Sam Mellinger

The Kansas City Star

Rex Hudler and the Royals are the hot topics this week, and let’s get this out of the way right at the top because a few of you wrote in:

No, I didn’t like Ned Yost sitting Alex Gordon last night.

I understand the motivation; Ned is trying to keep everyone involved and to that end, sitting Gordon and Mike Moustakas against lefties makes some sense.

The whole key is how Gordon takes it, and to this point, it’s probably best we all understand Yost knows much more than any of the rest of us. But whatever conversation the two of them had, if Gordon walked away from it with even a fraction of doubt about Yost’s confidence in him, then it’s a bad deal.

About Hudler, it’s instructive to remember that Denny Matthews and Ryan Lefebvre had no Kansas City ties when they arrived, either. I mentioned this in the column, but Ryan says he didn’t feel accepted by Royals fans until his third season here.

Now, he says, he feels accepted “More than I deserve or could have hoped for.”

I can relate.

Let’s get to it:

@MooreGregarious you had to replace Joe Posnanski and Rex Hudler has to replace Frank White. Can we call you “Wonderdog”? #twitterTuesday

After our talk for Monday’s column, I actually mentioned this to Rex. I told him that in some ways succeeding in Kansas City would be more difficult than he probably deserves because of who he is replacing. It’s hard to take over for someone most people have such a connection to, someone most people didn’t want to see go.

And while I do think there are some loose parallels between what I heard while “replacing” Joe – and, a few months after I got this job, Jason Whitlock leaving the paper – I also had some built-in advantages having worked at the Star for a decade and growing up in the area.

I mentioned this on Twitter, but the whole key for him will be crossing that “outsider” threshold as quickly but honestly as possible. Some of this will be aided if the Royals are playing well, but most of it will just take time and sincerity and effort from Hudler.

I really think he’s going to be fine, and I’m basing this on beliefs you may very well disagree with: he knows the game inside and out; he’s in the clubhouse and on the field every day getting to know this particular team; he’s improved even in the short time he’s been on air here; he comes without ego and with a willingness to adjust; he’s a very likable guy who will be able to slowly erode the obstacles he now faces; and I always bet on smart people who care.

@p90rexHud Do you know of anyone who has ever snuck a piece of cheese past a hungry rat?

I heart Twitter.

@mitchopkins How many of Scott Drew’s txt were merely either ;) or <3 ? #softscott

Learn from Mitch, guys.

@thesarahkelly How do you feel about a fellow floppy-haired asshat winning the Masters?

I think I speak for floppy-haired asshats all across this great nation when I thank Bubba Watson for his courage and for keeping it real in a time when others want to make it hard on our people.

He’s now in the argument for a spot on the Mount Rushmore of FHAH, right there with Jered Weaver, Tom Brady and — sometimes, anyway — Dirk Nowitzki.

@DanielSWesley Any chance Bo Jackson can join the #Royals HoF? My hopes went up seeing him at opening day last year.

I am hopelessly biased on this. Bo was the athlete of my youth, the Black and Blue poster and Ballplayer and a bunch of others wallpapering my room growing up. I feel a greater connection to Bo than anybody I’ve never met, because he played such a central role in me developing a love for not just the excitement of sports but the possibilities that come with them. The imagination. The wonder. I got so much of that from watching him play.

So, yes. I think Bo absolutely should be in the Royals Hall of Fame^. His on-field argument is actually stronger than I think a lot of people realize, but to me, this is a no-brainer because he was a phenom who made the Royals bigger than just baseball for a wonderful stretch of a lot of our lifetimes.

^ And, let’s be honest, the idea of keeping him out but enshrining Mark Gubicza is just patently ridiculous.

@JCooperKC Least favorite MU, KU, KState basketball player last 5 years?

Wally Judge. Could just be my perception, just always seemed way too whiny and entitled.

@ClintT13 A few months ago you said it was hard to give Sporting equal coverage as Royals/Chiefs. Will MLS’ first 5-0 start since 96 help?

Sure, it helps them continue to gain a bigger profile. I consider Sporting to be Kansas City’s third major professional franchise, and if that’s a backhanded compliment, both sides are true:

• Any team that regularly fills a $200 million stadium with sellout crowds is a major deal, particularly in our market, and anybody who argues that point is delusional and should be ignored.

• The Royals and especially the Chiefs play more popular sports, with more than 40 years of being this city’s sports institutions, more than a generation’s worth of memories and connections that make them a far bigger deal locally than what is still essentially a (very successful) start-up, and anybody who argues that point is delusional and should be ignored.

@brianpjackson I’m curious, who are your favorite authors, sports or otherwise? Maybe this is a Twitter Tuesday question.

/Takes a deep breath/ In no particular order, Chris Jones, Joe Posnanski, Jason Whitlock, Wright Thompson, John Canzano, Bill Plaschke, Elizabeth Gilbert, Liz Merrill, Tom Verducci, David Brooks, Laura Hillenbrand, Michael Lewis, Malcolm Gladwell, Gregg Doyel, Dan LeBatard, Gary Smith, Charlie Pierce, Dan Wetzel, Jeff Passan, Bob Kravitz, Michael Rosenberg, Michael Weinreb, Jon Krakauer, Buzz Bissinger, S.L. Price, Sally Jenkins, Thomas Lake, Bob Ryan, and I am absolutely certain I’m forgetting a bunch.

@DarrenWerth Was the point of sending @Gio2bKC back to Omaha so we could see Getz and Yuni battle it out? Really? #twittertuesday

Well, I did this the other day.

There is no argument I’m going to make FOR Getz or Yuni here. I’m just saying that putting a prospect who’s struggled offensively when given a chance, who is subpar defensively with a pitching staff that needs help, and who carries some concern about handling failure…it’s just not a travesty, guys.

@HisDirknesS Who is your least favorite Chief (past or present)? #TT

Elvis Grbac. And it’s not close.

@J_Walker87 #TwitterTuesday Rate El Camino out of 5 stars, and name your favorite song on the album.

Four stars, and El Camino is the alpha dog breadwinner. I love this album, but would save the five star reviews for absolute classics – like Brothers, or Doggystyle.

My only real criticism of the album is that it’s all the same general sound, and my favorite thing about the Black Keys is how many different sounds they have. But I’ll also say this…I saw them in New Orleans last week, and when you hear it live, the new stuff is three levels of badass.

@NJohnson_3 What are the chances Eric Hosmer exceeds the already enormous expectations placed on him? #TwitterTuesday

Well, what are the expectations? The reasoned ones – or, more accurately, what I’ve seen on computer projections – are generally around .300 with a solid on-base percentage, homers in the low 20s and RBIs in the mid 80s. And there’s no doubt in my mind Hosmer can achieve that. There is no such thing as a can’t-miss prospect, but whatever label you give to the next-closest thing, Hosmer is that.

But it’s also very easy to get carried away. And with that in mind, no, I don’t think Hosmer will continue the 81-homer, 162-RBI, 40-stolen base he’s currently on.

@5BrentC58 What is the funniest flick you’ve seen? For me toss up between Monty Python & The Holy Grail; Blazing Saddles; or Stepbrothers

C’mon, man. Dumb and Dumber and I don’t even want to hear an argument.

@n0toyz4oj if they draft decastro and have a line of Albert, decastro, Hudson, Asomoah, Winston – are they a top ten line? #Chiefs

Maybe. I say that not to avoid the question as much as to avoid talking out of my stupid backside.

The Winston signing was enormous, and Scott Pioli deserves every bit of praise he gets for it. That was a position of (huge) need, with (by far) the best player available, and a guy who didn’t initially have the Chiefs on his list. Going from Barry Richardson to Winston is something like stale leftovers from the Sizzler to Plaza III.

As we watch this team develop, the improvement on the offensive line may be the biggest factor. This was already set to be a better team, regardless, because of the ACL rehabs. But tightening up the line makes Matt Cassel better, gives Jamaal Charles more room to do his thing…it might be the biggest reason for optimism.

@TheRealCK Why do you have such an annoying affinity for refusing to start sentences w/ pronouns in your columns. #TwitterTuesday

You don’t know me^!

^ See what I did there?

@mmMOUF happen to catch the Kamara goal celebration for the goal this week? Pretty great stuff. Best celebration n KC sports 2 date? #TT

Yeah, that’s pretty strong. But I will always be partial to Bennie Thompson making a tackle, then crawling around the field like a dog before lifting his leg.

@countzerokc When are you going to finally man up and make a trip to see a match in the Cauldron? I got the $5 for a beer cup @ the tailgate

Is that an invitation? Because I am there.

Just be gentle.

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