Southpaws and Crackerjacks: July 2012

Finally a team where their name stands alone! No additional name did I have to learn like “Tribe!” and “Bucs!” We drove out to the stadium and were quite impressed with the view we got from the interstate. You can literally see straight into the game. Today was smokin’ hot so we opted for seats in the shade. These were a little bit pricey but well worth it for my happiness. I believe Emily and Paul can attest to how little fun I become when I’m sweating at a ballgame. Kansas City was home to the 2012 All-Star game, which was only last Tuesday; therefore, this stadium was flying some serious All-Star Pride all over. We were even able to snag an All-Star souvenir cup. Carter was giddy as he proudly sported a Royal’s Francoeur t-shirt. He cheered wildly for good ol’ Frenchy. In the words of Carter—“he looks the same and it’s good to see a familiar face on the field.” I must say I always leave a new stadium thinking that was my favorite, and I was not disappointed here in Kansas City.

One extremely odd thing did happen to us here at this stadium. As we were walking towards the outfield, we passed a drink kiosk. One employee called out to us curious if we would like the cup we were carrying filled with ice. Now the sun was beating down and nothing sounded better than a cup full of ice! Carter eagerly handed her our cup as we both beamed ear-to-ear grins at her. This lady with a Band-Aid on her right pointed finger proceeded to dip her bare hands into her cart of ice that had previously held dirty cans of beer. When her hands reappeared they were dripping wet and full of ice. After dropping that same ice into our cup, she repeated the process until the cup was full. “There’s a water fountain over there,” she told us glowing with pride. She really thought she was bee’s knees for helping us out. Stunned we turned around dragging our open jaws with us. What just happened? Four words: out of body experience.

Where we sat

This stadium pays homage to their landscape.

How Kauffman Measures Up

Ballpark Concessions: 5

By far the best stadium food to date was found here at Kauffman. KC Cantina was a food truck offering a variety of tacos served with a churro filled with Brevarian cream. We shared the fish tacos and as Carter would say, “those were money in the bank!” Next it was off to Topsy’s, for popcorn that was outstanding. These pieces of popcorn were oversized and perfectly seasoned. Lastly we headed to Sheridan’s Frozen Custard. I got the wedding cake custard cup. I watched the guy put a whole piece of white cake into a cup, add ice cream and blend like a blizzard. Delish! In addition to these unique places you can also find more Kansas City BBQ like the burnt ends sandwich and all the traditional ballpark favorites. I’m positive everything here will make your taste buds boogie.

fish tacos!

Stadium Architecture and Views: 5

This stadium is a bit different as it is located outside of the city; therefore, the views do not offer much from inside the stadium. Now from the interstate you are immediately impressed with the spectacular view of the field. Kansas City is known at The City of Fountains and to honor this fact Kauffman stadium is decorated with dramatic water displays and falls in the outfield. These fountains truly added sparkle to the field and compliment the “Royal’s” name. The Royal’s jumbo-tron is adorned with a crown that shoots fireworks for each player as they are introduced at the beginning of the game. Most of the seats offer good sight lines for watching the game and are aesthetically pleasing. A must do while attending a Royals game is watch an inning from the outfield at they turn the fountains on in-between innings. It’s out of the ordinary to watch the streams of water suddenly shoot up in various patterns offering a water ballet in the middle of a baseball game.

From the outfield

Pre-Water Dance

Water Dance

View from the interstate

there were taken from the car so they are not great.

Fan Participation: 4

It was a blazing hot Sunday afternoon game. The stadium was not sold out by any means; however, I have never heard a crowd with such small numbers cheer so enthusiastically for their team. The roar of the fans when Moustakas, more affectionately known as MOOOOOOOOOOSE, made a double play was deafening. All around us we could hear very serious fan discussing what the Royals needed to do to win the game. A lively and invested crowd intensified the game for us in best way. I even found myself hollering after a great hit.

This team did two unique things worth mentioning. One was the oblivious cam. This very funny segment shown in-between innings would time how long a fan would take to look at the screen. For example they showed an old man zoned in on his phone. The other was the hotdog race. Now most ballparks do some sort of costumed run for a winner. For example Turner Field does the Home Depot Tool Race. The Royals add a whole new level their hotdog race. The rules are as follows:

3 hotdogs: Ketchup, Mustard, and Relish

Run a portion of the field

1 winner

The kicker: The people in the hotdogs-six to nine year old kids. This race was absolutely adorable.