Well, it's been awhile. About 18 months, to be exact. And, frankly, a lot of shit's gone down in those 18 months. Personally, I've moved from Chicago to Salt Lake City. Big move, big life change, things are different but somehow the same. Now instead of dodging the homeless and sprinting for that last seat on the 'L', I get to do things like drive a car buy skis. Different, to be sure.
But the biggest difference, the thing I cannot wrap my head around, has been what's happened with my beloved Royals. Around the time of my last post, the Royals were gearing up for a big year. Arguably the most hype a Royals team has garnered in my lifetime (I was born in '86, about 11 months after the Royals' last World Championship, and, prior to 2014, playoff appearance). They were young, hungry, and in the second and final year of James Shields' rental agreement. An exciting time to be a Royals fan, for sure. And that's something I honestly never thought would happen.
They didn't stop there, as we all know. They went on to become the darlings of baseball, winning thriller after thriller, coming back like no other, growing into their own under the bright lights of October baseball. Hosmer, Cain, Moose, Sal, the bullpen, Yost, Moore- all the shit I've been hearing in press conferences late in 100-loss seasons- was unfolding before my non-believing eyes. It was an incredible run that came up 90 feet short. As a sports fan, this was the sad pinnacle for me. A World Series loss ended the most fun season as a fan of any sport I've ever enjoyed. Kind of depressing.
Quick aside - I've kept this blog mostly non-personal, mostly because I'm the only one reading and can't imagine anyone outside my apartment caring about my day-to-day. But, here's a good time to highlight where I come from as a Royals, and sports, fan. I grew up in Nebraska in the '90s. A time when the Cornhuskers were arguably the most dominant dynasty college football has ever seen. From '94-'97, NU went something like 45-2. Insane. But, I was 10-13 during these years. I had been indoctrinated into a culture of winning. It was old hat. The way of the world. Routine. Thursday followed Wednesday and Nebraska killed a team by 50. As much a guarantee as the sun rising the next day. All told, I could not fully appreciate what was taking place. 3 national titles in 4 years? NBD.
Fast forward to my freshman year at NU, which was also Bill Callahan's first as the Huskers' head coach. I was now 18, and my true fandom was forming along with my drinking buddies at the top of the student section. I didn't miss one home game during my 5 football seasons at Nebraska. I witnessed first hand what a crumbling foundation looks like. Imagine a timelapse on Athens or the Coliseum. Wind, rain and neglect have reduced once-great marvels to dust and rubble. Basically the exact same thing Solich, Callahan and Pelini did to Tom Osborne's Huskers of my childhood. It sucked. It still sucks. It's shocking. Hard to believe, harder to watch. Huskers have 5 losses this year. FML.
So, it really should be no surprise that a franchise as laughable as the Royals have been since '85 can change course in such relative short order. If Nebraska's football dynasty can be reduced to rubble in 20 years, why can't a great civilization rise from its ashes a couple hundred miles south? And that's exactly what's happened. Mostly to my disbelief. Because as inconceivable as it once was for Nebraska to miss a bowl game, it was more so to imagine the Royals winning a pennant.
Well, today, in 2015, not only have they won a pennant, they've won back-to-back pennants. I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M TYPING THESE WORDS! It's been an unbelievable run. And I have no shame in saying this is the most fun team I've ever rooted for. I've never rooted harder for a team. I've never been so constantly surprised by what this team is doing. By what they've already done. It all seems like a fever dream. The Kansas City Royals have won back-to-back pennants. What planet am I on?!
Over the past two baseball seasons, my life as I previously knew it flipped upside down. New city, new job, new friends, new everything. But never in a million years would I have guessed that the biggest difference I'd have to get used to is the fact that I am now a fan of a baseball powerhouse. I no longer go months at a time without seeing a Royals hat outside of my own closet. I now have to be skeptical of bandwagon Royals fans (another term I never thought would come out of my mouth). I have to defend my position as a lifelong Royals fan. It's beyond bizarre.
But, as I sit here and count down the minutes to Game 2 of the World Series, nursing a hangover following last night's 14-inning marathon of emotions, I've never been happier as a sports fan. This is what I've been missing my whole life. I've followed championships, but never as an adult. Never as an invested fan. And never in baseball.
To live and die with a team so long thought to be dead already. To see them grow, to see LIFE, to see fight like no other, to see a family in Royal Blue. And now to see them at the top. This team, as Rany Jazayerli likes to say, has taught me the meaning of sports and fandom. The lowly Kansas City Royals. THIS TEAM!
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