The three words Kansas City Blues are more than a former professional baseball team this weekend. Dropping four games to the Twins was not our ideal way to start the summer (and if you were outside today you would have noticed that summer has indeed arrived) but the season goes on…

That being said I did want to share one of my favorite notes that ties the current Minnesota Twins directly to Kansas City. Most Twins fans don’t realize they are actually following the Kansas City Blues back to KC  for these Twins-Royals series’ at Kauffman Stadium. The Minnesota Twins are in fact the Kansas City Blues – Here is how:

The Kansas City Blues where an original member of the upstart American League back in the year 1900. The American League began that season as a minor league with the following franchises:

Chicago White Sox

Milwaukee Brewers

Indianapolis Hoosiers

Detroit Tigers

Kansas City Blues

Cleveland Lake Shores

Buffalo Bisons

Minneapolis Millers

At that time the only ‘major league’ in operation was the National League and American League founder Ban Johnson and his group of owners saw an opening to take on the senior circuit as a second major league.  They decided to make that move in 1901, but it didn’t work out so well for Kansas City. The powers that be decided they wanted to place a few more of their franchises on the more populated east coast. Not wanting to be left out in the shuffle Kansas City owner and manager Jimmy Manning moved his team to Washington, DC at the last minute and renamed them the Senators.

And there they remained as an original member of the ‘Major League’ American League for more than half a century. Those Washington Senators relocated to Minnesota following the 1960 season. The Twins have called the twin cities home since 1961, but if you trace their history back to the start they are indeed the Kansas City Blues.

(Curt Nelson, Director – Royals Hall of Fame)