KC Royals got extra boost on ‘Back to School Day’ at The K. At least one player noticed
Kauffman Stadium was a lot louder than usual on Thursday afternoon. At least one player theorized as much after hearing plenty of shouting from a new audience.
It was “Back to School Day” at The K, and the children in the crowd made their presence felt in the Royals’ series-clinching 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.
“It was cool and they were loud,” Quatraro said. “With the rain delay, I don’t know what time the buses had to leave, but they were going at it at the end. It was fun.”
The paid attendance for the game was 20,321, but because of rainy conditions the ballpark had plenty of empty seats. Still, players appreciated the support from the school kids.
“I was joking (that) I think it’s probably the loudest crowd we’ve had,” said Royals second baseman Michael Massey. “It was cool, though, to have the kids out and have a good game.”
Before Thursday’s game, Quatraro spoke about how his family has a background in teaching. Both his parents are teachers, as is his wife.
He reminisced about the lessons he learned from school that he still uses in baseball.
“I always enjoyed school,” Quatraro said. “You learn a lot, obviously book-wise, but also in time management, personal relationships, failure — how to bounce back from it, how to stay level. You get a crappy grade on a test and still gotta work to get the rest of the quarter grades up or get your homework in and get those bonus points.
“I think there are so many good lessons for life in school whether it’s in the books or in other stuff — obviously balancing time with sports commitments, music and all the other extracurriculars. You can’t overstate the importance of a good education.”
Although Quatraro said his parents weren’t tough on him, they had clear expectations.
“I always loved to play sports,” he said. “It was very simple: ‘If your grades are good, you don’t have to get a job. You can keep playing sports. If your grades dip, sports are out and you go get a job.’ It was pretty simple and the expectations were early on and (communicated as), ‘Don’t mess them up.’”
Quatraro is known for his straightforwardness, which he credits to his parents.
“You are a product of your upbringing,” he said. “I would assume that’s a big part of it, but I also liked to play sports. So, I knew that don’t mess it up (message) in school. And I was fortunate to have the ability to learn and comprehend the stuff that was going on around me.”
