A while back the ownership of the Kansas City Royals announced that they were scouting out locations for a new downtown stadium. Of course this crushed me when I thought of all the great memories I've had at Kauffman Stadium. Not to mention that the stadium is still in great shape and one of the most beautiful in all of baseball.
After awhile you come to terms with the inevitably of it all. And, I really like the downtown area and if a baseball stadium can continue to help in its revitalization then it can't be all bad to move.
But then you hear news like yesterday, that the Royals are considering sites north of the river, in Clay County. And then you realize it's all BS. And all the talk about the need for a new stadium is BS. And it's always been BS. And you always knew it was BS because you're not an idiot but you compartmentalize because it's the Royals. It's your childhood. It's Fred White and Denny Matthews calling games over your little transistor radio while your parents thought you were asleep in the summer nights. Or Gaylord Perry handing you a baseball before a game during his last season in baseball. Or George Brett, Jim Sundberg and Bud Black autographing a 1985 World Series Ball for you.
First things first, there's nothing wrong with Kauffman Stadium. It was completely renovated and refurbished just over a decade ago. This song and dance about how concrete stadiums don't age well is nonsense...just propaganda. There is nothing structurally unsound about The K. Any issue that does pop up could be fixed at a fraction of the cost of building brand new. This isn't Oakland. This stadium has been kept up very nicely.
Second, this is not about revitalizing downtown. If it was, then Clay County and the industrial wastelands of North Kansas City would be out of the picture. So don't act concerned with bringing about a renaissance in downtown. Royals ownership isn't doing this out of the goodness of their civic-minded hearts.
This, of course, as everything always is, is about money. They, the ownership, want a stadium surrounded by an entertainment district that can bring in revenue all year long. They want restaurants, theaters, condos, apartments, shops and anything else that can bring John Sherman and his investors more money throughout the year. I bet they also invest heavily in parking garages.
Cash. Trust me I understand that's what investors do. Sherman wants to maximize revenue. And sure, if that helped inject money in payroll for the team...get moving. I'm in.
But, the taxpayer always foots the bill no matter what their fancy power points promise. They've had the KC Star whipping up support for a downtown stadium for years. Don't believe the hype. It's all propaganda.
There is no reason to move the Royals from Kauffman. But I've pretty much been resigned to it for awhile now. I will miss the memories of all the games I saw with my parents there. The memories of going with friends over the years are to cherish forever. I will always remember Game Five of the '85 Playoffs with Danny Jackson pitching a complete game shutout against the Blue Jays. I'll remember taking my six year old son to Game Two of the 2015 world series and watching Johnny Cueto pitch a complete game shut out against DeGrom and the Mets. Youth nights, Boy Scout nights...tons of great memories.
And if they moved downtown I could probably get on board eventually. Downtown KC is a much more hopping place today than when I was a kid. I would love to see its renaissance continue.
But if they move to North Kansas City across the river out of city limits? I might be done with the Royals for good. I will cherish the memories but I won't support such a blatant cash grab. It's hard enough to justify spending so much time, energy and money watching and supporting a game played by millionaires and owned by billionaires. That might be the kick that finally gets me out of my baseball habit for good.
