I hesitated to post anything, because I know that a lot of you are from New York and are Mets fans. (Including my mother in law – Sorry, Karen!) My hat is off to you, because you had an incredible run at it. I know you all must be so proud of your guys.
But, I can’t contain my joy and so hope you will give me a moment here to just shout from the rooftops….
THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!
It took thirty years, and a crazy — but ultimately failed — run at the pennant last year. But last night (technically very early this morning), the Royals claimed the title of World Champions!
For non-sports fans, the excitement may seem a bit excessive and even juvenile. But baseball loyalists know that there is nothing better than the suspended reality that comes when your team does something so very big.
My middle son turned 10 on October 9th. This was the cake I made for him.
I read yesterday that many analysts predict not one player from this year’s Kansas City Royals will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Even selecting an MVP of the game was tough, though Salvador Peres was a perfect choice.
This is not a team of superstars. This is a team of TEAM PLAYERS.
There are so many lessons to be learned — in baseball and in life — from the way the Kansas City Royals played the game this year.
From Day 1 of Spring Training, Manager Ned Yost said that they expected to be back in the World Series. Can you imagine if we all approached our most important life goals that way? With the unflinching determination that we would achieve them?
Sure, there were plenty of measures of luck, gumption, and grit that were thrown in along the way for the Royals. But the fact remains that last night’s championship started seven months ago with the fundamental belief that this outcome was not only possible, but deserved.
And yet, despite this confidence, the Royals continued to be a humble, down-to-earth group. No divas allowed in the dugout. They are one of the nicest teams in baseball, supported by some of the nicest fans in baseball.
As a mom, this is crucially important to me as well. Their “keep the line moving” mentality is such a perfect metaphor for all challenges in life.
Perhaps most inspiring of all was the Royals’ never-quit attitude. The most often used adjectives to describe this team are “relentless” and “resilient.” We scored 40 runs in the eighth inning or later this post-season.
In Game 4 of the division championship series, the Royals were facing elimination against the Houston Astros. We were down by 4 runs in the 8th inning. We had a 3.2% chance of winning. We won that game 9-6.
Last night, the Royals were down 2-0 in the top of the 9th. We had barely gotten on base against Matt Harvey, who pitched an incredible game. Improbably – as always – the Royals tied it up in the top of 9th, and held the Mets scoreless in the bottom, to force extra innings.
The Royals took the crown by scoring five unanswered runs in the top of the 12th. It was their eighth come-from-behind victory in the playoffs — including all four of their wins in the World Series.
Can you imagine if we all were this relentless in pursuing our goals?
Congratulations to all of our opponents along the way – especially the Astros, the Jays, and most of all, the Mets. See you all at Spring Training!
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