Every day is a good day to be a Royals fan. Some days, like today, are better than others.
The Royals have been my favorite baseball team for almost as long as they've had a team. Because of players like Amos Otis (my favorite), Buck Martinez, and Bo Jackson? Because of their beautiful park? Because they've won the World Series one more time than the Chicago Cubs have in the time I've been alive? No. It's because of two men who most people have never heard of, Royals broadcasters Fred White and Denny Mathews.
Growing up I loved playing baseball and learning as much as I could about it. Fred and Denny gave me my baseball education on KMA, my local radio station. I listened to almost every game from the mid-70's to the mid-80's. I learned what "hitting for the cycle" was when John Mayberry did it August 5, 1977. They kept me awake way past my bed time relaying Jim Colburn's no-hitter on May 14, 1977, and many other nights, especially those when they were up against the Yankees. They were too classy to say anything bad against the Yankees, but their descriptions of those losses turned me into a lifelong Yankee hater.
Fred was replaced in 1999 (huge mistake, in my opinion) and passed away in 2013, but I still do get to hear Denny occasionally when I'm within range of a Royals broadcast. Nobody does it better. How can a team who makes me feel like a 10 year old again not be a Friday Favorite?
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