On Monday night, Mike Moustakas established a new precedent for what we call a “career night.”  After being named the Texas League Player of the Year earlier in the day, Moustakas lead the Royals’ AAA affiliate Omaha Royals to a 23-5 route of the Round Rock Express that featured 25 hits, 11 of which went for extra bases.  Since being selected 2^nd overall in the 2007 draft, Moustakas has mashed his way through the Royals minor league system, and Monday’s performance only further solidified his place at the hot corner in 2011.

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“Who hits the ball and makes it go? Dominic DiMaggio./ Who runs the bases fast, not slow? Dominic DiMaggio./ Who’s better than his brother Joe? Dominic DiMaggio./ But when it comes to gettin’ dough, they give it all to brother Joe.”

Growing up, my older brother Griff was always the baseball player of the family.  He was a badass while I pretty much sucked.  Luckily, I realized this from a young age and chose to pursue other interests.  And even if my parents had high hopes naming me after the great George Brett, they obviously recognized the vast talent discrepancy between us and never pressured me to play, either.  Things worked out alright, I found plenty of activities, sports and otherwise, to excel at in my own right and never had to live in the enormous shadow my brother cast across Farmington baseball. Never jealous of his talents or recognition, I’ve always had nothing but respect and admiration for what Griff did on diamond; I even found my own niche in the baseball community as a respected umpire.  The point is I know how it feels to be in the stands cheering for your older brother, listening to everyone talk about how great he is.

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