Are the Royals going to be in the postseason?
Hot Stove would like that. The inaugural issue of Hot Stove was posted on November 13, 2015, in the afterglow of the Royals winning the World Series. The team has not had a winning season since (2016-2023). But 2024 has ended that streak, as shown in this TV screenshot from the Royals victory on Saturday…
As of this morning, the Royals are in a strong position to make the wild card round. If the Royals maintain their current standing (or flip with Minnesota), they will qualify for a three-game wild card series. All games in the best-of-three wild card series are played in the park for the higher-seeded team, so no games would be at the K in this scenario.
But Hot Stove is greedy. Two other scenarios keep me looking at the box scores of several teams.
1. The Royals trail Cleveland in the AL Central by four games. If they catch Cleveland, they would either be (a) the #3 AL seed, hosting at the K all three games of a wild card series, or (b) the # 2 seed if they finish with a better record than Houston, in which case the Royals would get a bye in the wild card round.
2. If they don’t win the AL Central, they can still move up to the first wild card slot now held by Baltimore. If they do that, they will host a wild card series at the K.
Over the next three nights, the Royals host the Tigers, one of the teams still having an outside chance of catching the Royals.
I’ll be at Kauffman Stadium tonight with Jay DeSimone, my 8th grade classmate who skipped school with me on April 12, 1955, to see the first A’s game in KC. There will be some reminiscing.
Jay, Lonnie and the Kansas City A’s: Jay and I went to different high schools after the 8th grade and lost contact until 2009 (the year we turned 68). We started going to games together again, and we have gone almost every year since, including this year as we turn 83.
In that first A’s summer of 1955, Jay and I went to at least 15 games. We sometimes stood along the fence that ran parallel to the left field line where we could hustle autographs from the visiting team. This memory was jogged recently when I watched a vintage video clip from a 1955 A’s/Yankees game (click here). The video shows the crowd coming in from Sam’s parking lot through the left field gate and two boys walking to the fence near where the Yankees were working out.
It was on such a day I had great success getting Yankee autographs on the back of my scorecard. I still have the scorecard in my baseball archives…
At the upper left is the autograph of my boyhood idol Phil Rizzuto. Mickey Mantle’s autograph (upside down) is at the bottom of the Schlitz bottle. The others are Tom Morgan, Bill Hunter and Art Schallock.
Art Schallock? I forgot I had his autograph. Coincidentally, I received an article about Art earlier this year from Hot Stove reader David Howard. Art had received some press because he turned 100 on April 25, 2024. He is the oldest living MLB player.
Art pitched for the Yankees from 1951 to 1955 with parts of 1952 and 1953 being with their minor league affiliate, the Kansas City Blues. He is also a trivia answer in Mickey Mantle history. When Art was traded by the Dodgers to the Yankees in July of 1951, the Yankees needed to drop someone from the roster to make room for Schallock. They decided to demote the struggling rookie Mantle to the Kanas City Blues. Mantle came back after 40 games in KC, and he and Art often kidded each other about the roster move.
Below, Art with Phil Rizzuto, Joe DiMaggio and Casey Stengel. I’m guessing this is from 1951, DiMaggio’s last year as a player.
I must have acquired those Mantle/Schallock autographs early in the 1955 season. On May 11, Art was placed on waivers by the Yankees and picked up by Baltimore where he finished the season. He was in the minors in 1956 and then retired.
Sam Zeff and the Kansas City A’s: Hot Stove reader Terry Matlack recently connected me with Sam Zeff. I knew the name and voice because Sam is a long-time broadcaster on KCUR, our local NPR station.
Sam is on a mission to tell the story of the 13 years the A’s were in Kansas City (1955-1967). Although he did not know it at the time, Sam has been working on this story since he was a toddler. He was born in 1956, the year after the A’s arrived in KC. Sam’s dad, a downtown businessman (Zeff Distributing Company), had season tickets, and the boy was soon going to games and had his own uniform.
Sam and his collaborators have been working for many years to prepare a documentary film on the A’s years in Kansas City. This includes interviewing former players, front office personnel, civic leaders and fans; extensive research; and assembling a treasure trove of vintage photos and video footage.
In 2018, Sam used some of the audio and research to produce a series of ten podcasts. I have listened to several, and they are excellent. Click here for the trailer (3:34) and here for the podcasts. To give a flavor, here is an excerpt from the first episode:
“On the surface, it all looked so good; a big-league team was in town for the first time, an updated Municipal Stadium, fans streaming into the ballpark. But if you peeked underneath, it was all built on sleazy backroom business deals and one-sided trades orchestrated by the hated New York Yankees and their hand-picked A’s owner. It was one of the greatest conspiracies in sports history. One that would lead to turmoil in Kansas City, a congressional hearing and, eventually, one of the craziest owners in all of professional sports.”
The next step in Sam’s project…
Kansas City A’s – The Movie: The film is mostly shot, but funding is needed to finish the project. I asked Sam for a status report to pass along to Hot Stove readers. Here it is:
“Next year marks 70 years since the A’s moved to Kansas City from Philadelphia changing the city and Major League Baseball forever. And with the A’s soon on their way to Las Vegas (with a stopover in Sacramento), the nomadic nature of the franchise will spark nationwide interest. This makes a documentary on the A’s 13 seasons a hot topic.
The film is being produced by Linda Haskins and Sam Zeff. But money is needed to help the team finish the movie (writing and editing). The fundraising partner for the project is KTWU, the PBS station in Topeka, so all donations are tax deductible.
Dozens of players and others associated with the Kansas City A’s have been interviewed. Every year, we lose a couple of these folks, and it would be terrible if this film is not completed. Please contact Sam Zeff at [email protected] to coordinate your donation. Many thanks.”
For a sneak peek at what the producers have assembled, click here for a six-minute preview (includes clips of interviews with Gus Zernial, Joe DeMaestri, Lew Krausse, Chuck Dobson, Buck O’Neill, Bill Grigsby, Jim Chappell, etc.).
As I watched this preview, some moments were personal to me. For example, there are mentions of the 29-5 loss to the White Sox in 1955, one of most lopsided losses in baseball history. I was there on that Saturday afternoon with my dad who was attending his first A’s game. Dad had seen enough. He never returned.
Another clip shows a boy at the box office buying a ticket for $1.25.
Déjà vu. My opening day ticket stub for the cheap seats high in the upper deck…
One of the big-name players I saw that opening day was slugger Gus Zernial of the A’s. He is one of the main interview subjects for the movie project. Gus died at age 87 in 2011. Thank goodness Sam and his friends have captured these memories.
This history should be preserved. That’s why I’m donating.
Stadium Bucket List – Seattle (#28): When this season started, Rita and I had been to 25 of the 30 MLB stadiums. We added the Rangers and Astros in June to take us to 27. Three weeks ago, we took in a game at T-Mobile Stadium in Seattle – #28. Below, one of our “ticket stubs” (a/k/a mobile ticket screenshot). I prefer my stub from 1955.
We met up with David Matson at “The Mitt,” an abstract bronze sculpture that is a common meeting place for fans outside the stadium. David now lives in Portland and drove up to Seattle to join us for the game.
There are two statues at the stadium – Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey, Jr. Below, Rita and Lonnie with Junior.
T-Mobile Stadium has a sliding roof, but when used, does not fully enclose the stadium. The roof is not designed to protect against hot or cold weather, but instead is like an umbrella for the rain. We had blue skies and an open roof.
Rita and I have two stadiums to go – Miami and Tampa Bay. We have already booked our tickets to see those stadiums in April of 2025.
National Parks Tour: From Seattle, Rita and I flew to Billings, Montana, to begin a group bus tour to see Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.
At Yellowstone, we stayed at Old Faithful Inn and were rewarded with several views of the famed geyser. A couple of bison joined us for one viewing.
At Glacier, we toured the winding mountain roads in the famed “Red Jammers” that have been a feature at Glacier since 1936. The drivers/guides do a wonderful job telling the history and showing the majesty of the park. That’s Rita and Lonnie with the Chiefs caps.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to the visionary leaders who created the National Park System.
Our trip included a two-night stay in Whitefish, Montana, the gateway town to Glacier National Park. My long-time law partner David Welte and his wife Wendy are now residents of Phoenix, but they wisely escape the summer Arizona heat with stays in Whitefish. Below, the four of us in a Whitefish sports bar watching the Chiefs play their first regular season game on Thursday Night Football.
Most of you remember the exciting finish. The Ravens appeared to score on a touchdown pass on the last play of the game, creating an opportunity to win with a 2-point conversion. But there was no touchdown. Receiver Isaiah Likely’s toe was slightly out of the end zone.
Rita, channeling Brewer and Shipley, described the play as “One toe over the line, sweet Jesus.” Or, as set to music, the 1971 hit “One Toke Over the Line.”
Speaking of football, Rita and I will be at Unity Temple on Friday night to see Joe Posnanski celebrate the launch of his new book Why We Love Football (a follow-up to last year’s best-seller Why We Love Baseball). Joe will be in conversation with Washington Post columnist David Von Drehle and Chiefs play-by-play voice Mitch Holthus. Click here for tickets to this Rainy Day Books event.
Lonnie’s Jukebox – Kansas City A’s Edition: In the 13 seasons the A’s were in Kansas City, the team never had a winning season. But they still get a playlist in Lonnie’s Jukebox. One selection for each season.
“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and the Comets (1955). Chicago businessman Arnold Johnson bought the Philadelphia A’s and moved them to Kansas City.
“Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley (1956).
“Party Doll” by Buddy Knox (1957). For Diana and Shirley, two lifelong friends who were in the 8th grade with Jay and me at Northeast Jr.
“Rebel Rouser” by Duane Eddy and the Rebels (1958). Duane Eddy, playing his twangy guitar, had several instrumental hits during my high school years (“Peter Gunn,” “Because They’re Young,” etc.). He died in April of this year at the age of 86.
“Kansas City” by Wilbert Harrison (1959). In one of the many questionable trades with the Yankees in the Arnold Johnson era, Roger Maris was traded away by the A’s after the 1959 season.
“The Twist” by Chubby Checker (1960). Fun video clips, including scenes from Pulp Fiction and Ferris Buehler’s Day Off. Also in 1960, Roger Maris was the MVP in the American League.
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by the Shirelles (1961). Roger Maris was again MVP and hit 61 homers to break Babe Ruth’s record. This was also Charlie Finley’s first season as owner of the A’s. The question posed by this song was asked of Finley year after year by Kansas City fans. He gave his final answer in 1967.
“The Loco-Motion” by Little Eva (1962).
“Surfin’ U.S.A.” by the Beach Boys (1963).
“I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles (1964). Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of when Charlie Finley brought the Beatles to Municipal Stadium. Rita was a 14-year-old freshman at St. Teresa’s Academy and attended the concert with her friend Anne Devaney. Still has her ticket stub. I found out decades later that my old pal Jay DeSimone was also there.
“Downtown” by Petula Clark (1965). I’m still hoping for a downtown stadium in Kansas City.
“California Dreamin’” by the Mamas & the Papas (1966). Charlie Finley’s state of mind in 1966.
“Kind of a Drag” by the Buckinghams (1967). The A’s last season in KC. I attended the last two games (a doubleheader on September 27) with my law school classmate Walter Simpson. Still have that ticket stub too.
Goodbye A’s (1967). Hello Royals (1969).
Walk-off photo: Taken by Rita at Glacier National Park.
