JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

Every day is a good day to be a Kansas Citian. But today it’s extra special to be a Kansas Citian.

To watch these Kansas City Royals grow and mature and fight and claw the last two seasons has been a tremendous thrill.

And to hear David Glass, Dayton Moore, Ned Yost and the players give so much credit to the fans of Kansas City and say they won it for us, well, that’s just intoxicating.

I have never seen players celebrate with the fans like these players have. Back in ’85, when we won it all, I do not recall any intermingling between the players and the fans after the game. After the on-field celebration, the celebration moved into the clubhouse and stayed there, I’m pretty sure.

But these Royals, they come at things differently. They understand our suffering through decades of losing and not even being competitive. They understand partly because they have worked so hard to get over the hump, to jell into a winning unit. They have persevered through doubt (ours) and disillusionment.

The mutual embrace with the fans first evidenced itself in a big way after the post-season-insuring win in Chicago a couple of weeks or so ago. After spraying volcanic amounts of champagne in the clubhouse, several Royals continued the celebration with a few hundred Royals fans who had converged behind the visitors dugout and decided to stay for a good long while.

It was amazing and thrilling to see Royals players go into the stands and exchange high-fives with scores of fans and pose with them for “selfies.”

The we’re-all-in-this-together-spirit was just getting started. It went to a new high with the $15,000, player-financed splurge at McFadden’s after the Royals knocked out the Angels in the division series.

…Earlier today, before the game, I played golf at Country Creek Golf Club a few miles north of Harrisonville. Between the first nine and the second, I chatted with Charlie, the counter clerk in the clubhouse, and we talked, of course, about the Royals. “I’ll have the game on right here,” he said, pointing at a TV hanging from a nearby wall. He talked about the McFadden’s incident in a tone of awe and disbelief and said something like, “They are a bunch of really great guys.”

The special chemistry that this team has was apparent last year, when the team came very close to making the playoffs. It held through the early part of this season, too, but, then, when things were going bad, Billy Butler, who was really struggling for a while, got snippy with first base coach Rusty Koontz at one point and exhibited resentment at Yost for indicating favoritism for first baseman Eric Hosmer over him. I was afraid the chemistry might crumble. But fate stepped in; Hosmer got hurt, Billy played well in his absence, and harmony was restored.

As he did all year, Yost let the players flout their distinctive styles and personalities, and he let them know through all the ups and downs that he fully believed in them and their combined talent.

As the team gained confidence, the fans’ confidence in the team mushroomed, and here we are, floating on air and cheering for a once-in-a-generation-or-so group of players who are irrepressible…and maybe unbeatable.

And, finally, here’s another reason it’s an extra-special time to be a Kansas Citian…

That man is us.