I can’t quite tell from the map, but my son’s friends at MU/Columbia say that KC Royals apparel disappears around Booneville heading east to Cardinal country. NO, Royals’ fans aren’t stripping, they just will never carry half the state as the Gas House Gang, Schoendienst, Musial, Gibson, etal are just so darn legendary as players on that TEAM. However, REMEMBER GEORGE BRETT!!!
I remember you sayin you were at the Cards/Royals game where I got the Golden Gibson. Wish I could clone it for ALL good fans. I think we may be close in age and my theory is the gazillions of $$$$$$ out there now are because we (and ,course, our parents,too) became addicted to Maris, Boyer, Marichal, Killebrew, etcetcetc and we made it exponential thru our kids. I’ve tried and tried; watched all the classic bb flicks, read the bios (Bouton’s Ball4 was a GAS), sucked in as many games as I can, here, there, everywhere, and I STILL don’t know why the addiction. Made my 3rd trip there to the fabulous new Busch (hope you can get to our new K soon if you haven’t) and I can feel the Big Magnet as that magic day approaches. Remember when they played 2 All Star Games?
Grienke’s having a bad nite, but I hope he still gets the start. He got more PLAYER votes than anyone and it’d be greta to see him face Al in the bottom of the first. Yabadayabadayabada. Klaw, did you have any choice?, I mean if you grew up in STL the draw is irresistable I bet. May you have horsehide in heaven!!!!
Hey, The Patriot, I got a thing for the Bosox, too, since I met Yaz when I was 16 and worked on George Toma’s ground crew here in KC. His TRIPLE CROWN year and every time in town he would walk the fenceline pockets bulging with bubblegum and hand em out to adoring kids. The nicest player I ever saw and what a Bosox ambassador. #8. WOW!!
Kelly, Are you kin to Tom Kelly? Glad to hear about your new stadium next year– same design firm as our K. Below your Iowa line are many Royals fans We were following the Royals last year and had a total smashup just north of Redwing. Never made it to HHHdome, but did see Regions Hospital in St. Paul; from the AIR (life flight).
Jonco, I guess (or hope) this verbosity is no prob on the back page. I ALWAYS dig the baseball posts and just look what the “little black duck”, his own words, Klaw has done to me. Have fun in that great, hot, fascinating, historic little town this week and next. These are the times we wait for. THANKS
I dig the home team as much as everyone else (Kansas side of KC), but I love an episode of the Simpson’s where the family was in a decaying shopping mall where a discount book seller had a dusty copy of a book entitled “The 1985 Kansas City Royals: Forever Champions!”
Hey Greg!, Wowee. I did not know that. Watchin’ tonite? Gonna search for that episode. It oughta be hard to keep lovin’ these guys, our Royal’s but’ in our minds, FOREVER CHAMPIONS. with special thanks to St. DonD.
ThePatriot – I am a Braves fan, but I do enjoy the Bosox since they are able to beat up on the damn Yankees. I think that the Dodgers and Cubs would probably have larger areas and the Ranger, Nationals, Reds and Cards smaller areas. That little tiny space for the Mets is just about spot on.
Oh, and since we are name dropping, I got to meet Ted Williams when he was managing the Washington Senators. Not a warm and fuzzy guy, but still impressive.
JohnC – It was a long, long time ago, but I think Frank Howard was on Ted’s team in 1968-69. I think Killebrew was gone about 5 years before Howard and 9 years before Williams.
JohnC, YOU ARE INDEED A TRUE FAN. You mentioned Red Schoendienst earlier, my uncle was a chiropractor and saw him on a regular basis. He was the one who figured out Red had T.B. and told him to go to the hospital. As a kid I met him several times, perhaps he is the reason for my love of baseball. My daughter has seen the new K, she says it is awesome.
Living in Ohio and originally from WV, I can tell you the Reds/Indians/Pirates border is not right on this map. The Reds “territory” definitely extends further through West Virginia – especially in Charleston and south towards Virginia. Interestingly, in Virginia, there are pockets of Orioles fans because of the Bluefield Orioles affiliation in the late 70s and 80s (back when Cal Ripken played in the coal fields). Also, as you go over into that part of WV, the Braves definitely come further up. Now, back into Ohio…the Detroit Tigers definitely move deeper into Ohio…certainly including Toledo, Lima and Findlay. Finally, is anyone with me in thinking that the 426 Marlins fans certainly couldn’t extend that far north in Florida? Go Reds (I’ll bet your team can’t get beat 22-1 – LOL!)
I must be tired…this should read “Interestingly, in southern West Virginia (Bluefield, Beckley, Princeton), there are pockets of Orioles fans because of the Bluefield Orioles affiliation in the late 70s and 80s (back when Cal Ripken played in the coal fields).
The map needs to be altered. Big pieces of Oklahoma are StL country. Tulsa to OKC to Lawton and east to Little Egypt. Granted the Rangers have made some headway but I can still get a couple of StL stations in Duncan.
JohnC, I just read your comment about St.DonD. If you want, get my e-mail address from Jonco, the next time you are in STL I would love to treat you to a game. (THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ALL STAR GAME) LOL…..I am still laughing about St.DodD.
LOL,LOL,LOL Man, I LOVE baseball. Cards fans are the next-to-greatest. How else could the K be half(+) red in May and June? I taped games 6 &7 in’85, but the VHS on #6 has torn. I think I can splice it. They are my son’s favorite “movies”. He missed ’85 by 5 years (my #2 is much younger than I), and wonders “when?”. I tell him, “Soon, and for the rest of your life.”. No, wait. Wrong movie. I’ll join you at Busch, Klaw, if you’ll visit K with us! I remember your post to Jonco last week about “all the food & drink is on me”. But did you really snag tickets? I wouldn’t put my hand out if “The Klaw” was there without Kevlar gloves. I can’t imagine a better venue than Busch this year. KC will get it in 3-5 years says Buddy S. My son’s friend, born in St.Lou, has tickets to the HR Derby.
And Klaw, I can just feature us butting in on each other with stories, old AND new. Your connection thru your uncle to Red IS the stuff that binds you (to baseball, I mean). It’s what makes those guys out there REAL. I tell my boy (we always “open” the games 2 hours early) “yell at those guys, they LOVE it” They really are the dream “us”. BTW, how’s Stan the Man? when I worked at Wentzville there musta been 20 Stans that I met. Why is that? My boy was 2; he calledem “San”. Well, he is a baseball Saint. Later!!
Ah, the great SAFE anonymity of the Internet. Well , relatively safe.
Loved the political quotes yesterday.
Ya know, the Cards were always my NLers in our side-yard World Series. A’s always won in 7. Sorry. The umpiring was the BEST, tho. Seriously, I had the 1963 Strat-O-Matic game and Boyer, Groat, Javier, White, McCarver?,Flood (what a story),Stan still?, man, they had the stats and they could beat an AL “All Star” team sometimes. On the front porch! Ya couldn’t rain out a Strat-O-Matic game, even here in Missouri! Got my son one at Cooperstown. He’s in his second childhood; mine’s my fourth.
Thanks for an inside on the Splinter. Sounds like Zack Grienke is of his ilk. Unassuming, not a big fan guy. I had a card of Ted taking the eye test to become a pilot. Was one of my favorites. Do you know where I put it?
Shane,
Man, that Tigers rook, I think he’s from Mo., pitched a GEM last night. Is it the auto industry that takes Detroit into parts of Ohio? We’ve been to Great American and The Jake, on the way from KC to Cooperstown, (man, did I have FUN with the AAA atlas in 2006), and Loved both venues. NEVER forget that trip. Also found BLUEFIELD, WVA. in ’02. Stayed there overnight on the way back from Florida via Blue Ridge Parkway. Left outta there thru Cumberland and up thru beautiful Eastern, Ky.But little did we know, we were in Cal,Jr.”s footsteps. My boy wouldn’t have slept, for me talking in my sleep. From coal to iron, Cal, then, is… The Man of Steel?!? I KNEW it!. And I’m withya on the Marlins. Specially now that the Rays have arrived. We saw a game at Tropicana, hey, when in Florida, and it’s been our least favorite (inside,y’know) but the parking was great. And it DID rain. And the Royals lost late. Funny, tho, you enter behind center field, so we walk in, get our bearings and a batting practice ball rattles around right in front of us. Long shot. My wife got it, another long shot!
How’s that for Cardinal Kharma? The Cards pitcing coach began his career here in KC as a catcher for the A’s. A big fan favorite. Another in a long line of former A’s (and all teams really) catchers to (or near) the helm. And they call the equipment ” the tools of ignorance”
The boundaries must be kinda fuzzy, flexible. Anyway, look at Mr. Niketown, God bless him, he’s lost his head over the game.
I meant BLUFIELD, VA. altho we saw both sides right off that humongous freeway up from Mt. Airy, Andy Griffith’s home town and the inspiration for Mayberry.
Bluefield VA and Bluefield WV are side-by-side. Cal played there in ’78 during his Rookie League season. Who would’ve known back then that greatness was patrolling the infield of the coal fields? And yes, I know Mt. Airy well, too. Neat little town. At any rate, Columbus has Indians fever right now thanks to the new Huntington (named after the bank, not the WV city) Park in downtown. It is as close to perfect as you can get in a ballpark. Anyone who drive through or near Columbus should try to take in a game.
Shane,
Like K.C. Mo. & K.C., Kansas! We. Of course. went thru Columbus on the C-C-C trail (I-75?) from Cincy to Cleveden(my boy’s 3-year-old name; we still use it!)I got off in Columbus (’06) and got lost on the south side. I will stop next time at Huntington. Ohio, all the upper lakes region, we loved it. Outta Cle. and around to Buffalo and zoomzoom, across the NY Thruway to the Cooperstown exit. Cleveland to the Hall was a GREAT drive. We stayed in Oneonta, NY.
GO RANGERS!!!!!!
I can’t quite tell from the map, but my son’s friends at MU/Columbia say that KC Royals apparel disappears around Booneville heading east to Cardinal country. NO, Royals’ fans aren’t stripping, they just will never carry half the state as the Gas House Gang, Schoendienst, Musial, Gibson, etal are just so darn legendary as players on that TEAM. However, REMEMBER GEORGE BRETT!!!
JohnC, great comment. I agree, how could you forget Brett. I am a baseball addict.
Red Sox Nation covers more of the land! GO SOX!
could probably draw a line through Iowa and the north/northwest side would be twins territory… lots of’em make roadtrips up for games.
The Sox & Cubs ones are interesting.
I never would have known Pirates and Braves shared a border. Go Pirates!
Klaw,
I remember you sayin you were at the Cards/Royals game where I got the Golden Gibson. Wish I could clone it for ALL good fans. I think we may be close in age and my theory is the gazillions of $$$$$$ out there now are because we (and ,course, our parents,too) became addicted to Maris, Boyer, Marichal, Killebrew, etcetcetc and we made it exponential thru our kids. I’ve tried and tried; watched all the classic bb flicks, read the bios (Bouton’s Ball4 was a GAS), sucked in as many games as I can, here, there, everywhere, and I STILL don’t know why the addiction. Made my 3rd trip there to the fabulous new Busch (hope you can get to our new K soon if you haven’t) and I can feel the Big Magnet as that magic day approaches. Remember when they played 2 All Star Games?
Grienke’s having a bad nite, but I hope he still gets the start. He got more PLAYER votes than anyone and it’d be greta to see him face Al in the bottom of the first. Yabadayabadayabada. Klaw, did you have any choice?, I mean if you grew up in STL the draw is irresistable I bet. May you have horsehide in heaven!!!!
Hey, The Patriot, I got a thing for the Bosox, too, since I met Yaz when I was 16 and worked on George Toma’s ground crew here in KC. His TRIPLE CROWN year and every time in town he would walk the fenceline pockets bulging with bubblegum and hand em out to adoring kids. The nicest player I ever saw and what a Bosox ambassador. #8. WOW!!
Kelly, Are you kin to Tom Kelly? Glad to hear about your new stadium next year– same design firm as our K. Below your Iowa line are many Royals fans We were following the Royals last year and had a total smashup just north of Redwing. Never made it to HHHdome, but did see Regions Hospital in St. Paul; from the AIR (life flight).
Jonco, I guess (or hope) this verbosity is no prob on the back page. I ALWAYS dig the baseball posts and just look what the “little black duck”, his own words, Klaw has done to me. Have fun in that great, hot, fascinating, historic little town this week and next. These are the times we wait for. THANKS
I dig the home team as much as everyone else (Kansas side of KC), but I love an episode of the Simpson’s where the family was in a decaying shopping mall where a discount book seller had a dusty copy of a book entitled “The 1985 Kansas City Royals: Forever Champions!”
You should never mention the ’85 Royals when a Cardinals fan is in the room.
Hey Greg!, Wowee. I did not know that. Watchin’ tonite? Gonna search for that episode. It oughta be hard to keep lovin’ these guys, our Royal’s but’ in our minds, FOREVER CHAMPIONS. with special thanks to St. DonD.
ThePatriot – I am a Braves fan, but I do enjoy the Bosox since they are able to beat up on the damn Yankees. I think that the Dodgers and Cubs would probably have larger areas and the Ranger, Nationals, Reds and Cards smaller areas. That little tiny space for the Mets is just about spot on.
http://bitsandpieces.us/2009/01/04/reflections-on-st-louis/
Okay, if you INSIST. But just this once
Oh, and since we are name dropping, I got to meet Ted Williams when he was managing the Washington Senators. Not a warm and fuzzy guy, but still impressive.
Dang, Richard. What year? Was Killebrew or Frank Howard paying yet? Last at.400+! My big bro says he flipped off the crowd at a ’55 A’s game in KC
Richard, Ted williams was a friendly guy, he wasn’t one of the big “Fan” guys
GO SOX
…my state is cut off….GO MAINE AND RED SOX!
JohnC – It was a long, long time ago, but I think Frank Howard was on Ted’s team in 1968-69. I think Killebrew was gone about 5 years before Howard and 9 years before Williams.
JohnC, YOU ARE INDEED A TRUE FAN. You mentioned Red Schoendienst earlier, my uncle was a chiropractor and saw him on a regular basis. He was the one who figured out Red had T.B. and told him to go to the hospital. As a kid I met him several times, perhaps he is the reason for my love of baseball. My daughter has seen the new K, she says it is awesome.
Living in Ohio and originally from WV, I can tell you the Reds/Indians/Pirates border is not right on this map. The Reds “territory” definitely extends further through West Virginia – especially in Charleston and south towards Virginia. Interestingly, in Virginia, there are pockets of Orioles fans because of the Bluefield Orioles affiliation in the late 70s and 80s (back when Cal Ripken played in the coal fields). Also, as you go over into that part of WV, the Braves definitely come further up. Now, back into Ohio…the Detroit Tigers definitely move deeper into Ohio…certainly including Toledo, Lima and Findlay. Finally, is anyone with me in thinking that the 426 Marlins fans certainly couldn’t extend that far north in Florida? Go Reds (I’ll bet your team can’t get beat 22-1 – LOL!)
I must be tired…this should read “Interestingly, in southern West Virginia (Bluefield, Beckley, Princeton), there are pockets of Orioles fans because of the Bluefield Orioles affiliation in the late 70s and 80s (back when Cal Ripken played in the coal fields).
The map needs to be altered. Big pieces of Oklahoma are StL country. Tulsa to OKC to Lawton and east to Little Egypt. Granted the Rangers have made some headway but I can still get a couple of StL stations in Duncan.
JohnC, I just read your comment about St.DonD. If you want, get my e-mail address from Jonco, the next time you are in STL I would love to treat you to a game. (THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ALL STAR GAME) LOL…..I am still laughing about St.DodD.
LOL,LOL,LOL Man, I LOVE baseball. Cards fans are the next-to-greatest. How else could the K be half(+) red in May and June? I taped games 6 &7 in’85, but the VHS on #6 has torn. I think I can splice it. They are my son’s favorite “movies”. He missed ’85 by 5 years (my #2 is much younger than I), and wonders “when?”. I tell him, “Soon, and for the rest of your life.”. No, wait. Wrong movie. I’ll join you at Busch, Klaw, if you’ll visit K with us! I remember your post to Jonco last week about “all the food & drink is on me”. But did you really snag tickets? I wouldn’t put my hand out if “The Klaw” was there without Kevlar gloves. I can’t imagine a better venue than Busch this year. KC will get it in 3-5 years says Buddy S. My son’s friend, born in St.Lou, has tickets to the HR Derby.
And Klaw, I can just feature us butting in on each other with stories, old AND new. Your connection thru your uncle to Red IS the stuff that binds you (to baseball, I mean). It’s what makes those guys out there REAL. I tell my boy (we always “open” the games 2 hours early) “yell at those guys, they LOVE it” They really are the dream “us”. BTW, how’s Stan the Man? when I worked at Wentzville there musta been 20 Stans that I met. Why is that? My boy was 2; he calledem “San”. Well, he is a baseball Saint. Later!!
Hi Jonco,
Ah, the great SAFE anonymity of the Internet. Well , relatively safe.
Loved the political quotes yesterday.
Ya know, the Cards were always my NLers in our side-yard World Series. A’s always won in 7. Sorry. The umpiring was the BEST, tho. Seriously, I had the 1963 Strat-O-Matic game and Boyer, Groat, Javier, White, McCarver?,Flood (what a story),Stan still?, man, they had the stats and they could beat an AL “All Star” team sometimes. On the front porch! Ya couldn’t rain out a Strat-O-Matic game, even here in Missouri! Got my son one at Cooperstown. He’s in his second childhood; mine’s my fourth.
Bankole,
Thanks for an inside on the Splinter. Sounds like Zack Grienke is of his ilk. Unassuming, not a big fan guy. I had a card of Ted taking the eye test to become a pilot. Was one of my favorites. Do you know where I put it?
Shane,
Man, that Tigers rook, I think he’s from Mo., pitched a GEM last night. Is it the auto industry that takes Detroit into parts of Ohio? We’ve been to Great American and The Jake, on the way from KC to Cooperstown, (man, did I have FUN with the AAA atlas in 2006), and Loved both venues. NEVER forget that trip. Also found BLUEFIELD, WVA. in ’02. Stayed there overnight on the way back from Florida via Blue Ridge Parkway. Left outta there thru Cumberland and up thru beautiful Eastern, Ky.But little did we know, we were in Cal,Jr.”s footsteps. My boy wouldn’t have slept, for me talking in my sleep. From coal to iron, Cal, then, is… The Man of Steel?!? I KNEW it!. And I’m withya on the Marlins. Specially now that the Rays have arrived. We saw a game at Tropicana, hey, when in Florida, and it’s been our least favorite (inside,y’know) but the parking was great. And it DID rain. And the Royals lost late. Funny, tho, you enter behind center field, so we walk in, get our bearings and a batting practice ball rattles around right in front of us. Long shot. My wife got it, another long shot!
But I ramble, waxing Doubleday-ic
Dave, Duncan Okla.!!,
How’s that for Cardinal Kharma? The Cards pitcing coach began his career here in KC as a catcher for the A’s. A big fan favorite. Another in a long line of former A’s (and all teams really) catchers to (or near) the helm. And they call the equipment ” the tools of ignorance”
The boundaries must be kinda fuzzy, flexible. Anyway, look at Mr. Niketown, God bless him, he’s lost his head over the game.
Gotta go now. Jonco blanked out my sreen after that last submission and I can see splatters of coffee spit.
Thanks for the slate, my friend!!
Bankole,
I meant BLUFIELD, VA. altho we saw both sides right off that humongous freeway up from Mt. Airy, Andy Griffith’s home town and the inspiration for Mayberry.
Bluefield VA and Bluefield WV are side-by-side. Cal played there in ’78 during his Rookie League season. Who would’ve known back then that greatness was patrolling the infield of the coal fields? And yes, I know Mt. Airy well, too. Neat little town. At any rate, Columbus has Indians fever right now thanks to the new Huntington (named after the bank, not the WV city) Park in downtown. It is as close to perfect as you can get in a ballpark. Anyone who drive through or near Columbus should try to take in a game.
Shane,
Like K.C. Mo. & K.C., Kansas! We. Of course. went thru Columbus on the C-C-C trail (I-75?) from Cincy to Cleveden(my boy’s 3-year-old name; we still use it!)I got off in Columbus (’06) and got lost on the south side. I will stop next time at Huntington. Ohio, all the upper lakes region, we loved it. Outta Cle. and around to Buffalo and zoomzoom, across the NY Thruway to the Cooperstown exit. Cleveland to the Hall was a GREAT drive. We stayed in Oneonta, NY.