Royal legacy: Counting down toward the '07 season

With the 2007 season right around the corner and this year's team having about an equal chance to be either a stepping stone to brighter, better days or another exercise in futility, I figured a good tune-up for the season would be a countdown of the franchise's 38 teams, from 38 to 1. #1 would be blindingly obvious -- 1985 -- but Royals fans need a pick-me-up and remembering the good ol' days is never a bad thing. A little nostalgia never hurt anybody. So, with the assistance of Baseball-Reference.com, over the days leading up and into spring training when the Royals converge on Surprise, AZ, we'll take a trip back over 38 years of Royals teams.