Soria waits until the stars align...Royals lose

I discussed the latest Royals game briefly today with someone I work with. Someone who possesses barely a passing interest and limited knowledge for the sport of baseball. Oh, sure, he has watched and attended sports games in his life but he really knows very little about the game....or rather, The Game.

After the Royals bullpen promptly and predictably gave away the game on a most joyous of Tuesday afternoon, he turned his head to my general direction and muttered (and I'm paraphrasing), "you know, I want to like baseball, but I don't understand some of the tactics. Why are closers almost never used? You'd think that since teams pay them so much money, they would be used more often."

Later, he exclaimed (and again I'm paraphrasing), "certain elements of baseball strategy I just don't understand. Much of the conventional wisdom in baseball today...is just inherently flawed."

We could have delved into more specific issues, particularly regarding our Royals ballclub, but in my opinion, he's merely a rational mortal who possesses very little knowledge about the game. In this instance, though.....he did possess knowledge. He hasn't been bred to believe RBI are the end-all, be-all offensive statistic and that saves are reserved only for the ninth inning but then again he hasn't been bred to believe anything at all regarding the sport. Sometimes, a fresh perspective coupled with an ability to think critically and independently......helps.

Peruse this boxscore and perhaps you'll find what I'm talking about.