Royals fan sells 25 years of loyalty on eBay.

[HollywoodLeo]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...l/14490577.htm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Royals lost yet again Tuesday, a 4-1 setback in Detroit. With the worst record in the majors, who could fault a fan for taking a nose dive from the bandwagon - much less selling his allegiance?
Chad Carroll auctioned off 25 years of loyalty to the Royals on eBay on Tuesday, along with jerseys, hats, baseballs and other memorabilia.
And in a spate of irony, faithfulness to a club with one of the smallest payrolls in Major League Baseball sold for a paltry $278.47.
"It really does feel like a big weight has been lifted," Carroll, 34, who lives in Maryland but grew up listening to Kansas City games from his home in Iowa, told The Kansas City Star. "I really can't tell you how good it feels. I really can't."
A group of nine friends bid for Carroll's freedom, splitting the cost and earning the right to select his new favorite team.
They outbid the T-Bones, a minor league team, and saved Carroll from being held hostage by yet another Kansas City franchise. They also outbid Yahoo Sports baseball columnist Jeff Passan, who planned to ask readers to choose the new focus of Carroll's admiration.
"We didn't think it would be right if somebody else got to name his new team," said Dan Young, Carroll's best friend. "We don't know who it's going to be. We just know it's not going to be the Royals anymore."
His friends say they saw it coming.
Year after year, Carroll would adhere to the baseball cliche of "wait 'til next year." He would draft promising young players - this year it was relief pitcher Ambiorix Burgos - for his fantasy team. He promised his buddies the Royals would finish third in the division, at the very least.
"Year after year he'd say, 'Next year's going to be our year,'" Young said. "After a while, you could see it. He wouldn't talk about the new guys, and he'd talk more and more about the George Brett era."
After this season's 2-13 start and an 11-game slide, Carroll cut Burgos and his ties to the entire organization. Relics from the Royals' 1985 World Series championship came down, balls signed by Bob Hamelin and Angel Berroa went out the door, and a breath of fresh air wafted in.
Carroll's last game will be May 12, when Kansas City plays Baltimore, and after that his brother will remove the last traces of the Royals from his den.
Team officials claim no knowledge of the sale.
"It started off as a joke," said Carroll, who has taken a shine to the Cleveland Indians. "But now I'm completely serious. Now I can concentrate on other teams in other sports that have caused me pain and misery."

harsh

[love_that_reefer]

Nice Indians logo!!

[HollywoodLeo]

the Indians are his new team. I did that on purpose

[Dry1313]

Hahaha poor ROyals. Only $278?

[Killah Sith]

I heard about this guy before. F'n sellout bandwagoner.

One of these years the Royals will get things turned around again and when they do, he better stay with his new team. As far as I'm concerned, if his new team wins he doesn't deserve any satisfaction and when the Royals win again, he won't deserve any satisfaction.

[SF Kid]

Can't blame the guy. Talk about a f**ked up organization.

[HollywoodLeo]

I heard about this buy before. F'n sellout bandwagoner.

One of these years the Royals will get things turned around again and when they do, he better stay with his new team. As far as I'm concerned, if his new team wins he doesn't deserve any satisfaction and when the Royals win again, he won't deserve any satisfaction.

I actually hope the Royals somehow make it to the World Series in a year or two just because of how shitty he'd feel

[Kingdom]

Too bad he couldn't raise more money to buy a real 1B, 2B, LF, C, and pitching staff.

[riverdunesrat]

Trust me.....as a 36 year Pads fan.....I know the feeling.

In fact, if more of us did something like this we could take back some control over the game we love. We discussed this somewhat in the Pads thread. As fans we settle for less than the best and we get what we deserve IMO.......

But why go from KC to the Indians ?????

[Kingdom]

Because Grady Sizemore's perfume has more talent.

[HollywoodLeo]

Trust me.....as a 36 year Pads fan.....I know the feeling.

In fact, if more of us did something like this we could take back some control over the game we love. We discussed this somewhat in the Pads thread. As fans we settle for less than the best and we get what we deserve IMO.......

But why go from KC to the Indians ?????

I have no respect for this guy and i'd have zero respect for a Padre "fan" that'd pull the same stunt.

Nothing sickens me more than bandwagoners that suddenly claim to be Angels fans just because they don't agree with some of the moves made by the Padres.

It's one thing to boycott going to some of the games just because you don't want to give them your money if you disagree with the management, it's a whole different story to jump ship to another team.

[Kingdom]

Why blame the guy? Maybe he was suffering from a long bout of depression. Wouldn't you, if your team signed Mark Redman? I say he just wanted a pick me up, sorta like viagra, only.. not.

[HollywoodLeo]

I don't know. If I jumped ship I wouldn't have any real satisfaction if my "new" team won, and i'd feel shitty if the team I abandoned suddenly started winning.

In sports I don't see how you can get any satisfaction in your team winning unless you're sticking to one team and one team only, through the thick and the thin.

That's just me.

Oh, and at least the Royals have won a World Series before. That's more than I can say for my team, yet I am, and will always be a Padres fan, no matter what.

[realmofotalk]

I heard about this buy before. F'n sellout bandwagoner.

One of these years the Royals will get things turned around again and when they do, he better stay with his new team. As far as I'm concerned, if his new team wins he doesn't deserve any satisfaction and when the Royals win again, he won't deserve any satisfaction.

It's downright weak of him to switch allegiance to the division rival. At least he could've called his homestate team, the Orioles, his new team.

On a sidenote, props to Wilton and DK for not becoming Braves fans after abandoning the Expos.

[riverdunesrat]

I have no respect for this guy and i'd have zero respect for a Padre "fan" that'd pull the same stunt.

Nothing sickens me more than bandwagoners that suddenly claim to be Angels fans just because they don't agree with some of the moves made by the Padres.

It's one thing to boycott going to some of the games just because you don't want to give them your money if you disagree with the management, it's a whole different story to jump ship to another team.

See that is a part of the problem. That attitude. We have total loyality as fans and they take full advantage of it, but where is the team loyality to the fans? There is none. We don't owe them shit. They don't think twice when they trade away our fan faves or a guy who has come up through the minor league system who hasn't been given a chance to prove himself yet. Think X Nady for one recent example. How many shirts do we own of Pads players who are now playing elsewhere?

That attitude is an example of new age fans. Fans that know no better. I thank God I was taught old school baseball by my family and know the difference between then and now. Now just isn't as rewarding as it used to be.

And, who are we to sit in judgment of what this guy did anyway? This guy was fed up, sick and tired of being sick and tired of giving and getting nothing in return. We all have our breaking points and this guy obviously broke.....

I already know you are not gonna agree. You are young yet. As time goes on you may change your mind some. For now you are locked into this headstong mindset. And, that's OK, you need that right now, especially in your line of work.