Let's Go, Royals!

an ode to baseball from a previously reluctant fan

Our 2024 family trip to the K on July 3…these are the backs of my three children. Yes, the Royals won. Yes, there were fireworks. And drones. And Dippin’ Dots.

As we speak, I’m tuned in to 96.5 The Fan listening to the Kansas City Royals baseball team play its first game in the 2024 playoffs against the Baltimore Orioles. The Royals just scored the first run of the game in the sixth. I’m a little salty because we paid for a seasonal Bally Sports pass to watch the games…until postseason, naturally. Unfortunately, these particular wildcard games are being broadcast on ESPN 2 and ESPN...and we don’t get those. But that little salt aside, I’m so excited for my beloved Royals to play October ball again, especially after losing over 100 games only one season ago!

I spent a lot of time as a teenager watching high school baseball. It began as a girlfriend's duty, but it didn’t take long for me to enjoy my time spent at the diamond on summer nights. However, when the relationship ended, I stopped going. And then I continued avoiding baseball for years and years…not my thing, really don’t care, boring…perhaps I was avoiding my past, but who’s to say.

Sometime around 2013 or 2014, my husband Brad (no, not the high school guy, but they do share a name, so that’s…maybe a little weird, but what can you do?) anyway, Brad went to a Royals game with his dad and started loosely following the team. This was a good time to start getting into baseball, as the Royals went to the World Series in both 2014 and 2015, winning in that final appearance. But I continued operating out of indifference during 2014 and most of 2015. And then, during the 2015 playoffs, I started watching…but reluctantly. 

And then I realized something.

I liked watching baseball. I liked watching it…for me. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

I know, I was as surprised as you.

In 2015, Brad and I took our three young kids to Kauffman Stadium for the first time…and I hadn’t been there since I was a kid, so it was new to me, too. We sat so high that it took me a couple innings (at least) to acclimate and trust that I wasn’t going to tumble over an edge and take a kid or two with me. That game, the Royals lost (royally) but we had fun. So much fun, in fact, that we’ve made it a habit to travel as a family to the K at least once a season. We’ve frozen at a couple early season games, once to celebrate our oldest’s birthday, and once to watch Brad’s cousin sing “God Bless America” during a Sunday afternoon 7th inning. Brad and I have now celebrated two different anniversaries there as well — splurging both times to walk down the steps instead of up — and we regretted nothing, not even the nachos. (Although, once we sat directly in front of a couple Astros fans…they didn’t like their players getting boo-d after the World Series trash can incident…but I digress…)

The atmosphere. The fountains. The cheers. The excitement. The Dippin’ Dots. The crowd. The electricity. The Friday night summer fireworks. The game.

It doesn’t get much better than time at the K.

HEY HEY HEY HEY

LET’S GO, ROYALS!