Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The Rusty Kuntz Jersey: Coming to a Retailer Near You

KC Royals 1B Coach Rusty Kuntz and DH Billy Butler
Photo Courtesy : Minda Haas
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/mindahaas)
When my wife sets her sights on a retail purchase, she is rarely denied.

But she has struck out against in her quest to acquire the officially licensed replica jersey of Rusty Kuntz, first base coach of the Kansas City Royals. So I’m coming to her rescue.

This season has been a special one for our family. We've gone to many games together, and our seats are sort of perched over the top of Rusty.

And even before the Royals clinched a playoff berth, this season was special in that it marked the transition of my wife from occasional Royals game attender to bona fide fan. Some would even say she’s become a student of the game.

Case in point: On a good day she can tell you the difference between a suicide and safety squeeze play.  I think she can also define for you the term “quality start.”

Her real breakthrough, however, came last week when some announcers on ESPN were talking about Clayton Kershaw’s “no-no” from a few months ago.

She asked me, “What did that pitcher (Kershaw) get in trouble for?”

“What do you mean?” I answered.

“You know, they said he did a no-no.”

She won’t be fooled again.

As a now-student of the game, it was only natural for my wife to not take an interest not in one of the Royals’ star players, but instead in an unsung hero like their first base coach.

But Rusty Kuntz is no ordinary first base coach. In fact, as I thought about it, I came up with a handful of reasons why he deserves his own officially licensed replica jersey. Here they are:

·       His name is Rusty Kuntz (sounds like KOONTZ). It’s recognizable. It’s a baseball name. It’s been around for 30 or 40  years, so it has staying power.

·       He’s at least partly responsible for the Royals’ speed game. Maybe the third base coach (Mike Jirschele) is flashing the signs, but Rusty is interpreting them and making sure the guys are getting the jumps they need. Actually, he is considered one of the finest base coaches and outfield coaches in the game.

·       He is such a factor in the game  that I found myself yelling at him (or at the TV) when Nori Aoki got picked off first base in Anaheim last Thursday evening. Surely Rusty should’ve shouted “Back!” at the appropriate time. I’ve never blamed the 1B coach for something like that before, and that’s because I’d never given one credit before either.

·       He did not throw himself down in front of Billy Butler before he attempted to steal second base Sunday night. Need I say more?

·       As my wife said, “he has Robert Redford hair.” And to think, I thought it was just “hat head” or more accurately “batting helmet head.” 

·       Did I mention his name was Rusty Kuntz? Actually, and in all seriousness, my wife has a fondness for the name Rusty. That was her older brother’s name. She lost him a little over three years ago.

·       I appreciate the passion he displayed the other night when he petitioned the 1B umpire to call a balk on the Angels’ pitcher when he made an awkward move to second base. You don’t usually see that sort of intensity out of a base coach. I appreciated his fire.

Well, there you have it. I hope I’ve convinced you. Rusty Kuntz deserves his own official jersey.

So join us in starting a campaign via Twitter (or any other social media platform you may choose) to petition the @Royals and @MLB Properties to license the official replica jersey of Royals 1B Coach Rusty Kuntz.
Let’s use the hashtag #RustyKuntz15Jersey and see if we can move the mountains of capitalism to affect change as we honor this man and his integral role in the Royals successful 2014 campaign.
See you at the ballpark--wearing No. 15, of course.

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