As a person who has lived near the KC area and hung out with several of their fans... I find this completelely humorous yet very sad at the same time.  I apologize if this may have been posted elsewhere.

"Chad Carroll auctioned off 25 years of loyalty to the Royals for only $278.47" which seems like a "roll back" price equivalent to what their owner, David Glass, spends on his entire roster.

Read story...
  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/05/03/bc.bba.royals.allegiance.ap/index.html

I heard about this yesterday when I was eating lunch with a friend of mine, Sean, who is an avid Royals fan and he was actually laughing about this story.  He has always lived and died with the Royals and carried the same hope each year that any Yankees or A's fan would, however, I saw this article and thought this might represent most Royals fan who have been reduced to rubble.  While at the games over the weekend fans were blaming the problems of the team on all sorts of reasons... Zack Greinke for leaving ST and starting them off in such a hole was the most popular sentiment.  Surely no one would realistically consider this "roster full of rejects" one that had a chance... but ONCE AGAIN... ownership was able to get fans excited about this season and since I live here I can attest that most of them may have "bought in" for one last time.

This is a story that any sports fan should read because it focuses on the true passion that most of us have EVEN when a horrible owner, such as Glass, continues to run a once-reputable (and very proud) franchise into oblivion.  Glass is the cheapest man in baseball and seems to be content in holding onto his GM Allard Baird, although the team has regressed to MAYBE it's lowest point ever this year.  0-12 on the road to start a season and looking tonight to tie a dubious record that only two other teams have... ACCOMPLISHED?  At what point should MLB intervene and make the David Glass-types put the free Yankees advertising dollars they were given into creating a competitive roster for their fan base who probably cares the most?  

How blessed are A's fans!  Even when things were going horribly last May, I doubt that any of you ever considered jumping ship.  I remember the tough stretch in the 90's after LaRussa left and we started to rebuild the team.  To me it was very exciting because we were seeing actual improvement each year and those years have become some of my FAVORITE memories of all.  The Indians kind of remind me of those days and their fans should have plenty of excitement for the next 5 years.  Hey... I'm 100% thrilled to have a team that understands their limitations yet REFUSES to feel sorry for themselves or their situation.  Fail to PLAN.  Plan to FAIL.  Thank goodness the A's do have a plan.  

Sports as a whole has become so much about money that it's very disturbing and you grow to hate teams like the Yankees that keep "outspending" the rest of the league.  Then you see Boston have the gumption to actually bitch about how out of control the Yankees are because they got A-Rod.  These fans have no idea how difficult and amazing the A's have been over a good portion of the last decade.  Therefore, I think it's also important to pay attention to the other end of the spectrum too because all fans deserve a team that has a chance to contend in APRIL alone.  

Enough about that... here's to our "Little A's That Could" and the hope that they remain in the same place.... with the best fan base.