Norm Stewart wearing a Kansas jersey. Roger Goodell retiring as commissioner of the NFL. Maroon 5 producing a bad song. Daniel Schmidt developing a base tan.

These are just a few of the things I thought would happen before the Kansas City Royals made the MLB postseason.

Then, Friday night, the apocalypse occurred. The Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, guaranteeing them at the very least a spot in the one-game playoff between the two Wild Card teams in the American League.

My Kansas City friends were not sure what level of celebration this event warranted. They were ecstatic that for the first time in their lives the Royals would be playing baseball beyond the scheduled 162 games, but what happens if the Royals lose in the one-game playoff Tuesday? Should Kansas City fans feel like a bunch of amateurs for shedding tears and popping bottles on Friday?

The answer is no.

The Kansas City Royals have unquestionably been the worst team in professional American sports since they “won” the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. Yes, there are teams like the Chicago Cubs or any professional team from Cleveland that have also spent an unbelievable number of years wallowing in mediocrity. But those teams have spent at least a couple of years in the sun, making the playoffs and occasionally even advancing. Their place in the annals of loser history is more about their unluckiness in the postseason than it is about actually making it that far.

The Royals have had virtually nothing to be excited about since that lone World Series victory. They had an athlete bigger than sports for a little while with the five years of Bo Jackson they were able to enjoy immediately following the World Series season. A young Carlos Beltran made a memorable pitstop in KC, and just a few years ago Zack Greinke pitched his way out of the Royals’ payroll by winning the Cy Young Award in 2009.

As a team, though, the Royals have had nothing to celebrate; a pennant chase to them has been as fruitful as chasing after a wild goose.

This year behind the steady hitting of Lorenzo Cain, the pitching of James Shields and the all-around play of stud left fielder of Alex Gordon, the Royals have banished the skeletons of years past to the closet. They are headed to the postseason.

Sports are unpredictable. They can infuriate you and depress you, bring you overwhelming happiness. At any moment, they can surprise you in a way you’d never thought possible. I don’t like the cliché that “sports are an escape.” Movies and TV shows are an escape, as those characters and plot lines are as fictional as Manti Te’o’s girlfriend. Sports are real, and they are compelling. The characters and stories are true life, and they are relatable.
The Kansas City Royals and their fans haven’t seen playoff baseball since Oct. 27, 1985. So on Tuesday, Royals fans, enjoy the hell out of that game, even if your playoffs end there.

There’s no way of knowing if it’ll be another 10,248 days until your next appearance.