The Kansas City Royals Carried The AL All Star Team, And Shoved It Right Up My Ass
Okay, Royals fans. You win. I lose. Kind of.
I’ve been pretty outspoken about Royals fans and their recently developed obsession with All Star Game voting. I’ve called them losers, and I’ve harped on how adamant they’ve been to see every single player on their entire 25-man roster represented during the All Star Game. It was ridiculous, and I called them out for it. Last night, A Kansas City Royals player was named as the MVP of the All Star Game. His name was Eric Hosmer, and you can bet your ass I heard ALL about it.
Here’s the thing, though, Royals fans. I had no problem with Hosmer being an All Star. He was most definitely worthy of the selection. Should he have started? No. Edwin Encarnacion is having a better season. But Hosmer is an All Star, and he proved that by hitting a home run in the bottom of the second inning off of Johnny Cueto. Should Royals catcher Salvador Perez be the player who got more All Star votes than any other player in the game? No. But he’s an All Star, and he hit a home run in the bottom of the second, too. And in addition to that, he absolutely should’ve been the lead vote getter for his position, just not the whole league.
I think Royals fans and I just have a misunderstanding with each other. I don’t hate your team. I saw plenty of tweets from fans hating on Hosmer for his “we’ve been on the big stage before” comments during the All Star Game, but I honestly loved it. If that were A-Rod or somebody like that, you’d great them with a big ol’ “Shut the fuck up.” But the Royals are a team who experts annually pick to finish last or close to it, and the last two years, they’ve been to two World Series and won the most recent one. Not only that, but they’re not a big market team, and the core of this Royals team is all homegrown. They should be proud of that.
And then when assholes like me complain about the Royals All Star Game vote totals, they basically account for all of the offensive production for the American League All Stars. Good for them. I think it’s great for baseball that some of the lesser known names in the game are the ones who shine on the biggest stage. The MLB All Star Game is the most highly rated All Star Game of any of the four major sports, so it’s always beneficial for baseball when the spotlight is shared, especially amongst some of the game’s young stars.
I think we’re growing here, Royals fans. You picked the right guys this year. Proud of you. But if you vote for Omar Infante again, or somebody of the same talent level, we’re going to have problems.