As a young fan I couldn’t really root for the Royals of the mid-70s, except against the ’77 and ’78 Yankees in the ALCS. For me, those were the most boring postseasons of my youth. The blah Phillies v. the Dodgers and blah Royals v. New York.

Being a Cub fan, I rooted for them against the Cards in the ’85 series, but didn’t buy my first Royals cap, actually a visor, until the 90’s.

As I mentioned in a post a couple of months ago, outside of Chicago and Milwaukee, I’ve attended more games at Kaufman/Royals Stadium than any other ML ballpark. I rooted for them in the 2015 WS against the Mets and have enjoyed following their minor league teams over the past two decades. I’ve followed several of their young players even more recently. So yes, I’m enjoying their current success and hope that Matt Quatraro wins the AL manager of the year.

Had I not shot the wad on my recent trip through northern Iowa, I’d be on a jet plane this weekend for the 3-game series with the Cubs. In the earliest days of interleague play, I was lucky enough to see the Cubs play at The K.

This current iteration of the Royals has a really nice blend of young players and crusty veterans like Salvador Perez and Michael Wacha. It’s been 23 years since my last visit to K.C and the thought of really good BBQ and a visit to the Negro League HOF and American Jazz Museum might be enough to keep me away from Bears training camp.