It is the beginning of a new season, and we likely have some new fans stopping by the site checking out game threads and other articles. Royals Review is a site written by fans like you, part of the SB Nation network of sports blogs. It was founded by Will McDonald 20 years ago and joined the SB Nation platform in 2008. Will departed in 2012 and the site was run by former Baseball Prospectus writer and current Into the Fountains writer Craig Brown for two years before I took over in 2014.
The site
is a bit irreverent, can be full of gallows humor at times, but we welcome different viewpoints on the Royals. We run “game threads” for each game – an opportunity for readers to comment, vent, or celebrate the boys in blue. We can have our own language at times – some of the site memes are explained here – but we want you to be on the inside of the jokes as well!
I thought I would have us introduce ourselves with some short blurbs of who we are, and I invite readers to do the same!
Max Rieper: I grew up in the Kansas City area (Blue Springs, then Overland Park) and have been a Royals fan since 1988. I had a Bo Jackson poster in my room and collected Royals Starting Lineup figures. I went to Ohio State where myself and a couple of buddies founded the Club Baseball team there, where I “coached” and played for a year. Now I play beer league softball with buddies and coach Little League. I’ve been writing at Royals Review since 2010, and have served as editor since 2014. When I’m not writing poetry about Yuniesky Betancourt, I work as a legislative analyst/attorney for a government relations firm based in DC, primarily covering tech issues. I live in Prairie Village with my wife and three sons, and a dog named Sparky.
Jeremy Greco: Hi, my name is Jeremy “Hokius” Greco and this is going to be my tenth full season writing for Royals Review. How the time flies! I’ve been a fan since 1998, my favorite players include but are not limited to: Kris Bubic, Mike Moustakas, Peter Moylan, Aaron Guiel, and Chili Davis. When I’m not writing here I’m often working on the RR-adjacent podcast, Royals Rundown with my cohost Jacob Milham, playing video games – especially JRPGs, or reading fantasy novels – especially Brandon Sanderson. I moved away from KC in 2006, but I’ve never been able to stop loving the Royals!
Cullen Jekel: I’m an attorney who lives in the Northland with my wife and two sons. Grew up a Cardinals fan but started rooting for both them and the Royals around 2010, then mostly for the Royals around 2013. Also cheer for the Missouri Tigers (because things can’t always be good), the St. Louis Blues, Chiefs, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
When I’m not thinking about the law or baseball or at an event for my boys, I’m most likely reading, either a magazine like Empire, a British monthly film magazine, Baseball America or Vanity Fair, or novels by the likes of Michael Connelly, Craig Johnson, Keith Rosson, John Connolly, Ben Aaronovitch, Emily St. John-Mandel, or Stephen King. I’m strangely fond of Legendary’s MonsterVerse–mindlessly watching Titans like Godzilla and King Kong duke it out is great for a Saturday night. Otherwise, I’m into watching shows on Apple TV, including Pluribus and Silo, or half-hour comedies like Ghosts and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. Matt Berry and his voice are incredible. I know incredibly too much about A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s been a while but you can find my other writing at doctorjekelpresents.wordpress.com.
Trenton Kraxner: I’ve been a Royals fan since birth, so almost 22 years now. I have lived an hour from the Truman Sports Complex my entire life and my dad was born in Independence, MO, and went to countless games in his youth, so that’s why I’m a Royals fan. Bobby Witt Jr. is the obvious answer for favorite player, but if we are talking all-time, I loved Eric Hosmer growing up. Happy to see him in the booth now. My favorite Royals team all-time is the 2014 Royals, shoutout Josh Willingham for getting on base in the ninth.
I’ve been writing for Royals Review for a year now. I am an opinionated person and like to write opinion or analysis pieces, although admittedly, that can upset some people. But I try my best to keep it real and not lie to the people, as I know this is a passionate fan base that watches the games. I live in a small town, Nortonville, KS. We have no stop lights, a gas station, bank, post office and liquor store, and that’s about it.
I am a recent college graduate from the University of Kansas, with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. The journalism field is a hard one to break into, so I am still looking for a full time job at the moment, but I fill time by subbing at different school districts and coaching middle school basketball and track.
As a 21 year old, I have no kids or pets, I love the movie Dodgeball, Ace Ventura and the Princess Bride. I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite TV show since I watch a lot of live sporting events, but I enjoy the Big Bang Theory and High Potential. I loved Brooklyn Nine-Nine when it ran. I am currently reading the Amos Decker book series, and just started the third book.
Matthew LaMar: Hello, everyone. This year marks my 13th season of writing about the Royals here at Royals Review. My favorite Royal of all time is Zack Greinke who, thanks to my work here at Royals Review, I was able to interview a few years ago. Outside of baseball, my wife and I have two cats and are huge roller coaster nerds. I’m also a musician who plays French horn for a variety of Kansas City-area ensembles.
Bradford Lee: As a child and young adult, I lived in towns all over the great state of Kansas, but consider Lincoln, Kansas my hometown. Went to college at Kansas State, back when they were good at basketball and terrible at football. I’ve been a Royals fan since the beginning, though my fandom really took off in 1973. I’m married with four grown children. Thankfully, my wife is also a baseball fan and enjoys going to games with me. One of our retirement goals is to visit as many baseball stadiums as possible.
At Royals Review, I’ve become the history guy. I enjoy writing about the older players and games and seasons of the past. Baseball seems to have a never-ending supply of interesting personalities and stories. I’ve been writing for RR since March of 2018 and appreciate those who read my ramblings and the relationships I’ve built with my readers. Outside of my RR gig, I’ve owned and operated a Financial Advisory business for the past 42 years. In my free time, I like spending time with my children and grandchildren, fishing, hiking and painting.
Kevin Ruprecht: Hey I’m Kevin Ruprecht. The original Kevin. I started writing here, uh, more than a decade ago. I took a long break before coming back last season. I was at the 2014 Wild Card game and was unable to speak afterward. I’m generally an idiot, but I have two kids, a job, and a house in KC.
Frank Williams: I’ve been writing for the site for, checks notes… no, this can’t be right… 10 years now. I was not raised a Royals fan, but I attended one of the local schools. Like countless others, I hopped on the Royals bandwagon in the 2000s: five dollar Hy-Vee seats, John Buck sherseys, and double-digit losing streaks for all! I now live in the Houston area, where I can watch the Royals rally from historic deficits in the ALDS and lead Team Italy to espresso-fueled World Baseball Classic wins.
Tell us about yourself, as much or as little as you’d like to share! How long have you been a Royals fan and why? And welcome to Royals Review!
