Quotation of the Day: Playoff Baseball Edition

Kansas City Royals Victory Celebration

I need to go rethink my life after reading this:

You probably think the name of the Kansas City Royals, who on Wednesday won the American League pennant, is meant to associate the baseball team with castles and courts, purple and ermine.

Oh, no, it is something with a much grander local lineage: a livestock show.

It is called the American Royal, and unlike the Royals, who are playing October baseball for the first time in 29 years, it draws crowds every year at this time, including thousands of farm children and their prize-seeking sheep, hogs and cattle….

Today, the baseball team’s connection to a livestock show is unknown even to team members. After driving home the winning run in Tuesday night’s game, designated hitter Billy Butler drew a blank when asked about the team’s name.

“I know it means royalty, and it means, you know, the crown, the king. But I don’t know where it came from,” says Mr. Butler, the team’s second-longest-standing member, adding that he knew nothing about the American Royal. “When you think Royals, you don’t really think cows.”

Did I mention I’m a hockey fan?