Take Us Out To The Ballgame!

By Brian Ellison,

Danie Alexander, Reginald David, Mackenzie Martin

Published April 1, 2021 at 5:18 PM CDT

Finishing touches are being put on the field and the stands as the Kansas City Royals prepare to play in front of live fans for the first time since September 29, 2019.

In a step back to normal, the Kansas City Royals and their fans celebrate Major League Baseball's Opening Day.

Segment 1, beginning at 1:00: The Kansas City Royals kick off the season with a restricted number of fans in attendance and COVID-19 protocols firmly in place.

The wait is over for baseball aficionados. It’s Opening Day for the Kansas City Royals and a limited number of spectators are back in the stands. As a result, the Royals organization is taking extra steps to keep fans safe. "I'm a fan first and foremost," says owner John Sherman. "How do we give our fans who have not been here for so long a great experience?"

Isaac Riffel, senior director of ballpark operations, Kansas City Royals
Mike McCartney, public address announcer, Kansas City Royals
John Sherman, chairman and CEO, Kansas City Royals
Greg Echlin, sports contributor for KCUR
Anne Rogers, MLB Royals beat reporter

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Brian Ellison

As a host and contributor at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on Twitter @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.

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Danie Alexander

As senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.

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Reginald David

As an assistant producer on Up To Date, my goal is to amplify voices of people who serve as pioneers in their respective fields while shedding light on issues that affect underserved communities. I produce daily conversations to uplift and inspire the people of the Kansas City area to make the world a better place. You can reach me at reginalddavid@kcur.org.

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Mackenzie Martin

Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.

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