Kansas City ready to shine outside Kauffman Stadium, too
New Yorkers are infamous for not thinking much about what happens elsewhere in the country, much less in Kansas City. In a city of 8.5 million people, the huge worlds of commerce, art and food attract plenty of deserved attention.
But here’s another fact: Many Kansas Citians don’t think much about New York City either.
These residents embrace their comfortable Midwestern lifestyles. They love the charm of a metropolitan area large enough to offer first-class amenities yet small enough to get around quickly. And — sorry New York City — some Kansas Citians wouldn’t ever want the hassles or costs of living there.
Now along comes the 2015 World Series, and these disparate worlds will collide.
The Kansas City Royals, for the second straight pulsating year, have put this region back on the largest stage in Major League Baseball.
Starting Tuesday night, the Royals will host the New York Mets at Kauffman Stadium in the first game of a best-of-seven series. It could conclude as early as the weekend — or not be decided until the last inning of the final game, as happened in the 2014 World Series against the San Francisco Giants.
This season, the ever-growing legion of Royals fans wearing blue caps, scarves and jerseys will be cheering for and, dare we say, confidently expecting a more uplifting final outcome.
Who could blame them, especially after the 8th inning, magical game four comeback victory over the Houston Astros? And Friday night’s I-don’t-believe-what-I-just-saw heroics from Lorenzo Cain on the basepaths and Wade Davis on the pitching mound to eliminate the Toronto Blue Jays.
During the World Series, Kansas City will get a chance to show off its charms outside of Kauffman Stadium, too. These stories will be told through the eyes of media from around the country, most notably by TV, radio and newspaper reporters from New York City.
That is, frankly, one of the benefits of this KC-NYC World Series: The national attention will be intense. Get ready for tons of words — mostly complimentary, we expect — about barbecue, the Country Club Plaza, downtown’s revival and the Kauffman Performing Arts Center.
Yes, we’ll probably see a few stereotypes, too. The cows, the farms, the Wizard of Oz references. Helpful hint: That story was set in Kansas; the Royals play in Missouri.
The Royals vs. the Mets promises to be an exciting World Series that matches extremely talented young teams. Fans of both clubs have good reasons to pack Kauffman Stadium and Citi Field, as they have this entire season.
Indeed, the Royals had the largest increase in attendance in all of Major League Baseball in 2015, attracting 750,000 more fans than last year to set an all-time record of 2.71 million. The Mets had the second largest increase, 420,000 fans, to reach a total attendance of 2.57 million.
That’s right: Kansas City’s size didn’t matter when it came to outpacing a baseball team that calls New York City home.
Sometimes, remember, bigger isn’t always better.
This story was originally published October 25, 2015 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Kansas City ready to shine outside Kauffman Stadium, too."