Twitter Tuesday

Twitter Tuesday: 1/14-1/21

Twitter Tuesday is a new weekly feature to Pine Tar Press, in which I’ll review all things #Royals through the eyes of Twitter.  Snark and sarcasm are welcomed and valued just as much as baseball insight.  Keep them clean, and keep them coming. 

USA! USA! USA!

January 17th- Royals relief pitcher, Tim Collins, was named to team USA’s World Baseball Classic roster.  He joins eight other Royals organization players competing in the WBC.

Salvador Perez, Venezuela

Kelvin Herrera, Dominican Republic

Bruce Chen, China

Luis Mendoza, Mexico

Miguel Tejada, Dominican Republic

JC Sulbaran, Netherlands

Paulo Orlando, Brazil

That’s weird, because Phil Coke would have firmly been on the list of pitchers worse than Tim Collins.

I’m glad Salvador Perez made the Venezuela squad, but I’m not exactly looking forward to seeing him catch for them.  I’m hoping he does nothing more than DH.  Save the knees for the Royals.

The Hochevar Experiment

January 18th- The Royals and Luke Hochevar avoided salary arbitration by settling on a one year, $4.56 million deal.  The deal was met with a great deal of fan enthusiasm, and by that I mean they really, really hated it.

In other words, there should not have been anyone surprised by the Royals awarding that kind of contract to Luke Hochevar.  I’ll listen to arguments on whether or not they should have tendered him in the first place, but once that was done, this transaction was a foregone conclusion.

Like I said, snark and sarcasm are a good way to make the cut here.  That being said, it is a one year deal, so really not that big of a deal.  We’ve all seen Hochevar pitch well, just not consistently well.  A one year deal like this is an acceptable gamble to see how he’ll do now that he’s pitching out of the back of the rotation, and has little pressure on him to produce.

Highway Heroes

January 18th- The Royals Caravan began its trek across the Great Plains.  Players and fans alike seemed to enjoy the experience.

This is very cool.  It has to warm the heart to see a kid getting to meet his favorite baseball player.  Studying this photo leaves me wondering if Billy’s expression is suggesting, “Did he just call me Milly?” or “Can’t tell if that guy’s moustache is real.”

You have to love the fact these guys were watching this.  It really is the perfect story for them to see.  If you didn’t know, the 1985 Royals were nowhere near the most talented team in baseball.  They flourished due to very good starting pitching, good defense and exemplary team chemistry (Ok, and George Brett).  If you’ve been listening or paying attention to Dayton Moore has stated that these are the traits he’s trying to construct this 2013 Royals roster around.

Zombies?  Nope, those are a trio of left-handed pitchers for the Kansas City Royals (Bruce Chen, Will Smith and Danny Duffy).  This photo confirms that left-handed pitchers are amongst the oddest creatures on Earth.

Walk the Line

January 19th- Royals Fanfest was held at the Overland Park Convention Center this weekend.  By all accounts it was a very good turnout by the Royals faithful.  So much so that Twitter was filled to the brim with complaints about extremely long lines.  If you think about it, this is a good thing.

Have you not watched Royals baseball for the last 20+ years?  If not, I can assure you there have been more unorganized wastes of time than Royals Fanfest 2013.

Yes, the indiscernible lines and long waits were a common theme/complaint regarding Royals Fanfest.  That tells me there was a very good fan turnout.  This is a good thing.  You wouldn’t have to look back very far to find a time when water-boarding would have been preferred over Royals Fanfest, much less golf.

Ah, the triple-threat slam.  Bash Royals Fanfest? Check.  Bash the Royals blockbuster trade?  Check.  Bash the laughable 2012 Royals slogan?  Check.  Well played.  I’ll offer that Royals Fanfest was likely chaotic because of the trade that was made.  Without it, we’re looking at basically the same product as last year.

Well, maybe she still had the Golden Globes on the brain.  All kidding aside, I’m glad the Royals are making a big deal of Alex Gordon’s Gold Glove award.  It is just my opinion, but I think this is the year you really see Gordon and Butler become the face of the franchise.

Until next week, Tweeps.  Go Royals!