Hope is spelled A-V-I-L-E-S

Tonight, Mike Aviles stuck the dagger in our hated rivals' hearts in the top of the 8th inning. Mike Aviles, who has never projected as a Major League shortstop. Mike Aviles who according to some (ahem- NY Royal on Royals Review) - "he’s not a below average SS; he’s an awful SS. No one would play him at SS in the majors. No one."

Yes - that Mike Aviles.

But wait - he's also the perfect symbol for the Royals. The little guy who couldn't. The team that doesn't stand a chance. It's just a great story. He may fall flat on his butt in a few weeks, but man, what a ride this is now. Mike Aviles provides the Royals with something that no Tony Pena AB ever did - hope. And no matter how spectacular Pena is in the field (and he is), TPJ never provided us the slightest inkling that he might win a game for us with his talent.

In 45 ABs, Mike Avi"les is more" has gone .333/.362/.689. In 162 ABs, TPJ went .154/.171/.191. In 1/4 the at bats, Aviles has the same number of total bases as TPJ this year, 3 more HRs, one more 2B, and one less hit. His OPS is 1.051. He is on pace to commit two more errors than Pena over the same time period, and I'm sure he's missed some that Tony could have reached with the range, but man....HOPE.

I'm feeling for the first time in a while like we almost have our ideal team on the field. I think one more piece (Butler back at first) could seal the deal for our best chance at winning. Let's keep it rolling.

Dubya