SURPRISE, Ariz. -- If you hang around a Royals Spring Training practice for even a few moments, you'll hear the familiar and booming voice of first-base coach Rusty Kuntz.
"Player!" is Kuntz's signature bark at his troops, an endearing shout that has become the equivalent of his "Hello."
Royals players view the term as a compliment about their skills, as in "He's a player!" but few know the origin of Kuntz's "Player!"
"I was with Houston, my second or third year coaching," Kuntz recalled. "All the players would address me as 'Coach' because they were young guys and I was an instructor and they grew up calling all their coaches 'Coach.