The Kansas City Royals are still a dark horse favourite as far as the World Series goes, but KC is rapidly turning into the peoples choice after beating Oakland 9-8 in that Wild Card game extra-inning thriller and then wiping out the L. [url=https://www.cheaproyals.com/]Kansas City Royals Store[/url]

The Kansas City Royals are still a dark horse favourite as far as the World Series goes, but KC is rapidly turning into the peoples choice after beating Oakland 9-8 in that Wild Card game extra-inning thriller and then wiping out the L. Kansas City Royals Store .A. Angels three straight in their A.L Division series. Going all the way still wont be an easy task. Since the advent of the original Wild Card format, only four teams have gone on to win the World Series from that position. In the American League that would be the Angels in 2002 and Boston in 2007. The Red Sox incidently have made to the postseason through the back door Wild Card route more than any other franchise, seven times in all. The two National League Wild Card World Series winners over that 20-year span were the Florida Marlins in 1997 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. The Rockies and Cards have made it to the Playoffs as Wild Cards most frequently among the Senior Circuit clubs at three times apiece. We talk so much about what pitching means to success, and it certainly does. But the Atlanta Braves are an interesting case. Theyve made it twice to playoffs as a Wild Card team, however they havent won a single playoff series in over a decade. This despite having the second-best ERA in the Majors over the past nine years at 3.75. The Braves pitching coach over those nine years has been Roger McDowell, he of the Magic Loogie Seinfeld episode. Concussions have come to the fore as a major problem in pro and amateur sports over the past few years, Baseball is no exception, but the bulk of concerns in the Majors surrounds one position, catcher. In these playoffs alone, Royals star catcher Salvatore Perez was hit in the head on the follow-through of a Josh Hamilton swing in Game 2 of their series. Perez was left dazed and suffering from concussion-like symptoms, but fortunately is alright. Then Sunday, in Game 3 of the Orioles series, Tigers catcher Alex Avila took a foul ball right off the jaw and had to leave the game. Its not the first time it has happened to Avila and it has caused some to worry about his long-term future in the game. Just doing a rough count, I came up with seven other catchers who have had concussions or at least concussion-like symptoms. The Twins Joe Mauer heads the list. He has become a 1B/DH type after getting hit in the mask a number of times. He may never catch full-time again. The others on the list include the Blue Jays Dioner Navarro, the Yankees Brian McCann, Bostons David Ross and Oaklands John Jasso in the American League along with the Mets Travis DArnaud, the Phillies Carlos Ruiz and the Giants Hector Sanchez. That was only a quick search - I know there are more. Baseball has already done its best to eliminate home plate collisions, but Im honestly not sure what can be done about foul tips and follow through swings. Being a catcher has always been a hazardous occupation and to a certain degree at least it always will be. The Search is On For the bulk of 30 Major League clubs, the off-season has already begun. Houston has already hired A.J. Hinch as its new manager, and the Astros old skipper Bo Porter has surfaced as the Braves third base coach. Texas and Arizona are still looking for new managers. Of the eight candidates the Rangers are considering and interviewing, two have former ties to the Blue Jays. One is Clevelands bullpen coach and former Jays catcher Kevin Cash, and the other is John Farrells bench coach Torey Lovullo, who was also a coach on Farrells staff with the Blue Jays for two years. The Rangers are also close to adding two assistants to GM Jon Daniels. The first is former Jays third base prospect Michael Young, who went on to star with Texas and the Phillies, and the other is former Jays reliever Darren Oliver. Arizona is also interviewing eight candidates including Don Wakamatsu, who was Farrells bench coach with the Jays, and Diamondbacks hitting coach Turner Ward who came off the bench with the Blue Jays when they won the World Series in 1992 and 1993. Also on the list is Sandy Alomar Jr., Robbies brother, who has been coaching in Cleveland the past few years. Popularity Poll There has never really been a question as to which team is more popular in Chicago. But this point only further serves to drive the point home. The Cubs and White Sox finished with identical records and both missed the Playoffs by a mile yet the North side Cubs drew one million more fans than the South siders. Custom Kansas City Royals Jerseys . 11 Ana Ivanovic and American Sloane Stephens, and former world No. Kansas City Royals Pro Shop . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. https://www.cheaproyals.com/ . Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level.Other teams probably could have offered Radim Vrbata $10 million over two years. What the Vancouver Canucks had that the competition didnt was the chance to play with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. So when general manager Jim Benning suggested it, Vrbata took it as another reason to sign with the Canucks. "He was saying that they were looking for somebody to play with Sedins and that they think I could be the guy," Vrbata said on a conference call Thursday. "I feel like with the way they play and the way they see the game, its something that would probably suit my game. Yeah, it was real interesting to have that chance." Itll be up to coach Willie Desjardins to form the lines, Benning said, but it was part of the plan to give Vrbata an opportunity with the Sedins. Benning likes that Vrbata can read plays and jump into holes. Vrbata, who had 20 goals and 31 assists in his final season with the defensive-minded Arizona Coyotes, will be counted on to produce more if hes Vancouvers top-line right-winger. He doesnt mind that pressure. "If you play with players like Sedins, you know that you will get your chances," Vrbata said. "When I think about the way they play, that kind of suits my game, I think. They like lots of give-and-gos and they like to get open for each other. I think thats something that I like to do, too." The addition of Vrbata could push Alex Burrows out of that spot. The 33-year-old who had been a regular linemate with the Sedins since 2010 had just five goals and 10 assists in 49 games this past season. Benning sees Burrows as the second-line right-winger alongside centre Nick Bonino -- acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in the Ryan Kesler trade -- and either Zack Kassian or Jannik Hansen. "We want to have balance amongst our four lines. We want to have scoring, we want to have scoring depth," Benning said. "Now we have depth at the forward positions where every line can contribute in the scoring, and thatts one of the things that we set out to do. Stitched Royals Jerseys. " Signing Vrbata could be the last major move in unrestricted free agency this summer for the Canucks, who got veteran goaltender Ryan Miller on Tuesday for $18 million over three years. "For the most part were done," Benning said. "We wanted to address a couple things to make our team a complete team going into this next season, and I think weve done that. ... Were going to probably go into the season with this team and were going to see where we stand and go from there." Vrbata fit on that checklist because the Canucks wanted to add a scorer. Benning said there were some possibilities on Day One, but when they didnt materialize, the 33-year-old Czech became a priority. "For us, he plays a 200-foot game," Benning said. "He plays in all three zones and hes got real good hockey sense and hands to finish. Hes going to help us on our power play." And in the shootout. Vrbata had five goals on 12 attempts last season. But its the goals he could help produce alongside the Sedins that made Vrbata particularly attractive to the Canucks, and vice-versa. Vrbata understands he might not spend 80 games with Daniel and Henrik but doesnt sound like hed complain about doing that. "Im a big, big believer in chemistry and kind of synergy," Vrbata said. "I feel like when you have chemistry with somebody, that helps so much in todays league where sometimes its so tight and if you can really trust and gain advantage by knowing the guys youre on a line (with)." Notes -- The Canucks lost Mike Santorelli in free agency after the centre signed a US$1.5-million, one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Benning said Vrbata got the nod over Santorelli because he has been a more consistent scorer over a longer period of time. ... Benning confirmed on a conference call with reporters that Travis Green would be back as coach of the Canucks AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. ' ' '