tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958Thu, 19 Dec 2024 03:25:37 +0000Kansas City RoyalsH.G. MillerWhat I LearnedAlex GordonGil MecheAngel BerroaJohn BuckSportsZach GreinkeDavid RiskeEstaban GermanJason LaRueJoe NelsonJorge de la RosaMark GrudzielanekMark TeahenMike SweeneyReggie SandersDavid DeJesusDenny MatthewsEmil BrownFootballGeorge BrettJimmy GobbleJoakim SoriaJoel PeraltaJoey GathrightJohn BaleJustin HuberKansasKansas City ChiefsKen RayLeo NunezLuke HudsonMonday MinutiaNPROctavio DotelOdalis PerezOutside the BeltwayPine Tar IncidentPoliticalRehnquistRidiculousRoss GloadRoyalsRyan BraunRyan ShealyShane CostaSpring TrainingSupreme CourtTodd WellemeyerZack Dayhttp://hgmiller.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)Blogger239125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-2689246537342407611Sun, 06 Oct 2013 20:45:00 +00002013-10-06T13:45:26.483-07:00If anybody is using one of those fancy RSS readers to stay tuned to updates on this blog, then please point them to it's new home at http://www.hgmiller.com/wp/  Gracias.http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/10/moving.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-6049909700877682811Mon, 05 Aug 2013 06:24:00 +00002013-08-04T23:27:27.293-07:00Over the last 10 games, the Kansas City Royals have gone 9-1, which would be awesome, except the two teams in front of them in the American League Central, Detroit and Cleveland, have also gone 9-1. If you are unfamiliar with the term Pythagorean Record, then I suggest you click here before admiring my awesome chart-making skills below. This beauty represents the games over or under the http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/08/rr-all-in-for-2013-feeling-lucky.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-7923072146693414103Fri, 26 Jul 2013 16:45:00 +00002013-07-26T09:47:23.670-07:00Here's hoping these headlines don't become even more infrequent. I say this because a squirrel was found near Los Angeles with the bubonic plague. The real tragedy, of course, is who will make the movie about the bubonic plague if everyone in Hollywood is killed off by it? In happier news, the royal parents decided to name the new royal baby after Kansas City hall-of-famer, George Brett (or, hishttp://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/07/friday-headlines-72613.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-8171987696893826356Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:25:00 +00002013-06-13T22:25:35.941-07:00Who doesn't love some news updates on Flag Day? An AP report delved into Al Quaida documents and discovered that they have a lot of the same mundane office tasks us non-terrorists deal with, including filing expense reports. Only, instead of making strip clubs sound like steakhouses, they make pork loins sound like plastic explosives. The American Psychiatric Association has http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/06/friday-headlines-61413.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-2287584425279012778Thu, 30 May 2013 05:07:00 +00002013-05-29T22:08:00.562-07:00 Another brutal loss by the Royals tonight. Even after the pitching staff took things into their own hands (Kansas City starter Luis Mendoza hit an RBI single after the two batters before him failed to get a man on third home with no outs), the bullpen blew it in the eighth. This makes eight losses in a row by the once-promising Royals. Thoughts of contention are far off and most fans would be http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/05/all-in-for-2013-how-few-homers-homies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-4467665965840622502Fri, 24 May 2013 06:10:00 +00002013-06-13T15:11:17.232-07:00Now that SNL has gone on summer hiatus, I guess you'll have to rely on me for your weekend update-type news hits. There are several scandal-type things happening in Washington, but the one most Republicans seem to be trying extra hard to make stick is the IRS profiling of Tea Party groups looking for tax-exempt status. It's been hashed over fairly well by now, but I would like to make one http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/05/friday-headlines-5-23-13.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-182160142090107294Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:46:00 +00002013-04-22T21:46:34.546-07:00 Editor's Note: The following begins a series of cross-posts with a new blog my friend Michael Clifford started, Cool, Dense Air. I will be posting other, non-Royals thoughts over there in addition to the sporadic KC content the few of you who stop by have come to love. Please be sure to check it out. In the last week, the Kansas City Royals have spent almost as many days not playing http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/04/rr-do-off-days-lead-to-off-days.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-8877562427952367541Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:30:00 +00002013-04-18T20:30:08.483-07:00 The news in the last week or so has been more or less horrible. Bombs planted on purpose. Plants blowing up on accident or neglect or worse. Congress too weak to pass gun control legislation that is one ounce better than useless to begin with. People are finding ways to make fun of the Elvis impersonator who sent poison to the President and a few other officials, but it's only funny because we http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/04/in-times-of-duress-photoshop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-4131591199087002361Fri, 12 Apr 2013 03:59:00 +00002013-04-11T20:59:03.795-07:00 The first real day without baseball was quite depressing. (I don't count the off day after opening day, as the transition from Spring Training to real baseball is jarring enough) Whether the Royals are in the midst of an epic losing streak or have just finished sweeping a division opponent, I feel an emptiness on the days during the season when there isn't baseball. For the next six months, I http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/04/rr-off-day-diary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-4703741159457175416Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:03:00 +00002013-03-28T21:03:23.847-07:00A few quick hit headlines while I wait for the baby to wake up and discuss obscure Eastern philosophies. A couple in Utah brought two kids along for a bank robbery, proving how hard it is to find good babysitters these days. A nun in Ohio voted twice in a recent election. I guess the holy spirit was undecided. A hacker has posted what appears to be credit information about a handfull of http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/03/friday-headlines-32913.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-5254720469545668632Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:42:00 +00002013-03-07T22:42:31.683-08:00A few headlines to get you to the weekend. A police dog in Massachusetts accidentally fired a gun he found in a snowbank during a search last week. The dog has been signed by Death Row records and plans to start beef with Snoopy. Facebook announced that the social network would be rolling out a new design. In anticipation of the change, many Facebook users have already been http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/03/friday-headlines-3813.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-3650680053328851459Thu, 07 Mar 2013 04:26:00 +00002013-03-06T20:26:38.745-08:00 Over the last ten years, I have made a lot of people go watch the Royals play some meaningless baseball in March. When my wife did it, I knew she was special. When she agreed to drag her friends along one year, I knew she was the one. This year, I flew to Las Vegas and picked up my Dad to take him on his first Spring Training trip. We saw the Royals play a split-squad Giants team on Saturday, http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/03/rr-spring-training-report.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-7723845105160073351Thu, 07 Mar 2013 04:09:00 +00002013-03-06T20:09:51.562-08:00 Since we're all in for 2013, a few of our favorite Royals may be household names soon. Endorsements are sure to follow. Here's a preview of the first carbonated beverage to take the plunge. Coke Commercial - Vending Machine OPEN ON: Various shots of Mike Moustakas fielding ground balls and firing poor throws towards Eric Hosmer. Hosmer lunges left, right and jumps high in the air, but the http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/03/rr-ready-for-hos-and-moose-to-sell-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-5622266568176781789Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:43:00 +00002013-02-26T21:43:47.664-08:00The headline on this post will likely be false by the time five o'clock rolls around tomorrow, but it's been fun to see the Royals put some runs on the board early this Spring. Billy Butler was the run-producer today, and the Royals finally started a pitcher who should see regular action in the regular season. I'm heading to Spring Training this weekend to take in a game with my dad. I'm http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/02/all-in-for-2013-undefeated-spring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-6998064032201895162Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:28:00 +00002013-02-22T10:39:27.005-08:00Catching up from last week, here are some headlines from the past fortnight.  In personal news, I was sent to a seminar in which I learned how to better manage co-workers from the millennial generation. It was nice to be recognized as a leader in the agency, but it was much harder to realize I am now old enough that I need to be taught how to interact with the youngsters coming into the http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/02/friday-headlines-22213.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-5781257425749824516Tue, 19 Feb 2013 06:49:00 +00002013-02-18T22:50:44.333-08:00Alex Gordon led off every road game for the Royals last year, and in those 81 at bats, he hit 315/383/548, including four home runs, which is awesome. Ned Yost moved Gordon into the three hole for a few stretches, and around a couple of other spots in the line up to prove he was managing, but going into this season, he has been vocal about putting Gordon in the lead-off spot and keeping him http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-all-in-for-2013-alex-gordon-leading.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-5293830219296285002Fri, 08 Feb 2013 05:37:00 +00002013-02-07T21:38:46.883-08:00Been a busy week in the real world, so no headlines today. Will try to pick up with our regularly scheduled programming next week. There is one story that caught my eye early in the week. Apparently, a judge in Russia fell asleep during a fraud trial and was subsequently fired from his post. Now, while I will admit to being occasionally bored at work, I have yet to actually zonk out during anyhttp://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/02/no-news-is-good-novosti.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-8137729337131427512Wed, 06 Feb 2013 04:44:00 +00002013-02-05T20:45:14.055-08:00I think it's safe to say that when most Royals fans think about Jeff Francoeur right now, they tend to focus on the fact that he is not Wil Myers. This is a factual statement, but it does not do us much good when we are trying to pump ourselves up for 2013, so I will instead focus on who else Jeff Francoeur will not be in 2013: Jeff Francoeur from 2012. It may be faint praise to say that a http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-all-in-for-2013-frenchy-plexiglass.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-6642206197009627025Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:34:00 +00002013-01-31T22:34:04.177-08:00 Here's your weekly news fix heading into the weekend. San Francisco's animal control agency has found a second life for discarded newspapers, partnering with a local library to gather copies and use them to line the cages in their kennel. So, score one for print. Nobody wants a stray dog crapping on their iPhone. In other poop-related news, repeated vandalism at a school in Mahony City, http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/01/friday-headlines-2113.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-8570808581520248879Wed, 30 Jan 2013 04:36:00 +00002013-01-29T20:38:06.153-08:00There are two things you can say about Mike Moustakas's performance in 2012: 1.) He was awesome in April. 2.) He was awful in September. In between, he just sort of slid his way into oblivion. You can check out the splits at Baseball-Reference, or if you prefer charts, a nice steep slope over at Fangraphs. Either way, it is obvious that the Moose got tired, or the league figured something out. http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-all-in-for-2013-moose-stretching-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-8368134010274813273Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:31:00 +00002013-01-24T21:34:09.561-08:00 Seth didn't use any of my jokes last week, but I thought I'd keep at it, anyway. It was a short week, so this will go quickly. Due to some quirks in the calendar, President Obama became the first president since FDR to get sworn in to office four different times. You do have to wonder, though, if the president really just likes rubbing it into Justice Roberts face that he won the election. http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/01/friday-update-22513.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-4220854566459683920Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:01:00 +00002013-01-21T21:02:59.122-08:00On June 28, 2012, the Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3. Luis Mendoza pitched eight innings and gave up one run. Jonathan Broxton allowed two to score in the ninth, but held on for the save, proving he was still a quality closer to be revered by all of baseball. At that point, Kansas City was just four games under .500 in a wide-open American League Central, having gone 32-25 since April 25. http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-all-in-for-2013-12-games-in-april.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-4385286722116507993Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:10:00 +00002013-01-24T21:34:22.446-08:00Seth Meyers doesn't know it, but I've decided to help him out with the Weekend Update segment this week. Below are some comments based on the week's news. This week, President Obama unveiled a series of new laws aimed at lowering the number of gun deaths in America. Reactions were mixed on the proposals. A storekeeper in Illinois said he liked the fact his future assailants would only be able tohttp://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/01/friday-headlines.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-473208683332231979Sun, 13 Jan 2013 14:31:00 +00002013-01-18T06:38:26.752-08:00 In 2011, Billy Butler picked up the nickname "Country Breakfast." In 2012, he hit 29 home runs. He may have gotten married, or had kids, or saved some kittens from a fire... I don't really know or care. This blog is about baseball and he almost hit thirty dingers. I realize this is a pittance of a number for most baseball teams, but the fact is, no matter how many Royals players took steroids, http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/01/in-2011-billy-butler-picked-up-nickname.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9982958.post-1210731683730575018Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:36:00 +00002013-01-18T06:37:04.982-08:00 This was shaping up to be a relatively uneventful offseason for our hero. The Royals signed the second baseman to a one year contract at the end of November, guaranteeing that he could afford to get that special edition Furby for his kids at Christmas and still have some scratch left over for a new car or twenty. Then, Dayton Moore made a big trade to bring over some pitchers from http://hgmiller.blogspot.com/2013/01/getz-no-its-not-off-season-stiffness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (H.G. Miller)0