Kansas City Royals sign star pitcher

[franksolich]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txroyalsbannister&prov=st&type=lgns

Royals sign RHP Bannister to one-year deal

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (TICKER) —The Kansas City Royals on Wednesday signed pitcher Brian Bannister to a one-year contract for 2009, thus avoiding arbitration. 

Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Bannister, 27, went 9-16 with a 5.76 ERA in 32 starts for the Royals last year. In 2007, the righthander logged a 12-9 mark and a 3.87 ERA to finish third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

It's all good.

[Tess]

Well, honestly, the KC Royals couldn't be any worse then they are.   

Shhhh....don't tell anyone I said that.  Although I have to say people here are a lot more rabid about the Chiefs than they are about the Royals.

[franksolich]

Well, honestly, the KC Royals couldn't be any worse then they are.   

Shhhh....don't tell anyone I said that.  Although I have to say people here are a lot more rabid about the Chiefs than they are about the Royals.

I'm not a fan of professional baseball, madam, although I do admire and respect and esteem the New York Yankees as the quintessential American team.

However, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to publicize and promote the Kansas City Royals baseball team, the team in the smallest market-area of professional sports.

It's always good to see David top Goliath, unless Goliath happens to be the New York Yankees.

[Tess]

I'm not a fan of professional baseball, madam, although I do admire and respect and esteem the New York Yankees as the quintessential American team.

However, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to publicize and promote the Kansas City Royals baseball team, the team in the smallest market-area of professional sports.

It's always good to see David top Goliath, unless Goliath happens to be the New York Yankees.

I have never been a huge baseball fan...shh..don't tell dad, after all he took me to more Dodger and Angel games when I was a kid than I ever even could tolerate. 

I do have to say that KC citizens do like their Royals and to be honest it is refreshing to be in a city/area that has fans that are there through the good and the bad and aren't as fairweather as those that I grew up around in So Cal.   

[BlueStateSaint]

I remember the uproar that was around the Mets' fan blogs when Bannister was traded to the Royals.  He's a #4 starter at best.  But, a fair amount of those 16 losses can be attributed to a sub-par defense.

Hey, Coach, here's an article out of the Kansas City Star about Bannister.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/royals/story/1060786.html