As a Royals fan, I loved listening to Paul Splittorff. Heck, as a college basketball fan I loved listening to Paul Splittorff. Being that I am still fairly young, I didn’t get to enjoy Paul Splittorff as long as I would’ve liked to, because all good things must come to an end. On May 26, in 2011, Paul Splittorff lost his battle with oral cancer, and passed away.
I’m simply here to pay my respects to Paul Splittorff. Split played his entire 15-year career with the Kansas City Royals. I don’t think a broadcast goes by when someone in the Fox Sports Kansas City booth doesn’t talk about Paul Splittorff.
I enjoyed listening to him for the few years that I got to, and if I could go back to those games where I switched the channel because I was “bored”, I would’ve done it in a heartbeat. Paul Splittorff was the voice that got me interested in baseball in the first place.
As a little girl, I remember sitting on the couch with my dad thinking, “Daddy, when I grow up, I want to be just like Paul Splittorff.” Sure enough, here I am, trying to start the long journey to become a colour analyst for FSKC. Whether or not it will work out, I would like to think it would work out. If it doesn’t work out, I still have Paul Splittorff to thank for getting me hooked on the game of baseball.
It’s been three years since Split’s passing, and as a fan of the game of baseball, I can honestly say that I miss his voice booming through my living room television set.