The Royals did it. A team that lost 106 games in 2023 will be playing in the 2024 postseason.
A thirty-game improvement in one year! How did this happen? The key step in the process was General Manager J. J. Piccolo’s decision to allocate a major portion of his budget to starting pitching. The offense was going to be suspect, but the idea was to keep games close and scratch for runs. More often (86 wins) than not (76 losses), it worked.
There were some bright spots on offense. Bobby Witt Jr. had an MVP-worthy year. Salvy Perez had one of his best seasons. Until injured, Vinnie Pasquantino was an RBI machine. Manager Matt Quartaro’s lineups were sometimes a mystery to me, but that’s not the test. Credit to Quatraro for the results.
A weak spot was relief pitching, but that stabilized and was instrumental in some wins when the offense was mostly quiet at the end of the season.
In the postseason, good starting pitching and decent relief are often the key to going all the way. So, in this sense, the Royals are “October Ready.” And they have jerseys to confirm (Bobby Witt Jr. below).
Major credit is also due to John Sherman and his fellow owners. They invested $100 million in the free agency market, a lot of that going to starting pitchers. The team signed a long-term contract with Bobby Witt Jr. for almost $300 million. And they poured in more money to add players at the trade deadline and on the waiver wire. Such spending was rare among small market teams.
The local owners have deep roots in Kansas City, and although they took some lumps during the stadium election, I believe their dedication to successful KC baseball will lead to a productive and long-term partnership with the city and/or county. A good read on the decades-long connection between John Sherman and local charitable and civic institutions is Vahe Gregorian’s article published earlier this month in the Star (click here; if you meet up with a paywall and want to see, email me and I’ll send a copy).
Below, John Sherman dodging champagne spray during the team’s celebration of making the playoffs (video here).
As we await Game One in Baltimore tomorrow afternoon (3:08 PM CT), let’s check in with what Tim Sear has been doing.
Roberto Clemente and MLB: On September 15 each year, Roberto Clemente Day is celebrated throughout Major League Baseball. The day honors the legacy of the Hall of Famer who died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
MLB also annually bestows the Roberto Clemente Award in recognition of a player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions. Each team nominates a player for the award, and the Royals nominee for 2024 is Salvy Perez. The winner will be announced during the World Series.
Clemente played his entire MLB career with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1955-1972). So, Roberto Clemente Day is huge in Pittsburgh. All Pirates players wear Clemente’s #21 for the game. This year, the Royals were the visiting team, and Clemente award nominee Salvy Perez also wore #21.
Another person traveling from Kansas City for the game was my law partner Tim Sear, a passionate Clemente fan with a lifetime appreciation for “The Great One.”
While in Pittsburgh, Salvy and Tim both made important memorabilia contributions to the collection of…
The Clemente Museum: In 1994, photographer Duane Rieder was commissioned to prepare a Roberto Clemente calendar in anticipation of the MLB All-Star game to be played at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. As part of the assignment, he went to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to visit with Clemente’s widow Vera, and they struck up a friendship. The calendar (below) was very popular and is credited with reenergizing the Clemente fanbase.
In 1995, Duane Rieder paid $1 to the city of Pittsburgh for an old firehouse built in 1896. The building was set to be demolished, but it was instead restored by Rieder and became his photography studio.
Rieder stayed in touch with Vera over the years and helped restore some of her old photos. As a big Clemente fan, he was also assembling a growing memorabilia collection.
In 2006, in anticipation of the MLB All-Star Game to be played at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, Rieder held a pre-party for the Clemente family at his studio. He adorned the studio with his Clemente memorabilia and striking photos, including “Angel Wings,” a famous shot of Clemente stretching to make a catch while the clouds behind him seem to form a pair of wings behind his shoulders.
Vera liked what she saw. Rieder recalls her saying, “Duane, you should make a museum of this place.” And he did (website here).
My primary source for this museum info came from an excellent article by ESPN’s Howard Bryant. A couple of other anecdotes from his article.
During restoration of the firehouse, part of the ceiling was removed, revealing the original Carnegie Steel beam with the No. 21 on it (signifying the 21-inch thickness of the beam). A cool connection to Clemente’s uniform number.
The museum is owned by a private non-profit entity. When bills piled up during Covid, rock star Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam came to the rescue. Vedder filmed a video for a virtual fundraiser and sent a guitar signed by the band. Result – $100,000 raised.
Lonnie and Rita – The Clemente Museum: In 2018, Rita and I took a baseball stadium tour that included PNC Park in Pittsburgh. We added an excursion to the Clemente Museum where we viewed a treasure trove of Clemente memorabilia. Our guide was excellent leading us through Roberto’s personal and professional history. Below, our photo with a quadtych version of the “Angel Wings” photo.
Pittsburgh Stadium Trivia: Roberto Clemente played most of his career at Forbes Field, home of the Pirates from 1909 to 1970. He played in 1971 and 1972 in the new Three Rivers Stadium. In the photo above, Rita and I are sitting on a dugout bench from Three Rivers Stadium. PNC Park opened in 2001 and is one of our favorite parks, especially for the view of downtown Pittsburgh and the Roberto Clemente Bridge.
Tim Sear – The Clemente Museum: Tim Sear is a collector of Clemente memorabilia, and in a Hot Stove in 2018, I ran this photo of Tim with part of his collection (he calls this his “glamour shot”). Much to the chagrin of his wife Pam, Tim continues to haunt eBay for memorabilia.
Tim’s passion (obsession?) for Clemente dates back to his boyhood when his father (a Pirates fan) would take the family on annual trips from Iowa to Chicago to see the Pirates play the Cubs. Before the 1968 trip, Tim’s dad contacted the Pirates about his 10-year-old son Timothy wanting to meet some Pirates players. The Pirates agreed, and between games of a doubleheader, Tim went to the visitors’ clubhouse and got a ball signed by Roberto Clemente, Maury Wills, Vernon Law and coach Don Leppert.
After admiring the ball for 56 years, Tim reached out to the Clemente Museum to see if they would be interested in adding it to their collection. They said yes and intend to display the ball as part of the permanent collection.
As Tim was pondering when he might go to Pittsburgh to deliver the ball, rock star Geddy Lee of Rush sold a Clemente ball at auction for $88,200. Lee’s ball was more valuable because it was a single-signature ball (Clemente only) and because Tim is not a rock star. Tim’s ball likely has a five-figure value, and that was inviting, but he was not deterred and made arrangements to go to Pittsburgh during a Royals series on September 13-15.
On Saturday, September 14, Tim and his wife Pam went to the museum to present the ball (below, with Duane Rieder, Executive Director of the museum). Tim’s take on the day:
“I was treated like a celebrity by everyone associated with the Museum. When Duane found out that we had arrived—he immediately excused himself–and spent over an hour with me and Pam. Duane asked that we also donate the original letters exchanged between my dad and General Manager Joe E. Brown over the years—1960 to 1968—as part of the story of the Ball. I can’t tell you how many times he told us how happy he was that the Museum was the new home for the Ball. Duane then assigned a docent to us for the remainder of the 2.5 hours that we spent at the Museum. It could not have been a more special day—and confirmed that the Ball needed to be in the Museum—and not in a private collection.”
Below, Tim at PNC Park next to the statue of “The Great One” and with the Roberto Clemente Bridge in the background. Tim, again showing his expertise…
“Unlike many other likenesses of Clemente, this statue correctly has the ‘flared’ bat used by Clemente—no knob. I have a Clemente flared Louisville Slugger model—and the Clemente flared Adirondack model. The story detailing the mystery of which model was used for the 3000th hit—is the subject of the book – ‘A Drive into The Gap’ – also in the Sear Collection.”
Tim says that most of the time he was in Pittsburgh he was wearing a Royals hat and Clemente jersey. He was asked by many people about the mix. So, he got to tell his story over and over. Poor Pam, as Tim acknowledges:
“I should also acknowledge the supreme patience of Pam. Pam never once asked me to pick up the pace around the Museum or PNC Park—and must have heard the Ball Story a hundred times over the weekend.”
Kansas City Royals – The Clemente Museum: After the Royals beat the Pirates Saturday afternoon, the team took a private tour of the museum.
The next day, Roberto Clemente Day, Salvy wore custom catching gear featuring Clemente (right shoulder) and a #21 chest protector with quotes from Clemente.
Salvy met Duane Rieder at the museum the previous night and offered to donate the gear. As reported by Joel Goldberg…
Kudos to Salvy and Tim for honoring The Great One.
2024 Home Run Derby – Ohtani and Lonnie; C. J. Cron and Tim: On September 19, Shohei Ohtani had a game for the ages. He was six for six with three home runs and stole two bases. He reached rarefied air that night – a 50/50 season (by the time the game was over, he had 51 homers and 51 steals). And he did it on the same date he had surgery on his pitching arm one year earlier. He finished the season with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases.
I was a big fan of his heroics. For a selfish reason. Shohei Ohtani is on my 2024 Home Run Derby roster.
At the beginning of the season, our group of ten held our annual draft to each pick eight players who we hoped would combine for the most homers. A modest amount of money was wagered. I had the 8th pick in the first round, and Ohtani was still on the board because there was concern his arm surgery might affect his hitting. Clearly it did not. Lucky me.
Ohtani’s 54 homers were key to my taking first place this year. At our awards breakfast at Niece’s last week (below), I was handed the traveling trophy (it’s on the table, a bowling pin with a baseball glued to the top). Starting at the left and going clockwise: Joel Poole (in from Columbia, MO), Tim Sear, Bob White (2024 commissioner), David Matson (in from Portland, OR), Jeb Bayer, Lonnie, Steve Roling and Tom Grimaldi. Not pictured: Jim Heeter (Boulder, CO) and Todd Hoppe (Portland, OR).
The other winners were not decided until this past weekend. David Matson took second place and Todd Hoppe third. A special award for best 8th round pick went to Joel Poole (Tyler O’Neill with 31 dingers).
The most important race was very close. It’s the one nobody wants to win. The player who comes in last becomes the commissioner for the following year, taking on the duties of overseeing the draft and updating and reporting the stats weekly.
These weekly reports trigger an exchange of witty/sarcastic emails about the standings, complaints about failing players, etc. It’s one of the joys of Home Run Derby. And it leads to another Tim Sear story.
In the 2022 Home Run Derby, Tim took an early lead and began signing his emails “FirstPlaceSear” (sometimes abbreviated as “FPS”). Humble Tim (maybe not). He finished in first place.
In 2023, Tim’s team did not start well, so Commissioner Jeb Bayer listed Tim in the standings as “DNFPSear,” short for “DefinitelyNotFirstPlaceSear.” Tim finished in fourth place, and the final standings listed his team as “FPADMSear,” short for “FirstPlaceADistantMemorySear.”
In 2024, Tim got off to a bad start on draft day by picking C. J. Cron in the 7th round. Cron had hit 29 homers in 2022, a good number for a 7th round pick. But Cron had fallen off in 2023, and more importantly, no team had signed him for 2024. And no team ever did. Tim took some friendly ribbing for not doing his homework. He also had some bad luck when his first-round pick Mookie Betts was injured. The result: Tim came in last (if I may, “LPS”). Congratulations to our 2025 commissioner.
Lonnie’s Jukebox – Tim Sear Edition: I asked Tim for a setlist. I knew what his first pick would be.
“We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. In 1979, when the Pirates were struggling early in the season, 39-year-old Willie “Pops” Stargell sang “We Are Family” in the clubhouse. The song stuck with players and fans and also jumped up the music charts as the Pirates dazzled the baseball nation with come-from-behind victories and the image of a winning family of ballplayers. Willie was the MVP of the National League, the NLCS and World Series where the Pirates beat the Orioles.
“Reach Out of the Darkness” by Friend and Lover. Tim’s take on this song: “This is a ‘homage’ to my mom – who was the Cub fan in our family. When she was in her 90s and living in assisted living, she wanted to introduce me to a friend who she said had a musical background (mom had taught piano lessons for years). Turns out that the friend was Jim Post who wrote this song and sang it with his wife Cathy. It was Friend and Lover’s only Top 40 hit, making them a one-hit-wonder act. EVERYONE will recognize this song.”
“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin. The link is to Aretha singing at the Kennedy Honors in celebration of Carole King who wrote the song. The song, as originally sung by Carole, was a cut on her blockbuster Tapestry album, and Tim has a story on that:
“I grew up with three sisters. Older sisters Sue and Kathy shared a bedroom next to mine. Sue had an eight-track player with stereo speakers in their bedroom. Sue had Carole King’s 1971 Tapestry album on eight-track. It played constantly—and I mean constantly—with the volume turned way up. Decades later—Pam and I saw ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ in Chicago. Many in the audience join in to sing during the musical. At some point, Pam turned to me and asked: ‘Is there any song of hers that you don’t know all the words?’ I don’t think there is.”
“Brandy” by Looking Glass. Tim saw this one-hit-wonder act sing at the Dubuque County Fair in 1972.
“Wildfire” by Michael Martin Murphey. Tim saw Murphey sing this in concert at Loras College in Dubuque on March 3, 1976.
You can take the boy out of Dubuque, but you can’t take Dubuque out of the boy.
“Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers. Tim and Pam’s song.
Thank you, Tim.
Go Royals!!!
