[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E933-E934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE FIFTIETH SEASON OF THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS AND THE 
                   HISTORY OF BASEBALL IN KANSAS CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2018

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 50th 
season of the Kansas City Royals baseball team and the dedication of 
their fans. Fifty years ago, the Athletics were officially transferred 
to Oakland California, leaving Kansas City without a Major League 
Baseball team. With a legacy and tradition of the All-American pastime 
serving as one of the foundational elements of Kansas City, it was 
essential that they worked quickly to fill this void with a new team. 
Although the Major League Baseball owners had approved an expansion 
club for the city, there was a potential for delay. It was the quick 
action of then-Senator Stuart Symington that threatened Congressional 
action that would usher in the next generation of KC baseball--The 
Royals.
  As many of you are aware, Kansas City has a rich history of 
contributions to America's favorite pastime. Starting as early as 1884, 
the Kansas City Cowboys threw the first pitch as the first professional 
baseball team to represent the municipality. Although the KC Cowboys 
only fielded a team for one season, the Kansas City Blues immediately 
followed as one of the original eight founding members of the American 
Association, a minor league baseball association. This initial Kansas 
City team influenced many ``greats'' through the league until 1954. 
Yielding notable alumni players and managers, one of unique merit being 
Mickey Mantle.
  Concurrently, in 1920 the Kansas City Monarchs, one of the initial 
teams that formed the Negro National League, launched its first team. 
As men came home from World War I, entrepreneur and former pitcher, 
J.L. Wilkinson, brought together a team of multi-racial players that 
eventually became known as the KC Monarchs. Claiming 12 league titles 
and two Negro World Series titles, the Monarchs would commonly lead the 
league as a major contender. Stars from these Monarch teams included 
baseball legends and Hall of Famers like Satchel Paige, Jackie 
Robinson, Ernie Banks, Willard Brown, and Buck O'Neil.
  The Kansas City Blues and Monarchs lead Kansas City in its original 
baseball fandom, eventually resulting in the establishment of the 
city's first stadium in 1923. Known initially as Muehlebach Field, the 
stadium is rooted adjacent to the Historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. 
This stadium would change hands several times; however, in the early 
1950's, a wealthy real estate developer purchased the stadium, as well 
as the Philadelphia Athletics, with the goal of bringing a major league 
team back to Kansas City. Eventually, it was sold to Kansas City, 
Missouri. Encouraged by fans to step up to the plate and expand the 
venue to hold some 30,000 fans each game, the city agreed to bring the 
newly named Kansas City Athletics to Municipal Stadium.
  After only 90 days of reconstruction, the new stadium would be 
debuted to a sold-out crowd. Independence native and former President 
of the United States, Harry S. Truman threw out the first pitch in 
1955. Kansas City would be victorious on that day, defeating the 
Detroit Tigers in an 8-2 bout. Following their victorious debut, the 
Athletics would continue to draw enormous crowds, making Kansas City 
baseball attendance third behind only the illustrious Yankees and 
Milwaukee Braves. Ultimately, the Kansas City Athletics would go 
through many changes, leading fans on a topsy-turvy ride with various 
owners, uniforms, mascots, team colors, and even names of the team. 
Inevitably, the owner at the time, Charles ``Charlie'' O. Finley, 
decided to move the team in 1967.
  Although the Athletics left in 1968, Kansas City baseball fans didn't 
give up on the sport, as voters approved a bond issue to construct a 
new baseball stadium. With the roar and threat of Missouri's U.S. 
Senator Stuart Symington, Major League Baseball was forced to ensure 
that a team would be in Kansas City no later than 1969. Local 
entrepreneur Ewing Kauffman won the contentious bid as the new team's 
owner and joined a local committee to crown the team as the Kansas City 
Royals, in recognition of the region's historic livestock economy and 
thriving American Royal livestock show that has a legacy dating back to 
the late 19th century. Although Kansas City's hometown team would not 
only be based on a hometown history, the design of the team's logo 
would be furthermore iconized by an artist, Shannon Manning, from 
another Kansas City original: Hallmark Cards.
  The Kansas City Royals were fated for greatness as the new team took 
the field in their new stadium. With the 1969 Rookie of the Year Lou 
Piniella on the Royal's side, the Minnesota Twins were destined for 
defeat. In a 4-3 win after 12 innings, the Royals truly earned their 
crown that night. Furthermore, the team would go on to field some of 
Major League Baseball's premier players including: five-time allstar 
and three-time golden glove winner Amos Otis, Hispanic Heritage 
Baseball Museum's Hall of Famer and five-time all-star Octavio Victor 
``Cookie'' Rojas, twotime all-star Steven Lee ``Buzz'' Busby, legendary 
manager Dorrel Norman Elvert ``Whitey'' Herzog, and many more.
  In 1980, famed Royal slugger George Brett led the Royals to their 
first American League Pennant. Finally defeating the Yankees, the 
Royals triumphed over a bitter rival that had defeated them three 
consecutive seasons in

[[Page E934]]

the American League Championship Series for a pennant win. This was the 
first year the Royals took the field in search for a World Series 
title. Unfortunately, the Royals would lose the nail-biting seven game 
series. However, that defeat only prompted Brett to drive the team 
further. In 1983, Brett hit a two-run homer in the top of the 9th 
inning to put the Royals in the lead over the Yankees only to be called 
out on a technicality, prompting Brett to storm the field in raging 
protest. ``The Pine Tar Incident,'' as it would be known from that 
point forward, would forever be hailed in baseball history, even 
inspiring song-writer Lorde to draft a song about Brett's reaction to 
being tossed out of the game. The Royals were making their mark on 
baseball history and the fans were cheering them on along the way.
  In 1985, during the I-70 Series Showdown against the St. Louis 
Cardinals, KC's Bret Saberhagen and the all-star team finally brought 
home the Commissioners Trophy. Royal's stars such as Frank White, 
Willie Wilson, Dan Quisenberry, and many others mounted a comeback 
rarely seen in baseball, roaring back from a 3-1 series deficit. The 
Royals would have many ups and downs before they would win another 
pennant or be crowned as World Series champions; however, they 
continued to energize fans with greats such as: Bo Jackson, Carlos 
Beltran, Mike Sweeney, and many more. In 2014, the Royals would once 
again take their shot at the World Series. As fans continued to 
``believe'' in the Royals, their eyes were glued to their screens as 
our boys in blue raced towards the post-season for the first time in 
nearly 30 years. In a stunning wild-card clinch, the Royals boasted a 
crowd-inspiring winning streak, winning eight consecutive games and 
securing their place as American League Champions. They went on to face 
the San Francisco Giants in their first World Series appearance since 
1985. Sadly, our star-studded team fell in seven games, but continued 
to remind fans that we would be ``forever Royal.''
  Just as the sun sets, it is sure to rise the next morning. Therefore, 
as the next season began, the Royals--lead by all-star and fan 
favorites like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Salvador ``Salvy'' Perez, 
Alex Gordon, and Lorenzo Cain--would yet again drive us towards another 
pennant win. With an even more focused effort, the Royals would head 
into the All-Star break, with the best record in the American league. 
Based primarily on the momentum from fans and experience from the 
previous season, the Royals won another American League Pennant and 
were heading back to the World Series to face the New York Mets. This 
time, the Royals secured their crown in only five games, solidifying 
their victory with a Game 5 rally to tie in the 9th inning and a five-
run smattering in the 12th inning. This year, the Royals returned home 
with their second Commissioner's Trophy.
  Like many cities across the country, the Royals dawned their crown 
and headed toward main street for their victory day parade. Like every 
other parade, they were welcomed by firetrucks, marching bands, 
trolleys, and floats. However, as the parade route came to close at the 
crossroads of the Historic Union Station and the National World I 
Museum and Memorial, our boys in blue were welcomed by nearly 800,000 
cheering fans celebrating a city-wide victory and uniting people across 
all spectrums. On this day, I believe, every baseball fan across the 
country was cheering for the Royals.
  Mr. Speaker, please join with me as we commemorate the 50th 
Anniversary season of the Kansas City Royals. The historic 
contributions of Kansas City's commitment to baseball will live on 
through our legacy and as we continue to inspire the next generation 
baseball fans.

                          ____________________