Kansas City Star: Royals

Royals notebook: Callaspo honored for special achievement

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

Royals second baseman Alberto Callaspo, the subject of offseason trade rumors, was honored Friday afternoon as this year’s winner of the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award. The Burke Award is named in honor of the club’s former general manager and president. It dates to 1971 and has evolved in recent years to a way of recognizing a player who is not selected as the club’s player or pitcher of the year. It is not dispensed every year.

Zack Greinke's 2009, game by game

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:44 CST

Mark Teahen as a Royal

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:26 CST

Zack Greinke, age 2 until now

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:25 CDT

Royals notebook | Callaspo wins special achievement award

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:55 CST

Royals second baseman Alberto Callaspo, the subject of offseason trade rumors, was honored Friday afternoon as this year's winner of the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award.

Royals notebook: Club confirms Betemit signing; DiNardo chooses free-agency

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

Veteran utility infielder Wilson Betemit is the latest former Atlanta player to find refuge with the Royals after reaching agreement on a minor-league contract. Betemit, 28, spent 9½ seasons in the Braves’ organization before a July 2006 trade sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Subsequent trades sent him to the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox.

Royals notebook | Club confirms Betemit signing; DiNardo chooses free agency

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:53 CST

Veteran utility infielder Wilson Betemit is the latest ex-Atlanta player to find refuge with the Royals after reaching agreement on a minor-league contract.

Royals prepare to reshape their roster for 2010

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

The switch by Royals general manager Dayton Moore from active free-agent shopper to swap-meet enthusiast suggests a major shift in the organization’s philosophical approach this winter.

Royals' Callaspo fails to qualify for arbitration

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

Royals second baseman Alberto Callaspo fell five days short of qualifying for arbitration under the labor agreement’s super-2 provision. That figures to cost him several hundred thousands of dollars. Third baseman Alex Gordon, as expected, was one of 10 players who qualified for arbitration under the provision. The list was announced Wednesday.

Royals notebook | Team reportedly close to minor-league deal with utility player Wilson Betemit

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:02 CST

The Royals are closing in on a minor-league contract with veteran utilityman Wilson Betemit, according to FoxSports.com. Club officials did not respond immediately to attempts to confirm the report.

Kauffman again under consideration for induction into Hall of Fame

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

Former Royals owner Ewing Kauffman is again just one step away from a posthumous induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Kauffman was one of 10 executives selected Tuesday for consideration by a 12-member Veterans Committee that again includes current Royals owner David Glass.

Royals notebook: DiNardo and Yabuta sent to Omaha on outright assignments

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

The Royals continued to tweak their 40-man roster Tuesday by sending pitchers Lenny DiNardo and Yasuhiko Yabuta to Class AAA Omaha on outright assignments after they cleared waivers. Each player has the option of refusing the assignment and becoming a free agent. The moves came one day after the Royals sent pitcher John Bannister to Omaha on an outright assignment before signing him to a minor-league contract.

Kauffman again under consideration for induction into baseball Hall of Fame

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:34 CST

Former Royals owner Ewing Kauffman is again just one step away from a posthumous induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Royals notebook | DiNardo, Yabuta sent to Omaha on outright assignments

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:25 CST

The Royals continued to tweak their 40-man roster Tuesday by sending pitchers Lenny DiNardo and Yasuhiko Yabuta to Class AAA Omaha on outright assignments after they cleared waivers.

New York celebrates, then gets hungry, makes sandwich

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:18 CST

The $200 million Yankees screamed and hugged and waved championship flags on the field of the $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium, the celebration spilling out to the streets, and this is going to sound weird, but it's the absolute truth: The whole thing was a little unimpressive. I don't mean the Yankees, who made their case as one of the very best teams in a generation, or the new stadium, which is amazing, but the celebration, which was, eh. read more

NY vs Philly and wow

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:12 CDT

So, close readers of this blog may remember my occasional point about Kansas City having a bit of an inferiority complex in relation to St. Louis and, well, lots of other stuff. It bugs me at times. Kansas City is a terrific place, for a lot of reasons, and sometimes I wish we as a whole were just a little more secure about that. But I do have to point out that I hope we never swing the other way, and develop a jaw-dropping superiority complex. read more

This is gonna hurt, but the Royals should at least look at trading Joakim Soria

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:51 CDT

Aside from a barstool, there may be no more emotional position in baseball than closer. This is certainly true for Jonathan Papelbon and K-Rod, but more, it's true for the people watching. So long as it doesn't get watered down from blowouts, the best moment at Kauffman Stadium is when the video boards set fire and Slash starts playing "Welcome to the Jungle" and Joakim Soria comes out from the bullpen to throw fastballs at the knees and 67-mph curveballs through bats. read more

Smoke, fire, trade rumors and the Royals

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:34 CDT

Maybe you heard about the unfortunate post on the usually unreliable Bleacher Report website over the weekend. The writer had a "rumor" that had the Brewers considering sending J.J. Hardy, Manny Parra and two prospects to the Royals for -- wait for it -- Zack Greinke. If this is the first you heard of it, I'll wait while you cycle through the normal emotions. "WHAT?!?" (shakes head in disgust) read more

Meteorologist Joe Girardi and Kansas City

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:21 CDT

Joe Girardi is the manager of a team that won 103 games, so that's what matters, and who is this little blog to challenge that? Except that Girardi is apparently set to go with a three-man rotation in the ALCS, despite evidence that suggests modern big league pitchers just aren't effective on three days rest. We should pause for a quick moment here and point out that Girardi knows his team, um, better than some idiot newspaper guy wearing sweats at his kitchen table. The Yankees are paying CC Sabathia $160 million, so, you know, get your money's worth. read more

Hawks dismantle the Pride

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:11 CST

OvermatchedI assume everyone who reads my posts also watched the game. Because of that, I see no reason to replay it in English. However, if the word “Impressive” is in the dictionary, then that should cover the game analysis well enough. The 101-65 victory was KU’s 37th straight home opener win and their 42nd straight home victory – which leads the nation. There are a lot of good things to talk about, so let’s get going.read more

Kansas loses big fish

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:57 CST

Self comes up emptyHighly recruited Harrison Barnes (#2 by Rivals and #1 by ESPN) decided to become a Tar Heel this afternoon. Friday the 13th didn’t turn out too good for KU fans. Barnes is considered a freak athlete in that he has a wingspan of a 7 footer and plays like a guard. He’s 6-8”. Being from Iowa, he will join the likes of Hinrich, Collison and LaFrentz who left the state to play for Roy Williams.read more

Jayhawks vs Cornhuskers

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:00 CST

Kansas FootballMangino: “We’re not going to get down from losing games. We’re going to find a way to get better, that’s the way we do it here. We keep looking for solutions. Nobody is feeling bad for themselves, there is nobody pouting. If you go down the hallway to the coaches’ suites, people are working. Players are coming in and asking questions and getting DVDs to watch and things like that. It’s business as usual. We’ve had some kids on occasion or two who don’t handle diversity well. But you prepare them for both - talk about the highs of winning and the lows of losing and the pitfalls that come with losing and all the new things that come with winning.”read more

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:44 CST

State Theater - My first date.Mitch Webster was appointed Midwest Regional Scouting Supervisor for the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. I have to be honest. I have no idea what that job entails other than what each of the four words mean. But, neither do I care. This isn’t about that. Mitch Webster is from Larned, Kansas (pop. 4,200), but he’s not the only sports star from Larned – my old stomping grounds.read more

Wildcats vs Tigers

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:42 CST

East vs WestSnyder: “They (Missouri) are a dynamic team, especially in the first half. If you look at the tape, regardless of which half it is, you can tell that they are a pretty good team. They do some awfully good things on defense. Even when Blaine Gabbert was injured and couldn't move, their offense still put up pretty good numbers.” Pinkel: “I’m a big Coach (Bill) Snyder fan. I always have been and I have great respect for him. They are playing good football right now. They are running the football well, and they are playing good defense. They are No. 1 in the Big 12 in turnover margin, and I think that has a lot to do with the success that they’re having.”read more