8.20.2005

Royal flush

There's something about watching a team so bad -- make that so completely and utterly awful -- that it's like watching the aftermath of a horrific car wreck. You know you shouldn't rubberneck, but you just cannot help turning your head and taking in the spectacle.

Enter the Kansas City Royals.

Heading into Saturday's game at Oakland, the Royals have dropped 19 straight games -- baseball's longest losing streak since the '88 Orioles started the season 0-21.

I cannot help but think of the caption to a "Far Side" cartoon: Welcome to Hell ... Here's your accordion.

Manager Buddy Bell is only 53, but he looks like he has aged 20 years in a month. In fairness, not all of it has been baseball-related: his nephew was recently killed in Iraq.

"It's unexplainable, really,'' Bell said after Friday night's 4-0 loss in Oakland. "I don't think we're a playoff-contending team by any means, but I don't think we're this bad."

Oh, yes you are. Quick -- name four Royals. I know ... neither can I.

Let's try to put this in perspective:

--The Royals have not won a game since July 27 when they knocked off the first-place White Sox.
--They are 20 games behind fourth-place Detroit. Yes. 20. Yes. FOURTH-place.
--Here is the rest of the schedule for August: two more against Oakland, and three-game series against Boston, New York and Minnesota.

0-for-August anyone?

Anyway, what do you think? I'd like to know.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha! That is funny, but not right on soooo many levels.

But now... are you really being fair? Kicking a poor team while they are down. It's not like we have the market capital that a metropolitan area would have. Say like, New York? ;)

Sadly enough, you speak the truth. Poor Buddy Bell. Next thing you know, he'll agree to take a shower fully clothed, or sit on a dunktank to help boost team morale.

Unknown said...

Right ... and normally that would be a good argument, but it's not the market size or how much cash you spend that makes a team what it is.

Remember, chairman David Glass is hooked up with Wal-Mart, so he's got some deep pockets.

I like them, but this is a team that has never developed talent well or gone out and spent money on free agents.

Sad too -- nice city, great BBQ, good fans. They deserve better.

Nice to see your Jeep adventure wasn't completely horriffic. :)

Anonymous said...

The Jeep is probably just a delayed rape. The battery cable assembly has to be ordered. Supposedly with "labor" and all, it will run $300.00. Ouch!

Anonymous said...

THEY FINALLY WON!

No 0 for August. hahahaha!

Anonymous said...

The Chiefs' shameless display of embarrassing ineptitude doesn't even encourage you? I'm disappointed. :P