Dear Phillies: A message from the 1985 Royals

Growing up in Kansas, one of my favorite sporting memories is of the Kansas City Royals’ 1985 World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. What was memorable about that is that the Royals — like the Phillies today — were down 3-1 in the series. For games five and six, we expected the champagne to flow in the Cards’ clubhouse. But the Royals kept scrapping and — aided by a dubious umpiring call — came back, destroying John Tudor’s career along the way. This is what the Royals got:

It’s going to be hard, Phils fans. But it can be done. It really can.

And even if it doesn’t happen, the Yankees still suck.

Mixed feelings about the Phillies

I only moved to Philly a few months ago, but I will of course be rooting for them in the World Series. Especially since the opponent will be Tampa Bay — the Rays need a little playoff heartbreak before they taste victory.

But my very first baseball memory involved hoping the Phillies would lose the World Series. Sorry, but it’s true.

I grew up in Kansas, you see. And I was 7 years old during the fall of 1980. Which meant that I was being groomed to be a fan of the Kansas City Royals — and, more specifically, George Brett, who came as close that year to hitting .400 as any player has in the last 60 years.

So when the World Series came around, I was rooting for Kansas City. But then George Brett took himself out of Game Two with a case of hemorrhoids — and, well, the rest is history.

That was 28 years ago, but it still feels weird to be rooting for the Phills in the fall. I’ll get over it, I promise.

Go Phillies! And please, for the love of God, can’t the Royals at least have a winning season next year?