The Questionnaire

Let's get to know each other.

Apr 09, 2025

Most of these items are self-explanatory, including the autographed Willie Wilson baseball, but the cloth in the middle is a rally towel from my first playoff game last October. It’s tucked into a souvenir cup from the same game.

This week’s Powder Blue Nostalgia might end up having a bit of a clip show feel to it, but I thought I’d try something a little different. I think my readership has reached the kind of numbers where something like this is doable, but ultimately, how successful this endeavor is will come down to you.

On the whole, my readers aren’t especially active when it comes to hitting the like button or leaving comments. Don’t get me wrong. A few of you are, and several regularly give me positive feedback in other ways, but I’m simply stating a fact, not making a critique. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read my stuff, regardless of whether you comment or not.

That said, I’m going to try and coax a few of you out of your shells today with a series of baseball questions. Not trivia, although that might be fun to try sometime too, but a handful of relatively open-ended questions about your relationship to the game.* And, at the risk of coming off as repetitive to my regular readers, I wouldn’t ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do myself, so I’ll fill it out at first.

*Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those lame social media questionnaires trying to trick you into giving up your backup security questions for your bank account. I’m not that clever. But I do know this Nigerian prince who’s fallen on hard times…

When I’m finished, I’ll repost the questions without answers, if you want to copy and paste in the comments. Or you can just rattle off your answers. Or you can sit out that part altogether. No pressure from me. But, hopefully, a few of you will indulge me. I think it’ll be fun.

1. Who is your favorite team?

This won’t come as a shock to anyone who’s taken two seconds to peruse my archive and glance at the accompanying pictures to each article, let alone my regular readers. I am a diehard Kansas City Royals fan.

2. What was the first game you attended?

My first game was August 24, 1985, Royals vs. the Texas Rangers. I wrote about it in detail in my very first PBN post. George Brett hit a home run, Willie Wilson stole a couple of bags, Bret Saberhagen dealt, and the Royals won, 8-2. I’ve been a fan ever since.

3. What was the best game you’ve ever attended?

I actually wrote about this game for another publication, but my clip show comparison is starting to make sense, isn’t it? The 2017 Royals were a good, not great team, and the Houston Astros went on to win the World Series. With that in mind, perhaps it wasn’t surprising to anyone when Houston jumped out to a 7-1 lead. The Royals rallied late, however, and sent my family home happy with an epic Mike Moustakas walk-off moonshot.

4. What was the best game you’ve ever witnessed? (You didn’t have to be there in person.)

That’s an easy answer for me, despite the fact that I’ve written about so many classic games. I’m biased, of course, so it had to be a Royals game. Even for a franchise that has spent most of my lifetime in the doldrums, there was no shortage of candidates, but the decision was an easy one.

The 2014 AL Wild Card Game ended a twenty-nine-year playoff drought in Kansas City, and regardless of whether you had a rooting interest or not, it also happened to be one of the greatest games of my lifetime, period. Another Royals comeback capped by Salvador Perez’s iconic liner down the third base line, this game resurrected baseball in Kansas City and set the stage for the most fun two-year run in my lifetime as a fan.

5. What was the best single moment you’ve seen on a baseball field?

I suppose this question might garner some repeat answers from the previous question, but the last one was about the game as a whole. With this one, I want a single play or moment. It doesn’t even have to come from live game action. Think along the lines of Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man Alive” speech, Josh Hamilton’s Home Run Derby performance, or Cal Ripken breaking the Iron Man mark. Of course, in-game moments are valid too, ranging from Rickey Henderson setting the all-time steals mark or Kirk Gibson’s Game 1 home run in 1988.

Again, I can’t deny my Royals fanhood. Let’s face it, when it’s your favorite team, it just means more. I could have doubled up on Salvy’s WC game-winner, but it came down to two other moments for me, both from the 2015 World Series. The first was Alex Gordon’s game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth in Game 1, and the other was Eric Hosmer’s mad dash home to tie Game 5 in the top of the ninth, before they went on to clinch the series in the twelfth.

They were both unforgettable moments. I even have a bobblehead of Gordon in the middle of his home run trot, but the gutsiness of Hosmer’s play still gives me goosebumps ten years later. I love it when players are aggressive and they force the other team to make a play to stop them. In this case, the Mets failed, and that’s why I’m going with Hoz. Plus, I got to see his grass-stained jersey at the Hall of Fame a year later!

6. Who is your favorite player of all-time?

Growing up, George Brett was always the man. Then came Bo Jackson, and as I went through a less Royals-centric period of my life, Mark McGwire. Bobby Witt Jr. currently occupies number one on my chart, but when I try to nail down my all-time choice, I come back around to Willie Wilson.

This newsletter was originally centered on the decade from 1985-94, which were the years I grew up watching baseball. I’ve since expanded its scope, but I can’t think of any ballplayer who personifies the style of that era better than Wilson. His game was built on speed and getting on base and defense. The guy was electric, and a mainstay at the top the Royals’ batting order.

Wilson was always one of my favorite players when I was a kid, but I don’t think I fully appreciated him until I was old enough to look back on his career. Throw in his personal battles with substance abuse, and it’s easy to see why I like him so much. Plus, I got to meet him a few years ago, and he signed the ball I got at my first game. It wasn’t a foul ball or anything like that. My dad bought it as a souvenir, and I hung onto it throughout the years, and now it has even more significance.

7. If you had a time machine, what player would you go back and see?

I’ll keep this one short and sweet, since I’ve already committed an entire article to the question. Roberto Clemente, but Satchell Paige would be a close second, followed by Babe Ruth.

8. Did you play baseball? What level did you reach? Any highlights you want to share?

I never made it further than little league (eighth grade). My small high school didn’t have a baseball team, so that wasn’t even an option. I do have a couple of personal highlights that stick with me, but I’m going to save them for an upcoming piece.

9. Do you collect anything? Or participate in any sort of hobby connected to the game?

I haven’t really collected baseball cards since I was a kid, but I have started buying ice cream helmets from every ballpark I visit. Unfortunately, Cleveland didn’t do me any favors. Next to the helmets on my shelf, I have a few bobbleheads, and my Willie Wilson baseball. I also have an ongoing rivalry with my cousin on Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball for the Super Nintendo.

10. What MLB stadiums have you visited? Do you have a favorite?

Obviously, I’ve been to more games than I can count at Kauffman Stadium, including many when it was still called Royals Stadium. Beyond that, I’ve been to Coors Field (COL), Busch Stadium (StL), Wrigley Field (CHC), American Family Field (MIL), and Progressive Field (CLE), which I still prefer to call the Jake. I also went to a Rockies game at old Mile High Stadium back before Coors Field opened.

The K is a special place with its distinctive fountains, and I will miss it when the Royals move into new digs, wherever and whenever that might be. Outside of Kansas City, I don’t really have anything bad to say about any of the other stadiums I’ve visited. I suppose it could change if I run into a real dump, but I think it’s fun to get a new experience and see how other teams do it. Personally, I love Wrigley, because of the history and because I lived in Chicago for a while and enjoyed going down to Wrigleyville on gameday, even when I couldn’t afford a ticket, but Coors is pretty awesome too.

Okay, that wasn’t so hard. Hopefully, I’ve convinced at least a few of you to participate. I’ll repost the questions now to make it easy on you, and I hope to learn what makes you tick as a baseball fan!