http://www.sportsnipe.com Kansas City Royals, Team News, Updates, and Stats from all sports sources, updated continually. http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048995/royals-set-winter-40man-roster.html The Royals finalized their winter 40-man roster on Friday, adding infielder Jeff Bianchi, outfielders Jarrod Dyson and Jordan Parraz, catcher Manuel Pina and pitcher Blake Wood. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1048024/denny-matthews-at-plaza-library.html Last night at the Plaza branch of the Kansas City Public Library, Denny Matthews and his ghost writer Matt Fulks had a promo event for Denny’s new book that included an audience Q and A at the end.  While most of what Denny had to say dealt with reminiscences of old time good ol’ ballplayers, there were some interesting tidbits to take away:   The reason he became a broadcaster is because he didn’t have a job after college and didn’t have anything better to do. We should all be so unlucky…   He has had multiple opportunities to jump ship and broadcoast for another team, including one time after three years on the job.  He could have left the expansion Royals for the big market of Chicago.  He stayed because he liked Mr. Kauffman and wanted to stay loyal to him.    He shared a bottle of water on stage at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony with Tony Gwynn because Gwynn didn’t grab his bottle.  Let’s hope Tony didn’t have cooties!   He doesn’t like the DH rule.  Pitchers enjoy hitting.  Mentions Greinke as one of the better hitting pitchers the Royals have had.   Denny’s “not sold” on pitch counts.  He mentions this after recounting how Steve Busby had absolutely electric stuff, was a terrific pitcher, and his career ended prematurely due to injury because he threw a lot of pitches.  Seems a self-contradictory juxtaposition, but I digress.   In response to the question of essentially, why don’t we have any good players, Denny says scouting is an “inexact science.”  We’ve had lots of high draft choices that other scouts agree on.  Players might have physical ability but not be smart enough, can’t handle the pressure, etc.  He says intelligence is more important than ability.  Smart players will “figure out a way to win.”  No mention is made of players that have been acquired at the MLB level.  Maybe scouting them is an inexact science too.  In fairness to Denny, as an employee of the team, there is certainly a limit on how publicly critical he can be of the team, so this may have been a sidestep from that aspect of the question.  He seemed to pause to carefully consider his words a few times, so maybe he thinks Dayton's an idiot, just can't say so at a book promo.   At this point he made fun of the annoying fan in the audience that kept yelling stuff, but in a way that made the idiot in the audience not realize he was being made fun of.  I have a hearty appreciation of this subtle art.   Fan asks him what Dayton’s best and worst has been.  His best is that he has a plan and he’s sticking to it.  Denny, it would seem, trusts the Process.  Denny says the plan is based on pitching and defense, which will keep you in games even if your offense is bad.   Dayton’s worst move according to Denny is signing Yabuta.  This is a pretty good answer, but also a really easy one.  As an aside, why isn’t the Yabuta contract ridiculed far more frequently?  6.5 million guaranteed for 51.2 innings of 5.42 FIP?  Double the salary of the spork and less than half of his [admittedly negative] value?  Maybe this move isn't slammed as much because at least Dayton had the sense to not play this guy when it turns out he was terrible?   He wants change in baseball’s economics.  He doesn’t think the Royals can compete against the Yankees payroll.  Revenue sharing essentially means you can pay for an extra utility infielder (thanks for the free spork, Mr. Steinbrenner), but not an impact player.  He likes the NHL model of salary cap.   Hal McRae was his favorite manager, though I think he meant that more in terms of to talk to/interview than in terms of his ‘skill’ as a manger.   The majority of it was his recounting of old time baseball stories, which were certainly neat, but I’m probably too young to really appreciate since a lot of the stories were of players who peaked before I was born.    All in all it was pretty interesting.  He was certainly has a scouts and play the game the right way kind of perspective, but it’s still interesting to get the thoughts of some one who has been with the team for forty-one years.   It was taped by Metro Sports, and should be available on their On Demand as well as potentially the website.  It also has little videos of him getting inducted, him talking about the new Royals hall of fame, etc. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047167/royals-sign-p-jorge-campillo.html The Royals continue to the be the most active bidders on the minor league free agent market. Not content with guys like Wilson Betimet, John Bannister, Edwin Bellorin or Brad Thompson, the Royals today announced the signing of P Jorge Campillo. Campillo, 30, has the benefit of being both an ex-Mariner AND an ex-Brave. He only pitched 4 1/3 innings in the big leagues in 2009 due to shoulder tendinitis, but he posted a 3.91 ERA in 158 2/3 innings in 2008 with Atlanta. He is another soft-tosser, but a strikethrower with a 2.39 BB/9 innings in 180 MLB innings. Campillo was a teammate of Joakim Soria for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in 2009. Fangraphs: Jorge Campillo   Two reasons to like Jorge Campillo Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1047166/one-about-bret-saberhagens-fake-job-on-dennis-miller-show.html My cell phone buzzes and the two-time Cy Young winner's number lights up on caller ID."Hey," he says, "it's Bret with one 'T'."There's a pause."But I'm Saberhagen, not that other guy."He laughs, a minor mystery solved. A few months ago, a friend of mine passed along this link and it seemed like a great story.One of the best pitchers in Royals history is now the technical director for a nationally syndicated radio show? Sweet!So I called Saberhagen, and after asking him a few questions about Zack Greinke, I mentioned that I'd like to write something about his work on Dennis Miller's radio show.Silence."I don't work on that show," he says, "but you're like the fifth person who's asked me that."I considered the possibility that Sabes just didn't want to talk about it, which would be fine. But logically, the bio does seem a little strange, and doesn't have a picture, and besides, if he didn't want people to know then why he want his name on the website at all?So I dropped an e-mail to the producer of the show, who explained that a guy who works there is named Bret, one 'T,' so they started calling him Sabes, it caught on, and they just ran with it."If you get the sense that the real Sabes was upset about it, just let me know," the producer wrote back.He's not."I don't need them to take it down," the real Sabes says. "I guess it's flattering if people remember you, right?"For sure.Because if the technical director's name was "Jose," and they called him "Lima-Time," it wouldn't be a compliment. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1044870/ku-basketball-thats-more-like.html 66.4% Effective FG%After the Memphis game, I complained that KU didn’t shoot the trey often enough and that they didn’t press. Believe it or not, I actually saw a full court press against Central Arkansas. Ok, it was only once or twice, but that’s still infinitely more than normal. Maybe… just maybe… Self will employ it in the future. And, instead of only five three-pointers against Memphis, the Hawks shot 19 Thursday night, hitting 11. Obviously, my opinion had nothing to do with it, but it’s always good when I don’t have to complain.read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1044014/wilcats-vs-huskers-for-all-marbles.html KSU FootballSnyder: "I have never been involved in a ballgame in which bowl eligibility and a division championship were on the line at the same time. I'm gratified on how much progress we make from week to week, but this past week, we didn't make much progress. So that wasn't very gratifying at all.  We have to play better than they (Nebraska) do. That's the bottom line anywhere. It is going to a big challenge to play in a very large stadium with a bunch of red-clad fans cheering against you, but that's part of this game."read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042816/kc-contender-for-12-allstar-game.html KC a contender for '12 All-Star Game Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042815/royals-sign-righthander.html The Royals began work on their bullpen with the signing of right-hander <strong>Brad Thompson </strong>to a minor-league contract on Thursday. Thompson, 27, was 2-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 32 games including eight starts for the Cardinals last year. His fastball is in the upper 80s, with a slider, curveball and change-up mixed in. Advanced analysis indicates his fastball and slider were both strong pitches when he went 4-0 with a 2.95 ERA in 40 relief outings as a rookie in 2005, but the quality of each has since dropped. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042814/royals-2010-spring-training-schedule.html <strong><span class="subhead">Royals 2010 spring reporting dates </span></strong> Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1042534/late-night-royals-links-greinkes-slider-curve-stats-amp-authority-ireland-robbed-castrati.html You know its a good week when two of Greinke's pitches get specific breakdowns. Royals: Greinke’s Slider | FanGraphs Baseball The Curves of Zack Greinke - Beyond the Box Score Royalscentricity: Cy Greinke Zack Greinke wins the AL Cy Young Award " Royal Reflections Reality check: Greinke's success means the clock is ticking on Dayton Moore and the Royals | Upon Further Review Royally Speaking: Voters get it right Wednesday Rafters Report: End of AFL Season Draws Near | Kings of Kauffman | A Kansas City Royals Blog Protection Issues - Royals Authority Big Donkeys: I had no idea that Kyle Farnsworth is No. 40 KC has needs as market opens | royals.com: News 2010 Draft and Prospects | Kings of Kauffman | A Kansas City Royals Blog Zack Grienke watching Royals' offseason moves - MLB Daily Dish Baseball: Hot stove myths (or not) - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN Reward Retrospective - 1985 AL MVP - Right Team, Wrong Player - Beyond the Box Score Orioles Card "O" the Day: Paul Bako, 2007 Topps Updates and Highlights Red Backs #UH306 Ryan Doumit and the Prospect of "Selling Low" - Beyond the Box Score Scouting Braves First Base Prospect Freddie Freeman - Talking Chop The Greatest Reds: #42 - #39 - Red Reporter Kazuo Matsui's Weird Splits - The Crawfish Boxes Faces: Chip Ambres - Lookout Landing Twins, Washburn Continue to Make Eyes At Each Other - Twinkie Town Yes, They Really Did Close The Upper Deck At Wrigley In The 1970's (A Photo Essay) - Bleed Cubbie Blue Grab Bag: We played like lions, but South Africa will miss a hell of a guest - Soccer, Sport - Independent.ie The music of the castrati. - By Jan Swafford - Slate Magazine LRB · Michael Wood · Presence of Mind Jenn Sterger has parlayed a TV appearance into a career - ESPN How Einstein Divided America's Jews - The Atlantic (December 2009) Big Two-Hearted Iowa River - Black Heart Gold Pants Screenshots from the Ball State game - Red And Black AttackScreenshots from the Ball State game - Red And Black Attack YouTube - Drive (The Cars) Dailymotion - Dana Carvey Show - Skinheads From Maine - a People & Family video Belichick, Stats, and Authority | FanGraphs Baseball Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1040591/royals-announce-2010-spring-schedule.html Royals announce 2010 spring schedule Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039044/royals-sign-thompson-to-minors-deal.html Royals sign Thompson to Minors deal Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039043/royals-sign-p-brad-thompson.html The Royals have signed former Cardinals right hander Brad Thompson to a one year minor league deal. Thompson, 27, was 2-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 80 innings in 2009, and has a lifetime 4.36 ERA in 385 MLB innings. He is a groundball pitcher, with a career groundball rate of 52.2%. His strikeout numbers are very low - 4.20 per nine innings for his career due to a fastball that tops out at about 87 mph, but he doesn't manage to walk a ton of guys, and when he keeps the ball low he can be somewhat effective. Not a bad candidate at all for a long relief/5th starter. Certainly better than signing Horacio Ramirez for $1.9 million. Thompson hopes spring training doesn't interfere with senior prom Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039042/mangino-ku-football-are-headed-for-divorce-because-only-one-side-worked-on-its-faults.html Mark Mangino and Kansas football was a flawed marriage from the beginning. Each side knew what it was getting into, but accepted the other's faults because the partnership was their best shot at happiness -- for better or worse.The marriage is now ending because too many of those flaws remain. They enjoyed a nice enough honeymoon, and were the envy of the neighborhood two years ago, but only one side worked on its faults.It takes two.Eight years ago, Mangino and the program he joined each brought baggage. Mangino was extremely fat, with an ugly temper. Kansas football had outdated facilities, with weak financial and fan support.Kansas football worked on its end, first under Al Bohl and then Lew Perkins.Bohl had plenty of his own faults -- including poor analogies -- but he did help Kansas football work on its weaknesses. He hired Mangino, opened tailgating on the hill, and was an enthusiastic fundraiser who helped build attendance at Memorial Stadium.Perkins has faults, too -- including a legal battle with a small Lawrence business that some thought turned vindictive -- but continued and improved upon Bohl's effort to better the football program.Kansas recently completed more than $30 million of renovations and construction, centerpieced by an 80,000 square-foot football facility. There's been talk of a stadium expansion, work that would mean nearly $100 million spent on football facilities since 1999.The fans aren't as passionate as they are for basketball, of course, but they are setting attendance records, and making the football team at least co-stars on campus.Kansas football held up its end, and whenever this marriage with Mangino finally ends, Perkins will search for a new partner with the track record of identifying and improving his side's weaknesses.That's a good position, and one that Mangino won't have.He was a bully from the beginning, and as Whitlock has pointed out the last two days, an abusive one.It's fine to be a jerk, but you better win.read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1039041/royals-sign-pitcher-brad-thompson.html The Royals began work on their bullpen with the signing of right-hander Brad Thompson to a minor-league contract on Thursday. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1038264/royals-top-30-prospects2419.html We cover prospect #24-19 in this installment of the our Prospect List.  I decided to drop adding pics because it was such a headache last time.  We've got some high ceiling players on this section--if even one of them came close to reaching their potential, that would be a good ratio.  As was mentioned in the Community Prospect List comments, it can very hard to know how to rank Carlos Rosa--25, signed for $25,000 and ready to contribute in the big leagues as a reliever vs.  Chelsor Cuthbert--16, signed for $1.5 million and miles away from the big leagues but with a huge ceiling.  Rosa might be a free agent by the time Cuthbert is contributing--but I've got Cuthbert a couple spots ahead--I wouldn't argue with anyone who wanted to flip them around.  I tend to think of a minor league system in tiers--with players within the tier as pretty much interchangeable.  Anyway on to the rankings: 24--Derrick Robinson--CF--Age:22 Year Age Tm Lev PA AB 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2008 20 Wilmington A_adv 556 497 22 8 0 34 62 17 51 97 .245 .316 .322 .638 2009 21 Wilmington A_adv 571 522 19 5 5 47 69 23 35 90 .239 .290 .324 .614 4 Seasons 1798 1615 59 19 8 131 186 61 143 342 .243 .307 .318 .624 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 11/14/2009. Robinson is an important figure in the recent history of the Royals draft--even if he never develops into anything special.  Robinson was ranked as a 1st Round talent, but he fell to the 4th Round of the 2006 draft because he had a football scholarship to the University of Florida to play cornerback.  The Royals gave him $850,000 to sign and not play football.  That began a trend of the Royals being willing to dish out big bucks to players who dropped in the draft due to signability (Melville, Esposito--even though he didn't sign, Myers, Dwyer, Simmons, etc.).  It was and is a good strategy and got better as the Royals have (since Robinson) stayed away from giving big bucks to players who main tool is speed.  As to Robinson as a player, the Royals have claimed from the day he signed that he was more than just a speed guy--that they believed he could and would hit.  Speed is his calling card and with that comes what is supposed to be very good defense in CF.  But the bat hasn't developed like the Royals had hoped.  2008 showed some positives as he hit 245/316/322 as a 20 year old in Wilmington.  Those weren't good numbers but they showed some progress from previous numbers (especially with taking a walk).  This year, however he regressed (as you see above).  His power dropped slightly and he took fewer walks.  It actually looked worse at the end of July, then in August he hit 311/362/513 and hit 5 home runs (more than doubling his career total).  The past couple of years, he's posted BABIP that are rather low for someone with his speed.  He'll go to AA next year where it would be good to see him restore those walks and flash his power more consistently.   23--Blake Wood--RHP--Age:24 Year Age Tm Lg Lev ERA G GS IP WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB 2007 21 Burlington MIDW A 3.03 7 7 35.2 1.290 8.1 0.8 3.5 6.6 1.86 2008 22 Wilmington CARL A_adv 2.67 10 10 57.1 0.820 5.0 0.5 2.4 9.9 4.20 2008 22 Northwest Arkansas TL AA 5.30 18 18 86.2 1.477 10.0 0.7 3.3 7.9 2.38 2009 23 Northwest Arkansas TL AA 5.83 17 13 78.2 1.525 10.5 0.9 3.2 5.6 1.75 4 Seasons 4.37 73 68 333.2 1.295 8.7 0.6 2.9 7.8 2.69 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 11/14/2009. Wood was our 3rd Round Pick out of Georgia Tech in 2006.  He had a disappointing Junior season but the Royals saw something they liked and drafted him.  He seemed like a bit of reach when drafted but pitched well to begin his pro career.  When he's going good, he's got good stuff--mid 90s FB, good curve and good change-up.  He pitched pretty well until he hit AA in 2008 and has struggled there the past 2 seasons.  Wood has a hard time keeping it together and thus makes him inconsistent.  He also struggled with injury last year.  In the AFL this fall, he has again followed good outings with horrible ones.  He could eventually move to the bullpen but he has the build of a workhorse starting pitcher and I think he'll get one more chance to show himself in the rotation.  He could get a chance to prove himself at AA again or perhaps he will get  a pass and go straight to Omaha. 22--Hilton Richardson--CF--Age:20 Year Age Tm Lg Lev PA AB 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2007 18 Royals ARIZ Rook 218 191 2 3 4 15 12 7 20 66 .199 .295 .304 .599 2008 19 Burlington APPY Rook 229 205 7 5 1 16 10 7 17 61 .229 .293 .327 .620 2009 20 Idaho Falls PION Rook 190 166 12 2 1 17 20 1 19 44 .313 .392 .428 .819 2009 20 Burlington MIDW A 28 26 2 0 0 2 2 0 1 10 .154 .185 .231 .416 3 Seasons 685 607 24 10 7 52 44 16 58 185 .247 .323 .354 .677 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 11/14/2009. Richardson was our 7th Round pick out of highschool in the Kirkland, WA area.  Richardson is a crazy good athlete who was also pretty raw when we drafted him.  His ceiling is as high as any position player in the Royals system.    He didn't hit very well in his first two season in short season ball.  As you can see, last season he posted much better numbers at Idaho Falls.  There are some encouraging signs there: decent walk %, not too many strikeouts, 20/1 SB/CS but his numbers were inflated by a unsustainible .431 BABIP.  His power hasn't come around yet but he is big and strong enough that it should eventually be there.  He'll play OF next year for Burlington, probably splitting time in CF with Alex Llanos.  The Midwest League should be a very good test to see how many skills Richardson has acquired. 21--Carlos Rosa--RHP--Age:25 Year Age Tm Lg Lev ERA G GS SV IP WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB 2007 22 Wichita TL AA 4.36 21 17 1 97.0 1.485 9.4 0.7 4.0 6.5 1.63 2008 23 Northwest Arkansas TL AA 1.20 8 8 0 45.0 0.822 6.0 0.4 1.4 8.4 6.00 2008 23 Omaha PCL AAA 4.09 11 11 0 50.2 1.243 9.1 0.5 2.1 7.8 3.67 2009 24 Omaha PCL AAA 4.56 43 0 7 71.0 1.423 8.7 0.8 4.1 10.1 2.50 7 Seasons 3.62 151 99 8 583.2 1.383 9.2 0.5 3.3 7.1 2.19 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 11/14/2009.   Carlos Rosa has been around forever. We signed him for $25,000 in 2001 and he methodically made his way through the system.  He missed 2005 with Tommy John surgery.  He was supposed to be the player we traded for Mike Jacobs last year but the Marlins got nervous because Rosa was struggling with a forearm injury.  The Royals moved him to reliever this past year.  He's got a very good mid-90s fastball and a slider to go with it.  He was unlucky last year with the Omaha as his FIP was 3.80.  He pitched especially well in the 2nd half of the year.  He gets a good amount of ground balls to go with an impressive amount of strikeouts.  He should be a key part of the Royals bullpen in 2010. 20--Yowil Espinal--SS--Age:18 Year Age Tm Lg PA 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 2008 17 Royals ARIZ 206 4 3 4 19 13 2 2 42 .240 .248 .348 .596 2009 18 Burlington APPY 271 9 4 7 23 20 14 22 53 .246 .327 .407 .734 2 Seasons 477 13 7 11 42 33 16 24 95 .243 .292 .380 .672 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 11/14/2009.   Espinal was given $250,000 to sign in 2007.  In 2008, he was in the Arizona League and struggled--most alarming was that he walked twice in over 200 plate appearances.  As you can see, he made great strides in 2009 walking 22 times in 271 plate appearances.  He also increased his power.  Those are the types of things you are looking for a toolsy international signee to do.  His numbers even appear to be a little depressed by being unlucky on BABIP.  The question is if Espinal can stay at short as his body grows.  If he stays at SS, he could be very valuable as he could have an above average bat.  He could be a lot higher on the list at this time next year.  If he performs well in the spring, he could be Burlington, Iowa's SS in 2010. 19--Cheslor Cuthbert--3B--Age:16 Going into 2009, the most the Royals had ever given an international free agent was $300,000.  They paid out $600,000 for Korean teenage catcher Shin Jin-Ho earlier this year.  Then for the July 2 international signing day they dished out $1.5 million for the Nicaraguan 3rd baseman.  There have been only about ten players to play in the big leagues from Nicaragua and most of those have been pitchers.  Currently, Everth Cabrera--SS from the Padres is the only current big leaguer from the country.  Giving that much money to a player from a country that is still somewhat anonomous to scouts is either a cunning way to find a hidden talent or crazy way to blow valuable resources.  Cuthbert is supposed to already be be big and strong--and show the potential to hit for average and power.  I've heard conflicting reports about his defense: some say he can handle 3rd and others say the Royals expect him to move to a corner outfied position.  If the Royals like his progress, he might play in the Arizona League next summer. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1038263/royals-to-bring-out-powder-blue-hats-in-2010.html The Royals announced Thursday that next year's team will wear a new powder blue hat with their powder blue jerseys, which have been worn every home day game since the 2008 season. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1036053/tigers-vs-cyclones.html Missouri FootballPinkel: “The football team is preparing for Iowa State. They are playing very well, and are bowl eligible. Paul Rhoads has done an exceptional job with the football program. They have a dual threat quarterback, probably the best in the league, and one of the best in the country. They also have a great running back, a 1,000 yard rusher. It will be senior day for us, that’s a big deal around here.  We want to honor our seniors their last time playing at ‘The Zou.’ We are trying to play two good games in a row.  We haven’t done that yet this year. It’s going to require a lot of work, but we’re going to do it.”read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1036052/how-does-big-12-rate-in-basketball.html Big 12 vs SEC, Ken Johnson of Hoopszone sent me an email and made this comment. “My general take is that all conferences wax and wane from year to year, and if you take a long enough period (say a decade or more), they probably all average out to be about the same.  There's a lot of parity in recent years.  For example, all the preseason mags this fall say that the SEC is way down and the Big 12 is way up.  It wasn't that long ago that the reverse was true, was it?” I’ll try to answer that question and more.read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1034766/steve-kornacki-defends-verlander-pick.html Steve Kornacki Defends Verlander Pick Steve Kornacki defends his Cy Young pick. The brief article provides, in pertinent part: "Verlander received my first-place vote because nobody was tougher on the mound with the season on the line for his team. " This seems like sound reasoning. I have always heard the Cy Young described as the award that goes to the toughest pitcher on the mound down the stretch with the season on the line. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1034765/henry-will-be-pitching-coach-for-omaha-royals.html Doug Henry will be the new pitching coach for Class AAA Omaha after spending one season as the Royals’ roving pitching coach. Henry replaces Tom Burgmeier. The rest of the coaching staffs for the Royals’ top four affiliates will return intact, the organization announced on Wednesday. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1034764/for-greinke-royals-clock-ticking.html Pardon this blog if the relief and pride of seeing <strong>Zack Greinke </strong>win baseball’s highest pitching honor hasn’t yet faded, but there is a fast-approaching reality that the Royals will have to face. They now have anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years to build a contender around the game’s best pitcher, or risk losing the franchise’s greatest asset since <strong>George Brett</strong>. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1033064/hey-everybody-we-landed-on-moon-were-getting-allstar-game-in-2012.html OK, well, enough of you have e-mailed or Tweeted about this "news" about Kansas City getting the All-Star game in 2012 that we may as well put something up here.Yes, it's true. And we reported it back in July, from the All-Star game in St. Louis:"...commissioner Bud Selig is expected to announce that Kansas City will host the All-Star game in 2012."It will be our first national sporting event since the Final Four in 1988, and it very well could be our last for decades."Here's a quote from Kevin Uhlich, the Royals executive who will quarterback the plans:read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1033063/royals-firm-up-minorleague-coaching-staffs.html Doug Henry will be the new pitching coach for Class AAA Omaha after spending one season as the Royals' roving pitching coach. Henry replaces Tom Burgmeier. The rest of the coaching staffs for the Royals' top four affiliates will return intact, the organization announced on Wednesday. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1031106/subtle-tweaks-elevate-greinkes-game.html Subtle tweaks elevate Greinke's game Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1031105/quotdavid-dejesus-had-our-best-zone-ratingquot-bannister-said-referring-to-royals-left-fielder-quot.html "David DeJesus had our best zone rating," Bannister said, referring to the Royals? left fielder. "So a lot of times, Zack would pitch for a fly ball at our park instead of a ground ball, just because the zone rating was better in our outfield and it was a big park." To that end, Bannister introduced Greinke to FIP, or Fielding Independent Pitching, the statistic Greinke named Tuesday as his favorite. It is a formula that measures how well a pitcher performed, regardless of his fielders. According to fangraphs.com, Greinke had the best FIP in the majors. "That?s pretty much how I pitch, to try to keep my FIP as low as possible," Greinke said. NYTimes: Use of Statistics Helps Greinke to AL Cy Young Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1030191/royals-review-community-prospect-list-2.html Mike Montgomery comfortably gets the call as the Royals Top Prospect on our poll.  He beat out Mike Moustakas and Aaron Crow.  So now the fight for #2 begins.  As before, the choices are listed alphabetically and you can make your case in the comment section.  I've added a couple of names that were listed in the comment section of the last poll. #1--Mike Montgomery--LHP Poll Who is the Royals #2 Prospect? Jeff Bianchi--SS Aaron Crow--RHP Dan Duffy--LHP Eric Hosmer--1B David Lough--OF Mike Moustakas--3B Will Myers--C Other (specify in comments)   39 votes | Results Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1030190/reality-check-greinkes-success-means-clock-ticking-on-dayton-moore-royals.html Pardon this blog if the relief and euphoria and pride of seeing Zack Greinke win baseball's highest pitching honor hasn't yet faded, but there is a fast-approaching reality that the Royals will have to face.They now have anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years to build a contender around the game's best pitcher, or risk losing the franchise's greatest asset since George Brett.Dayton Moore's most important move as general manager of the Royals came last January, before Greinke's breakout season, when he signed the emerging ace to a contract extension through 2012.Greinke agreed to the deal -- extending his potential free agency two years -- in large part because he liked the direction of the franchise.This was Greinke in spring training: "I mean, we might not win the World Series, but we have the talent that we could make a run at it."This was Greinke in July: "The way we've been playing, it's as bad as any team I've played for."And this was Greinke on Tuesday, when asked if he felt as strongly about the Royals' future as he did after he signed the extension: "Maybe not as strong as that time, because at that time I really thought we had as good a chance as anyone to win our division. Obviously, we didn't even come close, so my thoughts aren't quite as strong as they were."Winning is important to all athletes, of course, or at least most, but Greinke is different here.This is the guy who said he'd rather pitch for a winner in Wichita than a loser in Kansas City, remember?In Kansas City, Royals fans celebrated when he told the New York media he'd rather pitch for the Royals in the playoffs than the Yankees, and while it's true that Greinke would probably prefer not to pitch in New York, he could make most any other big league market work -- Anaheim, Arizona, Chicago, on and on.Even during the press conference announcing his extension, he mentioned Tampa and Miami as places "I would like more than this," because he's from Florida.Hell, what about St. Louis? That's a smaller market with a team that consistently competes and a fan base that would both love him and respect his space -- plus, he could hit.The point is, as much ownership as Kansas City feels from having watched Greinke rise, fall, and rise again, baseball is a business and Greinke is already tired of the losing. If Greinke's contract comes up without him having experienced at least some team success in Kansas City, it will probably be impossible for the Royals to keep him.And there will be 29 other teams tripping over themselves to sign or trade for Greinke, if and when he becomes available.Greinke talked a little on Tuesday about the possibility of catcher Miguel Olivo signing somewhere else: "That's baseball. Back in the day, I used to get mad because every time I'd make a good friend, he would get sent down or traded or whatever. That's how baseball is nowadays. Your best friends are only with you one year, at most, a lot of times. So you just kind of get used to it."read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1029435/jayhawks-vs-longhorns.html Kansas FootballMangino: “Texas is an outstanding team, an excellent football team. No weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball. They feature a great quarterback in Colt McCoy. He can beat you throwing and he can beat you with his feet. Their defense gives you looks, moves around, they have a really impressive defensive line, outstanding linebackers that run sideline to sideline and really an excellent secondary that plays the ball well and also tackles well. It’s a challenge to go down to Austin, but we’re looking forward to going down there and playing very well.” Brown: “The Kansas game is important for many reasons. It's an opportunity for us to tie up the Big 12 South. It is a chance for Colt to become the winningest quarterback in the history of college football. This is Senior Day. It'll be a tremendous atmosphere on Saturday night, and we need to send our seniors out the right way and give them a crazy crowd.”read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1029434/bill-self-you-hear-my-cries.html Too Close for ComfortThere are two things in the world that I can’t comprehend. The first is how something the size of an atom can be converted into enough explosive power to destroy a city. The second is why Bill Self refuses to press. Actually, make that one thing I don’t understand. I just went on line and learned how to split an atom.read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1027175/zack-greinke-rewarded-for-kcs-best-pitching-season-ever.html The one thing you get used to in Kansas City is learning how to appreciate athletes who perform valiantly when there isn’t much at stake. Well, it’s all we have left. The Chiefs have not won a playoff game in 15 years, and the Royals have played 24 straight seasons without making the playoffs. Still, the games go on, and here in the Heartland, we are left cheering Will Shields for still blocking hard in the mud during a lost season or Tony Gonzalez for catching 200 extra balls at practice to keep sharp or Mike Sweeney for cracking a double into the gap with the Royals about to lose again. Yes, it does get old after a while. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1027174/greinke-proves-hes-best-in-league.html Around here, among Royals fans in Kansas City, there’s been a persistent buzz about whether Zack Greinke would win the Cy Young Award as the American League’s best pitcher. Out there, in Zack Greinke’s offseason in Orlando, not so much. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1027173/look-at-cy-young-winners-in-or-before-their-age25-seasons.html Zack Greinke is the ninth pitcher to win his first Cy Young Award in or before his age-25 season since 1985 — when Bret Saberhagen and Dwight Gooden exploded on the national scene. Each of the previous eight enjoyed at least good careers, and at least half of them could end up in the Hall of Fame. Here’s a closer look: <strong><span class="infobox-head">Tim Lincecum (24), 2008 </span></strong><br /> Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1027172/what-theyve-said-about-greinke.html <em><strong>•“He’s just kind of riding that wave. It’s not always going to be that easy as it is right now. But there’s no question he’s as good as there is right now.” </strong></em> | White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, May 4, after Greinke has a complete-game shutout and 10 strikeouts, becoming baseball’s first six-game winner Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1027171/greinke-gets-almost-unanimous-support-for-cy-young.html The headline on the announcement that Zack Greinke was the American League Cy Young winner called the voting a “landslide.” It figures, then, that most of the opinions among voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America followed. “I voted for Greinke and for me, it was an easy thing to do,” said Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1025393/greinke-makes-mlb-history.html Stats: The Universal LanguageZack Greinke won the ALCY today in somewhat of a landslide over second place Felix Hernandez. Although I predicted Greinke to win easily (see below), the winning margin was even greater than I expected. What makes it historical? Well, that’s easy.read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1025392/greinke-lands-american-league-cy-young-award.html NEW YORK (Reuters) - Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals, who overcame anxiety and depression to dominate on the mound, was the overwhelming choice for the 2009 American League (AL) Cy Young Award as best pitcher. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1024383/kansas-citys-zack-greinke-wins-al-cy-young-award-168-record-216-era-canadian-press.html NEW YORK - Zack Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday, beating out Felix Hernandez after a spectacular season short on wins but long on domination. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1024382/zack-greinke-wins-2009-cy-young-award.html More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP Zack Greinke was named the 2009 American League Cy Young Tuesday. The first Royal to win the award since 1994. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) Browse more photos » Zack Greinke capped a memorable 2009 Tuesday, winning the Cy Young Award, presented annually by the Baseball Writers of America. Greinke led the Major Leagues with a sterling 2.16 ERA, despite pitching in front of one of the worst defenses in the American League. In August, there seemed to be doubt as to Greinke's viability as a candidate, but a strong finish by the Royal Ace solidified his support. After falling to 11-8 thanks to pitching for the worst team in the league, Greinke went 6-2 over his final eight starts, posting a 1.29 ERA in the process. Greinke led the American League in WHIP. Greinke's win is especially sweet for Royals fans, who have wholeheartedly embraced Greinke as one of their own. Amidst the wreckage of a lost baseball decade in Kansas City, Greinke, both on the field, and with his down-to-earth nature and sometimes surrealist wit, has been a treasure. Greinke did not allow a run until his fifth start of the season and gained additional notoriety thanks to a Sports Illustrated cover story detailing his struggles with anxiety off the field and his return to baseball (which actually happened two to three years ago, depending on how you look at it). Greinke is the first Royal to win the award since David Cone did so in 1994. Brett Saberhagen won the Cy Young twice, claiming the prize in 1985 and 1989. Greinke received 25 of 28 votes. The Award was strongly pushed by the Royals, who made no secret of their belief that Greinke was the best pitcher in the American League.   W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP 2009 - Zack Greinke 16-8 33 33 6 3 0 0 229.1 195 64 55 11 51 242 2.16 1.07 And the advanced stats: WAR: 9.4 (1st in AL) FIP: 2.33 (1st in AL) WPA: 6.07 (1st in AL) PRC: 168 (1st in AL) RA: 2.51 (1st in AL) xFIP: 3.36 (3rd in AL) ERA+: 205 (1st in AL) Also, yeesssssssssssssssssss! Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1023283/zack-greinke-royals-wins-al-cy-young-award-ap.html Zack Greinke won the American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday, beating out Felix Hernandez after a spectacular season short on wins but long on pitching domination. Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA for the Kansas City Royals. Hernandez went 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA for the Seattle Mariners. Greinke received 25 first-place votes and three seconds for 134 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers'... Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1023282/path-pros-zack-greinke.html Path of the Pros: Zack Greinke Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1023281/zack-greinke-wins-american-league-cy-young-award.html Zack Greinke's sweep of the major awards is complete after being named the American League Cy Young winner by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Greinke won with 25 of 28 first-place votes. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1022346/dear-kc-leave-your-inferiority-complex-behind-enjoy-last-greinke-day-2009.html Happy Greinke Day, last one of the year, and please, on behalf of the voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, trust our process.Regular readers here know that I love Kansas City, with the people and the food and the convenience and everything else, but sometimes get frustrated at the inferiority complex that often permeates the area.I've counted. In the last few days, 16 of you have e-mailed or Tweeted asking if I really think Zack Greinke will win the AL Cy Young Award -- to be announced early this afternoon.My stock answer: I'd be shocked if he doesn't win, and surprised if it's not a blowout. Twenty-five or more of the 28 first-place votes is not out of the question.This is no gutsy stance on my part, of course. A guy with 242 strikeouts and 51 walks in 229 1/3 innings, who leads the league by more than a third of a run with a 2.16 ERA, a mark that's the best in the league since Pedro Martinez in 2000, well, that guy should win.This is not close, despite a spectacular season from Felix Hernandez that might've won most of the last eight Cy Youngs.And everyone here would see it that way, if not for the stitching on the front of Greinke's jersey that says "Royals."read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1019985/mark-mangino-on-life-support-by-tim-sweeney.html That's a Hard RainThis is the third reader contribution since we started the policy of including our best readers as part of UFR. If you didn’t have a chance to read the others, Greinke – Jonathan Tucker and Cassel – Jason Lisk… “Mark Mangino may be facing the biggest challenge in his coaching tenure at Kansas in the following months.  The former ambulance driver will have to hurry to resuscitate a program that surprisingly has greatly underachieved this season.”read more Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1019984/butler-receives-royals-top-honor.html <strong>Billy Butler </strong>is working. That much he assures you. He is working, seven days a week, with a personal trainer and with yoga and weights and cardio and anything else he can find to get himself into better shape. It worked last offseason, and Butler figures it’ll work again. He said he came to spring training 15 pounds or so lighter than the previous year, and he did it in a way that made him stronger and faster. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1018983/predictions-will-greinke-win-cy-young.html Does Greinke take home the award or not? Poll Will Greinke win the Cy Young? Yes No   125 votes | Results Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1018982/win-or-lose-cy-young-greinke-wants-to-play-for-winner.html The Royals’ first Cy Young winner has simple advice for the man expected to become the latest. “Whatever his pregame meal is,” Bret Saberhagen says of Zack Greinke, “just keep on eating it.” Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1018201/royals-hope-greinke-doubles-up.html Royals hope Greinke doubles up Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1017374/greinkes-cy-case-plenty-strong.html Greinke's Cy case is plenty strong Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates http://www.sportsnipe.com/main_sportsnews/1017373/royals-reinstate-guillen-aviles-waechter-from-dl.html The Royals reinstated OF Jose Guillen, SS Mike Aviles, and RHP Doug Waechter from the 60-day disabled list on Monday, pushing their big-league roster to 39. Kansas City Royals - Sport Snipe - Team News - Stats - Updates