Draft time....

Why is it that I love the NFL draft so much? I mean, the Royals have the first overall pick and I don't really care what college pitcher they take. The Chiefs have been really crappy at drafting for a while, yet I still read all the scouting reports and dream about the different players we could take and hopefully improve.

I've most commonly seen us associated with defensive backs Tye Hill, Joseph, and Cromartie. I'm not extremely sold on any. That sentiment falls in line with the general consensus that there are only 18-21 players worthy of first round pick. Somewhere I found a list of players by round ratings, not where they would go. There were 45ish players with 2nd round ratings. We are at the 20 spot and have clear needs, so the likelihood of a reach is quite high. Peterson has done it before, and well it could happen again.

It was interesting to see however that Pat Kirwan on nfl.com has us taking Tamba Hali. This seems to coincide with Edwards faith that he can find CB talent outside of the first round. Also of note is that Ty Law is still out there. Granted, he supposedly got beat like a drum last year while collecting his interceptions. JD - our Jet's correspondent, what say you?

I'm sure every team is trying, but I'd love to see us trade down and add some picks if a top CB isn't there. I've given up on believing Carl can draft defensive linemen. Looking at the Patriots, I am jealous at how they always seem to have lots of picks.

Royal improvements....

So, our winning streak was broken and Hernandez came back 17lbs lighter after 7 weeks and pitched a good game against the Twins. Granted his performance was against the Twins, but we are the Royals. Beggars can't be choosers.

Actually though, the pitching hasn't been the problem. The offense has been quite bad. Sweeney is a dog and our Canadian stars Stairs and Guiel haven't had many opportunities. I'm sad that the losing streak has ended because Baird being fired would actually give me long-term hope. At least Butler and Gordon are playing well. I'm hopeful about Bautista too.

Anyway, for a laugh, here is a link to the article about Kerry Robinson's (omaha) injury due to laughing.

How far have the Royals fallen?

Just read this in the KC Star...

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The battle is on between the Royals and the Brigade [the KC Arena Football team] in terms of attendance.

Did you happen to notice who outdrew whom on Sunday?

The 1-9 Brigade was playing Los Angeles, while the Royals were playing the World Series champion Chicago White Sox.

But the Brigade drew 15,173 fans to the Royals’ 15,094.

Go figure.

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Regarding this year's Royals, I generally agree with you Matt, but no way do I think we move Gordon. If he can handle it defensively, his offensive potential makes him a superstar. I say don't move him unless we have to. We have too few stars and need to fully develop the ones we do have.

Does that mean we may have to admit the Beltran trade was a bust or trade Teahan for whatever we can get. Yes, perhaps so.

Heh. I'm thinking we'd stick Billy Butler at 1B. That way we can keep the ageless and brittle Sweeney at DH.

Royals vs. the Yankees...

so, we are about to begin a series against the mighty yankees.
in the spirit of sean's comment, i will channel the glory days of last year.

2005 Royals Sweep of Yankees
May 31 Kansas City 5, N.Y. Yankees 3
June 1 Kansas City 3, N.Y. Yankees 1
June 2 Kansas City 5, N.Y. Yankees 2

What are the odds we do it again?

Why Royals pitchers don't develop ... bad defense behind them.

Yup. Leading the league in errors, worst defensive efficency rating, and fielding percentage.

Would you believe Oakland led the league in DER? Yup. Billy Beane has found his arbitrage opportunity in defense.

Team LEAGUE G INN TC PO A E DP PB SB CS DER FPCT

1. Kansas City Royals
AL 162 1413.1 6011 4240 1646 125 163 5 70 44 .6831 .979

2. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
AL 162 1421.2 5835 4265 1446 124 139 13 68 45 .6984 .979

3. Milwaukee Brewers
NL 162 1438.0 5915 4314 1482 119 139 8 86 34 .7147 .980

4. Colorado Rockies
NL 162 1418.2 6080 4256 1706 118 158 14 102 37 .6862 .981

5. Pittsburgh Pirates
NL 162 1436.0 6228 4308 1803 117 193 16 64 36 .7103 .981

6. Detroit Tigers
AL 162 1435.2 6208 4307 1791 110 171 4 60 49 .7104 .982

7. Boston Red Sox
AL 162 1429.0 6019 4287 1623 109 135 13 87 29 .6970 .982

8. San Diego Padres
NL 162 1455.1 6004 4366 1529 109 136 12 94 25 .7049 .982

9. Texas Rangers
AL 162 1440.0 6106 4320 1678 108 149 11 69 26 .6956 .982

10. Baltimore Orioles
AL 162 1427.2 6069 4283 1679 107 154 13 115 34 .7081 .982

11. Cleveland Indians
AL 162 1452.2 6110 4358 1646 106 156 6 103 33 .7251 .983

12. Los Angeles Dodgers
NL 162 1427.1 6115 4282 1727 106 141 9 130 34 .7149 .983

13. New York Mets
NL 162 1435.2 6070 4307 1657 106 146 5 107 25 .7165 .983

14. Cincinnati Reds
NL 163 1433.0 5990 4299 1587 104 133 9 76 35 .6908 .983

15. Florida Marlins
NL 162 1442.1 6089 4327 1659 103 177 9 118 38 .6925 .983

16. Minnesota Twins
AL 162 1464.1 6259 4393 1764 102 171 9 44 36 .7165 .984

17. Chicago Cubs
NL 162 1440.0 6079 4320 1658 101 136 6 90 40 .7156 .983

18. St. Louis Cardinals
NL 162 1445.2 6388 4337 1951 100 196 12 32 33 .7179 .984

19. New York Yankees
AL 162 1430.2 6075 4292 1688 95 151 11 125 50 .7033 .984

20. Toronto Blue Jays
AL 162 1447.0 6193 4341 1757 95 154 6 100 35 .7140 .985

21. Arizona Diamondbacks
NL 162 1456.1 6257 4369 1794 94 159 11 78 28 .6966 .985

22. Chicago White Sox
AL 162 1475.2 6191 4427 1670 94 166 9 103 25 .7252 .985

23. Washington Nationals
NL 162 1458.0 6014 4374 1548 92 156 7 76 41 .7100 .985

24. Philadelphia Phillies
NL 162 1435.0 6003 4305 1608 90 132 12 82 26 .7175 .985

25. San Francisco Giants
NL 162 1444.1 6053 4333 1630 90 146 5 78 54 .7115 .985

26. Houston Astros
NL 163 1443.0 6118 4329 1700 89 146 6 53 31 .7191 .985

27. Oakland Athletics
AL 162 1450.1 6088 4351 1649 88 166 5 109 25 .7292 .986

28. Los Angeles Angels
AL 162 1464.1 6001 4393 1521 87 139 13 68 42 .7123 .986

29. Atlanta Braves
NL 162 1443.2 6219 4331 1802 86 170 8 89 36 .7057 .986

30. Seattle Mariners
AL 162 1427.2 5944 4283 1575 86 144 14 89 43 .7133 .986

Emil Brown ... butcher in the outfield....

Heh. Here are fielding stats for Outfielders in 2005.

Yup, we had the leagues most error-prone outfielder too.

Player TEAM POS G GS INN TC PO A E DP PB SB CS RF FPCT

1. E Brown*
KC OF 139 135 1179.2 285 264 9 12 0 --- --- --- 2.08 .958

2. M Alou*
SF OF 117 117 988.2 235 222 5 8 3 --- --- --- 2.07 .966

3. C Blake*
CLE OF 138 133 1188.2 298 287 3 8 0 --- --- --- 2.20 .973

4. J Dye*
CWS OF 140 137 1235.1 276 259 9 8 2 --- --- --- 1.95 .971

5. J Ellison*
SF OF 122 82 781.1 248 235 5 8 1 --- --- --- 2.76 .968

6. P Burrell*
PHI OF 153 153 1296.2 253 236 10 7 2 --- --- --- 1.71 .972

7. J Cruz*
LAD OF 103 99 835.2 210 198 5 7 0 --- --- --- 2.19 .967

8. J Guillen*
WSH OF 142 137 1206.2 318 301 10 7 5 --- --- --- 2.32 .978

9. M Holliday*
COL OF 123 121 1049.2 248 236 5 7 2 --- --- --- 2.07 .972

10. M Ramirez*
BOS OF 149 147 1225.0 267 243 17 7 0 --- --- --- 1.91 .974

11. T Redman*
PIT OF 85 59 569.2 182 170 5 7 0 --- --- --- 2.76 .962

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stats/historical/player_stats.jsp?statType=3&teamPosCode=O&timeFrame=1&c_id=mlb&sitSplit=&venueID=&Submit=Submit&subScope=pos&timeSubFrame2=1&baseballScope=mlb&timeSubFrame=2005&&sortByStat=E

Angel Berroa ... One of the reasons we suck

Yeah, we guessed wrong on his development. Yes, he thinks he is a power hitter at times. Yes, he is paid too much.

What's worse, he is lousy in the field too. In the past 2 seasons, Mr. Berroa has committed more errors than any other shortstop. Pretty impressive huh.

Player TEAM POS G GS INN TC PO A E DP PB SB CS RF FPCT

1. A Berroa*
KC SS 292 291 2503.1 1344 461 830 53 202 --- --- --- 4.64 .961

2. J Lugo*
TB SS 299 297 2576.2 1441 546 846 49 185 --- --- --- 4.86 .966

3. M Tejada*
BAL SS 322 322 2816.1 1566 515 1005 46 223 --- --- --- 4.86 .971

4. R Furcal*
ATL SS 283 282 2440.1 1399 445 915 39 220 --- --- --- 5.02 .972

5. M Young*
TEX SS 313 313 2742.2 1350 463 850 37 193 --- --- --- 4.31 .973

6. K Greene*
SD SS 257 254 2218.1 1065 338 693 34 145 --- --- --- 4.18 .968

7. A Gonzalez*
FLA SS 282 279 2439.0 1270 446 792 32 201 --- --- --- 4.57 .975

8. R Adams*
TOR SS 153 140 1259.1 624 220 373 31 77 --- --- --- 4.24 .950

9. J Wilson*
PIT SS 313 310 2715.2 1526 480 1015 31 255 --- --- --- 4.95 .980

10. E Renteria*
BOS SS 153 150 1293.0 655 227 398 30 90 --- --- --- 4.35 .954

11. D Jeter*
NYY SS 311 311 2694.1 1409 535 846 28 192 --- --- --- 4.61 .980

12. B Crosby*
OAK SS 235 235 2099.1 1140 358 756 26 167 --- --- --- 4.78 .977

13. F Lopez*
CIN SS 191 174 1566.1 772 251 495 26 96 --- --- --- 4.29 .966

14. A Everett*
HOU SS 249 244 2133.2 1070 346 700 24 152 --- --- --- 4.41 .978

15. C Guillen*
DET SS 210 207 1776.0 974 304 646 24 134 --- --- --- 4.81 .975

16. K Matsui*
NYM SS 110 108 941.2 520 174 323 23 65 --- --- --- 4.75 .956

17. J Peralta*
CLE SS 148 144 1287.1 666 214 430 22 106 --- --- --- 4.50 .967

18. J Rollins*
PHI SS 311 309 2732.2 1252 421 810 21 168 --- --- --- 4.05 .983

19. A Cintron*
ARI SS 172 156 1370.0 685 184 481 20 80 --- --- --- 4.37 .971

20. J Reyes*
NYM SS 171 166 1471.0 728 254 454 20 110 --- --- --- 4.33 .97

Sad because we all know his hitting isn't making up for it.

Chiefs Schedule

The schedule was just released and it looks OK. There is definitely a tough stretch in the middle, and having our bye so early doesn't help, but overall it's not bad.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
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SEP. 10 CINCINNATI 1:00
Home opener vs. Cinci. Hopefully, Palmer isn't ready and we get a win.
SEP. 17 at Denver 4:15
We always lose in Denver. 1-1
SEP. 24 Bye
Too early, and we don't need it to prep for SF, but sure.
OCT. 1 SAN FRANCISCO 1:00
We should win to put our record at 2-1.
OCT. 8 at Arizona 4:05
We need to win this one vs. an up and coming AZ team. 3-1
OCT. 15 at Pittsburgh 4:15
We lose on the road vs. the reigning champs. We have a shot, but let's assume. 3-2
OCT. 22 SAN DIEGO 1:00
We throw everything at LT2 and pray Rivers still isn't ready yet. 4-2
OCT. 29 SEATTLE 1:00
At home vs. the Seachickens. It says here we lose. 4-3
NOV. 5 at St Louis 1:00
Rams run w/ SJ and throw it all over the house. 4-4
NOV. 12 at Miami 1:00
vs. Culpepper... we win a close one. 5-4
NOV. 19 OAKLAND 1:00
Aaron Brooks? We win. 6-4
NOV. 23 DENVER 8:00 (Thu.)
Short-week at home vs. Den. Close one, but give it to us. 7-4
DEC. 3 at Cleveland 1:00
Extra prep vs. CLE. We win. 8-4
DEC. 10 BALTIMORE 1:00
Win. Lack of a QB is still killing the Ravens. 9-4
DEC. 17 at San Diego 4:05
Loss. Rivers is ready now. 9-5
DEC. 23 at Oakland 8:00 (Sat.)
Win 10-5
DEC. 31 JACKSONVILLE 1:00
Win 11-5 for a wild card spot.

The 2 must-win games for us:
at AZ
at MIA

Yet more evidence Bell isn't watching...

Asked about yesterday's whipping, Buddy Bell had this to offer:

“It was just one of those games where we didn’t do anything right,” Royals manager Buddy Bell said. “We can’t play like that again and it would be almost impossible to play like that again.”

Did he watch last year?

All i got for Xmas was this lousy Walls....

Reinforcing that Carl Peterson only does talent evaluation from his luxury box and only watches the Chiefs-Broncos games, we just signed another Denver castoff. Sigh. Great, Lenny Walls is 6'4".

Dammit. If we were willing to spend any money at all, we should have gotten Rocky Bernard. At least he would outperform Peterson's last few high picks.

Sigh, all this joy, and the voters still decided to renovate the stadiums.

I guess we all are truly gluttons for punishment.

The end has begun....

Well, we were just obliterated by the team roundly predicted to finish .500 and 4th in our division. I don't really have much to say, except that Joe Mays did his best to make us wish for Jose Lima.

The Tigers must love playing us. If they played us every game, they would easily hit 500 home runs this year.

Well, the only hope for this long year is that the team sucks so badly, no one attends or watches games and Baird et al get fired. Here's hoping for the Apocolypse of the Baird Royals.