The comments section is pretty damned funny

"The Natural" ROFL

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“If I’m a homer and people say I’m a homer, well too bad because I cover this team for 142 games and I get attached to our royal blue! I hope it doesn’t come across that way but I’m certainly pulling for Billy Butler to hit a Billy Bomb with some barbeque sauce on it!”
Rex Hudler, 610 AM


Does anybody like this dork?

I like him. He's entertaining to me.

Yet people here will bitch and moan if Hosmer hits at 2 instead.

Love Uncle Hud.

Who does?

Danny Duffy update:

6 IP | 1 ER | 2 K/3 BB last night.

Since his first outing in Omaha

3.34 ERA
1.25 WHIP
29 2/3 IP
27 K
12 BB

Getting closer. His numbers are pretty close now to what he was doing in his last stint at Omaha, in 2011.

Give him a few more starts and have him continue working on command, and he's probably ready for the show.

It was in a game thread a few days ago I think. Not going back to find it now.

To the bullpen you go Davies.

I have been thinking after the all star break is what they are shooting for. No sense in getting him back before that only to have his time between starts all messed up because of the break.

I would say about 90% of the posters would be all for it. Any lineup with Gordon, Hos, Billy, and Sal batting 1-4 I'd be cool with.

Who seriously complains if Hosmer hits 2? Gordon, Hosmer, Perez, Butler is an excellent top 4.

Gordon
Hosmer
Perez
Butler
Lough
Cain
Moustakas
Giavotella
Escobar

Is that not a bad lineup? LLRRLRLRR. Unless you're Ned Yost and still believe that handedness has a lot to do with hitting ability, that seems a pretty balanced lineup, no?

Edit: Today's lineup. Wade Davis on paternity leave (also Ryan LeFebvre, congrats). Donnie Joseph called up from AAA.

Gordon
Escobar
Hosmer
Butler
Perez
Cain
Tejada
Giavotella
Lough

Jesus, Ned. Give it a ****ing rest already.

Also, this little nugget of info courtesy of Twitter: In 69 PA, Eternal #2 hitter Alcides has reached base 7 times in the first inning. A .092/.106/.154 line. Choke on a thousand dicks, Ned.

If Chen has a couple of good outings before the deadline, I think he'll be gone for prospects to a team that needs a starter. That would leave an opening for either Duffy or W. Smith in the rotation. Chen won't be on the team next year no matter what else happens.

You love "billy bombs with bbq sauce on it"?


Seriously?

Kansas City Royals@Royals
#Royals announce that they have placed RHP Wade Davis on Paternity Leave and recalled LHP @Donnie_Joseph from Omaha today.

So you think they keep running out Wade Davis and his Hoch/Davies like numbers?

But Escobar has an RBI 2B and a R out of that spot in the past two games. That probably earned him another month in the 2 hole.

JFC Ned. Get with the program and realize that you shouldn't be giving the second-most at-bats to one of your 3 worst hitters.

Take the full 6 weeks Wade! :)

I'm not sure how much trade value Chen has, but sure, if you can flip him for a lottery ticket or a useful piece, do it.

If they could move Chen for SOMETHING, then flip Davis to the pen and put Smith and Duffy in the rotation, I think that's an improvement across the board.

Yeah, except now you can't give him a few more starts before moving him to the pen.

Hopefully, someone grabs hold of that job while he's gone and they are forced to move Davis back to the pen when he returns.

I love how people talk about getting Chase Utley, when the Phils have the exact same record we do.

This was in today's KC Star. This guy is the WORST baseball broadcaster ever. Even worse than Hud:

Familiar voice

Veteran broadcaster Bob Davis is returning to the Royals’ radio booth for a short tour starting with Thursday afternoon’s series finale against New York at Yankee Stadium.

Ryan Lefebvre is returning to Kansas City to be with his wife, Sarah, as she delivers the couple’s third child.

Davis will share the radio booth with Steve Stewart for Thursday’s game against the Yankees and the games Friday and Sunday against the Indians in Cleveland.

Steve Physioc will replace Lefebvre on TV play-by-play for Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Since Saturday’s game won’t be televised by Fox Sports Kansas City, Physioc will join Stewart for that game’s radio broadcast.

Davis spent 16 seasons as part of the Royals’ broadcast team, on TV and radio, from 1997 to 2012.

Bob Davis is the best. He's a little too old now, but he gets old man excited and it's wonderful. Perfect contrast to Denny Matthews.

Also, you can't seriously suggest ANY broadcaster is as bad as Rex Hudler. Hudler is the absolute worst, from his Disney tainted optimism, total lack of broadcast grade vocal control or inflection, or basic knowledge of baseball and the Royals. Hud has a kid's voice in an adult body and it drives me insane.

I didn't say that. In creating a spot in the rotation for Duffy (or Smith), I believe moving Chen is a possibility. I'm all for adding prospects to the farm system.

I have mixed feelings about Davis. He has good outings and he has bad outings.

That makes sense. And, there's also Paulino somewhere down the road.

Bob Davis is a terrible baseball broadcaster.

Still not as bad as Hudler.

Looking at history, I think we'll see it for at least 2-4 years before a deicision is finally made.

At least Hudler can tell the difference between can of corn fly balls and home runs.

Hudler is also a color guy, not the play-by-play guy. Davis's sins as a PbP guy are many:

• He doesn't give score updates frequently enough
• He can't really judge anything that's going on (balls that are hit, pitches that are thrown)
• He's a giant homer who calls players by their first name all the time

Naw. New GM will be in place before then if he continues to be Wade Hochedavies and they leave him in the rotation.

Can't make the playoffs with that guy sucking at the back of your rotation. DM is out of a job if he doesn't make the playoffs this year or next.

Found it in the 7/6 game thread -

I guess if you just look at that particular aspect of an organization, I could see how you are confused. Because you are clearly a dumbass. The Phillies are an ancient team and they need to blow up their roster and try and offload a shitload of payroll while they can still get something in the way of prospects for them.

LMAO Somehow I knew that would be who said it. Follow him in a few more of the game threads and you'll see a trend.

Bob: 'SWISH!!!!!!"

Denny: "Uh, Bob, we're playing baseball today...."

Bob: "There's a fly ball, deep to left, and.....and....Ecobar drifts back to make the catch....."

Denny: "Bob, it's 'Escobar." And the guy just popped out to short. Just kill me now...."

Hud: "Hey, Imagine Salvy in Pinstripes....."

Bob: "Three pointer from downtown!...."

Denny: "I'm outta here. Seriously. Screw all of you, I'm going home...."

Yeah, saying he represents a bunch of people here is like hootie saying he is the only one that didn't want to dump Holland.

When I found it I was a little disappointed in myself for remembering something with so little credibility.

I would listen to Bob Davis 1000 times before ever listening to Hud again. Hud just has a voice that grates like nothing else. He sounds like a kid that never properly learned to develop Rs Ls and Ws. He also tries way too hard to imitate Hawk Harrelson (who is a terrible role model for a broadcaster) and come up with his own little "Hud-isms". Awful.

I notice that a lot of Missouri fans have dispensed their two cents about Bob Davis.

With that said, I can not exactly refute any of the criticisms. :)

Hud struggles with the simplest... of words and uhm.. well and sentences... those sometiems... well they get not done right, too.

At times... be aggressive.. ya... just... ya gotta go, be aggressive.

(So ****ing painful)

Dumb. If that were the case, they'd be getting rid of all sorts of players but they aren't. They're in just as good of shape to make the playoffs as we are, probably better given the league they're in.


I'm sure they dropped 120m in payroll so they could cut deals with a small market team like KC who has the exact same record. lulz.

Sometimes I can literally hear Ryan cringing in the booth when Hud opens his mouth. This morning on 810, he was talking about how he tried to get Hud to stop talking about the goddamn Salvy in pinstripes, but Hud apparently can't take a ****ing hint from an experienced broadcaster and professional like Ryan.

Go ahead and get yourself a two out base knock Salvy!

Salvy is like the Video Machine Guy!

I was just reading through the last few pages and someone complained Billy wasn't fast enough to hit triples. Wtf?

They're also farther out of their divisional race, and just lost a key piece of their team to the disabled list again (Ryan Howard).

I despised Bob Davis as an announcer LONG before I knew he was the play-by-play guy for ku.

The guy sucks.

Billy couldn't leg out a triple if he hit it down the line at Petco and there were also two throwing errors.

Can't believe how badly Dayton over-estimated Billy, Moose, Hosmer, Alcides. I mean we talk about him whiffing on Frenchy and Getz and Hoch etc. But what about the guys he was really counting on? Total whiffs.

Another nice 0-4 from the Fat Boy

I think the bigger issue was in relying on Maloof and David to help the young hitters that are crucial to KC's success.

Hosmer again looks like the superstar in waiting we all saw in 2011. It's hard to argue with the way he's been hitting the ball, especially the past 4 weeks. He has a .900+ OPS in the past 6 weeks (since June 1)

Moustakas also has taken a big step forward. He's a .750+ OPS guy in the past 4 weeks. He's needs to expand that out over a larger sample size, but that's significant and encouraging improvement. The last time he got hot, it lasted about 3 weeks

The Royals need one of those two guys to be a star and the other to be at least an average hitter at his position. Things are moving in that direction.

Escobar and Butler have regressed. I'm confident Butler will rebound and end up with an OPS in his usual range.

Escobar is a better hitter than he's shown - he got pull happy early - but he shouldn't be hitting 2nd. He should be hitting 8th or 9th. With his D - even with the errors - they don't need him to be a star bat if they hit him in an appropriate lineup spot.

Hudler has brain damage. He burned through a big part of his cortex when he was a doper. He got busted for pot and smoking utensils at KCI. Now he's found JEEEEEEEESUS, so of course, he's sanitized and ready to be Baghdad Bob for the Royals PR machine.

Fizz is OK, but I hope they whack Hud next year. Get somebody who isn't rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

I believe he hit 2 last year. I was like :eek:


EDIT: Just checked the stats. It was only one last year. He has 4 in his MLB career.

Hudler's dope bust was ten years ago, and he wasn't playing, he was a TV guy for the Angels:

Angels' TV analyst Rex Hudler arrested for marijuana possession
September 4, 2003

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Anaheim Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler was arrested at Kansas City International Airport over the weekend for investigation of misdemeanor marijuana possession, a team spokesman said Wednesday.

Hudler, 42, was arrested Sunday and released after posting bond.

``We've been informed of the incident Sunday and at this point in time, it is a legal matter so we really don't have any further comment,'' said Tim Mead, Angels vice president of communications.

Asked if Hudler would work the television booth Friday when the Angels host Kansas City, Mead said he couldn't comment.

A call seeking comment from Kansas City police was not returned. Kansas City TV stations reported that Hudler's arraignment was set for Oct. 15.

Hudler is in his fifth season as the Angels' baseball television analyst. Hudler retired after 21 years playing for 18 professional baseball teams, including the 1994-96 seasons as an infielder and outfielder with the Angels.

Don't the Royals own the longest current playoff drought in the MLB?

Damn, it feels good to be a fan of two the shittiest Franchises in Professional Sports.......

Bob is especially calm and collected doing KU Basketball games.

Yes, I believe its the longest in all of Pro Sports right now?

Anyways, this is why I gave up my MLBtv subscription. The Royals are ok I guess, a little better overall than last year...but ultimately, still not good enough. I'll stand by my prediction of
79 or 80 wins. I just don't have it im me anymore to follow this loser franchise every single game. its too bad....the people of KC deserve better.
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Billy is a one tool player. He needs to be at 200-210lbs with more muscle to be able to really turn his one tool(average) into maybe two and a half (hitting 30HRs and not being a liability on the basepaths).

Yeah it sucks but we had a few years under current baseball rules where we would have made the playoffs, 1989 for one. I believe we had the 2nd or 3rd best record in baseball, yet didn't make the playoffs since the A's were in our division. 1994 we would have made the playoffs and done some damage with the pitching staff we had, damn strike.

He's going to lose his abilities a lot quicker then normal dudes given his body type. I wonder if he's ever hired one of those dudes that work with athletes physically during their offseason. He needs to.

If Pablo Sandoval can do it, Billy can do it. He needs to stop binge eating and chugging bbq sauce and hit the ****ing squat rack next offseason.

IMO it is not the Butler has regressed as a hitter but if you defend him correctly you make him nothing more than a .260 singles hitter which is happening this year. Play your outfielders 5-10 ft in front of the warning track so that you can keep him to a single on any ball falling in front of you. Plus you are now close enough to track that a higher percentage of ball hit to the wall or warning track become outs instead of doubles. Also put an infielder behind 2nd base as most of his ground ball that make it out of infield go thru there. The only thing I would change in defending Butler is to back up my infielders another 5-10 feet when possible.

I kinda want to Royals to move him before he hits 30 (in 2016) b/c I think a lot of one-hop line drives hit to center and right will become outfield force outs as he ages.

That's swell and all, but we have been asleep for the better part of 2 decades worth of baseball. I'm sick of this shit.

This is right on the money.

This team isn't good enough as it is now. Wake me up at the trade deadline and I'll tell you where we'll finish.

After disappointingly splitting the series with the Yanks, we've gotta make something happen with this series vs Cleveland. Really would be get to finish at or above .500 by the break.

The hatred on this board for Billy Butler continues to astound me.

He's struggling right now MOSTLY because he has expanded his strike zone quite a bit. Probably out of frustration in not seeing many pitches to hit. (And even in his "struggles", is still putting up a decent OPS and being a consistent run producer)

Expand your strike zone, you swing at worse pitches. Swing at worse pitches, and you make weaker contact.

The behind 2B shift is a good move but secondary to what's going on above, IMO.

The Royals control Butler for two more seasons at extremely reasonable prices. They would owe him $20.5 million over the next two years, or $10.25 million/year. That's a well-below market value deal for a hitter of his pedigree.

You're talking about one of the 2-3 best DHs in the game (trailing David Ortiz but right there with Victor Martinez, whose numbers are practically identical to Billy's).

He's 114th out of 145 qualifiers in slugging. As a freaking DH. Quit making excuses for the fatboy, he's sucked royally this year.

Escobar out of 2-hole, hitting 7th tonite.

Gordon 7, Hosmer 3, Butler DH, Perez 2, Moustakas 5, Lough 9, Escobar 6, Johnson 4, Dyson 8.

Sub in Giavotella for Johnson, and that's pretty much how I'd draw it up.

I don't know what's more frustrating. The years when we had offense but no starting pitching to speak of (usually lose 8-5); or now that we have pitching and no offense (losing 4-2).

At least with pitching, you feel like you have a chance. There's been so many times we've had guys on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and didn't score. That rips your heart out. But I keep thinking that eventually these guys will hit. And at least we're only single digits out of first at the AS Break. Usually we're 10-12 games out and buried in last by July. So I do count our blessings that at least we're mediocre, and not God-Awful this far in. Baby steps...

Imagine... Optimism from George Blowfish. Somebody slap me!

Of the 2, I prefer good pitching and no offense. If we're going to lose, I'd rather it happen in less than 3 hours so I can get on to other things.

Yep, me too.
And I appreciate good pitching and defense. It just makes me nuts when we can't move a runner or sac fly. But it is what it is.

Is there a reason Lough can't hit in the 2-hole?

Good pitching will win you a lot more games. Remember how stacked we were earlier this decade with Beltran, Damon, Dye, Sweeney, Randa yet we still sucked. This is our best staff since 1994 with Appier, Cone, Gubs, and Gordon.

Ned would stroke out at the thought of 3 left handers in a row. His whole obsession with the L/R thing is probably why Escobar was at the two spot period.

Kind of like no offense (1990’s Chiefs) or no defense (2002-2004 Chiefs). We’ve been tortured every way possible in this city.

That's exactly it.

EDIT: Well, that and Ned thinks you need someone who can "handle the bat" at No. 2.

I wouldn't freak if he were in the 2 hole, but tonight's lineup gets our three best the most ABs, and this is all I really care about.

Yeah, Esky is a real wizard at that bat handling thing. F that. lough makes contact and has a knack for finding he big hit. Get him up there at the 2 spot, bat Belly 3 and Hos 4.