Kansas City Sports: The Toast of the Country

I never thought I'd see the day. In my tenure as a fanatic Kansas City Royals and Chiefs supporter, I've grown used to the bad. The Chiefs have just completed a season in which they won only two games. They booted their longtime general manager, Carl Peterson, as well as head coach Herm Edwards and official doormat Gunther Cunningham, who left for the lowly Lions when it became clear he was being hung out to dry for the second time in his illustrious Chiefs career. The last time they won a playoff game was January 16, 1994, when I was 7. And they've been considered a success story in my lifetime.

The Royals, always one-upping, haven't won a playoff game since Game 7 of the 1985 World Series. In that time they've had four 100 loss season and four 90 loss seasons. They've gone through 13 managers, finished last in their division on 8 different occasions, and played 7 seasons without an owner. There hasn't been much to like about the Royals since 1985.

All of this made Saturday all the more special. The Chiefs became more relevant than they've been in a decade, trading a mere second round pick for New England Patriots standouts Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel. There's not a media outlet in the country that hasn't praised new GM Scott Pioli for effectively fleecing his old team. The Chiefs are millions under the salary cap and still hold the #3 pick in the draft. It's an enviable position; at least as enviable a position as a 2-14 team is ever going to find themselves in.

The Royals made a surprise splash on Saturday as well, signing flame-throwing reliever Juan Cruz to a two year contract, with an option for a third year. While the signing of another reliever isn't usually something to write home about, even at Royals camp, Cruz's signing represents a serious commitment to make a run at a pennant this year. GM Dayton Moore has already admitted offering second basemen Orlando Hudson over 4 million dollars before the Dodgers upped the ante, and this signing shows that he isn't messing around. Already one of the most aggressive teams this offseason, the Royals now look deep enough to stay in the AL Central race throughout the season.

Cruz is best known for his mind boggling strikeout numbers. He is blessed with a high 90's fastball that posesses great movement. He struck out 71 batters in only 51.7 innings last year, a ridiculously high rate that would seem like an abberation if he hadn't done even better the previous season. Cruz is the real deal, and Dayton Moore is quickly establishing himself as a man who can get what he wants, whether it be more cash from his owner or a fair market deal from an agent.

And this is all brand new for Kansas City sports fans born after 1985. Never in my life has there been a time where this cities' franchises were in as good of hands as they're in now. Dayton Moore and Scott Pioli are legitimate cornerstone executives who have the faith of the respective owners. In todays landscape, there isn't anything more powerful than a general manager with strong backing from their owner.

Its an exciting time for my generation of fans. While I've always been unrepentingly loyal, I have never felt so sure about the direction of the Kansas City sports scene. I'm even trying to temper my excitement about Spring Training baseball this year. Greedy as ever, I'm holding out for October.