Boys in Blue….or Boys of October or perhaps more aptly named…The Hunt for Blue October!
Those of you who know me well…know what a sports nut I am.
And right now I am probably “nuttier” than normal, or at least what is normal for me! 😉
I am ecstatic!
Tuesday was a red letter day or to be more specific…a blue letter day!
Let me explain.
The Kansas City Royals Baseball team won a wild card slot to allow them to go to the play-offs, which hopefully will allow them to end up in the World Series of Baseball…something they haven’t done since 1985!
(I have always been a fan since my Mother taught me the game at her knee. There have been good years, but mostly not-so-good years,… but I have never given up on this team!)
But I digress a bit….So to reiterate, the Royals had not been to a play-off game since 1985. That is a very long drought!
So you can imagine the euphoria at winning the Wild Card Slot, winning that game and then being given the opportunity to play in the play-off games.
Please see the following quote from Wikipedia.
“The 1985 World Series began on October 19, 1985 and ended October 27. The American League champion Kansas City Royals played against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals, winning the series four games to three. The Series was popularly known as the “Show-Me Series”, or the “I-70 Showdown Series,” as both cities are in Missouri, connected by Interstate 70.”
Yes, it was a long time coming and the game on Tuesday… against the Oakland Athletics was a spectacular game. An incredible game!
The game started as routine….but took a turn for the worse towards the 6th inning when the Athletics shot ahead of the Royals 7-4.
3 Runs are huge in baseball….and a very difficult situation to make up with three (half) innings left to play to redeem themselves.
But make up the runs they did…and tied the game in the 9th inning, of what would have been the end of a normal game.
But the Royals were not “normal” on Tuesday…so the game went into extra innings.
12 innings to be exact…when the Royals finally scored the go-ahead run!
Finally, with a runner on third….Salvadore Perez, the Royal’s Catcher, was up to bat…..
I kept repeating out loud…“I believe!” “I believe”! (as were many of the Royals Fans in Kaufman Stadium)
And “Salvi” hit a single…. which allowed the runner to score and the game became a walk-off game with the Kansas City Royals winning this very important game!
Oh yes, there was joy in Mudville..oh, excuse me….Kansas City….. where not one fan left the game to allow sleep for the next day, …and it was a workday for most! ” 😉
Well, at least it appeared no fans had left! 🙂
The game lasted 4 hours and 45 minutes!
The Captain and I finally went to bed around 1:30 a.m….after witnessing this “marvelous comeback” of the Kansas City Royals… to the Baseball World of Wild Card Games, Finals, Play-offs and hopefully the upcoming World Series, which starts the 21st of October.
The significance to the above singing reference is well known to sports fans….perhaps you have read a previous post when I explained this phrase.
If you would like to see it, please click on the link below:
It ain’t over till the fat lady sings…
Perhaps it is too soon to be thinking as far ahead as the World Series…. for there are many games left to play. They must play through 5 more games, starting tonight (Thursday) and must win the best of 5 to move on.
There are other teams who have won their divisions who must play between now and the start of the World Series, which is the best of 7 games.
But for now, Kansas City fans everywhere are basking in the joy of seeing a team supported for over 29 years…finally earn the right to continue the season until the end of October.
We may not go to the World Series…but we have come this far…..and I still “believe”!
And that is what makes a true sports fan, doesn’t it?
Good Luck tonight, my dear Royals….
The Captain and I will be on the sofa cheering you on from sunny Florida….as will the many Royals fans who have relocated to our wonderful state from Kansas and Missouri.
(Don’t ya just love the fans at well below the surface of the Florida ocean waters, holding their KC banner?)
AND...my dancing friend from across the pond left Florida just a little wiser on how the Americans play baseball!
Yes, I subjected her to watching several games, along with a tutorial on how baseball is played.
She was a really good sport about it too…..thanks Ross for putting up with my sports fanaticism.
Happy Thursday to all of you my dear readers……;)
Me
Kari says
No worries….the Captain just thought I drank them! teehehehe! Actually, he loved the excuse to restock!
I remember jet lag….no fun as one can never really “catch-up” can they?
The KC Chiefs football are actually playing as I type this so I am going to get back to the game….I also have to rest up for the baseball game later tonite…The Kansas City Royals!
It is so cool to have both Kansas City teams doing so well at the same time. It has been a long, long time comin’ for both teams…and both sports are going to overlap the Kansas University Basketball Season which will be starting later this week!
It is a good thing the Captain arranged for picture within a picture etc…..
Hugs and kisses from this side of the pond…
Me ;0
Rossana says
Sorry late in commenting honey, but was a little jet lagged. I loved your enthusiasm for the game and I appreciated the insight and the explanation of the rules… Not sure there will be much opportunity to watch a game on TV here though. Apologies to the Captain for drinking his beer (and not restocking) whilst I watched the games.
Hugs from across the pond xx