As of 2016, Bob Schaefer has spent 36 years in professional baseball, including eleven as a coach, manager or special assistant to the GM in the Royals organization. A two-time interim manager in Kansas City, Schaefer was the skipper of the Royals for 18 games (1991 and 2005) as well as a first base or bench coach for eight KC summers. Besides his time with the Royals, Schaefer was well known as Joe Torre’s “right hand man” with the Dodgers (2008-2010) and currently serves as a Special Assistant to the GM for the Washington Nationals. Schaefer recently joined Dave O to talk about his entire life in baseball, from playing in the 1965 College World series with UConn to spending three seasons as a player in the Cardinals organization, to his times in KC and LA plus much, much more. Truly a great baseball man with priceless stories! (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Former Royal Interviews
Terry Puhl played for the Royals during the 1991 season as he capped off 15 years at the Big League level, including the first 14 in Houston (1977-1990). An All-Star in 1978, the left handed hitting Puhl retired with lifetime MLB marks of .280/.349/.388 and as the (then) all-time leader in outfield fielding percentage (.993). A member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the current Head Baseball Coach at the University of Houston-Victoria, Terry recently joined Dave O to talk about being signed by Houston at 17, playing rookie ball then returning to high school football!, 14 terrific years with Houston, wrapping up with the Royals and lots more! (Photo Courtesy Houston Astros)
Derek Wallace pitched for the Royals during the 1999 season after twice being acquired by KC via trade (Cubs, 1995; Mets, 1999). A 6-3 right handed reliever, Wallace appeared in 8 games for Kansas City, finishing with a 3.24 ERA in 8.1 IP before numerous arm injuries prematurely ended his career. Originally drafted in the 1st round by the Chicago Cubs in 1992 (11th pick), Wallace also spent time at the major league level with the Mets (1996). He recently joined Dave O to talk about winning the College World Series with Pepperdine, his incredibly funny story about the first time he was called to the Big Leagues, both stints with the Royals organization and loads more! (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Rusty Meacham pitched out of the Royals bullpen from 1992-1995, appearing in 164 KC games with a 3.79 ERA. Claimed by Kansas City off of waivers from Detroit, the 6-3 righty saw his best campaign come in 1992, when he went 10-4 with a 2.74 ERA. Following his times with the Royals, Meacham went on to pitch with the Mariners, Astros and Rays as part of eight seasons at the MLB level. He recently joined Dave O to discuss coming up with the Tigers, the lucky break he got in coming to KC, spraying the fans in RF GA with the firehose, his overall favorite memories of the Royals and lots more! (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Scott Pose played for the Royals from 1999-2000, serving as Tony Muser’s 4th outfielder and top pinch hitter. Originally drafted by the Reds, the left handed hitting Pose made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 1993, when he became the first batter and base runner in franchise history on Opening Day. Besides his times with the Marlins and Royals, Pose also spent time with the Yankees in 1997 and made an appearance as “Matt Crane” in the 1999 Kevin Costner film For Love of the Game. Today he serves as a baseball analyst for the Big Ten Network, amongst others. He recently joined Dave O to talk about playing in the College World Series with Arkansas, what it was like being on the expansion Marlins, how he ended up in For Love of the Game (and how it helped him land in KC) and lots more! (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Luis de los Santos played first base for the Royals from 1988-1989, amassing marks of .280/.294/.573 in 39 games. A 2nd round selection of the Royals in the 1984 draft, de los Santos was a prolific hitter at the minor league level, earning the 1988 MVP of the American Association for the Omaha Royals while regularly appearing on Top 10 Royals Prospects lists from Baseball America in 1985-1989. Besides his times with the KC organization, de los Santos went on to appear at the Big League level with Detroit in 1991 and later, broke several hitting records in various countries (including Mexico and Korea). Luis recently joined Dave O from his home in the Dominican Republic to talk extensively about life and culture in the DR, coming up through the Royals organization, what it was like playing with Bo Jackson in his first year at Memphis (1986) and TONS of great memories he had with the Royals organization. *** NOTE *** Occasionally (every few minutes) audio is slightly muffled for a few seconds at a time because of the overseas call – but stick with it, it always comes back. *** (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Dane Iorg played for the Royals from 1984-1985 and is best remembered for delivering the game winning pinch hit in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. A left handed utility man and the brother of former MLB’er Garth Iorg, Dane was originally a 1st round selection by the Phillies (1971) out of BYU and played parts of 10 seasons at the Big League level for Philadelphia, St. Louis (where he hit .529 in the winning 1982 World Series), Kansas City and San Diego. He recently joined Dave O to tell incredibly funny and passionate baseball stories, from “less than ideal” minor league facilities to his admiration for Whitey Herzog in St. Louis, to a funny story about Garth’s wife during the 1985 ALCS and of course, many, many questions about Game 6 of the World Series. Truly a must listen for any Royals fan. (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Daryl Smith pitched in Kansas City during the 1990 season, appearing in two September games (including one start) with a 4.05 ERA. A 6th round selection of the Rangers in 1980, the 6-4 right hander spent a total of 13 seasons in the minor leagues, including two with the Royals organization (Memphis & Omaha, 1990-1991). He recently joined Dave O to talk about all of his times in baseball, including HILARIOUS stories about the Royals discovering him while working at Montgomery Ward, sleeping in a cow pasture on his way to Omaha from Memphis and stealing Bo Jackson’s shoes but also, his post baseball career of helping kids, writing books and much more! An interview with a man you’ll admire that you won’t want to miss. (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Mike Jones pitched for the Royals from 1980-1981 & 1984-1985, appearing in a combined 71 games with 25 starts. A 6-6 southpaw, Jones was Kansas City’s first round selection in 1977 (21st pick overall) and spent his entire Big League career as a Royal. Jones recently joined Dave O to reminisce about the entire journey, from being a small town high school kid in New York to pitching the Royals minor leagues, to the tragic car accident that nearly ended his career (and life) in 1981 to being a World Champion in 1985. A highly informative and entertaining trip down memory lane. (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Luis Encarnacion pitched for Kansas City during the 1990 season, appearing in four games out of the Royals bullpen. Selected by KC from Cleveland in the 1987 Rule 5 Draft, the 5-10 right hander from the Dominican Republic spent a total of four seasons in the Royals organization with 345.1 MILB IP and an ERA of 2.84. Encarnacion recently joined Dave O to talk about what it was like growing up in Santo Domingo, the challenge yet hilarity of learning American foods, how much of a dream it was to pitch in the Big Leagues and much more! (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)