Remember the Words: Crowned at Last

About this time last year I wrote this post with a surprised and heavy heart. Surprised, because I hadn't expected the Kansas City Royals to make it that far. Heavy, because they were so close to having the fairy-tale ending that they deserved. Instead, they lost to the San Francisco Giants with the tying run at third. It left a bitter taste in my mouth for the next couple weeks. So just imagine what those guys must have felt like until the next season began. It must have been a long off-season.

This year many MLB analysts had the Royals winning only 72 games.

That would've been a blow to any other team's dignity.

But the Royals did what the Royals do. And that was to take it and fuel the fire. Comeback KC was ready for another great year of baseball.

We had unfinished business to attend to.

When the regular season came to a close, we had secured homefield advantage throughout the entire playoffs. We had also secured the best record in the American League (95 wins, take that critics) and had won the American Central Division. Step one: Check.

One thing you must know about this team and organization is that they don't quit. They grind out victories. Through all nine innings. Even if you don't like baseball, you have to appreciate the team work and personalities of the Royals's players. That being said, don't count us out...like so many millions of people across the nation did. Even though we should have been the favorites, people still thought that the Astros of Houston would knock those Royals off their high horses. They thought the powerful bats of Toronto would put them in their place. And they thought that the powerful pitching staff of the New York Mets would overwhelm our team.

Woops.

My friends have probably gotten tired of how much I have talked about this squad. And hopefully, for their sake, some of this excitement and energy will spend itself on this post. It's not just the fact that we finally won this championship, but it's the fact that it brought this town together. If you attended the Royals parade, you would be 1 out of 800,000 who made it. I didn't even get to see much of the parade because of how far back from the street I was. But the fact that such a large percentage of the city turned out was enough for me.

The atmosphere was electric.

I know many of us Royals fans complain about not getting a lot of national attention. But I like it that way. I love watching the look of surprise and anxiety when they see the Royals mount yet another comeback. They were full of them this postseason.

Thank you, Royals. Thank you for rallying this town behind you.

Looking forward to next year.