Joe Schulman is the author of a new column in the Kansas City Star about becoming a fan of a new baseball team. He has written for ChopTalk, the Atlanta Braves' magazine. Joe is a freelance writer in Atlanta, and he and his wife, Cady, are avid Braves fans.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Finally!Sorry it's been so long. Now that the season is right around the corner, I'll be posting every other day. Tomorrow is of course the Super Bowl, and I was looking at the way the Indianapolis Colts have built their team over the years compared to how my Atlanta Falcons have managed to waste draft picks and free agents.
As the Colts solidified their offense, the Falcons continued to go for quick fixes that never panned out. Each year the Colts have been in the thick of things while Atlanta has fought to finish at .500. The difference has been the management's perspective of the team's needs. The Colts saw their team as needing simple patches that could take a year or two to mature into starters, while Atlanta grabbed every wide receiver available and hoped they could catch a pass. They couldn't.
The Royals have been very active this offseason, but that doesn't always mean the team will be better. Remember when the Mets signed Mo Vaughn? Or look at Toronto last year and the numerous free agents and moves made by the team. They still fell short of the Yankees and barely finished ahead of the Red Sox. They spent loads of money and watched the playoffs from home. Again.
I've been looking over the KC moves quite a bit the last few days. Now that the knee-jerk reaction is gone, it's clear that these moves are going to make the team better not just in the short run, but in the long haul as well.
A lot of this has been said before here, but my point is this: go back and look at the two teams in the finals of every sport, including baseball. Almost all of them built their teams over a period of years to get them to the championship. There were no quick fixes or overnight changes.
What Dayton Moore has done has set this team up to be like the Detroit Tigers or the St. Louis Cardinals. I think it's safe to say we won't see another rebuilding year in Kansas City. From here on out, there will only be Building years.
In a sort of ironic twist, the Royals are heading up for the first time in years while the Atlanta Braves are heading down. For the Braves, this year is not a building year, but a rebuilding one. Instead of trying to move forward like the KC, the team is trying to just stay in the mix while cutting payroll and promoting minor leaguers.
That's the difference between this year and the last several for the Royals and why there is so much hope for the team. They're not only making moves, but the ones being made are setting the team and the fans up for several years of competitive baseball.
My question now to you: This can be for the Royals or another team, but what is the worst signing ever for a team you follow? Also, what signing were you completely wrong about? I'll fess up in my column Monday.