Royals All Stars

It’s tough being a Royals fan. It has been for years. The team’s struggles are well documented, of course.

But the agony of being a fan becomes apparent every year around this time. I’m sure Rockies fans, Devil Rays fans, and Diamondback fans know this feeling as well. You know the feeling. You’re watching the All Star game, hoping to see your one player on the screen at some time.

Every time there’s a shot of the dugout, you’re looking past all the Yankees and Red Sox jerseys trying to find your guy. I got really excited last night when I saw a blue helmet with the “KC” logo on a shelf behind AL manager Terry Francona.

But then I blinked. I had to step away for a bit, and when I returned to watching the game, I had already missed Sweeney’s one at bat. I checked the box score and saw that he struck out. Figures.

2003 was one of the best All Star games for Royals fans. They Royals actually had two – that’s right, two! – players in the All Star game. My memory was fuzzy, but after checking the box score, I see that Sweeney never got an at bat and Mike MacDougal never pitched. Like I said, it’s tough to be a fan of the Royals.

I’m trying to determine why fans in Kansas City or Tampa might watch the All Star game. The obvious reason to watch is to see your players, of course, but that doesn’t really work when your team gets only one player in and he’s a late inning substitution. Maybe it’s to see the National League players go against the American League players. No, Bud Selig took away the allure of that when he forced interleague play down our throats. Or, maybe we watch to see the stars of all the other teams play. But then, we only need to watch Sportscenter or Baseball Tonight for that.

So, I guess we Royals fans watch on the edge of our seats to see if the Yankees (or Red Sox) will have home field advantage in the World Series. “I live for this.”