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March 10, 2017 March 9, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com LOCAL http://m.royals.mlb.com/news/article/218600486/luke-farrell- returns-after-recovery-from-tumor/

Baseball means more to KC's Farrell Not that long ago, Royals right-hander Luke Farrell Righty: Return to game was 'light at the end of wondered if he would ever play baseball again. the tunnel' amid tumor ordeal March 9, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com It has been a long journey for Farrell, a sixth-round pick by http://m.royals.mlb.com/news/article/218600486/luke-farrell- Kansas City in the 2013 Draft and the son of Boston manager returns-after-recovery-from-tumor/ John Farrell.

Royals pitchers are not excited about Back in 2009, in the summer following his senior year of baseball’s new intentional-walk rule high school, Luke Farrell was at the dentist's office for an March 9, 2017 By Pete Grathoff/KC Star examination when the dentist noticed something irregular in http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city- the back of Farrell's throat. The dentist advised him to get it royals/article137528658.html looked at by a physician.

World Baseball Classic invigorates Farrell didn't think a whole lot of it until he began feeling Venezuelan Royals Salvador Perez, some unusual pressure in the area a short time later.

Alcides Escobar "But I had nothing to compare that sensation with," Farrell March 8, 2017 By Vahe Gregorian/KC Star said, "so I didn't know what it was." http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe- gregorian/article137317163.html Farrell got it looked at, and a disturbing diagnosis followed: He had a golf-ball-sized tumor in his upper throat. The good news was that it was benign. The bad news was that it was MINORS frightfully near his carotid artery. Spring Training Update: March 9 "It had to be taken care of," Farrell said. Bonifacio strong in last five games, batting .545 But as the surgeon delved into the procedure to remove the in March tumor, he kept running into complications trying to get near March 9, 2017 By Andrew Green/Omaha Storm it because of its proximity to the artery. One thought was to Chasers go through Farrell's jaw (which would have had to been http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp? broken first) to get near the tumor, but that idea was nixed. ymd=20170309&content_id=218641178&fext=.jsp&vkey=n ews_t541&sid=t541 The surgeon finally gave up after Farrell had been on the operating table for over six hours, and sewed Farrell back up.

NATIONAL "That's when they brought in a team of surgeons to consult," Farrell said. "They were able to find a way to get it out, and Dominican Republic WBC squad pays they removed it. tribute to Yordano Ventura, Andy "And at that point, they told me that tumor wouldn't come Marte back in a hundred years." March 9, 2017 By Jorge L. Ortiz/USA Today But within two years, Farrell said he was right back in the http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/03/09/world same office. With the same-sized tumor. -baseball-classic-dominican-republic-tribute-yordano- ventura-andy-marte/98979272/ "But the second surgery went well, too," Farrell said. "And Howser's presence is permanent in this time they used photon radiation to make sure it was Kansas City completely killed and wouldn't come back." Legendary Royals manager's impact still The ordeal of radiation caused some paralysis for Farrell, palpable nearly 30 years after his death who then had trouble speaking and swallowing for months. March 9, 2017 By Tracy Ringolsby/MLB.com He went on a liquid diet and lost 25 pounds. http://m.royals.mlb.com/news/article/218616416/dick- howsers-presence-felt-in-kansas-city/ But Farrell, 25, made it through all of that and back to MLB TRANSACTIONS baseball. Last summer, he celebrated his five-year milestone of being tumor-free. March 10, 2017 •.CBSSports.com http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions "That's a big milestone," he said, smiling.

The experience put matters in perspective. And as fate would LOCAL have it, it also put him in a unique counseling position with his father, John, when John was diagnosed with Stage 1 Baseball means more to KC's Farrell Lymphoma in 2015. Righty: Return to game was 'light at the end of "That was kind of a new dynamic for our relationship," Luke the tunnel' amid tumor ordeal said. "Him going through lymphoma, having something so aggressive. We bounced ideas off each other and compared and contrasted. As horrible as the time was, it was a new part “It’s an obligation that we should all have,” Duffy said. of our relationship." “There are so many things that we’re trying to change up right now. It’s like slow down. I’m not trying to be rash or They both have survived, they both have each other, and they anything. That’s something you should be able to do. both have one more thing to fall back on: baseball. “If you could hit a fly’s butt from 60 feet, 6 inches away, you "It served as the light at end of the tunnel," Luke said of his should be able to throw a 60 mph pitch to your catcher high experience. and wide. It’s logic.”

Ferrell, just recently reassigned to Minor League camp, has Of course, Duffy knows all too well that a simple toss risen quickly through the Royals' system and was 6-3 with a doesn’t always go as planned. In Duffy’s case in that 2011 3.76 ERA at Triple-A Omaha last season. game, the Tigers scored a run because of his errant throw. That obviously wouldn’t have happened under the new rule. "Dayton [Moore] went to look at him pitch last summer," manager Ned Yost said, "and he came back and told me, But would that always be a good thing? What if the stakes 'This is someone who is going to help us one day.' are higher than just another regular-season game?

"Luke has a great slider, a big league slider. And judging by In a 2014 playoff series, Washington reliever Aaron Barrett all he's gone through, he's got grit. That's our kind of player." was issuing an intentional walk to the Giants’ Pablo Royals pitchers are not excited about Sandoval when he tossed the ball over the head of catcher Wilson Ramos. San Francisco’s Buster Posey dashed home, baseball’s new intentional-walk rule but Ramos recovered in time to throw to Barrett at the plate, March 9, 2017 By Pete Grathoff/KC Star who tagged out Posey. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city- royals/article137528658.html Kennedy acknowledged that playoff pressure could affect a pitcher. Baseball players have excellent memories. “You mean to tell me that nerves don’t play a factor when A home run hit in a middle-of-June game three years ago you’re doing that?” he asked. may be forgotten by fans, but chances are the player who hit it can tell you who served it up. And the guy who threw the Kennedy, who issued one free pass last season and has 16 in pitch can probably recall instantly what went wrong. his 10-year career, has seen pitchers struggle against the batter they face after an intentional walk. Case in point: Royals left-hander Danny Duffy doesn’t hesitate when asked about a wild pitch that allowed a run to While it’s a soft toss to a catcher, that can affect a pitcher’s score. release point when he settles in to face the next batter.

“It was 2011 in Detroit,” Duffy said. “I think if you watch a guy do it, (the pitch is) usually not in the right spot,” Kennedy said. “If it’s down and away from a That sort of memory also stands out because it came on an righty, it’s usually kind of left over the plate, depending on intentional walk. But that kind of mistake will never be a where he was aiming before. I feel like it jacks up (facing) problem again. the next hitter, too.”

A new rule this year will allow managers to signal intentional Ultimately, Kennedy acknowledged that the rule will be in walks from the dugout, saving pitchers from throwing four effect, and that he won’t be changing the commissioner’s balls in a row. In the Royals’ clubhouse, this is not a popular mind. change to the game. But Duffy, who is also concerned about talk of an altered “I don’t like it,” starting pitcher Ian Kennedy said. strike zone in the future, doesn’t see why things needed to be altered. “Should we just play on PlayStation?” reliever Peter Moylan asked on Twitter. “They’re trying to change so many things right now with the game,” Duffy said. “It’s already a healthy game.” “It doesn’t make any sense,” said Duffy. World Baseball Classic invigorates Major League Baseball approved the rule change last month Venezuelan Royals Salvador Perez, as commissioner Rob Manfred strives to quicken games. Alcides Escobar Other changes for the 2017 season are a 30-second limit for March 8, 2017 By Vahe Gregorian/KC Star managers to challenge a play and a two-minute “guideline” http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe- for replay officials to make a call. gregorian/article137317163.html In 2016, the average length of a game increased by six If the parameters for participation in the World Baseball minutes to 3 hours, 2 minutes from the previous year. Classic aren’t exactly lax, they aren’t so stringent, either. Critics point out that there were 932 intentional walks last In fact, there seem to be infinite avenues available to play for season, which was 0.38 per game. any given nation in the competition. Duffy feels like pitchers should be required to make those four throws. Those range from the perfectly sensible route of Rockhurst’s representative said was a dental issue, was evident to Vizquel Ray Chang, playing again for China because both his parents within minutes of the team convening for the first time at the were born there … to the more imaginative notion of the Royals’ complex here on Tuesday. Royals’ Mike Moustakas having been eligible to play for Team Israel because his wife is Jewish (see Jeff Passan of “Today we had a meeting, and you can tell Salvador’s Yahoo Sports’ fun tale on how the team was formed). leadership is coming through,” Vizquel said Tuesday afternoon. “He stepped up and said some words of Not that there’s anything wrong with any of that. motivation, and that’s what we need.

But it has to be another dimension of meaning to wear the “We need guys like that to take charge over in the field, and I colors and name of the nation in which you actually grew up. know that (he’s going to do) a great job … handling the pitching staff. Maybe especially if that was in a home with dirt floors like the one Salvador Perez knew — and perhaps all the more so “It’s full of veteran guys, but we still need a voice behind the if that country now is ensnared in desperate times. plate that can take charge any time.”

“I think that we have the opportunity to bring something That relentless voice, of course, resounds well beyond the different to our country. More than baseball,” Venezuela plate. manager Omar Vizquel said. “It will bring a smile. It will bring a lot of people together (in) unity. “It doesn’t take too long to know Salvador,” Vizquel said, smiling. “If you are on a team from Japan and you come to “That’s why we feel so responsible.” Venezuela, and you see this guy talking to people and hugging people, you can tell that he’s a guy who cares about So, sure, there might have been plenty of banter across the everybody.” diamond and in the batter’s box on Wednesday at Surprise Stadium when the Royals played an exhibition game against Demonstrating that sort of thing is the idea, anyway, in Team Venezuela, with teammates Perez and Alcides Escobar international competitions — not to mention trying to share against instead of with them. your own culture whether it’s as a visitor or host.

But as Vizquel anticipated, his team wasn’t “playing any “Given the timing and circumstances of our country, I think funny games or anything like that” along the way to an 11-0 it’s a great opportunity for us, temporarily, to show we are win stoked in part by two Escobar triples and an RBI single united, regardless of the turmoil and things going on here and by Perez. other places in the world,” Tampa Bay pitcher Chris Archer told reporters in Florida last week as he prepared to play for “A beautiful day,” Escobar said, adding that he’s honored to Team USA. play for Venezuela. “Every player in every sport, everybody wants to represent his country.” Archer later called the United States “a beautiful country of diversity and freedom and a lot of other things that other Even if the U.S. team that features the Royals’ Danny Duffy countries don’t have.” and Eric Hosmer might seem diminished by the absence of the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, there is no doubt As a nation of immigrants, that includes many players either the WBC matters deeply to many for a variety of reasons. from or connected to multiple heritages who could play for other nations. “Yeah. I’ve had to really kind of marinate (in) that for a little bit,” said Duffy, who will leave Arizona shortly to join the The fact that so many are availing themselves to that only U.S. team in Florida. “It’s a huge honor, it’s an incredible adds to the intrigue of the WBC, which concludes March 20- thing. The feeling of wearing ‘USA’ on your chest is a pretty 22 in Los Angeles. big deal. But that’s still a different sort of feeling than what Perez and “I’m taking a bunch of pride in that. I’m going to get Escobar and Duffy and Hosmer and Mexican-born Joakim everything I can out of it. I just can’t wait.” Soria will know, playing for the countries that raised them and to which they feel a consuming responsibility. The classic resonates with Team Venezuela as its homeland is in economic chaos that has stoked violent crime — so much so that Perez’s mother was the victim of a carjacking MINORS last year, and that he now travels home only with multiple bodyguards. Spring Training Update: March 9 Perez, the 2015 World Series most valuable player, and Bonifacio strong in last five games, batting .545 Escobar are at the heart of that sense of duty for Venezuela, in March which also features such home-grown stars as Jose Altuve March 9, 2017 By Andrew Green/Omaha Storm and Miguel Cabrera and will open WBC competition against Chasers Puerto Rico on Friday in Jalisco, Mexico. http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp? ymd=20170309&content_id=218641178&fext=.jsp&vkey=n Amid what Royals 90-year-old super scout Art Stewart called ews_t541&sid=t541 an “All-Star lineup,” Perez already has entrenched himself as a vital presence. While several Storm Chasers alums and Royals players now joining their respective World Baseball Classic teams for the The infectious charisma of Perez, who was unavailable to tournament, Cactus League play continues to press on. The speak after the game because of what a WBC media relations Royals entered their offday on Thursday with a 7-5 clip in Spring Training, though it should be noted that Spring Ventura, a flamethrower with star potential who helped the Training records mean as much as the points on Whose Line Kansas City Royals reach back-to-back World Series, died at Is It Anyway. 25 in a car crash in the Dominican Republic on Jan. 22, the same day former major leaguer Marte also lost his life in a That being said, individual statistics still have merit when it car wreck in his native country. Marte, a corner infielder who comes to deciding the 25-man roster, and several former played part of seven seasons for three teams, was 33. Storm Chasers players on the Royals have played well thus far in their battles to make the club. The Dominicans plan to honor both players for the duration of their stay in the tournament. March has been kind to 2016 Omaha outfielder Jorge Howser's presence is permanent in Bonifacio, having recorded hits in all five Cactus League matchups this month, batting .545 (6-11) with one run, one Kansas City double, a homer and four RBI. His totals through nine Spring Legendary Royals manager's impact still Training games in 2017 are impressive as well, having tallied palpable nearly 30 years after his death a .500 clip (8-16), adding two runs, two doubles, one homer March 9, 2017 By Tracy Ringolsby/MLB.com and four RBI. http://m.royals.mlb.com/news/article/218616416/dick- howsers-presence-felt-in-kansas-city/ Another 2016 Storm Chasers player in infielder Raul Mondesi has also enjoyed a good spring start, compiling a . Thirty years and 2,300 miles have not been enough time nor 450 clip (9-20) in eight contests with one run, one double, a distance for the late Dick Howser to fade into the Kansas homer and two RBI. Mondesi is in a battle for the second City Royals' background. base position along with fellow Omaha alums Cheslor Cuthbert and Whit Merrifield after struggling in his first The Royals had a day off on Thursday, but it seemed like a regular season go-around in the Major Leagues last year. visitor could feel Howser's presence. Cuthbert and Merrifield have gotten off to slow starts, though much more baseball remains to be played this month before Oh, there has been plenty that has happened since that Opening Day. afternoon on Feb. 23, 1987, in Fort Myers, Fla., when Howser, who underwent two surgeries for a brain tumor the 2016 Storm Chasers infielder/outfielder Hunter Dozier has previous summer, announced he was resigning as the Royals' also provided some pop with a .429 tally (6-14), with half of manager, just hours after making his opening address for those knocks extra-base hits, including one homer. Outfielder Spring Training. Bubba Starling through his first eight Cactus League games has recorded a .385 average (5-13) with three runs and two Howser confided to friends that just walking out in the RBI, in addition to a walk drawn. Florida sun and speaking to the players had convinced him that he physically wasn't able to handle the managerial On the pitching side of things, 2016 hurlers Scott Alexander, demands. Luke Farrell, Andrew Edwards and Yender Caramo have all not allowed a run through four appearaces, though Farrell on It was 114 days later, on June 17, 1987, that Howser -- who Wednesday was reassigned to minor league camp to log more was the definition of hard-nosed -- lost his battle with cancer. innings. 2016 southpaw Jonathan Dziedzic also totaled 4.0 scoreless frames over three outings before being reassigned To this day, though, the aura of Howser remains at Kauffman to minor league camp along with Farrell and several other top Stadium, where he has been honored with a statue, and at the prospects who could very well wear an Omaha uniform this Royals' spring complex, which is now located in Surprise, year. Ariz.

Howser was that kind of person. He wasn't the physically NATIONAL biggest guy. Baseball Reference lists him at 5-foot-8, 155 pounds. Howser was, however, a giant of a guy in baseball Dominican Republic WBC squad pays terms. Not only was he a two-time All-American at Florida State, but his impact on the game was such that college tribute to Yordano Ventura, Andy baseball's player of the year award is called the Dick Howser Marte Award. March 9, 2017 By Jorge L. Ortiz/USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/03/09/world Howser was the American League Rookie of the Year Award -baseball-classic-dominican-republic-tribute-yordano- runner-up in 1961, and he spent eight seasons in the big ventura-andy-marte/98979272/ leagues, with time split among the Kansas City A's, Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. The festive atmosphere that accompanies the Dominican Republic team wherever it plays could be felt even before the Tough? Howser coached third base for 10 years for George first pitch of Thursday’s World Baseball Classic game Steinbrenner's Yankees. He took over the manager's post in against Canada at Marlins Park, but the defending New York in 1978 only to become the one manager in tournament champions also made sure to keep a more somber history to walk away from Steinbrenner. After the Royals thought in mind. swept the Yankees in the '80 ALCS, Steinbrenner demanded the firing of third-base coach Mike Ferraro. Howser resigned Dominican jerseys with the last name and number of the late in protest and never looked back. Yordano Ventura and Andy Marte hung inside the club’s dugout and will serve as a constant reminder of their absence. Howser became the managers of the Royals in August 1981. Among his accomplishments in Kansas City was managing the Royals to the first World Series championship in franchise history in 1985. That title team was the first to overcome 3-1 deficits twice in a postseason -- against the And then there was Game 2 of the World Series. Leading 2-0 Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series and the Cardinals entering the ninth, Howser sent starting pitcher Charlie in the World Series. Leibrandt, a left-hander, back to the mound. When the Cardinals rallied for four runs that inning, the media was The miracles, however, ended there. The next season he was aghast that Howser had not opted for All-Star closer Dan diagnosed with a brain tumor, a discovery made after Bill Quisenberry. Zeigler -- the trainer of the Texas Rangers and, like Howser, a Florida State alum -- was concerned about the way Howser Howser calmly answered the questions after the game, and acted at the 1986 All-Star Game. Howser had managed the then during the off-day workout the next day. He was AL team and picked Zeigler as his trainer. politically correct and calm.

The day of the workout at the Astrodome, Zeigler called Later on the off-day, in a private moment, he was asked why Royals trainer Mickey Cobb and told him that Howser he really stayed with Leibrandt. needed a medical evaluation as soon as he returned to Kansas City. Howser went in on the following Friday, and the brain "I need Quiz to win four games," he said. tumor was discovered. But couldn't that have been one of the four? Less than a year later, Howser passed away. His impact, however, will never disappear. "Quiz is at that point where he is struggling to get left-handed hitters out," said Howser. "Leibrandt was in command. He With less than seven full seasons as a manager, Howser had only give up two hits, and their first three hitters in the didn't have the service time needed to be elected to the Hall ninth were left-handed. I couldn't take that chance." of Fame, despite a career .544 winning percentage -- he enjoyed winning seasons in six of the seven years he filled It worked out. The Royals won four of the next five games out a lineup card. Five of the seven seasons resulted in and their first World Series championship. postseason appearances. And Howser? He did it his way, and it worked. And he was as big a factor in the success of those teams as the players. Nobody who knew him would have expected anything different. Howser wasn't one of those managers who would wander MLB TRANSACTIONS around the clubhouse, playing cards or telling jokes with March 10, 2017 •.CBSSports.com players. But they knew he had their back. He just felt like the http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions clubhouse was the sanctuary of the players, and management didn't belong. NONE Oh, Howser had an open door policy. He said any player could come in and talk to him any time they wanted. Hal McRae, however, said no player had enough intestinal fortitude to take Howser up on that invitation.

Howser didn't manage an inning or two or three ahead. He was games and weeks and months ahead. Two moments from the Royals' championship run in 1985 stand out as examples of his ability to look at the big picture.

For the first 4 1/2 months of the season, the Royals had a fairly strict platoon of McRae and Jorge Orta at the designated hitter spot. But with the Royals down, 6-3, with runners on the corners and two outs in the ninth inning of a July 9 game at Yankee Stadium, right-hander Brian Fisher was hailed from the bullpen to take over for left-handed starter Ron Guidry to face the righty-hitting McRae.

McRae promptly lined a run-scoring single to left-center.

Asked about allowing McRae to face a right-hander, Howser smiled.

"He's my full-time DH," said Howser.

When did that decision come, after the run-scoring single?

"No," said Howser, "in Spring Training. You could tell Mac's bat speed wasn't there, and he had to cheat to hit a right- hander. If I DH him every day to start the season, the advance scouts would get out the word. This was the last game of our first time through the league. By the time teams figure it out this time, we'll be in the postseason."