After last  weekend was washed out by Mother Nature, and the potential threat of some late week threat this weekends game against the Fairborn Athletics has been moved to Fairborn High School.  This is good news as the opening weekend of games were able to play at the High School despite the rain.  The Royals look forward to their first matchup with the A's this weekend.  Frank Burgos and Jason Holmberg will be the starters this weekend and will need to keep the ball down in the zone as the A's are notorious for making pitchers pay for keeping the ball up.

Game 1 will start at 1:00 PM, be sure to show up early to get a seat as the Royals and A's battle it out to break the 3-way tie for the lead in the Buckeye division.

The Royals played their Opening Night game Sunday against the new expansion team, the Fairborn Fury.  Jason Holmberg started on the hill and after a rocky start he got loosened up and threw 6 solid innings.  Holmberg recorded 7 K's on the night, before the Royals brought in Kevin Reynolds to wrap-up the game.  The Fury gave the Royals a good game, but eventually the Boys in Blue got their bats and legs warmed up and were able to run away with the game winning 8-3.

Up next for the Royals are the Shockers who were knocked off 13-8 in their rematch with the Mariners.  The game will be played at Brandt Park in Springboro at noon.  Come out for this great battle of Offenses and cheer the Royals onto victory.

While the Boys in Blue and the rest of the MVABL kicked off the 2012 season this past weekend, Kettering Royals Skipper Mark Franklin found himself in the hometowm of the MLB club for which they got their name.  Franklin was in Kansas City to support his daughter Haley and her Tops All-Star Cheer team as they competed in the US Cheer Finals, but lucky for him the Royals happened to home for their Opening Home Stand against the Cleveland Indians.  Surrounded by a massive threat of Tornados, Franklin braved the storms with some other Dad's for a chance to watch an MLB game.  This was their first, and probably only, trip to Kauffman Stadium.  The Royals and Indians did put on a good show for all in attendance.  Over the course of the game there were 2 bean balls, 2 bench clearing brawls, 2 ejections, 3 home runs, 1 extra inning, and a combined 20 runs scored!  We also got to help the Royals celebrate their mascot Sluggerrrr's birthday!!  Franklin was lucky enough to snag a quick picture with Sluggerrr while he roamed the stadium entertaining the fans.

Despite the threat of being whisked away by a tornado, it was a great night and chance to tour a beautiful stadium highlighted by the largest, most beautiful high definition scoreboard he'd ever seen.  When installed in 2009 it was the largest HD screen measuring 104" tall x 84" wide.  This has since been trumped by the screens installed for the Beijing Olympics and at Cowboys Stadium, but for it's size and crown shape it was pretty amazing.  If your ever in KC when the Royals are in town you should try to catch a game and enjoy this great stadium.

The Royals got some great news this month, current Skipper and catcher Mark Franklin was voted into the 2012 MVABL Hall of Fame.  This is a great honor the Royals coach.  He entered the league in 1996 as the number 1 selection for the expansion Mets.  The Mets were unable to hold together and were disbanded after their first season.  Franklin was able to join up with the Expos, where he caught 2 seasons behind the dish for such All-Stars as Matt Klaus.  In 1999, the new Expos Coach traded Franklin to the expansion Devil Rays who needed a solid backstop to anchor their defensive lineup.  That sesason the Devil Rays were able to win their first Championship.  However, in 2000 much of the Championship team was released around the league as their Management looked to pickup new players, and again Franklin was on the move.  So in 2000 then current Royals coach, Neil Lynch, picked Franklin up off the waiver wire to fill the defensive whole behind the plate they had on their roster.  Franklin, along with current Royal Eric Jameson, struggled through some hard years that saw the Royals always on the bottom, and in 2005, Lynch left the team for personal issues, and Franklin stepped in to help the team survive.  Over his first 2 seasons as Royals Skipper he continually built on the talent the team had, adding key pieces to the puzzle from friends of friends to great talent affected by teams folding, and in 2007 the Royals finally joined the MVABL elite after years of climbing that hill and won their first Championship.  In 2008 the Royals joined other elite teams, the Astros and Woodpeckers, as the only teams able to win back-to-back Championships.  After a tough loss in the 2009 semi-finals the Royals rebounded to win their 3rd title in 4 years in 2010 under Franklin's management.  Since taking over as the Royals Skipper he has helped lead the team to 107 victories and ranked in the top 1-2 teams in their division each season.  Since joining the Royals in 2000, Franklin has also be a very dependable hitter.  He has a career batting average of .339, recorded 282 total regular and post-season hits, plating 154 RBIs, and only striking out every once every 8.9 at-bats out of 823 in his 11 years with the club.

To be selected into the MVABL Hall of Fame is a great honor, and to be the first Royal, out of what he hopes to be many, is a great accomplishment.  When asked how he felt about the selection, he replied "I'm over joyed!!  I couldn't have gotten here without the many great players that I've played with, or against, over the years that helped push me to be the best I could be.  It may be an individual recognition, but it is definitely a team game."

Royals Career Record Holders

Royals Season Record Holders

3 Time Miami Valley Adult Baseball League Champions

2007 // 2008 // 2010