Royals Don't Have a Prayer After Rally Mantis Dies

The Kansas City Royals last, best chance to return to the World Series again is gone.

Rally Mantis, the green insect who inspired the reigning champions just by hanging around Kauffman Stadium and being a pal, has been declared dead by the club. This is not Jeff Mathis or Matt Mantei, for those of you who thought you were reading about a human ballplayer, but instead Rally Mantis, no middle name or middle initial. In the spirit of other "Rally Beings"—Rally Monkey of the Angels, Rally Squirrel of the Cardinals, etc.—Rally Mantis was a green, um, rallying point for the Royals.

This video, created by ace Danny Duffy and set to R. Kelly music, encapsulates what the mantis meant to the Royals:

Take a Sec and watch this video! Video credit: Danny Duffy. pic.twitter.com/JT4745RgeC
— Dillon Gee (@DillonGee35) August 13, 2016

Mantis first took an interest in the Royals during their recent series against the Toronto Blue Jays. After finding it in a trashcan, outfielder Billy Burns had the li'l bugger visit him atop his cap, and the Royals went on to beat the Jays. Burns became something of a caretaker for the mantis, googling instructions on how to care for it, and even sleeping next to the mantis in order to provide comfort. The closest relatives to the mantids, by the way, are cockroaches and termites. All hardy creatures. Unfortunately, Rally Mantis recently became ill. Perhaps that trash can was the safest, healthiest place for the beast in retrospect.

The Royals played inspired ball with the mantis on their side, but with the club standing at 57-60 overall after Sunday, and with about six weeks remaining in the regular season, there's almost no hope for a World Series repeat. Mantis probably knew this better than anyone, given that mantids don't usually live longer than a year. Just like World Series dreams.

[Cut4]