The Kansas City Royals
are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium. The Royals have participated in two World Series, winning in 1985.
The "Royals" name originates from the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, and rodeo held annually in Kansas City since 1899. [1]
Entering Major League Baseball as an expansion franchise in 1969, the club was founded by Ewing Kauffman, a Kansas City businessman. The franchise was established following the actions of Stuart Symington, then-United States Senator from Missouri, who demanded a new franchise for the city after the Athletics—Kansas City's previous major league team from 1955 to 1967—moved to Oakland, California.
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Franchise history
1969–1979: Taking off
The Royals began play in
1969 in
Kansas City, Missouri. In their inaugural game, on April 8, 1969, the Royals defeated the
Minnesota Twins 4–3 in 12 innings.
The team was quickly built through a number of trades engineered by its first General Manager,
Cedric Tallis, including a trade for
Lou Piniella, who won the
Rookie of the Year during the Royals' inaugural season. The Royals also invested in a strong farm system and soon developed such future stars as pitchers
Paul Splittorff and
Steve Busby, infielders
George Brett and
Frank White, and outfielder
Al Cowens.
In
1971, the Royals had their first winning season, with manager
Bob Lemon leading them to a second-place finish. In
1973, under manager
Jack McKeon, the Royals adopted their iconic "powder blue" road uniforms and moved from
Municipal Stadium to the brand-new
Royals Stadium (now known as Kauffman Stadium).
Manager
Whitey Herzog replaced McKeon in
1975, and the Royals quickly became the dominant franchise in the American League's Western Division, winning three straight division championships from 1976 to 1978. However, the Royals lost to the
New York Yankees in three straight
American League Championship Series encounters.
1980–84: From pennant to pine tar incident
After the
Royals finished in second place in
1979, Herzog was fired and replaced by
Jim Frey. Under Frey, the
Royals rebounded in 1980 and advanced to the
ALCS, where they again faced the
Yankees. The Royals vanquished the Yankees in a three-game sweep punctuated by a George Brett
home run off of Yankees' star relief pitcher
Goose Gossage. After reaching their first
World Series, the Royals fell to the
Philadelphia Phillies in six games.
The
Royals returned to the post-season in
1981, losing to the
Oakland Athletics in a unique divisional series resulting from the split-season caused by the
1981 Major League Baseball strike. In July 1983, while the
Royals were headed for a second-place finish behind the
Chicago White Sox another chapter in the team's rivalry with the Yankees occurred. In what has come to be known as "the
Pine Tar Incident," umpires discovered illegal placement of
pine tar (more than 18 inches up the handle) on
third baseman George Brett's bat after he had hit a 2-run home run off Gossage that put the Royals up 5–4 in the top of the 9th.After Yankee Manager
Billy Martin came out of the dugout to talk to home plate umpire
Tim McClelland, McClelland and the other umpires mulled over the bat(measuring it over home plate, touching it, etc.). McClelland then pointed to Brett in the dugout and then gave the out sign, thereby disallowing the home run. George Brett then stormed out of the dugout, angry and hysterical. McClelland ejected Brett. The homer was later reinstated by the commissioner and the Royals went on to win after the game was resumed several weeks later. "The Pine Tar Incident" has now become part of baseball lore.
Under the leadership of manager
Dick Howser, the
Royals won their fifth division championship in
1984, relying on Brett's bat and the young pitching staff of
Bret Saberhagen,
Mark Gubicza,
Charlie Leibrandt,
Bud Black and
Danny Jackson. The Royals were then swept by the
Detroit Tigers in the
American League Championship Series. The Tigers went on to win the
World Series.
1985: Missouri's finest and the "I-70 Series"
In the
1985 regular season the Royals topped the Western Division for the sixth time in ten years, led by Bret Saberhagen's
Cy Young Award-winning performance. Throughout the ensuing playoffs, the Royals repeatedly put themselves into difficult positions, but managed to escape each time. With the Royals down 3-games-to-one in the
American League Championship Series against the
Toronto Blue Jays, the Royals eventually rallied to win the series 4–3.
In the
1985 World Series against the cross-state
St. Louis Cardinals – the "I-70 Series" because the two teams are both located in the state of
Missouri and connected by
Interstate 70 – the Royals again fell behind 3–1. The key game in the Royals' comeback was
Game 6. Facing elimination, the Royals trailed 1–0 in the bottom of the ninth inning, before rallying to score two runs and win. The rally was helped by a controversial safe call at first base by umpire
Don Denkinger, which allowed Royals outfielder
Jorge Orta to reach base safely as the first baserunner of the inning.
Following Orta's single, the Cardinals dropped an easy popout and suffered a passed ball, before the Royals went on to win with a bloop base hit by seldom used
pinch hitter Dane Iorg. Following the tension of Game 6, the Cardinals came undone in
Game 7, and the Royals won 11–0 to clinch the franchise's first World Series title.
1986–1994: Staying in the picture
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Royals developed young stars such as
Bo Jackson,
Tom Gordon, and
Kevin Seitzer, made some successful free-agent acquisitions, and generally posted winning records, but always fell short of the post-season. For example, in 1989, the Royals won 92 games and posted the third-best record in baseball, but did not qualify for the playoffs.
Many of the team's highlights from this era instead centered around the end of Brett's career, such as his third and final batting title in 1990 – which made him the first player to win batting titles in three different decades – and his
3,000th hit. Though the team dropped out of contention from 1990 to 1992, the Royals still could generally be counted on to post winning records through the
strike-shortened 1994 season.
1995–2001: The decline
At the start of the 1990s, the Royals had been hit with a double-whammy when General Manager
John Schuerholz departed in 1990 and team owner
Ewing Kauffman died in 1993. Kauffman's death left the franchise without permanent ownership until
Wal-Mart executive
David Glass purchased the team for
$ 96 million in 2000. Partly because of the resulting lack of leadership, after the 1994 season the Royals decided to reduce payroll by trading pitcher
David Cone and outfielder
Brian McRae, then continued their salary dump in the
1995 season. In fact, the team payroll (which was always among the league's highest) was sliced from $40.5 million in 1994 to $18.5 million in
1996.
[2]
As attendance slid and the average MLB salary continued to rise, rather than pay higher salaries or lose their players to free agency, the Royals traded their remaining stars such as
Kevin Appier,
Johnny Damon and
Jermaine Dye. Making matters worse, most of the younger players that the Royals received in exchange for these All-Stars proved of little value, setting the stage for an extended downward spiral. Indeed, the Royals set a franchise low with a .398 winning percentage (64–97 record) in
1999, and lost 97 games again in
2001.
In the middle of this era, in 1997, the Royals declined the opportunity to switch to the
National League as part of a realignment plan to introduce the
Arizona Diamondbacks and
Tampa Bay Devil Rays as expansion teams.
2002–06: Rock bottom
In
2002, the
Royals set a new team record for futility, losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history. They fired manager
Tony Muser and he was replaced by
Tony Peña.
The
2003 season saw a temporary end to the losing, when manager Tony Peña, in his first full season with the club, guided the
Royals to their first winning record (83–79) since the 1994 season. He was named the American League
Manager of the Year for his efforts and then shortstop
Angel Berroa was named
AL Rookie of the Year. The team spent a majority of the season in first, but ended up in third place behind the
Chicago White Sox and
Minnesota Twins, who won the AL Central.
Picked by many to win their division in
2004 after faring well in the free agent market, the
Royals got off to a disappointing start and by late June were back in a rebuilding mode, releasing veteran reliever
Curtis Leskanic before financial incentives kicked in and trading veteran reliever
Jason Grimsley and superstar center fielder
Carlos Beltrán for prospects, all within a week of each other. The team subsequently fell apart completely, establishing a new low by losing 104 games. The Royals did, however, see promising seasons from two rookies, center fielder
David DeJesus and starting pitcher
Zack Greinke. Among the many mistakes of 2004, was acquiring
Juan Gonzalez,
Benito Santiago, and keeping pitchers
Darrell May and
Brian Anderson, both of whom underachieved after a great 2003 season. They all were let go during the season or after the season's end.
In
2005, the
Royals continued a youth movement, with one of the smallest payrolls in the Major Leagues. The Royals ended the 2005 season with a 56–106 record (.346), a full 43 games out of first place. It was the third time in four seasons that the team reestablished the mark for worst record in the history of the franchise. During that season, the Royals also suffered a franchise record 19-game losing streak highlighted by a three-game stretch of blowout losses at home from August 6 through August 9; in that stretch the Royals lost 16–1 to the
Oakland Athletics, were shut out 11–0 by Oakland, and then in the third game, against the
Cleveland Indians, built a 7–2 lead in the ninth inning before allowing 11 runs to lose 13–7.
During the season manager
Tony Peña quit and was replaced by interim manager
Bob Schaefer until the Indians' bench coach
Buddy Bell was chosen as the next manager.
Looking for a quick turnaround, general manager
Allard Baird signed several veteran players prior to the
2006 season, including
Doug Mientkiewicz,
Mark Grudzielanek,
Joe Mays and
Scott Elarton. Nevertheless, the Royals struggled through another 100-loss season in 2006, becoming just the eleventh team in major league history to lose 100 games in three straight seasons.
[3] During the season Baird was fired as GM and replaced by
Dayton Moore.
2007–present: "New. Blue. Tradition."
2007
During the 2006 offseason, Kansas City appeared to be opening up its wallet, and entered the
2007 season looking to rebound from four out of five seasons ending with at least 100 losses. They outbid the Cubs and Blue Jays for free agent righty
Gil Meche, signing him to five-year, $55 million contract. Reliever
Octavio Dotel also inked a one-year, $5 million contract. but was traded before seasons end. The Royals have signed various new players, adding bulk to their bullpen and hitting, and the team has added several new promising prospects, including the likes of
Alex Gordon and
Billy Butler. Under general manager
Dayton Moore the Royals were arguably the most aggressive team in the offseason. Among one of Dayton Moore's first acts as General Manager was instating a new motto for the team: "True. Blue. Tradition." The Royals plan on a slogan that will bank on new general manager Dayton Moore’s ability to restore the Royals’ once-rich history.
[4] In 2008, the Royals also ditched their black and sleeveless jerseys, instead reviving their "old" jerseys from years past.
[5] For 2008, to coincide with the introduction of powder blue alternate home jerseys, the new slogan changed from "True. Blue. Tradition" to "New. Blue. Tradition".
In the
2007 MLB Draft, the Royals selected
shortstop Mike Moustakas at #2 overall, signing him minutes before the deadline. In June, the Royals had their first winning month since July 2003, and in July had their second consecutive winning month of the season. On August 1, manager
Buddy Bell announced his intentions to resign following the 2007 season.
[6] On September 12, the Royals defeated the
Minnesota Twins 6–3 to win their 63rd game, guaranteeing that they would not lose 100 games in 2007. The victory ended the team's string of three consecutive seasons of 100 losses or more from 2004-2006.
2008
Kansas City's 2008 season began with the team searching for its new manager after the departure of Buddy Bell. Early candidates to succeed Bell included Royals bench coach
Billy Doran,
[7] former Royals stars
George Brett (Brett denied his intentions) and
Frank White,
and Triple-A
Omaha manager
Mike Jirschele. Former Major League managers such as
Joe Girardi,
Jim Fregosi,
Ken Macha,
and
Jimy Williams.
Atlanta Braves coaches
Terry Pendleton and
Brian Snitker were also in consideration.
[8]. On October 19, the Royals hired
Trey Hillman, former manager of the
Nippon Ham Fighters and minor league manager of the
New York Yankees, to be the 15th manager in franchise history.
[9]
2008 also began with the release of fan favorite
Mike Sweeney, who had numerous injuries over the past five seasons and had declined in production.
Angel Berroa was traded to the Dodgers for minor leaguer Juan Rivera on June 6, 2008. The acquisition of
Jose Guillen, just like
Gil Meche in 2007, was meant to be a boost to the young ball club. During the season many players from the minors came up and made their presence felt including
Ryan Shealy,
Mitch Maier and
Mike Aviles.
As part of the Royals' "New. Blue. Tradition." motto, the Royals introduced a new rendition of their classic
powder blue uniforms for the 2008 season. The team will wear the uniforms as alternates in weekend home games. The Royals previously wore powder blue uniforms from 1973 to 1991 in away games, and in 2008, the Royals wore powder blue for the first time ever at Kauffman Stadium.
[10] The uniforms were introduced on December 6, 2007 at a special event for season ticket holders and were modeled by current players such as
Alex Gordon and former players such as
Frank White.
The Royals finished the 2008 season with a 75–87 record, the franchise's best since 2003. Closing pitcher
Joakim Soria, the Royals' lone representative in the
2008 MLB All-Star Game, finished the year with 42 saves.
Rivalries and fan base
Historically, one of the Royals' major rivalries was with the
New York Yankees. The rivalry stems largely from the period between 1976 and 1980, when both teams were in top form and met four times in five years for the
American League Championship Series. An older factor in Kansas City-New York relations is the
"special relationship" between the Yankees and the Kansas City A's during the 1950s, in which Kansas City's best players (such as
Roger Maris and
Ralph Terry) were repeatedly sent to New York with little compensation. The Royals' recent lack of success, however, as well as the Yankees' more popular and historic rivalry with the
Boston Red Sox has caused this rivalry to lose its prominence. Also of note are division rivalries with the
Cleveland Indians,
Chicago White Sox,
Detroit Tigers, and
Minnesota Twins. In the early 2000s, Detroit and Kansas City had a number of bench clearing brawls. Also notable among these are the Minnesota Twins' fans, who travel well and make a more balanced and divided crowd when the Twins visit Kansas City.
Forgotten in recent years is the old division rivalry between the Royals and the
Oakland Athletics. In the early 1970s, Oakland won three World Series titles from 1972-1974, and after the A's left Kansas City under less than honorable terms, a strong rivalry existed between the two teams during this period. This was soon forgotten by the late 1970s when the Royals came to prominence and the terrific rivalry with New York began. Also strong in the late 70s was the rivalry against the
California Angels, particularly in the fights for the
American League West pennant in 1979.
The Royals' most prominent rivalry is with the intrastate
St. Louis Cardinals, stemming back to the Royals' victory over the Cardinals in the 1985 World Series. The series is still a source of contention among fans, notably the controversial call in the bottom of the ninth of game 6 in which
Jorge Orta was called safe on a play that replays later showed him out. A Royals rally let them tie and later win the game and then later the series.
Interleague play in 1997 allowed the I-70 Series to be revived in non-exhibition games. The first few seasons of the series were rather even, with the Cardinals holding a slight advantage with a 14–13 record through the 2003 season. Through the 2009 season, the Cardinals hold the series advantage 33–24. St. Louis won five of six meetings in 2009, taking two of three May 22-24 at St. Louis and sweeping the Royals June 19-21 at Kansas City.
Baseball Hall of Famers
Ford C. Frick Award recipients
Other players of note
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
Kansas City Royals in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
|
Number
| Player
| Position
| Tenure
|
2
| Fred Patek
| Shortstop
| 1971—1979
|
5
| George Brett
| Third baseman
| 1973—1993
|
6
| Willie Wilson
| Outfielder
| 1976—1990
|
11
| Hal McRae
| Outfielder/Designated hitter/Manager
| 1973—1987 1991—1994
|
16
| Bo Jackson
| Outfielder
| 1987—1990
|
20
| Frank White
| Second baseman
| 1973—1990
|
22
| Dennis Leonard
| Starting pitcher
| 1974—1986
|
29
| Dan Quisenberry
| Relief pitcher
| 1979—1988
|
34
| Paul Splittorff
| Starting pitcher
| 1970—1984
|
36
| Gaylord Perry
| Starting pitcher
| 1983
|
Retired numbers
George Brett 3B: 1973-93
Retired 1994
| Dick Howser M: 1981-86
Retired 1987
| Frank White 2B: 1973-90
Retired 1995
| Jackie Robinson Retired by all of MLB Retired 1997
|
The Royals have retired the numbers of former players
George Brett (#5) and
Frank White (#20). Former manager
Dick Howser's number (#10) was retired following his death in 1987. Former
Brooklyn Dodgers player
Jackie Robinson's number (#42) is retired throughout
Major League Baseball.
Royals Hall of Fame
Listed by year of induction:
1986
- 40 Steve Busby, SP
- 26 Amos Otis, CF
1987
- 10 Dick Howser, Manager
- 1 Cookie Rojas, 2B
- 34 Paul Splittorff, SP
1989
- 22 Dennis Leonard, SP
- 11 Hal McRae, DH
1992
- Joe Burke, GM and President
- 32 Larry Gura, SP
- 2 Freddie Patek, SS
|
1993
- Ewing Kauffman, owner and tributary of name of Kauffman Stadium
1995
1996
- Muriel Kauffman, executive and wife of Ewing
- 7 John Mayberry, 1B
1998
1999
|
2000
- 24 Whitey Herzog, Manager
- 6 Willie Wilson, CF
2003
2004
- Denny Matthews, radio announcer
2005
2006
2008
|
400px
Current roster
|
40-man roster
| Spring Training non-roster invitees
| Coaches/other
|
Pitchers
- 49 John Bale (baseball)
- 19 Brian Bannister
- -- Henry Barrera
- 28 Kyle Davies
- -- Kyle Farnsworth
- 41 Jimmy Gobble
- 23 Zack Greinke
- 44 Luke Hochevar
- 52 Devon Lowery
- 32 Ron Mahay
- 55 Gil Meche
- 58 Neal Musser
- 57 Joel Peralta
- -- Julio Cesar Pimentel
- -- Horacio Ramírez
- 53 Carlos Rosa
- 48 Joakim Soria
- 51 Robinson Tejeda
- -- Doug Waechter
|
| Catchers
- 14 John Buck (baseball)
- 21 Miguel Olivo
- -- Brayan Peña
Infielders
- 30 Mike Aviles
- 13 Alberto Callaspo
- 3 Estéban Germán
- 7 Ross Gload
- 4 Alex Gordon
- -- Mike Jacobs (first baseman)
- 25 Kila Ka'aihue
- 39 Mario Lisson
- 1 Tony Peña, Jr.
- 43 Ryan Shealy
Outfielders
- 45 Shane Costa
- -- Coco Crisp
- 9 David DeJesus
- 11 José Guillén
- 35 Mitch Maier
- 24 Mark Teahen
Designated hitters
- 16 Billy Butler (baseball)
|
| Pitchers
- -- Jairo Cuevas
- -- Lenny DiNardo
- 31 Brandon Duckworth
- -- Tim Hamulack
- 34 Luke Hudson
- -- Franquelis Osoria
- -- Heath Phillips
- -- Óscar Villarreal
- 61 Matt Wright (baseball)
Catchers
- -- J. R. House
- -- Matt Tupman
Infielders
- -- Luis Hernández (baseball)
- -- Corey Smith (baseball)
Outfielders
- -- Tommy Murphy (baseball)
|
| Manager
Coaches
- 60 Bill Duplissea (bullpen catcher)
- -- John Gibbons (bench)
- 18 Rusty Kuntz (first base)
- 33 Bob McClure (pitching)
- 50 John Mizerock (bullpen)
- 6 Dave Owen (third base)
- -- Kevin Seitzer (hitting)
* Not on active roster
† 15-day disabled list
updated 2008-12-18
•
|
Managers
Name
| Years
| Won
| Lost
| Winning %
| Games
| Post Season
|
Joe Gordon
| 1969
| 69
| 93
| .426
| 162
| -
|
Charlie Metro
| 1970
| 19
| 33
| .365
| 52
| -
|
Bob Lemon
| 1970–1972
| 207
| 218
| .487
| 425
| -
|
Jack McKeon
| 1973–1975
| 215
| 205
| .512
| 420
| -
|
Whitey Herzog
| 1975–1979
| 410
| 304
| .574
| 714
| 1976, 1977, 1978
|
Jim Frey
| 1980–1981
| 127
| 105
| .547
| 232
| 1980
|
Dick Howser
| 1981–1986
| 404
| 365
| .525
| 770
| 1981, 1984, 1985
|
Mike Ferraro†
| 1986
| 36
| 38
| .486
| 74
| -
|
Billy Gardner
| 1987
| 62
| 64
| .492
| 126
| -
|
John Wathan
| 1987–1991
| 287
| 270
| .515
| 557
| -
|
Bob Schaefer†
| 1991
| 1
| 0
| 1.00
| 1
| -
|
Hal McRae
| 1991–1994
| 286
| 277
| .508
| 563
| -
|
Bob Boone
| 1995–1997
| 181
| 206
| .468
| 387
| -
|
Tony Muser
| 1997–2002
| 317
| 431
| .424
| 748
| -
|
John Mizerock†
| 2002
| 5
| 8
| .385
| 13
| -
|
Tony Peña
| 2002–2005
| 198
| 285
| .410
| 483
| -
|
Bob Schaefer†
| 2005
| 5
| 12
| .294
| 17
| -
|
Buddy Bell
| 2005–2007
| 174
| 262
| .390
| 436
| -
|
Trey Hillman
| 2008–present
| 75
| 87
| .460
| 162
| -
|
All statistics through the conclusion of the 2008 MLB season † Interim manager American League championships in italics
, World Series championships in bold
.
|
Minor league affiliations
- AAA:
Omaha Royals, Pacific Coast League
- AA:
Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Texas League
- Advanced A:
Wilmington Blue Rocks, Carolina League
- A:
Burlington Bees, Midwest League
- Rookie:
AZL Royals, Arizona League
- Rookie:
Burlington Royals, Appalachian League
- Rookie:
Idaho Falls Chukars, Pioneer League
- Rookie:
DSL Royals, Dominican Summer League
Season records
- Highest Batting Average: .390, George Brett (1980)
- Most Games: 162, Al Cowens (1977), Hal McRae (1977) and Carlos Beltran (2002)
- Most Runs: 136, Johnny Damon (2000)
- Most Hits: 230, Willie Wilson (1980)
- Highest Slugging %: .664, George Brett (1980)
- Most Doubles: 54, Hal McRae (1977)
- Most Triples: 21, Willie Wilson (1985)
- Most Home Runs: 36, Steve Balboni (1985)
- Most Grand Slams: 3, Danny Tartabull (1988)
- Most RBIs: 144, Mike Sweeney (2000)
- Most Stolen Bases: 83, Willie Wilson (1979)
- Most Wins: 23, Bret Saberhagen (1989)
- Lowest ERA: 2.08, Roger Nelson (1972)
- Strikeouts: 244, Dennis Leonard (1977)
- Most Strikeouts, Single Game: 15, Zack Greinke (2009)
- Complete Games: 21, Dennis Leonard (1977)
- Saves: 45, Dan Quisenberry (1983) and Jeff Montgomery (1993)
Radio and television
s of }} 2008
[], the Royals will carry games on
KCSP 610AM and
KMBZ 980AM depending on scheduling.
[11] Most games are expected to be on KCSP, however. The stations replace
WHB, which chose not to renew, and KCXM, now a
Christian radio station (as
KLRX). The radio announcers will be
Denny Matthews and Bob Davis, with
Steve Stewart and possibly
Ryan Lefebvre doing fill-in work.
[12]
Meanwhile, the Royals have shut down
Royals Sports Television Network, and the full television schedule of 140 games will air on
FSN Kansas City, a newly-created branch of
FSN Midwest, leaving no over-the-air broadcast outlet for the Royals this season. The announcers there will be Lefebvre,
Paul Splittorff, and
Frank White. Frank White fills in for Splittorff on a few games.
[13]
On February 22, 2007, Matthews was selected as the 2007 recipient of the
Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.
[14]
In 2009, 99 games will be broadcast on FSKC HD being the highest total of Kansas City Royals games produced in HD to date
[15]
Mascot
Sluggerrr
is the
mascot of the Royals. Sluggerrr is a
lion and made his first appearance on April 5, 1996.
On game day, Sluggerrr can be found pitching in the "Little K" and firing
hot dogs from an
air cannon into the stands between innings.
See also
| }}
}}|Kansas City Royals}}
}}
- Kansas City Royals all-time roster
- Kansas City Royals award winners and league leaders
- Kansas City Royals records - statistical records and milestone achievements
- I-70 Series - Royals-Cardinals rivalry
- Dick Howser Trophy
Notes
- "Kansas City Royals (1969-Present)", sportsecyclopedia.com
- http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15496052.htm
- http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/baseball/mlb/kansas_city_royals/15634743.htm
- Flanagan, Jeffrey. Royals reach to past with newest slogan ''Kansas City Star'', 28 February 2007.
- Royals unveil new uniforms in 2006 ''MLB.com'', 27 January 2006.
- Bell stepping down as Royals skipper
- Dutton, Bob. Finding a manager tops Royals' offseason checklist ''Kansas City Star'', 1 October 2007.
- Dutton, Bob. [1] ''Kansas City Star'', 1 Aug 2007
- Kaeger, Dick. Royals introduce Hillman as new manager ''MLB.com'', 22 October 2007.
- Kaegel, Dick. Royals to bring back powder blues ''Royals.com'', 6 December 2007.
- http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jeffrey_flanagan/story/213497.html
- www.kansascity.com | 01/08/2008 | Royals broadcasters ready for new season
- www.kansascity.com | 01/09/2008 | Royals’ newest broadcaster ready to get started
- Royals announcer Matthews wins Frick Award - MLB - CBSSports.com Live Scores, Stats, Schedules
- Kansas City Royals HD Schedule