The A’s took a one-run advantage in the top half of the 12^th inning. The fans never stopped cheering, and in turn the players never quit performing.

And as neither a fan of the Royals or Athletics, I feasted on it – and I know others without an interest in the game did, too. Watching and not wanting the Royals to win seemed impossible, even against my preseason World Series pick. I’d rather be wrong than see those fans go home unhappy. This is how Kansas City sparked baseball.

They revealed what has been baseball’s appeal since it debuted well before my grandparents were born. Hard work, determination, teamwork, playing for the love of the game and simply doing whatever is necessary to pull victory from the jaws of defeat is so valued in a sport that has dwindled in popularity while trying to compete against the likes of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS in recent years. This can be shown by a singular play: a simple steal of third base.

Here’s the situation: bottom of the ninth, one out and a runner on second. Kansas City’s speedster Jarrod Dyson is on the base path, sitting in scoring position only because of a sacrifice bunt (what seemed like the 20^th of the night for Kansas City’s small ball attitude). With an out from the sacrifice, the Royals have two choices: Either 1) With Norichika Aoki and Lorenzo Cain the next two batters, let them swing and hope for a single to the outfield to tie the game, or even better walk-off or 2) Throw all the chips on the table and do what you’ve done all year by attempting an incredibly gutsy steal of third.

They chose option two, not jumping off the methods that got them to this point, such as their counterparts did during mid-season. It worked.

Dyson darted to third and slid well through the bag, one of an MLB playoff-record seven steals for the Royals. Sure enough, Aoki hits a sacrifice fly and Cain lines out. Had they changed strategies now, Kansas City would have lost.

Long story short: The Royals give up a run in the top of the 12^th, sure enough fight back once again, and win on a single off one of Oakland’s midseason acquisitions in Hammel.

Gatorade coolers were dumped, hugs shared to greet the winning run at home plate, and the crowd was as passionate as ever. The Royals showed what being an athlete and a fan is truly supposed to mean, where winning matters, but appreciation for maximum effort means even more.

And baseball provided something that football, basketball, hockey and soccer can’t. Something so unique to the sport, that it is also their downfall to many modern fans. The amount of time it took for this game to conclude was wonderful.

Every pitch made fans hold their breath, as everything could change from one swing of the bat, one fielding error – a passed ball, a steal, and all the other immense variables baseball provides. Every. Single. Pitch. The suspense was brutal – it was a literal nail biter as proof by my hands today. It was as stressful as game to watch as any, but I couldn’t take my eyes away. And remember, I’m not even a Royals fan.

Kauffman was rocking, and as a fan of a team that hasn’t been a winner since 1908, I thank Kansas City for showing me what that kind of passion looks like. Thank you, Kansas City, for being a Cinderella, blue-collar story that not only refused to go down without a fight, but refused to lose in general. Thank you, Kansas City, for showing anyone who questioned the intensity and immense passion that baseball can provide what the potential truly is. And thank you, Major League Baseball, for creating a one-game playoff with such immense pressure that these scenarios have the opportunity to come about.

The sudden death play-in game creates such a pressure-filled atmosphere that it makes baseball so much more appealing than its multiple seven-game bouts. After 162 games, to have it all come down to one game may seem unfair to some spectators, but it’s such an incredible concept. Imagine doing 162 days of classes, just to have the professor say “throw out all the homework, your grade comes down to tomorrow’s final test.” Yeah, that kind of pressure.

I hope you all got to experience to an extent what that Tuesday night game involved. Appreciate the pressure on both squads, the nerves they had to squander to perform and the show they put on.

But before I finish, remember what Kauffman looked like in that playoff atmosphere. Now imagine it’s Game Seven. Now move that game to Wrigley Field.

“It doesn’t get any better than this.”

The post How the Kansas City Royals Sparked Baseball appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Final Standings from the AL West in 2011:
1. Texas Rangers (96-66)
2. LA Angels (86-76)
3. Oakland Athletics (74-88)
4. Seattle Mariners (67-95)

Team Break-Downs:

#4. Seattle Mariners (67-95)
Losses: SP Michael Pineda, RP George Sherrill, P Jose Campos
Additions: C. Jesus Montero, SP Hector Noesi

The Mariners had an interesting offseason in the trade department. One of the top young pitchers in 2011 was Michael Pineda and it appeared that they would be able to field a solid 1-2 punch with 2010 Cy Young winner, “King” Felix Hernandez and Pineda, but the Yankees came calling, needing starting pitching. The Mariners jumped at the chance, with the Yankees dangling their top prospect in catcher, Jesus Montero. The trade put the Yankees in a better position to compete for a World Series, and many are skeptical as to where that puts the Mariners. Montero is one of the top catching prospects in MLB and he should prove to be impactful almost immediately, learning from veteran Miguel Olivo. The Mariners have talent, there is no question about that in youngsters at the corners in Justin Smoak, who they acquired from the Rangers last year, and rookie Kyle Seager at third who only played 53 games in 2011. Once Montero becomes the everyday catcher, the only player over 30 years old will be veteran, future hall-of-famer Ichiro Suzuki at 38. The Mariners will just look to continue the development of a team who had some bright spots last year, among the dismal record. The biggest issue will probably be that the division got even tougher.

#3. Oakland Athletics (74-88)
Losses: SP Gio Gonzalez, RP Andrew Bailey, OF Ryan Sweeney, SP Craig Breslow
Addition: OF Jonny Gomes, OF Yoenis Cespedes, OF Josh Reddick, SP Tom Milone, SP Jarrod Parker, OF Manny Ramirez

The Oakland Athletics were the final team of the 2011-2012 offseason to sign a big name “free-agent” in Yoenis Cespedes for $36 Million over 4 years. The A’s also did the unthinkable in the offseason and went out on a limb to sign Manny Ramirez, the veteran slugger. Man-Ram will miss the first 50 games for his second positive drug test, but sources are saying that Manny is in good condition, and the shortened season after the suspension will benefit him. The Hollywood film gave the public an inside look at Bill Beane and his tactics using sabermetrics, and this season will be no different for Beane. In typical A’s fashion, he allowed a budding young superstar in Gio Gonzalez go to the Nationals, with potential prospects coming in for his staff to develop. The story in Oakland will revolve around the youngsters around the infield this year. Jemile weeks (brother of Brewers 2B Rickie) could have a big impact on the base pads, and they will need to have 1B Brandon Allen and 3B Scott Sizemore to bounce back from injuries from last year and continue on their progression. The A’s will struggle, much like the Mariners because of the development and dynamic around the AL West in Anaheim and Arlington.

#2 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (86-76)
Losses: SP Scott Kazmir,
Additions: SP C.J. Wilson, 1B Albert Pujols, C Chris Iannetta

The Angels are the most improved team in the offseason and there really is no debate because they are really the only organization that improved all aspects of the game with the additions of Pujols and Wilson. The rotation will be one of the best in baseball with Weaver, Haren, Wilson, and Ervin Santana, all with ERA’s last season under 3.4. Those starters combined with the young arm out of the University of Oklahoma, Garret Richards. Their pitching will be better, and their hitting should be better as well. The only real questions on the offensive side for the Angels is whether Vernon Wells(33) and Torii Hunter(36) can continue to play at a high level, even though they are getting older. The Angels are in a great position to make a huge move at the trade deadline because of how deep they are at multiple positions. The DH spot for instance has budding stars Kendry Morales and Mark Trumbo in front of veteran, Bobby Abreu. The CF spot has Peter Bourjos on the preseason depth chart, but top prospect, Mike Trout could make a splash this season for the Angels or for another team at the break. The Angels are the most improved team in the division via the free agent wire, but will it be enough to make them the team to beat in the division, after losing the race by 10 games last year.

#1 Texas Rangers (96-66)
Losses: SP C.J. WIlson
Additions: SP Yu Darvish, CL Joe Nathan

Although the Rangers lost Wilson to the Angels in the offseason, they did add Japanese phenom Yu Darvish. The 25 year old Darvish towers at 6’5 and weights in at 215, much bigger than Daisuke Matsuzaka, who many compare his to. The Rangers hitting will be present in 2012 because they have an incredible line-up filled with all-star caliber players and even a couple MVP contenders. Top to bottom they have proven hitters in Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli, Josh Hamilton and Elvis Andrus. All of those players play a different role and fit together well, which creates a tough team to compete against because there is not break for pitchers. The biggest questions for the Rangers will be when they are in the field. The mound will be an interesting storyline all year for Texas. Yu Darvish and Neftali Feliz are the newcomers to the starting rotation (Feliz moving up from the bullpen), and a lot of the success of this staff will hinge on the success of these two guys immediately. Colby Lewis will be the seasoned veteran, leading a staff with youngsters and they will need to perform well. The Rangers are in a nice spot though because they can create enough run support for the starters to get beat up once in a while, but if it happens repeatedly, they are going to struggle. Another story that will surround the Rangers all season long is OF Josh Hamilton’s relapse over the offseason with alcohol. 2012 is a contract year for the star and there will be all kinds of storylines surrounding his new contract and relapse. Ron Washington and Nolan Ryan will have to handle the situation with care and make sure distraction are minimal.

Division Outlook:
There is no debate that this division has two of the best teams in the American League and Baseball. The Angels and Rangers are going to run away with this division, but who wins? Both teams have quality line-ups. The Angels have proven pitchers, but Texas has a lot of young talent and if a couple questions are answered for them with Darvish and Feliz, they should have a great rotation too. Both have great coaches in Ron Washington and Mike Scioscia and each has the “it” factor with team chemistry. The results will be fun to watch.
Another possibly interesting development in the West is the young talent on the Mariners and A’s. Each squad possesses a plethora of youngsters that could make an impact, this season or in the future. Some names off these two teams that could be potential all-stars are 2B Weeks from the A’s who should be able to retain a .300+ BA with 35+ steals and a bunch of runs scores, Jesus Montero as a DH or Catcher for the Mariners as well as Justin Smoak at 1B. These two teams are stacked with players with lots of upside and could be producing some trade bait for the deadline.

My “Early” Prediction:
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (106-56)
2. Texas Rangers (100-62)
3. Oakland Athletics (75-87)
4. Seattle Mariners (67-95)

Reasoning:
The Mariners and Athletics are going to be fun to watch because of the young talent, but wins will not happen. The A’s are set up to get more wins this year than the Mariners because of the development that their staff is able to accomplish throughout the season. They have a couple pitchers like Dallas Braden, Brandon McCarthy, and Brett Anderson who can shine in a system like Bill Beane’s, but the fact of the matter is that the A’s and Mariners each play 36 games against the Angels and Rangers, with another handful of games against the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers and Rays. This will ultimately be death for them trying to win a division that has the best chance of two teams winning 100 games this year.
The Rangers and Angels will both win 100 games and both teams will get into the playoffs with or without a 5th team expansion. The dynamic is simple. The majority will tell you that they won’t because of the AL East, but the fact of the matter is that the bottom of this division is better than that of the AL East (which we will elaborate on in the AL East Preview Post in a couple weeks). The Rangers and Angels should each, realistically win 28 or more games of the 36 they play in the division not against each other. They will more than likely split, or at least be close to a split when they play each other. The AL Central is extremely down this year unless the Indians or White Sox surprise, so they should be able to win the majority of the games against those teams, as well as the AL East because they match up well with all the teams. Both of these teams have the ability to win every season series that they will play on their schedule.
The reason that I project the Angels to win the division is strictly because of the lack of questions. The Angels do not have any nagging areas that could potentially go wrong very quickly. The Ranger have Yu Darvish, who could not adapt to MLB right away, or adapt and then falter because of the longer season down the stretch. Many times with relievers converting to starters, as Neftali Feliz is doing, things can go wrong. With The names on the rotation do not particularly pop, and even though they play really well together, the Angels have a better team. Each of Anaheim’s top 4 pitchers has a chance to win 15 games, with an incredible ERA. Haren and Weaver could both be in the Cy Young race at seasons end because their winning percentage and totals will be up due to increased run support. The Angels will be the best team in this division in the regular season, but both will make the playoffs. Once October hits though, all bets are off and each of these teams can make a run.

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