Now that Christmas and the end of the year is upon us, it’s a good time to look back and evaluate the year. In terms of the big picture, it was great. When the season started, who among us really believed that the Royals would develop into a playoff team? Certainly not yours truly. The starting pitchers delivered big time. Vinnie and Salvy put together solid seasons and Bobby Jr. developed into a superstar. Matt Quatraro did a fine job leading the team and JJ Picollo and staff did an excellent job of assembling the parts. Mix it all together and despite a late season swoon, it was enough to propel the team into the playoffs.