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Fans weather storm, losing to watch team By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH “They're saying 70 mph winds are coming,” the usher warns. “If you get a chance, you should go to a lower level.” Luce, 24, had the chance, but he didn't seek cover like the 20 or so people who joined him in 331. Luce sat hunched over the seat in front of him, staring out toward the tarp-covered field. Sure, the Royals were 8-26 heading into Thursday. Sure, former manager Tony Peña jumped ship two days ago. Sure, winds capable of blowing Luce's lean frame over the railing are on the way. But Luce isn't going to miss this game. “I just wanted to see how they play without a manager,” Luce says. And that's pretty much the attitude of the patrons of 331. When it comes to Peña, these nosebleed dwellers aren't shedding any tears. They'll spend their $7 to watch the Royals lose, and that's fine. “I'd prefer to see them win,” Luce says, “but it really doesn't matter.” Minutes before the scheduled 7:10 starting time, minutes before the dark clouds rolled in from the west, Gary and Cindy Fahrmeier aren't talking about Peña, the search for a manager or their woeful Royals. They talk about “American Idol.” Who will be America's next idol when Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice and Vonzell Solomon meet in the final three on FOX? “I think Carrie's going to win,” says Gary, 53. “She'll have every country-western fan voting for her.” The Royals, bless their blue hearts, just don't bring along the suspense that “Idol” brings for the Fahrmeiers every Tuesday and Wednesday night. “Well,” Gary says, “we pretty much know the ending of this.” This was the first year that Gary and Cindy made a point of watching every “American Idol” episode. It's also the first of their 27 married years in Kansas City that they bought a Royals season-ticket package. The Fahrmeiers plan on attending most of the 20 games they're ticketed for. “We wanted to stay behind them, support them a bit,” says Gary, wearing a Royals shirt and hat. “Our kids are older now. They don't need to be baby-sat, so it's something for us to do.” Gary and Cindy aren't at the Matt Luce level of devotion. As soon as the tarp hit the field and the warnings came, they took their nachos and ran for shelter. *** Luce finally left his seat when the 70-mph winds came. The only person left in 331, Luce was joined by Jason Peters and Vanessa West from section 411 as fans who wondered whether a tornado was swirling into Kauffman. As All-Star ballots soared through the air all over the stadium, Peters and West fought through the winds and made it to the upper deck's private elevators. “We'll probably get stuck in the elevator,” says West, 34. A true Royals fan - pessimistic until the bitter end. But Peters and West, who've been dating for a year and a half, aren't too shook up about Peña's resignation. “I'm not sorry to see him go,” says Peters, 28. Does he care at all? “No,” he says bluntly. “And we weren't surprised,” West adds. Peters and West won't stop making the drive from Lawrence as long as the Royals have a home at Kauffman. “It's baseball!” West yells, holding her biggie cup. However, the young couple isn't excited about the possible drive home to Lawrence in those nasty winds. “I wish we had his car,” West says. “I drive a Miata.” *** Luce moved to Kansas City in October. He is a native of El Dorado, Kan., and a recent graduate of Kansas State, where he majored in management information Systems. He got a job at Cerner, which develops software for hospitals. He answers calls all day and helps customers with problems. Luce says he hasn't met that many people in town yet. “Just my roommate,” he says. When he was a kid in El Dorado, Luce wanted to live in Kansas City and come to Royals games when he was older. “It doesn't feel like a big city,” Luce says. “Only when you go downtown.” Living here now, he's following the Royals more than he ever did before. He watches the Royals' road games and listens to their day games on the radio when he's at work. Thursday night was Luce's fifth Royals game so far this season. He comes alone to each game. “I like baseball,” Luce says. “You don't need to go with someone.” *** After the 1-hour, 36-minute rain delay ended, the fans poured into the field-level seats. Nobody, not even Luce, watched from Section 331 as the Royals scored five runs in the first three innings against the Devil Rays. The fans who stayed belted out chants of “Let's go Lima!” all night. Some of them couldn't forget the previous 34 games, however. “We're up by four runs,” one fan blurted during the third inning with the Royals ahead 4-0, “but that's nothing if you're the Royals.” One half-inning later, the man was right. It was 5-4 Royals. The boys are back in town. And the fans will keep coming out, win or lose, Peña or no Peña. To reach J. Brady McCollough, sports reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-7747 or send e-mail to jmccollough@kcstar.com
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J. Brady McCollough - jbrady@coveringsports.com (email) - 816-868-2621 (cell) |
