ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post - Royals Hello Royals Fan! Tell Me About the Sept 1985 Version of you.

**cdcox** · 09-26-2014, 02:09 AM

I was always a football fan first, but there was a time when I was true blue Royals fan.

I remember when Paul Schaal was the Royals 3rd baseman. Lou Pinella was one of our guys. Freddie Patek, Cookie Rojas. Scrappy teams with ALCS dreams.

I poured over the box scores every day in the 1970s. I loved those teams built around line drives, base running, defense and pitching.

I survived losing the 1976 ALCS to the Yankees. But losing the way we did, in the 9th inning in the 5th game, took a great deal out of me as a sports fan. I went to bed stunned and woke up stunned. I don't think I said a word before 10:00 AM the next day at school. Devastating. I learned I needed to protect my emotions from sports teams.

1977 was stunning. They drew me back in. 102 wins. A couple of really impressive win streaks. That team was so good. We were unbeatable. Until the Yankees. Not as dramatic, but how could we put forth a better team than that one?

1978. Third time is the charm! No, not for the Royals. We'll never win anything.

1980. I wanted George Brett to hit .400 so bad. .400! Couldn't quite get it done. My second favorite regular season as a Royals fan after 1977. We finally made it to the World Series and it was nice to get that monkey off our backs. The World Series was anti-climatic for me. I was a sophomore at Mizzou at the time and too busy with school to devote my full attention to the series. Besides, this team was a shadow of the 1977 team. It seemed clear we weren't as good as the Phillies. My clearest memory from that series was Pete Rose bouncing the ball off the turf every time they ended the inning in the field. I hope that bastard never gets in the HOF. By now, I'm completely numb as a Royals fan.

The seasons in between were a blur. Finished my last 2 years of undergrad, got married, then grad school, then early career. No time for a bunch of guys that would disappoint me. I could still name all the players, but much of the core that I loved was long gone.

1985. I watched a few of the playoff games. No big whoop, these weren't my guys any more, other than Brett, White, Wilson, and McCrae. I liked Sabes and Gubicza. Quisenberry was effective but untrustworthy. I may have watched 1 or 2 of games 1-5. We were at a party at my cousin's for game 6. By the 9th inning everyone was focused on the game. Safe? Safe! Instantly it was clear that our fate had changed. We EXPECTED to win game 6 and we did. We EXPECTED to win game 7 and it was a laugher. I really enjoyed that game as a kind of vindication for all the years of post-season disappointment. But it lacked the "umph!" that you get from following a team the entire season. No regrets on my part though.

It was also my swan song. Two years later we moved away from KC for good. Baseball is a slow sport, best followed by going to the park, listening to the games on the radio while doing something else, and reading the local rag. Tough to follow from a distance and not made for TV with the exception of the playoffs. And baseball was never my first love -- that was football.

And the Royals had left scars. The Chiefs were still gashing new ones. I understood that I could only handle one emotional attachment to a sports team, and that would be the Chiefs. So I said good bye to the Royals. I still followed George Brett, but not the rest of the team.

At this moment, I couldn't name a single player. I won't jump on this band wagon. Just not that interested. I wish them well. But even a world championship won't elicit a fist pump, a yell, or cause my feet to leave the ground.

09-26-2014, 02:09 AM	#78
cdcox www.nfl-forecast.com Join Date: Sep 2000 Casino cash: $2131769	I was always a football fan first, but there was a time when I was true blue Royals fan. I remember when Paul Schaal was the Royals 3rd baseman. Lou Pinella was one of our guys. Freddie Patek, Cookie Rojas. Scrappy teams with ALCS dreams. I poured over the box scores every day in the 1970s. I loved those teams built around line drives, base running, defense and pitching. I survived losing the 1976 ALCS to the Yankees. But losing the way we did, in the 9th inning in the 5th game, took a great deal out of me as a sports fan. I went to bed stunned and woke up stunned. I don't think I said a word before 10:00 AM the next day at school. Devastating. I learned I needed to protect my emotions from sports teams. 1977 was stunning. They drew me back in. 102 wins. A couple of really impressive win streaks. That team was so good. We were unbeatable. Until the Yankees. Not as dramatic, but how could we put forth a better team than that one? 1978. Third time is the charm! No, not for the Royals. We'll never win anything. 1980. I wanted George Brett to hit .400 so bad. .400! Couldn't quite get it done. My second favorite regular season as a Royals fan after 1977. We finally made it to the World Series and it was nice to get that monkey off our backs. The World Series was anti-climatic for me. I was a sophomore at Mizzou at the time and too busy with school to devote my full attention to the series. Besides, this team was a shadow of the 1977 team. It seemed clear we weren't as good as the Phillies. My clearest memory from that series was Pete Rose bouncing the ball off the turf every time they ended the inning in the field. I hope that bastard never gets in the HOF. By now, I'm completely numb as a Royals fan. The seasons in between were a blur. Finished my last 2 years of undergrad, got married, then grad school, then early career. No time for a bunch of guys that would disappoint me. I could still name all the players, but much of the core that I loved was long gone. 1985. I watched a few of the playoff games. No big whoop, these weren't my guys any more, other than Brett, White, Wilson, and McCrae. I liked Sabes and Gubicza. Quisenberry was effective but untrustworthy. I may have watched 1 or 2 of games 1-5. We were at a party at my cousin's for game 6. By the 9th inning everyone was focused on the game. Safe? Safe! Instantly it was clear that our fate had changed. We EXPECTED to win game 6 and we did. We EXPECTED to win game 7 and it was a laugher. I really enjoyed that game as a kind of vindication for all the years of post-season disappointment. But it lacked the "umph!" that you get from following a team the entire season. No regrets on my part though. It was also my swan song. Two years later we moved away from KC for good. Baseball is a slow sport, best followed by going to the park, listening to the games on the radio while doing something else, and reading the local rag. Tough to follow from a distance and not made for TV with the exception of the playoffs. And baseball was never my first love -- that was football. And the Royals had left scars. The Chiefs were still gashing new ones. I understood that I could only handle one emotional attachment to a sports team, and that would be the Chiefs. So I said good bye to the Royals. I still followed George Brett, but not the rest of the team. At this moment, I couldn't name a single player. I won't jump on this band wagon. Just not that interested. I wish them well. But even a world championship won't elicit a fist pump, a yell, or cause my feet to leave the ground.
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