Why I Love…the Royals

Today we kick off our fall feature at Draft Day Suit — a project called “Why I Love”. It will feature some of our favorite bloggers — our fabulous DDS writing team plus some wonderful guest posters  — talking about the sports, athletes, teams, and even venues that they love. TJ takes us away.

I have a dirty secret. A secret so vile, most people would look down on me if I were to shout it aloud. For the better part of thirty years, I have only shared this secret with a few, like-minded friends and family members. People who would ultimately love me no matter what. And now that I have children, it was time for me to at least share this dark secret with my oldest son. I mean, he turns five this January, so it was time for him to know the truth. I could no longer hide it from him. He was getting old enough to ask questions. I’ve known since the day he was born that this day would come.

So, a few months ago, I sat him down and told him I had something to tell him. I told him that in order for him to fully understand, he would have to see it with his own two eyes. For me to just tell him this deep dark secret, would be an injustice. He had to feel and experience it for himself.

I picked him up from school early the next day and quickly ushered him into the car. I loaded up a bag of necessities that I kept up with me in the front seat. I kept it out of sight, careful that he wouldn’t peek inside. I put the car in drive and drove off as fast as I could. We zigzagged in and out of traffic and eventually made our way to the highway. My excitement was extreme. My nervousness was palpable.

The drive seemed like it took forever. But in all actuality, it was only about 25 minutes total. As I pulled up to the gate, I was ordered by what appeared to be an attendant to stop. He came to the window and asked me for my pass. I knew the routine. I had been here a million times before, so I was fully prepared. I reached into the glovebox and retrieved a shimmery, golden rectangular piece of cardboard. I quickly handed it to the attendant and he pointed in the general direction we were to park. By this time, my son knew something was up. He had never been here before. This whole experience was totally and utterly foreign to him. As we pulled up the long drive, I ordered him to cover his eyes. He couldn’t know the truth just quite yet.

I made my way to our designated parking space and put the car into park. My son’s eyes were still covered by the whites of his small palms. I grabbed the bag of necessities I packed beforehand and jumped out to get him out of his booster seat. With his eyes still closed, I ordered him to march ten steps forward and stop. As I rummaged through the bag to find a few things I had bought for him to make this secret easier on him, I heard a scream of excitement unmatched by anything in this world. “Dad!”, he yelled at the top of his lungs. Before I even had a chance to explain myself, the secret was out. It was out in plain sight. No longer hidden by years of shame.

“That’s right, son. Your father is a huge Royals fan.”

“And I can be one too, huh??”, he quipped right back.

“Of course you can, buddy. Of course you can!”

As I handed him his very first baseball glove and ticket, a sense of relief filled my body. I no longer had to hide anymore. I had an ally like no other.

We spent the rest of the night roaming Kauffman Stadium, eating absurdly large hotdogs, and drinking super sugary soda drinks. Thirty years of enduring bad baseball and heartache had now turned into something much more than pride. I felt honored to bring my son to the place I had been to so many times over the years. The very same place I watched Bo Jackson hit the baseball out of the park. The exact same place I used to watch George Brett play third base. So many years of memories came down to just a few hours with my son by my side.

So many people question my secret once they had pried it out of me . “Why do you love the Royals?” they would snark with such hatred and sarcasm. But not this time. It was just me and my son. Two of the biggest and best fans a team could ever ask for. And for giving me memories like this, I cannot thank the Royals enough. Because deep down, it’s the memories that you cherish the most. And for this reason alone, I totally love the Royals.

TJ dreams of a A.L. Central title for the Royals in 2011. What? A man can dream, right?!