⚾ KC Royals Royals winning more championships
- Thread starter Steve Zissou
- Start date
LOL. If anything, it's fun to scroll back through from the very start to see the different sigs and such.
Royals to honor '85 champs next Saturday
BALTIMORE -- Next Saturday's game at Kauffman Stadium has an unusual starting time and a special pregame event featuring the 1985 World Series champion Royals.
The Interleague game against the Colorado Rockies will start at 3:10 p.m. CT, but the 25th anniversary of the world championship will be marked by a softball game between the '85 Royals and the '85 St. Louis Cardinals at 1 p.m. CT.
Gates to Kauffman Stadium will open at noon.
The '85 Classic is being presented by Farmland Foods and Willie Wilson Baseball, headed by the Royals' center fielder on that team.
The Royals '85 alumni will include Buddy Biancalana, Dane Iorg, Danny Jackson, Lynn Jones, Dennis Leonard, Hal McRae, Darryl Motley, Jorge Orta, Greg Pryor, Jim Sundberg, John Wathan, Frank White and Wilson.
The Cardinals' roster includes Bill Campbell, Jack Clark, Ken Dayley, Curt Ford, Kurt Kepshire, Jeff Lahti, Tito Landrum and John Tudor.
During the '85 Classic and the Royals-Rockies game, there will be a silent auction on memorabilia including jerseys worn by the Royals and Cardinals during the softball game. Proceeds will benefit Royals Charities.
A ticket to the Royals-Rockies game on Saturday is required for the '85 Classic. Fans may purchase tickets online at royals.com, by calling 1-800-6ROYALS, at area Hy-Vee stores or at the Kauffman Stadium box office. For more information on the '85 Classic, visit www.royals.com/85classic.
BALTIMORE -- Next Saturday's game at Kauffman Stadium has an unusual starting time and a special pregame event featuring the 1985 World Series champion Royals.
The Interleague game against the Colorado Rockies will start at 3:10 p.m. CT, but the 25th anniversary of the world championship will be marked by a softball game between the '85 Royals and the '85 St. Louis Cardinals at 1 p.m. CT.
Gates to Kauffman Stadium will open at noon.
The '85 Classic is being presented by Farmland Foods and Willie Wilson Baseball, headed by the Royals' center fielder on that team.
The Royals '85 alumni will include Buddy Biancalana, Dane Iorg, Danny Jackson, Lynn Jones, Dennis Leonard, Hal McRae, Darryl Motley, Jorge Orta, Greg Pryor, Jim Sundberg, John Wathan, Frank White and Wilson.
The Cardinals' roster includes Bill Campbell, Jack Clark, Ken Dayley, Curt Ford, Kurt Kepshire, Jeff Lahti, Tito Landrum and John Tudor.
During the '85 Classic and the Royals-Rockies game, there will be a silent auction on memorabilia including jerseys worn by the Royals and Cardinals during the softball game. Proceeds will benefit Royals Charities.
A ticket to the Royals-Rockies game on Saturday is required for the '85 Classic. Fans may purchase tickets online at royals.com, by calling 1-800-6ROYALS, at area Hy-Vee stores or at the Kauffman Stadium box office. For more information on the '85 Classic, visit www.royals.com/85classic.
3-1 under new leadership. Ned Yost signed on just in time to dominate the Junior Circuit as interleague play is about to begin.
Moore outlines plans for KC's future
GM has Royals moving forward with robust farm system
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
CLEVELAND -- Royals general manager Dayton Moore made a very difficult short-term decision for his team's future when he replaced his good friend, Trey Hillman, as manager with Ned Yost.
Moore was so torn by that unexpectedly quick move that he was emotionally speechless for several moments during the announcement a week ago. The Royals' long-term goals come more easily from Moore, because they've been a long time in the making.
"We're going to continue to do what we've been doing with regards to developing players in the farm system," Moore said. "We've got a few players doing well in Triple-A, which is an upgrade from last year. Our Double-A team is doing very well. And we've got to continue to focus on developing quality pitchers that impact our Major League team, and position players as well."
Moore arrived from Atlanta in 2006 with the directive from owner David Glass and team president Dan Glass to, among other things, upgrade the Minor League system. Moore believes that's being done.
In charge of three First-Year Player Drafts since then, Moore can look on a farm system that has the three first-round picks, third baseman Mike Moustakas (2007), first baseman Eric Hosmer ('08) and pitcher Aaron Crow ('09) as fast risers. Moustakas, at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, and Hosmer, at Class A Wilmington, have been early-season sensations this year.
Moore declines to single out players he envisions in a Kansas City uniform in the near future, but there are obvious standouts -- such as left-handed pitchers Mike Montgomery and Blaine Hardy, first baseman Kila Ka'aihue, outfielder Derrick Robinson, catcher Wil Myers and a fellow who is learning to play left field at Omaha, Alex Gordon.
"Our goal by 2013, 2014 is to have the majority of our 25-man roster be homegrown players," Moore said. "That's what we're shooting for, that's been the long-term plan all along. We were brought in here to build a farm system, build an international program and be aggressive in the Draft, and that's what we're continuing to do."
With the Glass' encouragement, Moore has vastly widened the front-office, scouting and instructional resources since he took over from Allard Baird in late May 2006.
"Obviously, you've got to be aggressive," Moore said. "Not everything will work, but you've got to stay aggressive, because there are 29 other clubs that will stay aggressive. And if you back off, you're certainly going to seal your fate."
Fans, of course, are interested in immediate results, and whether the instant gratification aspects will be fulfilled is another matter. Yost was brought in and the early results were promising -- he won four of his first six games and the club generally seemed to be playing better -- but he's got to deal with the same players that let Hillman down.
There's no guarantee that Yost will be back next season, but his approach is to prepare players for future years -- even if it means sacrificing a victory or two right now. Example: Yost let Luke Hochevar try to pitch his way out of a seventh-inning jam Saturday against the White Sox instead of bringing in the bullpen. Hochevar was unable to get out of the frame, and the Royals lost -- but it was a lesson learned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I'm not talking about getting to .500, I'm talking about winning the World Series when I say eight to 10 years."
-- Dayton Moore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Certainly, Ned's opinion is a big part of the evaluation process, and we'll continue to let this group of players play and expect them to get better," Moore said. "But there are 29 other clubs looking to improve their baseball club, and the options are few. So right now, you've got to expect the players you have to play and get better."
Yost, in his earlier role as a special adviser, watched the Royals' Minor Leaguers in Spring Training and early in the regular season and, like Moore, sees a solid foundation.
"For me, it's a little more than solid. It's exciting," Yost said. "We play in a big ballpark. In Milwaukee, we built our team around fly-ball, power-hitting young players. In a big stadium, I think the smart thing to do is build your team around pitching, defense and speed. But the key ingredient to that is going to be pitching, and you look at the arms they've got down there and there are kids that have a chance to come up here and be quality Major League pitchers -- on both ends, starting and relieving."
On the day after changing managers, Moore ignited a minor cloud burst in a comment on the Royals' flagship radio station in Kansas City that was "an 8-to-10 process to get an organization turned around and on the winning track."
Apparently, listeners grumbled that it seemed like a long time to wait. Moore's rejoinder to them and the media: Do your research.
"Look what Colorado did, look what Minnesota did, look what the New York Yankees did," Moore said. "It took the Yankees seven years. They committed to it in '89, and finally in '96 they won with homegrown guys. I'm not talking about getting to .500, I'm talking about winning the World Series when I say eight to 10 years.
"To get your team in the playoffs, that's how long it takes. Terry Ryan and the Minnesota Twins had a well-built farm system, and they started in '94 when Terry took over, and for seven straight years they had 87 to 97 losses. In year eight, they were above .500, and in year nine they were in the playoffs. That's all I said. It just amazes me that guys don't do their own research."
Moore sighted other similar examples that endured long losing terms before winning, such as the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, where Moore learned his craft.
Moore, of course, is already right at four years into his stewardship of the Royals, and he's under contract through 2014.
"I just know what we need to do, and if we run out of time, we run out of time," he said. "I know how long it takes. I mean, look at it: When a player signs out of high school or college, look at the timeline. What year do they become productive in the Major Leagues? They take two to four years in the Minor Leagues, if everything goes right, and two to four years of playing every day in the Major Leagues to become a productive, impactful, winning Major League player. And that's if everything goes right, that's how long it takes. And I point that out and everybody goes nuts."
For those who have less patience, we take you back to Yost's comment about the Royals during his first day on the job this past Friday.
"This club is not that far away," Yost said. "They've had their struggles, but 10 games under .500 at this point of the year, it's not a death sentence," Yost said. "The Colorado Rockies proved that last year. We definitely can go places and go uphill from where we are right now."
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
GM has Royals moving forward with robust farm system
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
CLEVELAND -- Royals general manager Dayton Moore made a very difficult short-term decision for his team's future when he replaced his good friend, Trey Hillman, as manager with Ned Yost.
Moore was so torn by that unexpectedly quick move that he was emotionally speechless for several moments during the announcement a week ago. The Royals' long-term goals come more easily from Moore, because they've been a long time in the making.
"We're going to continue to do what we've been doing with regards to developing players in the farm system," Moore said. "We've got a few players doing well in Triple-A, which is an upgrade from last year. Our Double-A team is doing very well. And we've got to continue to focus on developing quality pitchers that impact our Major League team, and position players as well."
Moore arrived from Atlanta in 2006 with the directive from owner David Glass and team president Dan Glass to, among other things, upgrade the Minor League system. Moore believes that's being done.
In charge of three First-Year Player Drafts since then, Moore can look on a farm system that has the three first-round picks, third baseman Mike Moustakas (2007), first baseman Eric Hosmer ('08) and pitcher Aaron Crow ('09) as fast risers. Moustakas, at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, and Hosmer, at Class A Wilmington, have been early-season sensations this year.
Moore declines to single out players he envisions in a Kansas City uniform in the near future, but there are obvious standouts -- such as left-handed pitchers Mike Montgomery and Blaine Hardy, first baseman Kila Ka'aihue, outfielder Derrick Robinson, catcher Wil Myers and a fellow who is learning to play left field at Omaha, Alex Gordon.
"Our goal by 2013, 2014 is to have the majority of our 25-man roster be homegrown players," Moore said. "That's what we're shooting for, that's been the long-term plan all along. We were brought in here to build a farm system, build an international program and be aggressive in the Draft, and that's what we're continuing to do."
With the Glass' encouragement, Moore has vastly widened the front-office, scouting and instructional resources since he took over from Allard Baird in late May 2006.
"Obviously, you've got to be aggressive," Moore said. "Not everything will work, but you've got to stay aggressive, because there are 29 other clubs that will stay aggressive. And if you back off, you're certainly going to seal your fate."
Fans, of course, are interested in immediate results, and whether the instant gratification aspects will be fulfilled is another matter. Yost was brought in and the early results were promising -- he won four of his first six games and the club generally seemed to be playing better -- but he's got to deal with the same players that let Hillman down.
There's no guarantee that Yost will be back next season, but his approach is to prepare players for future years -- even if it means sacrificing a victory or two right now. Example: Yost let Luke Hochevar try to pitch his way out of a seventh-inning jam Saturday against the White Sox instead of bringing in the bullpen. Hochevar was unable to get out of the frame, and the Royals lost -- but it was a lesson learned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I'm not talking about getting to .500, I'm talking about winning the World Series when I say eight to 10 years."
-- Dayton Moore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Certainly, Ned's opinion is a big part of the evaluation process, and we'll continue to let this group of players play and expect them to get better," Moore said. "But there are 29 other clubs looking to improve their baseball club, and the options are few. So right now, you've got to expect the players you have to play and get better."
Yost, in his earlier role as a special adviser, watched the Royals' Minor Leaguers in Spring Training and early in the regular season and, like Moore, sees a solid foundation.
"For me, it's a little more than solid. It's exciting," Yost said. "We play in a big ballpark. In Milwaukee, we built our team around fly-ball, power-hitting young players. In a big stadium, I think the smart thing to do is build your team around pitching, defense and speed. But the key ingredient to that is going to be pitching, and you look at the arms they've got down there and there are kids that have a chance to come up here and be quality Major League pitchers -- on both ends, starting and relieving."
On the day after changing managers, Moore ignited a minor cloud burst in a comment on the Royals' flagship radio station in Kansas City that was "an 8-to-10 process to get an organization turned around and on the winning track."
Apparently, listeners grumbled that it seemed like a long time to wait. Moore's rejoinder to them and the media: Do your research.
"Look what Colorado did, look what Minnesota did, look what the New York Yankees did," Moore said. "It took the Yankees seven years. They committed to it in '89, and finally in '96 they won with homegrown guys. I'm not talking about getting to .500, I'm talking about winning the World Series when I say eight to 10 years.
"To get your team in the playoffs, that's how long it takes. Terry Ryan and the Minnesota Twins had a well-built farm system, and they started in '94 when Terry took over, and for seven straight years they had 87 to 97 losses. In year eight, they were above .500, and in year nine they were in the playoffs. That's all I said. It just amazes me that guys don't do their own research."
Moore sighted other similar examples that endured long losing terms before winning, such as the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, where Moore learned his craft.
Moore, of course, is already right at four years into his stewardship of the Royals, and he's under contract through 2014.
"I just know what we need to do, and if we run out of time, we run out of time," he said. "I know how long it takes. I mean, look at it: When a player signs out of high school or college, look at the timeline. What year do they become productive in the Major Leagues? They take two to four years in the Minor Leagues, if everything goes right, and two to four years of playing every day in the Major Leagues to become a productive, impactful, winning Major League player. And that's if everything goes right, that's how long it takes. And I point that out and everybody goes nuts."
For those who have less patience, we take you back to Yost's comment about the Royals during his first day on the job this past Friday.
"This club is not that far away," Yost said. "They've had their struggles, but 10 games under .500 at this point of the year, it's not a death sentence," Yost said. "The Colorado Rockies proved that last year. We definitely can go places and go uphill from where we are right now."
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
We'll need those pitchers fairly soon. If I'm Zac, I'm getting the hell outta dodge. The fact he's 1-7 is an absolute disgrace to the rest of the team.
Too bad the White Sox went on their tear. I kept hope alive that third-place was a reasonable goal. Every damn time we got to 9 under .500, we slipped back to 12 under and now the White Sox are nowhere in our sight.
Posted on Sat, Jul. 03, 2010
Joe Posnanski | Fallen memorial tree prompts memories of Dan Quisenberry
JOE POSNANSKI COMMENTARY
Special to The Star
I know this will sound preposterously weird and insensitive and utterly non-green … but I’m glad this Dan Quisenberry tree thing happened. Ecstatic, really. I know. It surprises me, too. But you have to give me a moment to explain.
First, you probably need to hear the story. Dan Quisenberry was one of my favorite people. We met late in his life, when he was more poet than pitcher. I suppose in many ways, Dan was always more poet than pitcher. The first time I ever really talked to him was at a poetry reading he was giving at a small library in Overland Park.
And you know how sometimes you meet someone and you are just struck by how wonderful it is to talk with them, how awesome it is to be around them, how good they make you feel not only about them but about yourself?
Yeah, it was like that with Dan. It was like that with Buck O’Neil. It is like that with my father. Dan was this gentle man who wanted to know, really wanted to know, how you were doing, how your family was doing, how you were handling life. There are people who ask those questions. There are people who really and truly care. It’s a gift, caring, and Dan Quisenberry had that gift.
He was also one helluva pitcher. Baseball fans as a whole will never appreciate just how good Dan Quisenberry was. When Bruce Sutter went into the Hall of Fame, I went a bit crazy comparing their careers ? and after spending too much time working on it, I have little doubt that Quiz was every bit as good a pitcher as Sutter and perhaps better.
They pitched almost exactly the same number of innings (1043.1 for Quiz, 1042 for Sutter) and Quisenberry gave up fewer runs (earned and unearned) in the designated hitter league. Quiz had a better ERA in their prime years (2.48 to 2.54). Quiz finished second in the Cy Young balloting twice, third twice more, led the league in saves five times (same as Sutter), won five Rolaids Relief awards (one more than Sutter), threw 30 to 40 more innings per year than Sutter did, and as I broke it down was much better than Sutter in the heat of pennant races.
I have pages and pages and pages of statistics, and I wouldn’t tell you that Dan was better than Sutter, but I will tell you that no matter how you break it down, it is at best a wash, and if Sutter was a Hall of Famer, then, in my mind, so was Quiz.
Quiz was competitive ? no question he wanted to be the best in the game. There’s no way you can be that brilliant without striving for it. Greatness doesn’t happen by accident.
But he achieved so softly, with that funny little submarine-style delivery and very few strikeouts and a sinking fastball that probably did not qualify for the second half of the title.
I’m sure that’s why he has been so overlooked. He never seemed great. That’s how it goes for the quietly efficient. You know what made Quisenberry such a fabulous pitcher? He rarely made a mistake. If you put a team together of players who came closest to their potential, who best resembled their perfect baseball selves, Dan Quisenberry would be on the mound.
He almost never walked a batter ? he unintentionally walked just 92 batters in more than 1,000 innings. Absurd. In 1980, he intentionally walked more batters than he unintentionally walked. He threw four wild pitches in his career. Four. He gave up very few home runs.
See, Quiz just didn’t get the ball up and he didn’t find the middle of the plate. He fielded his position, and he threw strikes, and he relied on the grass (or turf) and his defense and the karma he had built up through the years.
It’s like I said: Dan was probably always more poet than pitcher. Sutter’s greatness was bright and bold and apparent ? his a Vegas magic show with lights and props and mirrors, his split-fingered fastball would disappear before your very eyes. Quiz was more of a close-up magician. You never knew how he did it.
It wasn’t long after that poetry reading that we all heard that Dan had a brain tumor. He was a thoughtful man, Quiz ? deeply religious, dedicated to his family, powerfully connected to what is important in life. He offered many wonderful quotes in his life ? “I’ve seen the future and it’s much like the present, only longer” is probably the most famous* ? but it was his heartfelt words as he held his wife Janie’s hands weeks before he died, that I will never ever forget.
He said, “I never ask, ‘Why me?’ Why not me?”
* The thing that strikes me about Dan’s quotes, even now, is that they’re so perfectly worded. He was an artist. Take a simple quote like this one, from his acceptance speech at one of the Rolaids Relief functions: “I want to thank all the pitchers who couldn’t go nine innings, and manager Dick Howser for not letting them.” I mean, that’s just a little quote, mostly in fun, but read it again ? it’s perfect, not a wasted word, Gettysburg Address concise.
Or this: “I found a delivery in my flaw.”
Or this: “Natural grass is a wonderful thing for little bugs and sinkerball pitchers.”
Not a wasted word. I don’t believe I’ve ever written this before ? for obvious reasons ? but almost at the end of his life, Dan told me that he loved the way I wrote because it’s the way he tries to write. It’s one of the three greatest compliments of my life.
So that’s the background. When Dan died in September of 1998, his memorial service was one of those impossibly sad and impossibly beautiful things ? he was only 45, way too young to die. But you saw all the people he touched, the two beautiful children he and Janie had raised, the many friends who all had a story to tell, and you understood what a good life he had lived.
And Dan has been remembered. Kansas City is the sort of town that remembers ? I suppose like most other good-hearted places. His name would come up in conversation. People would stop and point at his photo at the Royals Hall of Fame. When you saw adults playing ball, you would inevitably see one throw submarine style and shout, “Quisenberry!” Yes, he has been remembered.
But, memory fades too. There’s simply no way around it. Dan stopped pitching baseballs in Kansas City in 1988. Children have been born, raised, learned to ride bicycles, fallen in and out of love, graduated high school and college since then. Dan’s two children, Alysia and David, have grown up. I have watched Alysia’s child run around. Time goes on.
And so … now I can tell you about that tree. In 1999, a tree was planted along the highway across from Kauffman Stadium in the honor of Dan Quisenberry. Kids came and shoveled in the dirt, there was a little memorial plaque put next to it ? it was a sweet and thoughtful thing, a tree for Quisenberry overlooking the stadium across the road.
And you probably heard what happened this week: A highway crew, by mistake, tore down that tree while widening the highway. The Missouri Department of Transportation people sound mortified by this blunder, beyond mortified, and they promise to plant another tree and hold another ceremony for Dan Quisenberry. This was clearly an honest mistake, though it is so weird and so emotionally bracing that it has created national headlines.
And this is why I’m oddly thrilled that the tree thing happened. Of course I’m not happy when any tree ? especially memorial trees ? gets torn down. I’d rather it hadn’t happened and embarrassed people and all that. But, overall, the destruction of this tree has put Dan Quisenberry back in the memory.
Let’s face it: Almost nobody knew about that tree. That should be obvious since the highway people didn’t know about it. A tree that was put up to help people remember was lost in the forest. Time goes on.
But now, people do remember. Now, there will be another tree and people will know about it. Now, I have an excuse to write about Dan again. Now, after this, people can take a moment and think again about Dan Quisenberry, his wonderful pitching style, his eloquence (“I don’t miss the cheers. I just go to the ballpark, sit in the stands, and pretend they’re cheering for me”), his character. He never claimed to be a role model, he just was one.
And that tree, in its own quirky way, did exactly what it had been planted to do. It did get people to remember Dan Quisenberry. And that’s why I’m happy.
? ? ?
On September 27, they will hold the last Dan Quisenberry charity golf tournament at Shadow Glen in Kansas City to raise money for the Harvesters food bank (it is Dan and Janie who got me involved with Harvesters). Their long-shot goal is to raise $110,000 because that would bring the grand total of money raised in these tournaments to a million dollars. I will be there, as usual, to moderate the post-golf event. If you live in Kansas City, or will be in Kansas City, or have a little bit of Dan in your heart, you can find out more information at www.harvesters.org and help out.
Joe Posnanski | Fallen memorial tree prompts memories of Dan Quisenberry
JOE POSNANSKI COMMENTARY
Special to The Star
I know this will sound preposterously weird and insensitive and utterly non-green … but I’m glad this Dan Quisenberry tree thing happened. Ecstatic, really. I know. It surprises me, too. But you have to give me a moment to explain.
First, you probably need to hear the story. Dan Quisenberry was one of my favorite people. We met late in his life, when he was more poet than pitcher. I suppose in many ways, Dan was always more poet than pitcher. The first time I ever really talked to him was at a poetry reading he was giving at a small library in Overland Park.
And you know how sometimes you meet someone and you are just struck by how wonderful it is to talk with them, how awesome it is to be around them, how good they make you feel not only about them but about yourself?
Yeah, it was like that with Dan. It was like that with Buck O’Neil. It is like that with my father. Dan was this gentle man who wanted to know, really wanted to know, how you were doing, how your family was doing, how you were handling life. There are people who ask those questions. There are people who really and truly care. It’s a gift, caring, and Dan Quisenberry had that gift.
He was also one helluva pitcher. Baseball fans as a whole will never appreciate just how good Dan Quisenberry was. When Bruce Sutter went into the Hall of Fame, I went a bit crazy comparing their careers ? and after spending too much time working on it, I have little doubt that Quiz was every bit as good a pitcher as Sutter and perhaps better.
They pitched almost exactly the same number of innings (1043.1 for Quiz, 1042 for Sutter) and Quisenberry gave up fewer runs (earned and unearned) in the designated hitter league. Quiz had a better ERA in their prime years (2.48 to 2.54). Quiz finished second in the Cy Young balloting twice, third twice more, led the league in saves five times (same as Sutter), won five Rolaids Relief awards (one more than Sutter), threw 30 to 40 more innings per year than Sutter did, and as I broke it down was much better than Sutter in the heat of pennant races.
I have pages and pages and pages of statistics, and I wouldn’t tell you that Dan was better than Sutter, but I will tell you that no matter how you break it down, it is at best a wash, and if Sutter was a Hall of Famer, then, in my mind, so was Quiz.
Quiz was competitive ? no question he wanted to be the best in the game. There’s no way you can be that brilliant without striving for it. Greatness doesn’t happen by accident.
But he achieved so softly, with that funny little submarine-style delivery and very few strikeouts and a sinking fastball that probably did not qualify for the second half of the title.
I’m sure that’s why he has been so overlooked. He never seemed great. That’s how it goes for the quietly efficient. You know what made Quisenberry such a fabulous pitcher? He rarely made a mistake. If you put a team together of players who came closest to their potential, who best resembled their perfect baseball selves, Dan Quisenberry would be on the mound.
He almost never walked a batter ? he unintentionally walked just 92 batters in more than 1,000 innings. Absurd. In 1980, he intentionally walked more batters than he unintentionally walked. He threw four wild pitches in his career. Four. He gave up very few home runs.
See, Quiz just didn’t get the ball up and he didn’t find the middle of the plate. He fielded his position, and he threw strikes, and he relied on the grass (or turf) and his defense and the karma he had built up through the years.
It’s like I said: Dan was probably always more poet than pitcher. Sutter’s greatness was bright and bold and apparent ? his a Vegas magic show with lights and props and mirrors, his split-fingered fastball would disappear before your very eyes. Quiz was more of a close-up magician. You never knew how he did it.
It wasn’t long after that poetry reading that we all heard that Dan had a brain tumor. He was a thoughtful man, Quiz ? deeply religious, dedicated to his family, powerfully connected to what is important in life. He offered many wonderful quotes in his life ? “I’ve seen the future and it’s much like the present, only longer” is probably the most famous* ? but it was his heartfelt words as he held his wife Janie’s hands weeks before he died, that I will never ever forget.
He said, “I never ask, ‘Why me?’ Why not me?”
* The thing that strikes me about Dan’s quotes, even now, is that they’re so perfectly worded. He was an artist. Take a simple quote like this one, from his acceptance speech at one of the Rolaids Relief functions: “I want to thank all the pitchers who couldn’t go nine innings, and manager Dick Howser for not letting them.” I mean, that’s just a little quote, mostly in fun, but read it again ? it’s perfect, not a wasted word, Gettysburg Address concise.
Or this: “I found a delivery in my flaw.”
Or this: “Natural grass is a wonderful thing for little bugs and sinkerball pitchers.”
Not a wasted word. I don’t believe I’ve ever written this before ? for obvious reasons ? but almost at the end of his life, Dan told me that he loved the way I wrote because it’s the way he tries to write. It’s one of the three greatest compliments of my life.
So that’s the background. When Dan died in September of 1998, his memorial service was one of those impossibly sad and impossibly beautiful things ? he was only 45, way too young to die. But you saw all the people he touched, the two beautiful children he and Janie had raised, the many friends who all had a story to tell, and you understood what a good life he had lived.
And Dan has been remembered. Kansas City is the sort of town that remembers ? I suppose like most other good-hearted places. His name would come up in conversation. People would stop and point at his photo at the Royals Hall of Fame. When you saw adults playing ball, you would inevitably see one throw submarine style and shout, “Quisenberry!” Yes, he has been remembered.
But, memory fades too. There’s simply no way around it. Dan stopped pitching baseballs in Kansas City in 1988. Children have been born, raised, learned to ride bicycles, fallen in and out of love, graduated high school and college since then. Dan’s two children, Alysia and David, have grown up. I have watched Alysia’s child run around. Time goes on.
And so … now I can tell you about that tree. In 1999, a tree was planted along the highway across from Kauffman Stadium in the honor of Dan Quisenberry. Kids came and shoveled in the dirt, there was a little memorial plaque put next to it ? it was a sweet and thoughtful thing, a tree for Quisenberry overlooking the stadium across the road.
And you probably heard what happened this week: A highway crew, by mistake, tore down that tree while widening the highway. The Missouri Department of Transportation people sound mortified by this blunder, beyond mortified, and they promise to plant another tree and hold another ceremony for Dan Quisenberry. This was clearly an honest mistake, though it is so weird and so emotionally bracing that it has created national headlines.
And this is why I’m oddly thrilled that the tree thing happened. Of course I’m not happy when any tree ? especially memorial trees ? gets torn down. I’d rather it hadn’t happened and embarrassed people and all that. But, overall, the destruction of this tree has put Dan Quisenberry back in the memory.
Let’s face it: Almost nobody knew about that tree. That should be obvious since the highway people didn’t know about it. A tree that was put up to help people remember was lost in the forest. Time goes on.
But now, people do remember. Now, there will be another tree and people will know about it. Now, I have an excuse to write about Dan again. Now, after this, people can take a moment and think again about Dan Quisenberry, his wonderful pitching style, his eloquence (“I don’t miss the cheers. I just go to the ballpark, sit in the stands, and pretend they’re cheering for me”), his character. He never claimed to be a role model, he just was one.
And that tree, in its own quirky way, did exactly what it had been planted to do. It did get people to remember Dan Quisenberry. And that’s why I’m happy.
? ? ?
On September 27, they will hold the last Dan Quisenberry charity golf tournament at Shadow Glen in Kansas City to raise money for the Harvesters food bank (it is Dan and Janie who got me involved with Harvesters). Their long-shot goal is to raise $110,000 because that would bring the grand total of money raised in these tournaments to a million dollars. I will be there, as usual, to moderate the post-golf event. If you live in Kansas City, or will be in Kansas City, or have a little bit of Dan in your heart, you can find out more information at www.harvesters.org and help out.
Always nice to see The Quiz get his due. I actually have one of his books of poetry. I got one for my dad for Xmas one year as well.
Hopefully Grienke brings home another W tonight. We're only 8 out!!!
Hopefully Grienke brings home another W tonight. We're only 8 out!!!
Absolute best case scenario: How soon can the Royals win their division?
I ask because as someone who loathes the Cardinals, I wouldn't mind seeing the Royals do well.
I ask because as someone who loathes the Cardinals, I wouldn't mind seeing the Royals do well.
I say three years, this being the first of the three, when some young pitching talent is ready and we get some more bats at certain positions. I'd love to have a catcher who we could count on for 20 HR, 85 RBI, .280 BA every year.
I picking the Royals as the next Tampa Turnaround. I know few around here follow the minors like I do, but if some of you will do some checking, you'll find out that the Royals AA ball club is really, really good.
Now if our GM would quit with the former Braves farmhands. Seriously, outside of Grienke, our rotation looks alot like the 2005 Richmond Braves.
Their high A club has also been very good, some of them moved up to replace the ones that left NW Arkansas for Omaha.
Don't count on the farm system to cure all the team's ills. I've spent the past several years counting on the "galaxy of future stars" the Diamondbacks had accumulated in the minor league system, only to watch every one they kept be a POS (except for Upton). That team makes me want to drink...
Little known fact: the Diamondbacks are still paying $16 million per year in deferred payments to the 2001 World Series squad.
/end threadjack, back to Royals talk.
So I got curious and looked at the DBacks roster. Mainly b/c outside of Upton that you mentioned, I couldn't name one other player (other than Dan Haren). What the heck ever happened to Brandon Webb??? Dude vanished!
And speaking of P'sOS ... I noticed Kris Benson on the DL.
And speaking of P'sOS ... I noticed Kris Benson on the DL.
Webb has had some pretty awful arm trouble for the last couple years. If he was healthy, maybe he and Haren could drag the team up to .500, but probably not. I believe that team is on pace to set an all time strikeout record this season.
They don't always come up and develop into stars. But it's usually a good indication of future team strength. For a good club, like my Atlanta Braves, the depth in our farm allows us to go get a piece via trade if we need it. But for clubs like KC, Tampa, Florida and others, it's all about the farm. The Dodgers were built around the best AA team I've ever seen. Matt Kemp and James Loney were just two everyday players born out of that team. I think Clayton Kershaw may have dealt for that team as well.
Alex Gordon called back to KC as an outfielder after DeJesus is out for the season.
Gordon needs to produce with the bat or this could be his last playing time in KC.
If he struggles in the outfield but shows some offense, I can live with learning to play the outfield.
Gordon needs to produce with the bat or this could be his last playing time in KC.
If he struggles in the outfield but shows some offense, I can live with learning to play the outfield.
Looks like Soria will end up with the Yankees, regardless of his no-trade clause. 
There goes the best closer we've had since Jeff Montgomery.
There goes the best closer we've had since Jeff Montgomery.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers are still hoping to land a starting pitcher, such as Roy Oswalt or Ted Lilly, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports via Twitter that the club is getting closer to acquiring Kansas City Royals outfielder Scott Podsendik.
The Giants are in on Podsednik, too, but the Dodgers appear to be progressing in talks with the Royals at a quicker rate. Stark adds a response tweet saying "Not a chance," when asked whether shortstop prospect Dee Gordon was in play. "Heard from other clubs that LA won't talk about Gordon."
It's evident now that the Royals waited too long on outfielder David DeJesus, whose trade value evaporated once he injured his thumb at Yankee Stadium last week.
We know that Kansas City would like to move Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Guillen, but what about closer Joakim Soria? Nick Cafardo wrote in Sunday's Boston Globe that the Yankees might be interested and New York have the bargaining chip in catcher Jesus Montero.
There is one problem. According to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com, the Yankees are one of six teams on Soria's no-trade list, according to an official with knowledge of the contract.
Soria would replace Joba Chamberlain as the set-up man behind Mariano Rivera if he were to land in the Bronx.
The Giants are in on Podsednik, too, but the Dodgers appear to be progressing in talks with the Royals at a quicker rate. Stark adds a response tweet saying "Not a chance," when asked whether shortstop prospect Dee Gordon was in play. "Heard from other clubs that LA won't talk about Gordon."
It's evident now that the Royals waited too long on outfielder David DeJesus, whose trade value evaporated once he injured his thumb at Yankee Stadium last week.
We know that Kansas City would like to move Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Guillen, but what about closer Joakim Soria? Nick Cafardo wrote in Sunday's Boston Globe that the Yankees might be interested and New York have the bargaining chip in catcher Jesus Montero.
There is one problem. According to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com, the Yankees are one of six teams on Soria's no-trade list, according to an official with knowledge of the contract.
Soria would replace Joba Chamberlain as the set-up man behind Mariano Rivera if he were to land in the Bronx.
Soria would waive that no-trade as soon as the Yankees tell his agent how much they're willing to pay for him. I knew DeJesus had been mentioned as trade bait but this is the first I've heard about Podsednik. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter since we're getting our heads kicked in every day.
Los Dodgers get Podsednik. That's really the only reason anyone signs Podsednik, to get low to mid level prospects for him at the deadline.
If anyone wants a nice Alex Gordon jersey on the cheap, there's one at Ulta across from Promenade for $15. I suppose you could always say it's a Flash Gordon throwback jersey.
