Carlos Beltrán is still chugging along, smacking home runs for the Houston Astros this year, in what could be the twilight of a Hall of Fame career. That kind of star potential was evident even from his early days, when he was Rookie of the Year with the Royals in 1999. But as soon as Beltrán hit it big with the Royals, fans began to countdown when he would depart. It turns out, perhaps Beltrán could have stayed in Kansas City a bit longer had Royals ownership not been so stubborn.
Bob Dutton was the Royals beat writer for the Kansas City Star from 2000 to 2013, moving on to the Tacoma News Tribune to cover the Mariners for a few seasons before retiring last month.