Kansas City Royals, Kansas City

1 more image

Home of the American League's Kansas City Royals, Kauffman Stadium remains one of the country's most beautiful venue in which to watch a baseball game. In recent years since the death of long-time owner Ewing Kauffman, the team's years of glory and success have given way to years of futility. However, a recent change in management has left fans cautiously optimistic.

Ewing and Muriel Kauffman were great for Kansas City. Not only did they bring championship Major League Baseball to KC, but they cared deeply for the city and its peoples. They contributed mightily to such causes as education for the poor and for the arts.

Kansas City has it's own professional baseball team, the Kansas City Royals. They play at Kauffman stadium which holds about 47,000 people. Baseball is a great American pastime. There is just something about sitting in the stadium, eating a good hotdog with some roasted peanuts on the side, and watching your hometeam up to bat that you cannot describe.
The stadium shares the Truman Sports Complex with Arrowhead stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs professional football team.
Tickets for a Royals game start at around $10 for the upper tier. Parking is around $6.00.

Admittedly I am not a fan of baseball.

I have very little interest watching, learning baseball lingo, or following the every day life of the highly paid ball players. My impressions of baseball are of publicized contract negotiations, strikes, and how much it is going to cost me, the tax payer. However, I did watch the Sosa/McGuire homerun contest, and I was intrigued. Perhaps I was wrong about baseball, maybe it IS worth watching. But then, there is some speculation about the alleged legality of the "herbal" remedies McGuire was taking and what's this about Sosa's corked bat?

Anyhow, that leaves me back to square one... telling you objectively about our Royals Baseball.

Here in Kansas City, Royals baseball is a love/hate relationship. With the exception of the die hard fans...you love them when they win, and you can't stand them when they lose.

Originally named Royals Stadium in 1973, this year will mark the 31th anniversary of its inception. The park was re-named in 1993, in honor of Ewing M. Kauffman. Kauffman was the owner of the ball team from 1968 until his death 1993. Many fans believe that it was under the foundation of Kauffman's ownership and motivation that the Royals flourished. The current ower of the team is David Glass, former CEO of Wal-mart.

The stadium originally featured a 12-story high scoreboard containing 16,320 light bulbs and the largest privately owned fountain which is over 300 feet wide. From the mid to late 90's Kauffman Stadium underwent changes that included changing the artificial turf to real grass, the addition of more seats, a colored Sony Jumbo Tron, dougout suites, and a picnic pavilion for large groups.

Check out the website it is very informative. You will be able to find out everything there is to know about the team from stats to positions to schedules and everything else in between. You may also order tickets online and see what kind of view your seat is going have.

All in all...if you go...have a hot dog for me...and PLAY BALL!