Tag Archives: Yuniesky Betancourt

TARP, TP, and the Royals

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We all make mistakes.

It’s absolutely true.  I do it all the time.  No one is immune to it.  The question is can you admit when you have made that mistake, learn from it, and better yourself.  Dayton Moore did just that last week when he realized that hiring a white guy from Japan to be your manager just because he has a cool moustache, does not a winning baseball team make.

I will now follow suit with Mr. Moore.  I too, have erred.

My last column, in which I was going to weed out candidates for the 2010 Royals MVP, was fucking stupid.  I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea at the time.  Deep down, I knew it wasn’t sustainable for me to continue with that for NINE MORE COLUMNS.  So I am admitting that it was a mistake, and I am cutting ties with it.  Besides, we all know that Mike Aviles is going to win anyway, and I didn’t even have him on the list.

Now that we have that out of the way, how ‘bout them Royals?!?!?!?  Thank God that D-Mo realized it was time for a change.  Of course, it was time for a change in June of 2009 but who’s counting?  I have watched all but two of the Royals games this season.  One of them I have recorded, but I know what happens (they win). So I am saving that for rainy day.  The other was last night’s disaster at Baltimore.  I missed this one to drink, and play “Name That Tune Trivia” at a bar.*

*The bar I go to has the MLB package.  It has about 12-15 TVs.  It is usually only occupied by about 30-40 people.  So why didn’t I see the game?  Because people in St. Louis are assholes (or for you Ke$ha fans: As$holes), that’s why.  God forbid the Cardinals are playing.  Every TV in the bar is being watched individually by, it seems, one guy.  The only TV not tuned to the Cardinals game is showing the NHL Conference Finals.  Of course, there’s some redneck in a San Jose Sharks Starter jacket sitting glued to that one…in May…in Missouri.  FML.

Based on my experience with the Royals over the years, and judging by what I have seen this far this season, my first (and most reasonable) inclination is to predict that the Royals will finish last in the AL Central and second to last in the American League.  Many of you would probably agree with me.  But that was before I was taking a dump at work yesterday.

Since the bank that I work for has not paid back the TARP money you lent us, we have a lot of restrictions placed on us by regulators.  These include not being able to expand our branches, limits on executive pay, etc.  We also have terrible toilet paper.  I am convinced that someone has told us we cannot have nice TP until we repay that government money.  That is the only logical conclusion I can come to as to why any company would provide this sand paper to its employees.

Did the Glass family receive any sort of bailout?  I am just wondering because they seem to trot out what appears to be a pretty substandard product as well. 

Anyway, so I was scraping my ass at work when I realized something; while it may be uncomfortable in the beginning, the horrible toilet paper actually gets the job done better in the end than the fancy stuff I have at home. It gets me clean better.  It doesn’t fall apart.  That three ply quilted stuff just seems to shred in your hand when you really are working hard, and that double roll brand absorbs about as well as wax paper.  But not the crappy work TP.  Plus, you can use as much as you like, and because it’s so thin, it cannot clog the toilet.

So what’s the point?  You don’t always get what you pay for.  Sometimes, the crappy work toilet paper comes out of nowhere and surprises you.  That’s why I think the Royals will win the AL Central.

Toilet paper…

Yes, that’s what I am clinging to.  Speaking of clinging, that dingleberry Betancourt just committed another error to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.

To Catch A Pessimist

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Hey, I am back!  Did you miss me?  Don’t lie.  Oh, you didn’t?  Well, that’s fine.

Here I am on a Wednesday night, in the usual position.  All is as it should be.    I am on the couch, wine in hand, and watching the Royals game.  Well, I guess I shouldn’t say ALL is as it should be.  For one, Kyle Davies is pitching in the third, and hasn’t given a hit up yet*.    I don’t know what to say about that.   I am just checking in with a couple of things, and then I’ll get out of your hair.  I just thought I could give some insight into a few things, and maybe bring some silver lining into the cloud that is Kansas City sports.

*Kyle just gave up a single to left, and then a triple to right.  Mariners West 1 – Mariners East 0.  Now the universe is back in order.   Make that 2-0 now; single to right.  Eff!

First, The Chiefs still have not signed their number one pick, Tyson Jackson.  I hated this pick when it was made.  I had never even heard of the guy.  Granted, I am not a huge college football fan.  My allegiances tend to fall with the Big XII and Notre Dame.  However, given the Chiefs man crush on LSU players, I may need to divert some of my attention there.  This is getting a little too much like Carl Peterson’s obsession with players from Penn State.  I keep waiting for a show similar to “To Catch a Predator” where Carl is caught walking into a house and attempting to have sex with a Nittany Lion linebacker.

Chris Hanson: “Hi, why don’t you have a seat over there?”

Carl: “Okay.”

Chris: “What are you doing here?”

Carl: “Nothing.  I just wanted to talk.  I was not going to draft that guy.”

Chris: “I have the transcript here.  Did you say ‘you play at Penn State?  I wanna draft your blank, and then blank your blank with a poodle, and a poor defensive  scheme and crappy personnel’?”

Carl: “Am I going to jail?”

You get the idea.  Point is, if you think that getting Jackson to camp right now really matters, then I have a crappy shortstop I’d like to trade you for your best minor league pitching prospect…

Speaking of Betancourt, he has come alive!!!!  I found out tonight from the broadcast team that he hit for the cycle.  Wow!  Problem is that it took two games to do it.  Yes, we in Kansas City now consider getting a single, double, triple and a homerun “hitting for the cycle” even if it takes more than one game.  With this logic, I fully expect Ron Mahay to cement himself in Royals history tonight by pitching a NO HITTER…for an inning.  Actually, he won’t do that either.

I should cut the Royals broadcast duo of Le-Catch the-Fever and  Frank “whack it” White some credit.  Without them, I would never laugh during a Royals game.    Don’t ask me what they were talking about on Tuesday night when this exchange happened (God, I wish I was making this stuff up).

Ryan: “I don’t know anything about fencing.  Do you know anything about fencing?”

Frank: “I know it’s hard.  This should be Joe’s first and only swordfight.”

WHAT???????????

The Royals are now down 3-2, and Davies just threw the ball into center field on a pickoff play.  This is depressing.  But, I bet I can make you all feel better. ..

My girlfriend got her Rams season tickets in the mail today. 

At least THAT didn’t happen to you.

Looking Behind To The Future

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Filed under Kansas City Royals

As we look forward to the second half of this Royals (or as I am calling them, The Mariners East) season*, I can’t say that I am not disappointed.  It’s not that I thought the Royals were going to win the World Series.  I didn’t even think they would make the playoffs.  But I will say this; I have not lived in Kansas City since the mid-80’s.  Never before this season have I ever ponied up the money to purchase the MLB package.  And that is saying something because I pay every year for the NHL package (see Bellwether, someone watches hockey), and I even got the NBA package one season.  But I finally did it because I thought this team may actually play a meaningful game in the second half of the season.  I now know this will not happen, and it’s like getting punched in the gut once a month when I see that $50 charge on my cable bill.

 

*”look forward” may be a strong way of putting it.  It’s more like “looking forward to a colonoscopy.”

 

But I’ve realized that it is not the losses that bother me.  It’s not the way that they lose them that bothers me either.  It’s the fact that, for the most part, when someone comes up to bat, I know that they stink.  The personnel on this team are frighteningly bad.  It’s epically bad.  And then when analysts say things like, “there is nothing better in the minor league system.” I want to vomit.   So for fun this morning, I pieced together a new starting lineup from player we could have had.  By this I mean players that we already had once.  Here is what I have versus tonight’s predicted starting lineup.

 

Center Field:

Tonight – David DeJesus .256/.314/.414  7 HR 41 RBI

Could Have Been (CHB) – Carlos Beltran .336/.425/.527  8 HR 40 RBI

 

The power numbers are a little deceiving, but you know Beltran was a better fielder.   Tell me you wouldn’t make this trade straight up right now.  I dare you.

 

2nd Base:

Tonight – Alberto Callaspo .298/.352/.455  6 HR 35 RBI

CHB – Joey Gathright .000/.000/.000  0 HR 0 RBI

 

Good Lord!  We haven’t had a decent second baseman in a while.  Does anyone have mark Grudzielanek’s number handy and some Alleve?

 

1st Base:

Tonight – Billy Butler .290/.340/.449  8 HR 38 RBI

CHB – Raul Ibanez .312/.369/.669  24 HR 63 RBI

 

Obviously Butler is a good player, and should become a solid middle of the order guy.  But man did we miss the Ibanez thing.  Plus, he played in Seattle; which we LOVE…A LOT.

 

DH:

Tonight – Mike Jacobs .222/.296/.412  12 HR 30 RBI

CHB – Matt Stairs .283/.434/.517  4 HR 13 RBI

 

I haven’t liked Jacobs since he got rid of the facial hair.  Plus, I have always wanted to just sit and eat fried cheese curds with Stairs.  Just sounds like a good time.

 

3rd Base:

Tonight – Alex Gordon .095/.269/.238  1 HR 3 RBI

CHB – Mark Teahen .294/.350/.447  9 HR 29 RBI

 

I don’t know what to do here (and frankly neither do the Royals).  Is Joe Randa in the house??  Joe??

 

Right Field:

Tonight – Jose Guillen .243/.315/.376  9 HR 37 RBI

CHB – Jermaine Dye .302/.375/.567  20 HR 55 RBI

 

This just makes me ill. 

 

Left Field:

Tonight – Mark Teahen .294/.350/.447 9 HR 29 RBI

CHB – Johnny Damon .276/.362/.510 16 HR 50 RBI

 

Eh, whatever?

 

Shortstop:

Tonight – Yuniesky Betancourt.250/.278/.330 2 HR 22 RBI

CHB – Angel Berroa .136/.174/.182 0 HR 1 RBI

 

I’ll reserve judgment on this one for now.  No I won’t.  Crap!!

 

Catcher:

Tonight – Miguel Olivo .244/.267/.476  13 HR 35 RBI

CHB – John Buck .211/.294.422 3 HR 19 RBI

 

How is it that we haven’t had a decent catcher in a decade?  Shouldn’t we have lucked into one on accident or something?

 

So there you have it.  I am not guaranteeing that my “fantasy team” would beat the Rays tonight.  But I can guarantee that I wouldn’t feel the level of despair I am used to while watching Mariners East baseball.  Take it for what it’s worth.  Oh, happy 29th birthday to Joe Lachky!  This last one is for you.

 

Ross “Blow your” Gload is batting .280/.345/.416 3 HR 15 RBI this season.