Optimism and fandom are strong, strong animals.
That much was clear as the Kansas City Royals’ annual caravan made its stop in Emporia on Thursday afternoon at Planet Sub. A sizable throng of local fans showed up to get autographs from a group of five Royals representatives: radio broadcaster Denny Matthews, Royals pitching great Dennis Leonard, current pitchers Kyle Davies and Luke Hochevar, and Sluggerrr, the club’s lion mascot.
Fan ages ranged from those old enough to remember when Leonard was taking the mound in the franchise’s ’70s and ’80s glory days to youngsters who have known nothing but losing Royals baseball. But among the caravan’s guests, smiles and Royals apparel were in abundance, and optimism reigned supreme.
“This is great,” said Ken Skirvin, a 28-year-old Emporian and lifelong fan who’s been at past local caravan stops. “This is the closest I get to see them besides when I go to the actual games and see them on the field. Now I can actually see who I’m watching and know them in person, in a way.”
The Royals have had just one winning season since 1994 and are coming off a 65-97 year that featured few highlights beyond Zack Greinke, who emerged as the American League’s best pitcher and won the AL Cy Young award. But Hochevar, picked first overall by the Royals in the 2006 draft, believes the franchise is headed in the right direction, even as some fans and baseball analysts have panned general manager Dayton Moore’s offseason acquisitions, such as catcher Jason Kendall and outfielder Brian Anderson.
“I think we’re making the right moves,” Hochevar said. “I mean, we’re super-young. If anyone’s kind of baseball-savvy, you understand that there’s a learning curve in the big leagues, and you watch a lot of great pitchers and players go through it. Your first couple of years, there’s somewhat of a learning curve, and look at Zack — jumping in, this (was) his fifth year in the big leagues, and it clicked for him.”
The caravan had stopped in Topeka earlier Thursday before making its way to Planet Sub, and was scheduled to end the day’s tour in Wichita. The caravan is a prelude to the two-day Royals FanFest scheduled to begin today at the Overland Park Convention Center.
Having broadcasted for the club since its first season in 1969, and possessing a voice that’s instantly recognizable to any Royals fan, Matthews is an old veteran of the caravan.
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