Big Red in Royal blue! Look at Andy Reid strutting out to the mound and spreading love in Kansas City. The beloved Chiefs head coach made his way onto the field for the Royals’ MLB Opening day duel with the Minnesota Twins, and got to toss out the ceremonial first pitch to franchise legend George Brett.
Looks to me like Reid threw it right down the middle. Hard to see from the angle shown on TV, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was a strike.
Who am I to doubt Big Red’s throwing abilities in the first place? You ever see how much of an absolute unit Reid was back in the day during that punt, pass and kick competition? No wonder he had such a smooth delivery on the bump on Thursday.
Despite the Chiefs just trading away star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, with Reid at the helm of the offense, a three-peat is still very much within realistic range. Good thing Kansas City sports fans have their hats to hang on Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, because the Royals haven’t delivered much joy of late. Ever since their World Series triumph in 2015, they’ve had exactly zero trips to the playoffs, zero winning seasons, and are coming off a 106-loss 2023 campaign.
Forgive me for not being up to speed on KC’s free-agent acquisitions over the winter or their farm system, but something tells me the Royals have a long way to go before they’re considered a real threat in the American League again.
At least for a fleeting moment on Opening Day, all fan bases around MLB can feel a little bit of optimism. Who knows, maybe the Royals get off to a hot start, inspired by Reid and the example the Chiefs have set as the golden sports standard in Kansas City. Not holding my breath on that one, though.
Can’t say I feel bad giving the Royals a bit of grief. Their fans probably don’t care. They have Reid, Mahomes, Kelce and a kick-ass front office who drafts circles around most other organizations every single year. Kansas City can take a joke or some prodding at the Royals’ expense.
Isn’t MLB Opening Day usually in April, though? Why they decided to begin the season in earnest — post-Seoul Series/Shohei Ohtani scandal — on the same day as the men’s NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen is beyond my comprehension of sports business acumen.
