A little bit of magic, even for a Royals fan

June 17, 2009 at 7:13 pm | Posted in Baseball, I was there!, Major League Baseball, Minda's Take | Leave a comment

The words sounded stupid and naive as soon as they came out of my mouth, but before I knew it I was telling my friend Becky how, whenever I’m heading down I-29 toward Kansas City, I always hope I’m on my way to see something magical. It’s not logical in the slightest, and I should know by now that hoping for magic on my way to see a Royals game is likely to leave me disappointed.

This is the team, after all, that very recently had me declaring that I hate my life. All the hope I had foolishly allowed to swell in my soul after Kansas City’s 18-11 start this season had turned into a murky blackness as the team nosedived back itno suckitude in May and June. But lo! The interleague portion of the season has brought light back into my darkened heart.

My awesome seats added to my hope that this would be Where Amazing Happened.

And yesterday, as I cruised with one of my closest friends down the interstate toward KC, I openly professed that bit of hope that something awesome was going to happen. At a time when it’s not even wise to hope for a win, I was saying I wanted magic. Maybe something like the last time Becky and I went together, when we saw David DeJesus hit an inside-the-park home run in a win over the hated White Sox. Or last month, when I went by myself and ended up seeing an epic 9th-inning rally and walkoff win. Or Opening Day in 2007, when the Royals beat up on the eventual World Champion Red Sox – my favorite baseball memory.Yep, despite my team’s history of being somewhat of a joke during my lifetime, I have been at Kauffman Stadium for some great moments.

And wouldn’t you know it? It happened again last night! Gil Meche was coming off his best start as a Royal, and threw a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits. It was his new best start as a Royal, and in fact the best of his career. Should he have been allowed to go out there for the 9th? I was surprised to see him head out there at that point, because he was already at 117 pitches.

Gil Meche battling Stephen Drew for the last out. The battle lasted 10 pitches, and Meche won!

You can see my photos from the day here.

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