Window on the West: Special Royals edition
Opinion column
by Mary Rupert
Having seen quite a few Kansas City Royals games this year on television, I have noticed something about the Royals that many of the fans in Houston, Texas, don’t know.
As an editor who has seen this sort of behavior in many areas, I would call their conduct procrastination. The Royals often wait until the end of the game to seriously rally and win a game. Sometimes they wait until the end of the playoffs, with a do-or-die deadline, until they rally and win.
I can spot this sort of behavior, of course, because I was the same way in college when working on my bachelor’s degree, occasionally waiting until the last minute to finish the work. (I was able to change that behavior, though, in grad school — except for those occasional instances, of course, whereI haven’t changed.)
The Royals have fooled quite a few people already in these playoffs, including some network announcers who thought the Astros would win, and even the governor of Texas, who reportedly tweeted a congratulations to the Astros before the Royals batted in the eighth inning today.
Eventually the Royals won today, 9-6, coming back from a four-run deficit that seemed insurmountable for quite a while. The Royals’ comeback also matched a comeback for Eric Hosmer, who was slumping until today in the playoff games.
I think it’s great that the Royals have the ability and the confidence to come back. Now the Royals return to Kansas City for the fifth game of the playoffs, to be played on Wednesday night. If they procrastinate again, and it works for them, it’s fine with me.
To reach Mary Rupert, editor, email [email protected].