For a team that has very little to celebrate, it sure seemed like there was a lot more going on than meets the eye at the Overland Park Convention Center on Thursday night. I had the privilege to attend the event and was nothing short of blown away. The night was amazing. From the pre-party in the lobby, all the way to the awards show itself, the Royals pulled out all the stops.
I won't talk about how moist the rolls were, how touching Ryan Lefebvre's introduction of Zack Greinke was, or how perfectly tender the steak was. I will however speak on how I had my sense of hope renewed by a guy who wore the Royals uniform for only one season. David Cone revitalized my hope. Introducing Zack Greinke, along with Bret Saberhagen and Ryan Lefebvre, Coney delivered a speech that would get even Denny Matthews fired up. Cone hearkened Royals fans back to a time when Amos Otis, George Brett and Frank White ruled Royals Stadium. He passionately spoke about how the Royals were always on top back then and how they had to be back on top. That is the only way it should be. Then he turned to Billy Butler and Zack Greinke and said: "You guys are the key to bringing that back."
At that point, I had chills running up and down my spine. Sure we may have screwed up in signing Scotty Pods and Kendall. But look folks, we've got the best young first baseman in all of baseball. We have the best pitcher in the world. We have a closer that has ice water in his veins. My point is, my belief was restored tonight. The belief that this team is headed in the right direction. Belief that Dayton Moore can be a competent Major League GM. Belief that everything can go right at Kauffman Stadium for one magical summer. We're due folks. That has to count for something.
Keep the faith.
Cone for pitching coach, now! I had no idea he still cared so much about the Royals after they stupidly unloaded him TWICE. He was a great talent with great stuff who made the most of that talent. He worked and found new ways to fool hitters when he started to lose velocity, even going submarine on occasion. He was not the same pitcher by the time he got to the Yankees, but still managed to be effective on a big stage. He is probably not appreciated as much now because he pitched in the same era as Greg Maddux, but Cone had better stuff.
ReplyDeleteJust having him around the pitching staff to give tips or watch video once in a while would be a bonus. For that matter, we need Sabes around too. Connecting Greinke to the Royals' past may be the only way to make him want to stay here in the future.
I would love to see the Royals hire David Cone as well. Maybe as some kind of executive assistant like how the Cubs recently hired Greg Maddux, doing some instruction in spring training and evaluating pitching talent. He recently opted not to renew his contract with the Yankees television network so he is available for new job opportunities. Cone is a bright, likable guy who is down with the sabermetrics, a winner, a leader, and extremely media-savvy. Both the players and the members of the Royals front office could learn a lot from him.
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