Ed Hearn, who saw action in 49 games for the Mets’ last World Championship team, is looking to invoke some of that magic as he battles the kidney disease Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).  Hearn has had three kidney transplants as part of a continuing ordeal that started shortly after his retirement from baseball in 1991. For the past several years, he has served as an Ambassador for The NephCure Foundation, which funds research into FSGS and Nephrotic Syndrome. These are diseases for which there are no approved treatments and no cure.

Hearn, also known as one of the primary players dealt to the Mets in exchange for David Cone prior to the 1987 season, will be honored Friday, September 10, before the Mets- Phillies game as part of Ed Hearn/NephCure Foundation Night at Citi Field.

An author and motivational speaker, Hearn lives in Kansas City, Mo., with his wife, Tricia, and 16 year-old son, Cody.  His perseverance and life messages have inspired audiences all over the country as he travels to hospitals and dialysis centers to bring hope to patients who face similar challenges.

Ed Hearn

For NephCure, Hearn records public service announcements, makes speaking appearances and participates in fundraising activities in support of NephCure, which has committed over $6 million to research since 2008.  In January, Hearn was one of the NephCure’s team leaders for the Chase Community Giving program, helping NephCure secure a $25,000 grant by finishing in the top 100 from among some 500,000 smaller non-profit organizations.

Also in attendance at Citi Field on September 10 will be former Mets General Manager Jim Duquette, whose daughter, Lindsey, also suffers from FSGS.  A member of The NephCure Foundation Board of Directors, Duquette’s daughter, now eight years-old, was diagnosed with FSGS in 2005 after being rushed to the hospital emergency room directly from Shea Stadium, where she was attending a game with her parents.

For more information about the NephCure Foundation, or to purchase tickets to the game with a portion of the cost donated to NephCure and matched by research institutions, fans can visit www.savingkidneys.org.  Hearn will also sign autographs and greet fans at NephCure tables on the Citi Field concourses on the 10th.

Before you go rushing off to buy the entire minor league lineup of your favorite big league team you will have to make a list of your teams affiliates. The Lids site does not allow you to search by team or really list any connection to the big league club. Decoding what minor league team houses the promising young talent for your organization can be simple or mind blowing depending on your team. The Cardinals for example have affiliates mostly with the same colors as the big squad and the affiliates all go by Cardinals except for three the Memphis Redbirds, the Quad Cities River Bandits, and the Batavia Muckdogs.

The Royals on the other hand make it a little more difficult with teams like the Wilmington Blue Rocks, Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Burlington Bees, and the Idaho Falls Chukars. This is why I have taken the liberty to include pics of all in this article just on the off chance that any of you thought this was as cool as I did when I stumbled across it a few weeks back. If your favorite minor league team is not yet on lids do not fear the site the has been adding new hats weekly.

Cardinals

Memphis Redbirds AAA

Springfield Cardinals  AA

Palm Beach A (Advanced)

Quad Cities River Bandits A

Batvia Muckdogs  A (Short Season)

Royals

Omaha AAA

Wilmington Blue Rocks A (Advance)

Burlington Bees A

A year can make all the difference. Ned Yost in January was starting his new job as a special adviser to the Kansas City Royals. The month of May came along with a chance to take over for recently fired manager Trey Hillman. The Yost led Royals are 31-37 heading into August with a new lineup after several deadline deals.

The one thing that will not be changing in Kansas City is the manager. Yost has been given a two year extension that will keep him as the captain of this ship through the 2012 season. Yost, it seems, has started to turn this team around during his short run as manager and this small turn around is apparently hope enough for Royals management to bet on Yost for the years to come.

Extending Yost at this point in the season is a good choice, in my opinion. By letting Yost stay, the team is basically giving him the rest of the year to use as an extended training/evaluation period. He will be able to bring up AAA guys and maybe even a AA guy or two in the last month of the season. Yost will be able to see his minor league talent at the major league level and he will also be able to give some bench players more playing time after trading four starting players.

Read more about how the Royals rebuilding plan is based on what Yost brings to the team over at I-70 Baseball.

For a breakdown of the players the Royals got in return, head over to I-70 Baseball.

The Royals have agreed to send Alberto Callaspo to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for Sean O’Sullivan and Will Smith, both pitchers.

Callaspo has played third base primarily this season for the Royals though in 2009, he patrolled the second base position at Kauffman Stadium.  Callaspo is a lifetime .275 hitter over 4+ seasons, while hitting .275 with 8 home runs and 43 runs batted in in 2010.  Callaspo began his career being signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Angels in 2001 before being traded prior to the 2006 season to the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Diamondbacks would then trade him to the Royals in December of 2007 where he would play for two and a half years up until now.

Want to learn about the players joining the Royals?  Click Here for the full details at I-70 Baseball.

Now, there are many, many, many reasons to not consider re-signing Guillen. He’s an obnoxious, overpaid clubhouse cancer who has called his teammates “babies.” He’s been linked to steroid use. He called his former manager Mike Scioscia “a piece of garbage.” He gets in fights with fans. He once removed his own ingrown toenail after doctors told him he needed a surgery.

All in all, Jose Guillen is one of the most hated people in the game of baseball, and the least popular Royals player since Neifi Perez.

Despite all that, though, Jose Guillen has also been one of the Royals’ most productive offensive weapons over the past three seasons. No, he wasn’t worth anywhere close to his three-year, $36 million contract, and he’s spent a good amount of time on the disabled list. But when he’s in the lineup, he’s a force to be reckoned with, and a legitimate middle-of-the-lineup bat.

For the rest of Matt Kelsey’s take on Jose Guillen and the Kansas City Royals head over to Baseball Digest affiliate I-70 Baseball and read the rest of the article.

As we approach the trade deadline, I-70 Baseball discusses with the fans two very different franchises that will be active at the deadline for very different reasons.  With the Royals most likely in “Seller” mode and the Cardinals looking to be “Buyers” at the deadline, what can fans of the two franchises expect?

Bill will be joined by his co-host, Matt Kelsey, this week to take a deeper look into the Royals.  In addition to the hosts, the show will feature Ben Nicholson-Smith from MLB Trade Rumors to help break down some of the rumors circulating around the teams.

I-70 Baseball strives to ensure that every fan of the show has a “voice” in the show.  Angela Weinhold will be serving as Chat Host in the Blog Talk chat room tonight during the show.  If you cannot call in to the show, do not want to be on the air, or simply prefer chatting about the topics, Angela will make sure that you are heard and your points are openly discussed in the room and on air.

Also tonight, a representative from the mobile application Venuing will join the broadcast to tell fans what they can expect from their product, what new and exciting things they are working on, and how I-70 Baseball will be helping them out along the way.

It should be a great show tonight and the I-70 Baseball team hopes to see all of you there.  Call in, chat, or listen to the show every Monday night at 10 p.m.

As part of the Pepsi Refresh Project, each (Pepsi) Club has outlined an idea – from creating Milwaukee’s first universally-accessible baseball league for those with a physical or mental disability to cultivating an urban garden that would grow fruits and vegetables to be donated to various local non-profit organizations to feed the hungry – that will vie for fan votes and an ultimate $200,000 Pepsi Refresh grant to fulfill the project. Launching today thru Tuesday, August 17 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, fans can cast their votes at www.mlb.com/PepsiRefresh or via text by typing the team’s name to 76462 (e.g. R-A-Y-S) for the ideas they believe should receive a grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project.

To lead off the promotion, the players will team up with Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Jenny McCarthy, and local community representatives for a special Pepsi Refresh Project event in Anaheim, the site of the 2010 MLB All-Star Game.  In partnership with LA Commons, an organization which engages communities in artistic and cultural expression, participants will paint a mural that embodies the essence of the Pepsi Refresh Project. The mural, created by artist Roberto Del Hoyo will be constructed at El Salvador Community Center in Santa Ana, stand almost 10 feet high by 86 feet wide, take 500 hours to complete and leave a lasting legacy in the community. Additionally, today MLB All-Star FanFest will be Presented by Pepsi and feature player appearances and clinics.

“The Pepsi Refresh Project makes it easy for fans to make a difference in America’s communities,” said Gwynn. “We hope fans will get behind the team ideas and support them off the field as much as they do during each and every game to help make this project a huge success.”

A new television spot titled “Jocks” will break tonight during the All-Star Game broadcast on FOX highlighting the team ideas and player representatives which include:

* Arizona Diamondbacks/Justin Upton – Help Best Buddies program build social skills and increase independence of those with developmental disabilities
* Chicago Cubs/Geovany Soto – Allow hundreds of kids of all ages to participate in baseball through the Humbolt Park Little League
* Chicago White Sox/Gordon Beckham – Supply much-needed school supplies to participants of Chicago’s Inner City Youth Baseball Program
* Cleveland Indians/Grady Sizemore – Expand The Cleveland Baseball Federation, which provides 4,200 kids ages 5-19 with 20 minute sessions about personal responsibility, money management and college preparations
* Detroit Tigers/Johnny Damon – Work with Detroit Tigers Youth Baseball to Refresh Recess and fight childhood obesity by introducing the game of baseball to nearly 20,000 students in 40 elementary schools
* Kansas City Royals/Billy Butler – Restore 37 baseball/softball fields in small communities in the Midwest region with Royalty Fields
* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim/Torii Hunter – Partner with Orange County United Way to work toward the goal of graduating 100% of at-risk high school seniors who are four-year college eligible with a clear career path plan
* Milwaukee Brewers/Prince Fielder – Construct Milwaukee’s first universally-accessible baseball league for children with any physical or mental disability with the Miracle League of Milwaukee
* Minnesota Twins/Michael Cuddyer – Create a specialty softball field for Courage Center’s Rolling Twins softball wheelchair team
* New York Mets/Jeff Francoeur – Partner with City Year New York to improve educational outcomes for low-income communities by focusing on attendance, behavior, course performance and civic involvement
* New York Yankees/CC Sabathia – Work with Out2Play, Inc. to provide children throughout all regions of the New York City public school system with safe, fun and developmentally beneficial playspaces
* Oakland Athletics/Andrew Bailey – Build an adapted sports field and community park for differently-abled people with the Miracle League of the Alameda East Bay
* Pittsburgh Pirates/Andrew McCutchen – Partner with the City of Pittsburgh to plant and cultivate an urban garden that would grow fruits and vegetables to be donated to various local non-profit organizations to feed the hungry
* Seattle Mariners/Felix Hernandez – Team up with the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence to mentor young male athletes and promote positive messages of honor and respect
* Tampa Bay Rays/Evan Longoria – Work with the Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation to provide cancer education for kids

Broadcasting live every Monday night at 10 p.m. CST, the radio broadcast for I70 Baseball will bring a mixture of Cardinal and Royal content from the talented writers and editors of the website.  Through relationships with the United Cardinal Bloggers and the Baseball Blogging Alliance, I70 will also provide listeners with in depth analysis of upcoming matchups with other teams around Major League Baseball with guests that are experts on those teams on the horizon that week for the two big league teams that share the Interstate namesake of the website.

This week tune in as Bill Ivie and co-host Josh Gilliam bring you up to speed on all of the things that I-70 Baseball will bring onto your computer from this day forward.  Listen in as they break down the All Star festivities, the first half of both ball clubs and take a quick look ahead at what the back half of 2010 is set to bring to the franchises in Missouri.  Login to the chat room and join a chat host that will ensure that everyone that logs into the show has their voices heard and questions answered.

The new site on the block has gone live to the public as I-70 Baseball was officially opened to readers today, July 12, 2010.

What exactly is I-70 Baseball?  I’m glad you asked…

The idea was formed earlier this year when the decision to add affiliates to BaseballDigest.com was approached.  When the drawing board was approached, it became apparent that I wanted to bring more than just Cardinal coverage to the team.  I-70 Baseball gave me the chance to bring Royals and Cardinals coverage to a much grander scale.

Behind the amazing graphic work of Derrick Docket, the site was built and given a true personality.  A team of eleven writers came together to begin working on content for the website last week.  Josh Gilliam was added to the roster as a Content Editor and the idea began becoming reality.

I-70 was laid out to be more than just a website, built largely off the model of our parent site.  With a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter account, and an hour long internet radio show, I-70 is poised to interact with the fans in every way possible.

Over at the website, I70 provides daily content on both the Cardinals and Royals including the feature series that bookend the week: fantasy analysis on Monday and a farm system report on Friday every week.

Bill Ivie is the Assignment Editor here at Baseball Digest.
You can find him on Twitter here.

MacDougal was siged by the Marlins in February but was released shortly there after. MacDougal spent last year with the White Sox and Nationals. MacDougal is probably most know in the state as the Royals All-Star reliever from the 2003 season.

This year MacDougal has 22 minor league innings under his belt and has allowed 26 hits and 13 walks with a 5.32 ERA. MacDougal also has 13 strikeouts to his name in the minors.

MacDougal a one time sure thing All-Star for years to come seemed to be an unstoppable. He has since had a few productive seasons in the bigs but never a season like ’03. MacDougal is a gamble but a good gamble because he once had wicked stuff. The Cardinals after blowing the last few games due to bullpen problems have to feel that MacDougal can not be any worse than the other options they have been throwing on the mound lately.

If MacDougal can find is old form the Cards could have picked up a very solid inning eater up for next to nothing.

The Royals look to be a major player at the deadline this year. The Royals have several good pieces and even more pieces in the last year or final two years of their contract. Rumors have been flying all over about teams calling for DeJesus. The story has been that the asking price is too high at this point in the season. This is music to any KC fan’s ears because the team has let too many players leave for nothing (Can you say Damon). DeJesus is batting .329 with 34 rbi and is only on the books for $4.3 million. It is safe to say that DeJesus will cost 3 mid-level prospects or one high level prospect plus a throw in player or cash. The last option for teams would be to take on the horrible contract of Jose Guillen. Guillen has been on a hot streak with hits in 21 straight games, but he is playing DH in almost every game and has battled injuries when he has tired to play the field. The Royals are pushing Guillen hard to anyone that will listen.

The next piece that should interest the Cardinals is Bannister who has 7-5 record this year along with a $2.3 million dollar deal. Bannister would give the Cards an insurance policy in the bullpen or the back end of the rotation. Bannister can probably be had for two prospects but with pitching the price can always climb as the deadline nears.

A package of five or six prospects to the Royals for Bannister and DeJesus could provide the lineup the extra spice it needs for a playoff run at a cost of about $3 million. The price could be even lower if the Cardinals are willing to throw in a talent that would convince the Royals to pick up the remaining dollars on one or both players. If the Cards want to give up more money than prospects adding Guillen to the deal would surely lessen the asking price from KC. Guillen must be viewed as bench bat or a trading chip to moved in another deadline deal by any NL.

This kind of trade allows for the Cardinals to bring in playoff help without having to give up the whole minor league prospect list, while at the same time not taking on any new salary for next year. The only problem with this trade is that it will most likely require one if not two of the top 15 prospects because half the league wants DeJesus.

Why not go after Oswalt if we have to give up two good prospects? The answer is because Oswalt makes too much money this year and next year. If both of these trades were on the table for the same players going out I would take the two KC guys for the simple fact that there is no new money coming onto the books in 2011. The second reason is because bats and base runners are a bigger need for this Cardinal team.

The money that this game will bring in will keep the Royals in Kansas City for another 30 years but that is not why the All-Star Game is the most important thing to happen in Kansas City Baseball since ’85. The reason this All-Star Game could help to turn the team around is because the best of the best will be forced to come to Kansas City for three days.

Most of these players, like Albert Pujols, will never be in the budget for the Royals and sadly not even on the teams radar. The thing to remember for all Royals fans is all of the first time All-Stars will be within the Boys in Blue’s budget. So, just maybe one of these young talents will see what kind of stadium, clubhouse, and city KC has to offer and think to himself, “I could play here”. The same thing is true for all of the futures players with the big exception that many if not all of them will take their first steps on to a Major League Baseball field in Kansas City thus making KC special.

Kansas City needs players to think good thoughts when they think of the team and the city. The Royals have become known as a small market, small budget, low wins, trade them away before they make to much, team. This All-Star Game could finally remove the Kansas City tax that many agents and players place upon any contract offer that they submit. Gil Meche and Jose Guillen took $11 million a year to get them to Kansas City. Everyone in baseball, even the Royals, said that they had to over pay to get higher quality players because of the mindset that has become tied to Kansas City since the 90′s.

These three days in 2012, along with a strong showing in the offseason this year, could show all of baseball that they need to rethink what it means to wear the KC. The Royals do not have to change the minds of ever All-Star but they do need to change the minds of at least one.

The 2012 Midsummer Classic will be the 83rd All-Star Game. It will be the third played in Kansas City and the first since July 24, 1973, which the National League won 7-1 at what was then known as Royals Stadium. That contest marked the 24th and final All-Star appearance by Hall of Famer Willie Mays. The other All-Star Game in Kansas City was played at Municipal Stadium in 1960, won 5-3 by the National League in the first of two All-Star Games played that year.

“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am pleased to announce that the 2012 All-Star Game will be hosted by the Kansas City Royals and be played at beautiful Kauffman Stadium,” Commissioner Selig said. “I want to congratulate Royals Owner and Chairman David Glass for putting together a tremendous bid to host this event. His leadership in renovating Kauffman Stadium and the efforts of President Dan Glass and Senior Vice President Kevin Uhlich throughout the bid process were key factors in the decision. This is a special day for the Kansas City Royals organization, the local community and the great baseball fans of Kansas City who will make this event a tremendous success.”

“This is a tremendous honor for our organization and every Kansas City Royals fan in our region,” said Glass. “This will be a golden opportunity for the rest of the baseball world to discover what we already know, that the new-improved Kauffman Stadium is one of the great facilities in all of sports and will be prepared to showcase baseball’s best in the 2012 All-Star Game. The All-Star festivities have changed exponentially since the game was last played here when our ballpark opened in 1973 and I can assure you we will be terrific caretakers of a great week of activities leading up to the Midsummer Classic. I would also like to thank Commissioner Selig for putting his faith in us to display one of baseball’s gem events.”

“Kauffman Stadium has always been one of the best places to enjoy baseball, and the recent renovations by the Royals have made this one of the premier experiences for family fun,” said Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. “The 2012 All-Star Game will showcase this beautiful stadium and Kansas City to the whole world, and I am delighted with today’s announcement.”

The 2012 All-Star Game is tentatively scheduled to be played in Kansas City on Tuesday, July 10, 2012.

That is not a bad thing.

In the 14 years since interleague play began, the St. Louis squad hold a 33-24 edge over their western foes in Kansas City, winning 22 of 33 games held in Kansas City. This has led many Cardinal fans to rename the beautiful Kauffman Stadium as ‘Busch Stadium West.’ In all honesty, the Royals, with exactly one winning season (83-79 in 2003) since 1997, have rarely fielded a team capable of matching up on paper against the Cardinals. Despite that fact, this match-up is one that many fans from both sides admit to looking forward to every year.

The two teams first faced off in the 1985 World Series. The Cardinals held out over the then-bitter rival Mets by three games in the NL East and the Royals squeaked out of the AL West by one game over the California Angels. That year’s World Series marked various beginnings and endings for all of baseball. It was the first Series in which every game was played at night, as well as the last Series in which the designated hitter was not used at the American League park. Despite all this, the two evenly matched teams battled it out in a hard fought World Series which has unfortunately been boiled down to one play – the Don Denkinger call.

In game 6, with the Cardinals ahead in the series 3-2 and the game 1-0, Jorge Orta of the Royals hit a bouncer to first baseman Jack Clark, who flipped the ball to rookie reliever Todd Worrell for the force out. Despite replays showing otherwise, Denkinger, the first base umpire, called Orta safe, and things escalated from there. The Royals came back to win the game and slammed the Cardinals in game 7 to win the Series.

Since 1985, the Cardinals have been to the postseason 9 times, the World Series 3 times, and have 1 more championship. The Royals sit at 0 postseason trips, 0 World Series appearances and 0 titles in that same time frame. It is no wonder there are still so many powder blue t-shirts running around the western half of Missouri – 1985 is all they have.

There have been several interesting (if not overly memorable) games in the 57 played between the two teams. Some that stand out include:

The Royals won a wild 17-13 game on June 9, 1999, that featured 10 pitchers, 37 hits, 2 blown saves, and 8 players with 3 RBI or more.

The Cardinals won back to back games on June 28 and 29, 2003, with the Cardinals scoring 13 runs both nights.

The Royals handed the Redbirds a brutal 17-8 beating on June 14, 2007, where the game was out of reach when a 15-6 score greeted the Cardinals after the fourth inning.

Last season the Cardinals won the season series 5-1. St. Louis won 2 of 3 in May, but the June series is one that Cardinal fans now should note. The team was struggling with the loss of Kyle Lohse to the DL earlier in the month. With the Cardinals planning for a bullpen game on June 19, 2009, Brad Thompson instead threw 7 innings (the longest start of his career by a full inning) and the Cardinals won 10-5, centered on 3 home runs in the St. Louis half of the third inning. After that strong start to the series, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright closed the door on a sweep of the three games.

The atmosphere of this series is always friendly. Fans from both sides feel very little ill will towards each other, which is nice when you are a Cardinal fan who lives on the wrong side of the state! Both cities have beautiful ballparks to visit. Busch Stadium was just opened in 2006, and Kauffman Stadium underwent extensive renovations before the 2009 season that have greatly added to the fan experience. The Cardinals holds the edge on scenery, as Busch Stadium’s sight lines of the Gateway Arch, as well as the rest of downtown St. Louis, offer the possibility to do more than just see a game when you visit the ballpark. Kansas City, however, showcases the best of the Midwest in terms of tailgating opportunities, so it is worth it to come early and enjoy some BBQ.

Cardinal fans enjoy games in Kansas City. The tickets are cheaper, the food is great, and by having so many fellow St. Louis fans in town, some think that there are more red-clad fans in the stadium than hometown folks! So for those of you heading to Kauffman to see the I-70 showdown this year, enjoy the games, even if you are there to root, root, root for the home team.

Angela Weinhold covers the Cardinals for BaseballDigest.com. You can read more of her work at Cardinal Diamond Diaires. Follow her on Twitter here.

Known for his flamboyant style and his proclamations of “Lima Time”, few pitchers have left fans with as many memorable moments as Jose Lima leaves behind for fans of his career.  Lima would wear his emotions on his sleeve despite the objections of baseball purists and opposing players alike that did not like to see him “showing up” his fellow combatants.  He would leave the field with his fist pumping and celebratory antics would enrage his opponents and thrill his fans for many seasons.

Lima began his major league career as a member of the Detroit Tigers in 1994.  An uneventful career took a positive turn when he was involved in a nine player trade that sent him and four others to the Houston Astros on December 10, 1996.

After becoming familiar with his new surroundings the following year, Lima would realize his potential in 1997.  He would take the mound thirty three times in 1998 for the Astros, winning sixteen games and losing eight.  The following season, in 1999, Lima would go on to win twenty one games and lose ten while leading the National League with thirty five games started.  This would lead to his first, and only, All Star Game appearance and have him finish fourth in Cy Young voting.  The 2000 season would see Lima lose sixteen games and post a 6.65 ERA, the second highest of his career in seasons that seen him pitch in more than twenty games. It would also see him lead the league in home runs allowed (48) and earned runs allowed (145).  His forty eight home runs allowed would fall just two short of Bert Blyleven’s major league, single season record.

In 2001, Lima would find himself being traded back to the Detroit Tigers in a midseason deal.  In September of 2002, the Tigers would release the former All Star and Lima would proclaim “If I can’t pitch on this team–the worst or second-worst team in baseball–where am I going to pitch? If I can’t start on this ballclub, I must be the worst pitcher on Earth.”

In 2003, Lima would climb his way from the minor leagues back to a major league rotation as a member of the Kansas City Royals.  That offseason, Lima would sign a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers to pitch the 2004 season.  The 2004 season would bring the last successful run of Lima Time, the mantra expressed by the pitcher and his fanbase to describe the days that he pitched.  He would put together a thirteen win season while only losing five games.  His season, and possibly his career, would reach a pinnacle in the playoffs.  He would take the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals as his Dodger team faced elimination from the National League Division Series, down two games to none.  Lima would through a nine inning, five hit shutout against the Cardinals, prolonging the Dodgers stay in the playoff hunt for one more game.  The Dodgers would lose the following game to the Cardinals, and Lima would find himself on his way back to the Kansas City Royals as a free agent.

Lima would set a record that season with the Kansas City Royals, though it is doubtful that the record would be at the top of his resume.  Lima would finish 2006 with a five win, sixteen loss record and post an ERA of 6.99.  That would be the highest ERA of any Major League Baseball pitcher to appear in over thirty games.

Lima would finish his major league career the following season as a member of the New York Mets, appearing in only four games before being released.  Lima would go on to play professional baseball in Korea, Mexico and the Golden State Baseball League in America.

The team is 18-25 as of today 7.5 games out of first place. The team’s phones have been ringing off the hook ever since Trey Hillman was fired with teams trying to see who is on the market. Alex Gordon was rumored to be out of favor in Kansas City before Hillman was let go. Word out of Kansas City is neither Gordon nor Joakim Soria are on the block.  The team, it is said,  is not even open to listening to offers for the pair but they are on a short list of protected players.

The names that are most likely to get traded and have had the most rumors surrounding them to date are David DeJesus and Jose Guillen. Both players have been rumored in trades in the past but this year the rumors will most likely come true. It seems DeJesus is always out there as a name that other teams want because of his ability to play the field, run, and hit. He is not a major player but he can help a team that needs a replacement outfielder or just more depth for a playoff run. On the other hand, Guillen is hitting well this year, which is a change from his last two years in Kansas City. Guillen has a large contract but he is in the last year of his deal so as long he continues to hit the chances he gets moved increase.

The names that have not been talked about as much come from the pitching staff. The team has several players in the last year or last two years of their deals that could provide help to playoff teams as either bullpen help or as a starter. This list includes Brain Bannister, Gil Meche, Kyle Davies, and Luke Hochevar.

If the team is ten or more games out of first by mid June all of these guys could find a new home. The Royals have shown that they are more than willing to trade any player who is in the last year or their deal. Many fans might not want to see the heart of the pitching staff get traded but, if the Royals do trade all or some of their pitching, they could still be brought back to the team next year as a free agent.

It wouldn’t be shocking at all if the Royals tried to add on several players to help entice a team to take on more of the finical burden of a contract like Guillen or Meche (11 million a season). The team has a ton of AA of AAA prospects so this years trade deadline could be a turning point for the team in its road back to be being a winner

The last year contract, trade, and then resign the next season are my personal favorite kind of trades. It allows for players on your roster to bring talent back to the club and at the same time you can still bring them back the next year if the price is right to play along side of the new talent their trade provided.

This win streak could simply be dumb luck or it could be something more something much more. New manager Ned Yost could have something to do with the current win streak but it is really too early to tell. It could be said that Yost has gracefully managed his roster like no other could getting the best out of a team that looked dead only days ago. It can also be said that Yost has provided the team with the spark it needed but it can also be said that slumps can’t last forever.

Most of the Blue Crew would like to think that Yost is the answer, that he has the power to make bats come to life and at the same time has a crystal ball that knows exactly what inning to pull his pitcher. It is easy to think this at the current time with almost every player on the team seeming to get the out that only a week ago was a homer or get a hit when they previously would have taken a seat on the pine.

Royals players are hitting homers, pitching complete games, and just plain looking good under Yost. The team has won in extra innings, come from behind, and even been rumored as a free agent landing spot for LeBron James. Simply something has happened in Kansas City this week. This week long trend of good ball could just be a reaction to finally having a manager that understands his team or it could be the result of players trying harder to impress the new boss.

The one thing that is known is that the Royals are winning for now. The thing that is unknown is how long will it last. If this winning trend continues for another week or maybe even two more then Yost can be elevated to manager of the year but until this trend last more than a week Royals fans should just be happy that they have a streak going because in the Central anything can happen because the division is one injury away from being turned upside down.

Zack has to go to the distance or at least to the eighth inning to have a chance to win, other than Joakim Soria, there is no help in the Royals’ bullpen. Zack has even seen a one run game turn into something other than a win this season, which is just unthinkable.

Fans of the Boys in Blue need to give Zack their full support every time he goes out on the mound. He is the key to bringing the Royals back into the playoff hunt. Zack on the mound should be a win more times than not, the fact that he is 0-4 in 7 starts is not a bad review on him as a pitcher but the rest of the team as a whole.

There is no reason a pitcher with 46.2 innings pitched in 7 games with a WHIP of 1.05 should be without a win. This should alarm all Royals fans but sadly it probably doesn’t because it seems like losing has become old hat in Kansas City. The simple solution to getting Zack a win is for the rest of the team to step up and get that last out or run.

It is one thing to see the last guy in the rotation wait until mid may to get a win but when it is your ace you need to take note of what is going on and how to fix it.

Zack finally got a win May 13th in a 6-4 game vs Cleveland. The Kansas City bats finally came to the rescue of Zack for once this season.

Dave Owen, the current third base coach, was let go by new manager Ned Yost. This move should come as no shock since Owen came to the Royals from the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters with Hillman. This move can be seen as a simple guilty by association move, which is all too common in professional sports.

Owen will be replaced by Rusty Kuntz. Kuntz was  currently on staff as a special assistant to Royals general manager Dayton Moore and an organizational instructor, but has served  as the Royals first-base coach for the previous two seasons.

Eddie Rodriguez will be shifting from his first base coaching position to third-base. Rodriguez will be given sole responsibility of coaching the infield.

Yost also made a small change in the lineup moving catcher Jason Kendall down a few spots in the lineup but otherwise no real major changes have been made to the roster. It is easy to assume that more roster moves could be in the Royals future once Yost has had time to interact with his new team.

There is plenty of depth in the Royals farm system that could see playing time later in the year if the team continues to struggle.