Crown My Town! Pt. 1

Oh Dearest Reader...

It was worth it. It absolutely was. How I so wish each and every one of you could have been there! Perhaps you were. It was epic. And I mean epic. I thought I knew what epic was before this. I was wrong. I'm paying with massive pain today. Crazy pain! But I just can't stop telling myself-"It was worth it." I'd like to introduce you to my hometown.

Home-Kansas City, Missouri
I do not own the rights to this photo

I know I have said before and it's in my bio that I am from the Midwest and from Kansas. Let me be more specific. I am from Kansas City. Yes-there is Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, but to most people who live in and around this area, it's all relative. And if you didn't know anything about this city before but you are into sports, I'm sure you know all about us now. And if you aren't into sports and live in the United States and know what baseball is, you know who The Kansas City Royals are. Our hometown team won the wildcard game sweeping the Oakland A's (4-0) that was a nailbiter every single night that went into 10, 11, and even 12 innings (Wildcard game story); then went on to sweep the Baltimore Orioles to #takethecrown and win the ALCS Division Championship. We advance into World Series vs. the San Francisco Giants On October 21st, 2014 at home, in the "K" (Kauffman Stadium).

The "K" I do not own
the rights to this photo

But I'm not proud. Or happy. Or thrilled. etc. etc. etc. Okay so here is the real story. Since my last post I have been on an event/ mood roller coaster. So much so that I had to pause a few times and ask myself if I might actually be in some sort of crazy depressive or manic episode! I had met with my therapist and she had said something that rubbed me the wrong way. So I was chewing on that. Then I got a little news. Then I had two days of energy so I got more household chores done, joined a local virtual swap-n-shop in my area and set out to try to sell my clothes that I had shrunk out of and get them out of the house. It makes me tired just thinking about it now. Bad news next, something broke, got to see some old friends, another went away.

So by Tuesday, October 14th I really just needed to get out of the house! We don't have cable or satellite TV and I had listened to the previous two games and monitored the action via Twitter. Tuesday was the 3rd game. I decided to go somewhere and watch it. I had put out feelers to friends asking if anyone was going anywhere in particular to watch. No response all day. Fine. I was going. GO-ing. I was. Really. I was kinda tired. Does anyone else have these arguments with themselves? This went on for awhile until I chided myself, did a pain survey, decided if I didn't go too far from home I would be alright (just in case I flared or got bored, etc.). I made myself presentable to the general population and left.

I thought I would treat myself to a nice dinner too since I was taking myself out. I couldn't decide where I could watch the game and have a nice dinner without going too far out of my comfort zone, so I decided on a local bar where my roomie and her friends go; I know some of the people there and I know the bartender. Bonus. I got there during the first bottom of the first inning. I had my cushion and I knew the stools were padded. However, I also knew there would be no steak dinner. Oh well. Spoonies are used to compromise and sacrifice.

That was a great night. I sat at the bar, said hello to few people and greeted the bartender. I haven't really drank to excess in quite some time, and this turned to be the exception. They had $1 tacos and shot specials. There were 2 bartenders that divided the bar into teams. I was on the A team. We did blue Royals shots inning for inning. I sat at the same barstool for the duration of the game,
getting up occasionally to move the rusty joints. I had 6 people that rotated in and out of the seats to either side of me, all of us chatting

The stadium goes
into a frenzy as we win

each other up and some jokingly from across the room. One turned out to be a neighbor! The mood went from jovial to excited to ecstatic. When we won we all went berzerk. I went as berzerk as I could, which was pretty lame, but whatever (haters :-)). I stayed until I was sober (I have a very high tolerance which sometimes sucks) and went home on a community high. If we won Game 4 we would sweep the series and go on the World Series.

As I drove the 10 or so minutes home I realized the next night could be historic. I just thought "Wow. Wow!!" I played Wiz Khalifa's "All I Do Is Win", Lorde's "Royals", U2's "It's A Beautiful Day" and of course my boys 30 Seconds to Mars' "Up In The Air" and "Do Or Die". I was happy. Authentically happy. When I got home I realized that Game 4 started at 3:07pm, when much of the city would still be at work, picking up their kids from school or actually at the game. I decided right then I was going to go watch it with a few thousand of my closest friends. I was going down to "The P&L". Check out my next post, Crown My Town Pt. 2.

As the series progressed this
phrase gained popularity...

Hometown Boy/Actor/Royals Fan Paul Rudd
takes pictures with the team