Young Royals fans only remember Paul Splittorff, the broadcaster. He’s certainly set himself apart as one of the best color analysts as he enters his 16th season of doing Royals games on TV. He’s also earned acclaim for his work on Big 12 basketball games as well. But for those who’s lives pre-date CD’s and MTV, Paul Splittorff was a staple of the Royals rotation for 15 seasons, compiling a record of 166-143, making him the team’s all-time winningest pitcher. He also had a career ERA of 3.86. Splittorff finished in the top ten in wins in the American League three times (1973, 1977, 1978). His best season was 1973 when he grabbed 20 victories. In 1987 Paul Splittorff was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame. As Splittorff looks at the 2003 squad he sees a lot of promise in the teams young pitching staff, but he also thinks it’s time for some of the veteran players to produce. He’s candid about his support of the Royals decision to cut payroll saying they got rid of a lot of dead weight. The conversation below took place in January when the Royals Caravan stopped at Lake of the Ozarks.
