I'm not sure what, if anything, I was hoping to find when I embarked on this, the baseball road trip of a lifetime. But while standing behind Kauffman Stadium's famous right field water spectacular, one month into my travels, staring out on to the pristine field where the Kansas City Royals were hosting the Cleveland Indians, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that I'd found what I was looking for; that I had, in some way, made it home. Because Kauffman Stadium, "The K" as she's called by the locals, took my breath away. She left me feeling that within her confines is exactly where the game of baseball was meant to be played.
The irony of the moment certainly was not lost on me. I was in Kauffman Stadium, one of the oldest parks in Major League Baseball. And I was in Kansas City, the home of the Royals; the baseball team that winning forgot. I could only shake my head, a smile on my face, in disbelief.
It was while strolling through the outfield plaza - highlighted by its waterfalls, fountains, statues, and massive centre field scoreboard - that I thought to myself: "Maybe being a Royals fan isn't so bad, after all. Sure, they're awful. So are a lot of teams. But at least they've got The K." I wondered what Toronto Blue Jays baseball would be like if we had a ballpark like Kansas City's; I wondered if more people would attend. I questioned whether an exquisite, baseball-only stadium would make it easier to endure years upon years - 16 and counting for us in Toronto, and 24 and counting for Kansas City - of postseason-free baseball.
The Water Spectacular
Kansas City, "The City of Fountains," boasts more fountains than any other city but Rome. Which actually makes Rome "The City of Fountains," but lets not get caught up in minor details. Kansas City's got fountains, a ton of them, and they're something to be proud of. I think. There was, fittingly enough, even a fountain in the lobby of my downtown hotel, the Hyatt Regency Crown Center.
I'd seen Kauffman Stadium's famous outfield water spectacular a million times, on television, in pictures, and in video games. But much like the ivy at Wrigley Field, I was very much looking forward to visiting the parks fountains and waterfalls in the flesh. And its name indeed does it justice. Measuring 322-feet wide, the water spectacular is the largest privately funded fountain in the world.
It might sound odd, waterfalls and fountains beyond the outfield walls at a baseball stadium. But they work; they spruce up the place. They are distinct. They are Kansas City. Trust me: spend a couple of innings watching the game behind the water spectacular; you'll hear the waterfalls continuously flowing, and see the fountains put on a show between innings. You'll then reach the same conclusion I've come to: the fountains are real, and they really are spectacular.
I Don't Get It
Let me get this out of the way, because I still don't quite understand it: there is no public transit option to Kauffman Stadium. The bus service, the Royals Express, has - get this - been discontinued since February 2009. And the ballpark isn't downtown. It's southeast of the city, part of Kansas City, Missouri's Truman Sports Complex, where the NFL's Chiefs play, along with the Royals. (Which means there's nothing around the ballpark. So if you're heading out early, have a cooler and grill ready to go, along with all your other tailgating necessities.) Depending on traffic, it'll take you between 10 and 20 minutes from downtown, and a cab will cost you between $20 and $25. Each way.
Kansas City, Missouri, what's the deal? It's 2010. We're living in a day and age where metropolises everywhere are increasing public transit options in hopes of getting people out of their cars. And you've cancelled the bus route to your sports complex, which hosts thousands of people at least 88 times a year? Fail.
I can't help but think there's more to this; a logical explanation, somehow and somewhere. There has to be. I'm simply too busy, and a little too lazy, to look it up.
Diamond In The Rough
Nine dollars at the box office gets you into the majestic baseball palace known as The K, and a seat upstairs. I never made it to my assigned chair, though; there were far too many better ones to be had near the field. Right field on the first base side, by the foul pole and Royals bullpen, worked out just fine. And, of course, the water spectacular. I think I watched half the game from the outfield plaza. A man can really get some thinking done by those waterfalls and fountains.
The K was renovated in 2007, 34 years after she first opened her doors in 1973. And the $250-million facelift worked, because she looks great. While still essentially a hulking slab of boring concrete on the outside, once you get inside, that won't matter. You'll have forgotten, for you have stumbled into baseball's soul.
The main concourse is wide; wider than I would have expected for a ballpark almost 40 years old. The sightlines are solid, and you can't help but be enamoured by the larger-than-life high-definition LED scoreboard, crown topped, in centre field.
When I wasn't sitting in the seat I borrowed, or contemplating my existence by the water spectacular, I was strolling the outfield plaza, where the brunt of The K's renovations took place. Before Kauffman Stadium's grand reopening on Opening Day in 2009, there was no outfield plaza. Today, you'll find the Fountain Bar in left field, and Rivals Sports Bar in right field. On top of Rivals you'll find the Bud Light Party Zone, where patio parties are bumping from before first pitch until the Royals, more often than not, lose.
There's more: the outfield plaza is where Royals greats George Brett, Dick Howser, Frank White, and Ewing and Muriel Kauffman, the Royals' first owners, are immortalized. If you know anything by now from reading Stealing Home, it's that I love a good statue or five.
Behind the outfield plaza is where you take the kids. It's practically an amusement park, with: a carousel; a basepath kids can run and be timed on; Little K, a miniature baseball field where big league dreams are spawned; a playground; and mini golf. While I know it's for the tykes, mini golf inside the ballpark is a great idea, especially if you're at the park with a member of the fairer sex. A round of 18, followed by a baseball game. Perfect for date number two or three, wouldn't you agree? I maintain: a ball game is a great place to take a lady. Because when you catch a foul ball and hand it to the little boy two rows in front of you, she's yours.
"Hello, and welcome to The K."
That's how you're greeted, along with a smile, by every concession worker at Kauffman Stadium. That might seem insignificant, but as I travel through the country, ballpark to ballpark, it's the little things that stand out; the little things that make a difference. The friendliness of concession staff made buying a beer, a pleasant experience in its own right, that much more enjoyable.
Said beer will cost you $6 for a small domestic draft, and $8.50 for a large. A bottle runs $7.50. Your standard beers, Bud and Bud Light, are on tap, but you can buy 16 oz. of Guinness, Harp, or Smithwick's, if that's what tickles your fancy, for $8. You'll find one microbrew: local Boulevard beer, 16 oz., for $7. And, yes, one is better than none. Right behind the centre field scoreboard, accentuating the outfield plaza, you'll find a most unexpected yet most welcome sight: Leinie Lodge. Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat is fast becoming my favourite brew.
And you know what it went surprisingly well with? A Kansas City barbecue brisket sandwich. The city is known is known for it's famous barbecue, and when in Rome, don't worry about the price, and do as the Romans do.
History
Believe it or not, the Kansas City Royals were once half-decent on the baseball diamond. They even won a World Series! And their Hall of Fame at Kauffman Stadium, built during the renovations, is an absolute treat; a fitting tribute to a once proud franchise. It's interactive, and full of multimedia kiosks. You can even put on your play-by-play cap and call some of the most treasured moments in Royals history. It's a must if you're ever at the ballpark.
Royals Baseball
It sure isn't pretty; they're more like the Kansas City Peasants. I thought it a shame that on a splendid spring evening, sunny and warm at first pitch, with a light breeze blowing into the stadium, we the fans were subjected to a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians. It felt, in a way, unfair to The K. She deserved better.
In the 7th inning, after Kansas City walked in a run with the bases loaded to give Cleveland a 7-1 advantage, a Royals fan in front of me took off his royal blue cap, hung his head, stared at the ground for a long moment, and then shook his head in exasperation. It was the perfect window into the life of a Royals supporter. And I believe that, to a man, Kansas City Royals fans have mastered that epic head shake of frustration.
My visit to The K also coincided with Zack Greinke t-shirt giveaway night. One Royals fan remarked: "[The t-shirt]shouldn't list his stats, it should read 'Poor Zack Greinke.'"
Another fan, I thought, I put it best: "Greinke and The K. That's all we got. And it's only a matter of time before we're back to just The K."
Those poor bastards. God love 'em. They love their Royals, and they appreciate the game of baseball; something I think has everything to do with George Brett, and how he played the game. I want to believe it will turn around for them, the Royals faithful, but, well, I don't.
Astonishing ballpark. Pathetic team.
"I may own this team, but it is Kansas City's team - not mine."
- Ewing Kauffman, Kansas City Royals founder and owner (1969-1993)