MLB Showdown Obsession

 Ryan Freel is another anonymous player you may have remembered pulling from one of the later Showdown packs but otherwise didn't have much use for. He also happens to be a notable person in baseball history for tragic reasons. While football gets all the attention when it comes to CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) Freel showed the world that it happens in other sports like baseball, becoming the first player diagnosed with it, but only after he had taken his own life. Freel was drafted and ultimately debuted with the Blue Jays in 2001. After a few early season appearances, he'd spend the rest of the season in the minors and would gain free agency after the season.  He didn't get an official Showdown card for his time, but we can always fix that now. After spending all of 2002 in the Devil Rays farm system, Freel would catch on with the Reds in 2003. For that season and 2004, he would earn himself official Showdown cards, so we can skip to 2005... By now, Freel is an e...

 It's not unusual for a team to get a hangover after a World Series title. What I mean is that the accomplished feeling of winning usually dulls the intensity the next season that prevents that team from getting back to the top of the mountain. Not every owner is George Steinbrenner after all. But, that hangover excuse goes away after a short while...so if a team goes a couple decades after a title without even sniffing the postseason, it becomes pretty alarming to a fanbase. After their conquest of baseball in 1985, the Royals were in a pretty notable drought. As the streak of no October baseball was pushing 30 years entering 2014, Manager Ned Yost and company were looking at potential as they treaded water in the early goings. With the help of a 10 game winning streak in June, the Royals actually took the lead in the AL Central, sparking postseason hopes. Despite a slump that threatened to send KC to a familiar fate at the end of the year, they managed to right the ship and finis...