An Open Letter to Royals Owner John Sherman

Dear Mr. Sherman,

When you bought the Kansas City Royals in November of 2019 hope sprang eternal for Royals fans that things would be different. That it wouldn't take 28 years between playoff appearances. And what wouldn't seem like it would take most of those years for the rebuilding process to yield an exciting team.

Last season my buddy Mike bought a season ticket package and I was one of his lucky friends he asked to go to some of the games. I was there on opening day when baseball and the Royals welcomed fans back to baseball. That was the high point of the season for me, I don't think I saw a Royals victory after that. Although I did enjoy the free burgers, chips, and beer on the Pepsi Party Porch while your season ticket staff tried to convince Mike to re-up his ticket package for another year.

This off-season was rocky and frustrating for us fans. There was the lockout that pitted players against owners, who all make more money than most of us do. That wasn't lost on us, especially when a night at the old ballpark is anything but affordable these days by the time you park, grab a dog or two, along with a beer, and buy the ticket. I know it was about more than that on both sides, but it's hard to feel sorry for anyone who owns a baseball team or makes a very good living playing a game.

The product on the field? Most of the free-agent action was rather yawn-inducing. We did get excited about Zack Greinke's return. And the prospect of Bobby Whitt, Jr playing this season. And Salvy's always fun to watch. Those stars got some of us excited for a while. Mike and I even spent some time talking about what games we'd go to.

Then Mike went to a couple of games. And I watched some of the games on TV. My goodness man. The team stinks. Meanwhile, most of the conversation over the past couple of years has been less about what's going on in the diamond, and more about where that diamond will be located and who'll pay the freight for it.

Stop making noise about a new stadium that a lot of us don't want, and at this point don't think the team needs. Start talking about fixing your franchise's abysmal track record of developing pitchers. Start talking about getting better on the field, in the batter's box, and making measurable progress towards another playoff birth.

Don't be content to let the team continue down a path of mediocrity. Most of us didn't expect a playoff-worthy team this year. But we expected some flashes of brilliance. Some glimpses of the future. A hope that we might see something special when attending a game this season. Instead, I'm seeing another long, frustrating, losing season. And perhaps another disappointing long rebuild that never pans out.

Fix it so the most exciting action at Kauffman Stadium this season isn't the Motley Crue, Def Leppard concert. Because right now, it's the only thing I'm remotely excited about seeing at The K.

-Rob Creighton, a frustrated Royals fan.