Reviewing July
Back in March I wrote an article previewing the month of July for the Royals. Since July is nearly complete I thought now would be a good time to review that article and see if I knew what I was talking about. Let’s get to it:
“The days are long and hot. It is the only month Major League Baseball has to itself on the sports calendar. If you are reading this, you probably like that. It is when most of America takes their vacations. In recent years it is when Royals fans begin taking their vacations from watching or listening to the Royals. They would rather listen to cicadas and think about Chiefs training camp, or their favorite college team.”
I have taken a vacation. The days are defiantly long, and we all hope it’s another 31 years before we see another summer this hot. The end to the NFL Lock-Out has cut short MLB’s time in the spotlight. It might re-emerge sometime in September. Overall, the Royals are where we thought they would be for the same reasons we thought they would.
“With the exception of Cleveland at the end, all of them are expected to compete for play-off spots in 2011”
Oops. This will make the third time I’ve mentioned this. The Royals need to get some wins against the Indians this weekend. They have cooled off since jumping out of the gate, but they are still contending for the division title. Collectively they are the same age as the Royals…except their starting pitching is decent. I don’t see any reason they won’t get better. As a Royals fan I’m worried and jealous of the Indians. Beginning the weekend with a 12-0 thrashing is a good start.
“July is when the much publicized prospects will likely be called up. I expect Mike Moustakas to be the first, followed by Mike Montgomery. Watching them develop will be a reason to pay attention”
And
“But if you haven’t noticed the Royals have a log jam of power hitting first baseman. I anticipate one of them being traded, along with Eric Hosmer making his MLB debut.”
It has not exactly gone down like this. Eric Hosmer was the first to be called up. Many of us were shocked by the timing of Hosmer’s call up. But, he’s done the best out of any of the prospects promoted. Mike Montgomery has turned it around lately, but has struggled most of the season at Omaha. Mike Moustakas destroyed PCL pitching while he was there. Since being called up he has struggled. However, he did show signs of life this week in Boston. Too bad the other power hitting first baseman mentioned in the March article doesn’t bring any trade value.
“The end of July is also the trade deadline. I love the trade deadline. You never know what might happen”
The trade deadline is fun if you’re a fan baseball in general. I’ve been a tad frustrated about what the Royals haven’t done at the trade deadline. I want some veterans out of here, and Lorenzo Cain, and Johnny Giavottella called up. But then I remember that each trade needs a trade partner. I can’t figure out a team that needs Frenchy, Melky, or Chris Getz who can’t find a better option on another team. And I wouldn’t wish our starting pitching on anyone. This leads me to believe the Royals are done for this trade season, and if they aren’t, it won’t be anything to get excited about.
“the Royals are .500….”
Pfffft!
“Finally, we all know there won’t be any football training camp to look forward to. So you might as well watch the Royals”
I’m glad to have been wrong on this statement. Baseball is my favorite sport, and the Royals are my favorite team. But I love the Chiefs and the NFL too and I’m glad that their CBA has been settled. Despite being hopelessly buried in last place I still get sucked in. Especially when they have a stretch like they have had in the last week. August through October is my favorite time of the year. There is a lot going on in the world of sports, and the weather and leaves turn to awesome. And for the first time in several summers the Royals have proven they can be interesting enough to be apart of that.