08.22.08 Tigers @ Royals Kauffman Stadium review

Barn burner here in Kansas City tonight - Verlander @ Bannister.  Royals are eliminated from the playoffs, and the Tigers are damn near elimination.  Even so, an old roommate and I went to the game tonight.  Here's a review of the game, stadium, and everything else.

We arrived at the ballpark about an hour before first pitch and promptly bought tickets from a scalper.  The tickets weren't bad, and excellent seats at Kauffman can be had for every game.  My buddy Sam - fellow Badger alum - and I cracked a few brews and walked around the park for a bit to check out some of the construction going on.  Sam and I:

Arrowhead and Kauffman share the same sporting complex, Truman Sports Complex, which is pretty damn cool.  Same parking, room for lots of tailgating before Chiefs' games, etc.  At one point about two years ago, the notion of creating a "rolling roof" was brought up, which essentially meant a roof that would travel between the two stadiums.  Here's a picture of the two parks, just to give an idea of the distance the roof would have to travel (only brought the iPhone for pix today):

No free give-aways tonight, but I think the Royals marketing does a great job of self-promotion through jerseys (like the free Billy Butler jersey I wore tonight and got a few months ago), hats, umbrellas, and other give-aways that entice families and fans of all ages to come out to the ballpark.  Personally, I like the 10 or 20,000 give-aways more than the "100 random winners" idea.  One more picture outside the ballpark, a statue of George Brett.  One of my favorite players.

Kauffman is 35+ years old, and looks like nothing but concrete from the outside.  Once you get in, however, I think it's beauty really shines through.  It is going through a $200+ million renovation over the past year, and should be completed sometime before or during next year's season, according to a few ushers I chatted with.  The biggest addition is the new Crown Vision scoreboard, which is 84x105 feet, shaped like the Royals' crown, and will be capped off with the gold this off season.  I'm not too sure how I feel about it - it's fantastic to watch, full of stats, replays, and looks crystal-clear, but surely won't be favored by traditionalists.  Game ushers also informed me that a concourse will wrap around the outfield and the fountains, making it possible to walk the entire park, include a left field Hall of Fame museum of sorts, and right field will have a bar/restaurant.  Finally, I was told that a near-future all-star game will be here in Kansas City.  Here's a glance at the Crown Vision:

Onto the game.  Verlander @ Bannister is about the best one can ask for in this series.  A few notes on the Tigers first:

--Sheffield looks damn near worthless these days.  Is there anyone besides Andruw Jones that's being paid more for less? 

--Cabrera hit two solo shots, one of which *should* have hit the white Dodge in left field, but was protected by a silly net.  I don't like cars in outfield, and I even more don't like that a good moon shot can't break their windows.  Tsk, tsk. 

--Detroit had six hits, three of which were doubles, and two that were homers.  Verlander threw well - 6.2 innings, 6 K, 3 BB, and 8 hits - but the ineptitude of the Royals offense never put them close with Justin on the mound.  And as for Justin, he just doesn't look the same as he did a year or two ago.  He won 17 and 16 games the last two years, with 3.6 ERAs, and this year he has nearly half the victories with an ERA a full run higher.  I saw the gun hit 92 only a few times. 

And a few notes on the Royals:

--This team has three players that must succeed to see a resurgance in Royals baseball: Teahen, Butler, and Gordon.  If these three young guys can get things going, mesh, and start to hit the damn ball, combined with their core pitching staff, they can go places.  But Gordon will be compared to Longoria and Zimmerman, Butler has been punished by being slapped back to the minors, and Teahen hasn't performed.

--Jose Guillen is not a good fit for this team, and he's damn too selfish. He said a few weeks ago he likes to play on the road more than at home.  WTF?!

--Bannister was hit hard; most hits were solid, hard line drives.  8 IP, 4 ER, 2 K, 3 BB. 

--I thought two plays defined this Royals team tonight.  First, in the 6th, with men on 1st and 2nd and one out, down 0-4, Guillen was held up at third when he could have easily scored on a roller to center.  Instead, with the bases loaded, John Buck struck out looking (looking as if he didn't want to be there), and then Joey Gathright did his best Juan Pierre impersonation by weakly grounding out to end any scoring opportunity  Second, the 9th was quite exciting, and most of the 18,000+ fans (!) stayed around to watch David DeJesus half-assed jog home, down by one, on a wild pitch.  DeJesus had no sort of lead at third, and with Fernando Rodney (listed @ 5'8, 220...maybe a bit shorter and a bit wider) throwing one in the dirt and to the backstop, DeJesus should have had an easy chance to tie this game.  Instead, DeJesus had about 75 feet to go, and Rodney simply wanted it more.  It's stuff like this that would make me act like this guy if I was the manager.

Picture of the park, from third base concourse:

Sam and I after the game:

And finally, Friday is family fun night, with fireworks win or lose.  All the ballpark lights go off, and the fountain lights are turned up.  Lots of families stuck around for this. 

I'd recommend a visit to Kauffman next time you're in the area.  It is an affordable venue for a family, the stadium is going through a revival of sorts, and the team has a handful of young players that show promise. 

Dan

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