I grew up in Kansas City, among other places, but KC was where I went to grade school. The A’s were my team, and I’ve never been able to forgive them for moving to Oakland. The Chiefs are still my team.
Now I’ve been in SoCal for over four decades and the Angels are now my baseball team. But I can relate to the baseball fans of KC, passionate about their “new” team (the Royals started playing in 1969) and suffering through decades of mediocrity. The Royals won the World Series in 1985 after being perennial contenders for several years; since they, they’ve been lousy.
Yesterday my beloved Chiefs were on Monday Night Football and CRUSHED the New England Patriots, who were heavy favorites. Tonight the Royals beat the A’s in a one-game wildcard play-in game. It was an epic game, extra innings, blown leads, heart-stopping comebacks, a walk-off victory.
Next the Royals play my beloved Angels and they’ve got a lot of momentum coming in, obviously. It’s going to be be a great series, and I will feel bad when the Royals lose and the Angels go on to win the World Series. (Against the Washington Nationals, in six games…) But at least their fans can take joy in getting this far, the next step for their franchise on their way to their eventual second World Series championship.
It’s been a fantastic forty-eight hours for sports fans in Kansas City. For my brothers and sisters in spirit, here are some fireworks to celebrate!
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 