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Burlington Bees on World Champion KC Royals

Chuck Brockett was glued to his television screen Sunday night, watching the Kansas City Royals face the New York Mets in the World Series. While he was cheering for the Royals and wanted to see them win, he also considered going to sleep when the Mets took a 2-0 lead in the 6th inning.

"Do I really want to go to bed? I know their history of battling back..." he wondered. "And sure enough, they did."

Credit John Larson
Eric Hosmer

The Royals tied the game in the top of the ninth before scoring five runs in the top of the 12th and winning by a final score of 7-2. It gave Kansas City a convincing 4-1 win in the World Series.

"It's just amazing what happened," said Brockett. "The way they battled back every game. It was just exciting to watch."

Brockett, General Manager for the Burlington Bees, has a close connection to the Royals because the Bees used to be an affiliate of the Kansas City team. Now, the Bees are a Class A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

When the Royals celebrated their victory Sunday night, Brockett saw plenty of familiar faces. In fact, seven members of the World Series roster played for him in Burlington from 2006-2010.

These players played key roles during the World Series.

  • Hochevar won the clinching Game 5
  • Hosmer scored the tying run in the top of the 9th to force extra innings in Game 5
  • Perez was named World Series MVP

Brockett said it was a thrill watching them play together.

Credit John Larson
Mike Moustakas

"They were our kids for a year, some of them a little longer, some of them a little less," Brockett said. "I feel like a proud parent. They came through our organization and did a great job for us here and had great character while they were here and continued to have it there.”

The Burlington Bees won the Midwest League title in 2008, with a team featuring Moustakas and Duffy. 

Despite all the talent possessed by the seven former Bees, Brockett's still surprised they all ended up on the same team together, given how few minor league players make it to "The Show."

"One in 25 [minor league players] make it, not 7 in 25," Brockett estimated. 

The connection between the Royals and the Burlington Bees is certainly something Brockett will bring up during Spring Training in a few months.

"Hard work and believing in yourself and believing in your teammates goes a long way," he said.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.