Royals far from being major league caliber

We are now halfway through the Major League Baseball season and the All-Star break is in just a few days, and I just can’t stand watching the Royals play the game.
I have to preface this statement with the fact that I love baseball and the Royals, but their play is unacceptable.
I have attended 15 games, have taken my 85-year-old mother, my 5-year-old grandson and my wife, and I feel like I’ve spent two months pay on tickets, parking, concessions and Royals paraphernalia.
I just don’t think I can stand to watch another inning of poorly played baseball. I played in a golf tournament with a true scholar of baseball and he agreed with me about the team.
The Royals looked like a minor league team in the recent home series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals did all of the little things right – they bunted runners up, they hit the cut-off man, they were able to cover the bunt, they went from first to third on every base hit and, last but not least, they moved runners over to score with less than two outs.
The Royals don’t usually come close to doing those things.
Each year my wife and I visit another major league city to attend a baseball series. We just returned from Milwaukee, where we saw the Brewers against the Twins and the Giants. Watching three other major league teams made me realize how far the Royals still need to come to become a respectable franchise. These teams hit and ran to near perfection, handled every throw and advanced runners with bunts and less than two outs. The attendance at both games was nearly 40,000.
I’m sure after reading this article, the obvious would be for me to stay away from the Royals games, but I’m still a fan who is just frustrated with the poor level of play. Sorry for venting. I feel better now.
The Royals have the worst defense in the majors at first and second base, shortstop and right field.
Mike Jacobs has been the biggest letdown this season. In 11 of the 15 games I have seen at home, he has come up in the clean-up spot and has struck out or popped up.
Joe Guillen has a good arm but never manages to hit the cutoff man, may be the worst defensive outfielder in the league, and has no range. He should be the designated hitter.
The middle relievers are horrible. Kyle Farnsworth, Jamey Wright and John Bales are good for two to three runs for the opponent every time they come in the game.
The starting pitching and Mark Teahen at third have been the bright spots of the first half of the season. OK, let’s face it – if a utility guy is the team’s MVP, we are in real trouble.
n My quote of the week is from Benjamin Franklin: “Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn to do things the right way.”