Today&#8217;s game may have been the most fan-friendly of the year at Kauffman.</p><p>The weather was finally warm, the Royals got out to a six-run lead in the fourth inning and the Tigers never got very close, making for a relaxing time. In the upper deck, thousands of school kids were in attendance as you could tell by the high pitch of their cheers.</p><p>Poor Detroit. Even with the Royals resting regulars Alex Gordon, Mark Grudzielanek and David DeJesus the Tigers couldn&#8217;t avoid their sixth straight loss to Kansas City. The Tigers looked listless. Their vaunted lineup is not producing and their pitching is awful.</p><p>The Royals won&#8217;t be back in town until May 27, when they begin a three-game series with Minnesota. This is going to be a fun year if the A.L. Central stays as close as it is now.</p><p>&#8226; &#8226; &#8226;</p><p>Ever wonder if players pay much attention to heckling fans? I saw a case today when one did.</p><p>Tony Pe&#241;a Jr. was on third base and taking a lot of heat from a fan in the fifth row about his batting average, which has been hovering around .170. &#8220;Get to .250,&#8221; the fan shouted, standing up. Better yet, &#8220;you have to be .275 to get a Golden Glove,&#8221; he implored.</p><p>Pe&#241;a finally looked over and made a hand gesture to his ear and nodded, indicating he got the message. The fan then shut up &#8211; at least until the next Royal got within hearing range.</p><p>&#8226; &#8226; &#8226;</p><p>The Royals must be getting serious about ticket scalping outside the park. I overheard two police officers warning a ticket-seller today that the Royals will press trespassing charges against people who peddle tickets. At previous games, I saw tickets being sold openly without police doing much to stop it. Missouri law now allows scalping tickets, but the Royals don&#8217;t want that, even if sold at face value.</p><p>I like the system in Baltimore, where I used to go to a lot of games. They have a designated area next to the park where anyone can sell tickets for face value or less. An attendant watches over the transactions. It&#8217;s a good way to help out fans with extra tickets who are not out to make money on them. It&#8217;s also a service to fans who don&#8217;t feel comfortable buying from scalpers. It&#8217;s especially helpful at games that are nearly sold out and have long walk-up ticket lines. I doubt the Royals would go to that, but they should.</p><p>.