National pastime radio

This was one of the questions on the latest Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me:

PETER SAGAL: Right now, panel, some more questions for you from the week’s news. Amy, sports question for you. For the first time in 29 years, the Kansas City Royals have made it to the World Series but they almost didn’t make it all the way to the postseason. They had an early-season slump due to what?

AMY DICKINSON: Did involve birds?

(LAUGHTER)

DICKINSON: No.

SAGAL: No. Could you give me a scenario in which birds would somehow…

DICKINSON: I don’t know. Due to more than just losing? A drought? It was…

SAGAL: How can I take batting practice when I need to grow my crops?

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: A drought, she says.

DICKINSON: Tornadoes.

SAGAL: Why the bottom 40 is dry as a bone, coach.

DICKINSON: Then I got nothing, ’cause…

SAGAL: I’ll give you a hint. It’s like, the coach was like no, no, no, I’ll get to the stadium, but first I have to finish this level.

DICKINSON: Videogames?

SAGAL: Yes. They were all addicted to a game on their phones apparently.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: According to the Kansas City Star, the Royals suffered a ten game losing streak earlier this season after all becoming addicted to an iPhone game called “Clash Of Clans.” It’s sort of a war game. They caused the players to lose their focus before and after games, and even worse, they missed some of their schedules human growth hormone injections.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: What’s amazing about this – and eventually the coaches said stop playing this game, and they started to win again – it turns out even professional baseball players find baseball so boring they’d rather do anything else.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: It is strange though that they were distracted from their game by a game.

BRIAN BABYLON: So how does that make you lose a game?

SAGAL: Well, they were losing and losing and the coach noticed that they were all sitting around playing this game, talking about the game. And they were like guys, you got to focus on baseball. And apparently that snapped them out of the losing streak.

DICKINSON: Wow. That’s all it took? I got to try that. Snap out of it.

SAGAL: If you stop playing games on your phone, maybe you will be playing in the World Series?

DICKINSON: Right. That’s the only thing that’s been holding me back, obviously.

Have to admit, the World Series is a bit more exciting than I expected. I think part of that is due to the crowds at the stadiums, first in KC, then in San Fran. It’s certainly not the announcers.