Now that “second winter” has come and gone, the time is ripe to head east on Interstate 70 and catch a Royals game. It’s an annual tradition for most baseball fans in Kansas City, yet the stadium has traditionally struggled to lure college students from Lawrence.

It took me a while to pin down the reason why so few University of Kansas students make the trek to the Truman Sports Complex, home of Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium. Try to rule out the home team’s horrid performance. Kansas City’s lackluster play has gotten so much media attention the last few years it almost became “cool” to be a Royals fan at one point.

The second and most probable reason a majority of Jayhawks haven’t flocked to the Kauffman, or the “K,” routinely is that it really is the hidden beauty of Major League Baseball.

You don’t have to be a baseball purist to enjoy the subtle simplicity of the place. You don’t even have to enjoy baseball. Like social interaction? How about social interaction set in a stadium that rivals our own campus in terms of outdoor appeal?

Whatever the case, a day at the “K” is worth it. My Kauffman memories number almost 60, the team’s total wins from the last five years.

I’ve gone when the first-inning score looked more like a perfect record for a football team than a score that would give a Royals fan any glimpse of hope for the following eight to come.

I’ve gone when the brutal midday sun and Midwest humidity damn near melted all the cheap John Buck jersey giveaways.

I’ve gone when the wind chill in the teens shivered the life out of everyone in the stadium, players included. This was the only time in my life I have ever envied “Sluggerrr” and his thick, cozy costume.

There is one common thread in each of those experiences: not once did I leave the ballpark upset or feeling like I wasted two and a half hours. How could you when you just witnessed America’s pastime being played by some of the world’s best (OK maybe not always) players in one of the most beautiful parks in the nation?

The scene set at Kauffman, even on the nastiest of days, is picturesque. The well-known fountains frame the outfield and are arguably the most distinguishable feature. Every park has its own special feature. Fenway has the Green Monster. Wrigley has its Ivy vines. Kauffman has its fountains.

There are also the two vehicles beyond left field. They would be out of place in any other venue but are strangely right at home in the “K.” The Ford F-150 sits atop a perch that never stops spinning, while the Dodge Durango that is situated by the visiting team’s bullpen has a “Hit it here!” sign that taunts right-handed hitters.

In a nutshell, the park oozes that good ol’ Midwestern charm. When the dust settles on the upcoming planned renovations, I’m sure some part of me will miss the old “K.”

Ever since I can remember, Kauffman has been a humble place, not too high on itself to show off a gazillion scoreboards that display random and useless statistics. (“Oh look, Mike Sweeney is 7-for-18 with runners in scoring position and a full moon in the sky!”)

Whatever the end product of the renovations is, let’s just hope the product on the field gets revamped as well.

Molina is an Olathe sophomore in journalism.

— Edited by Katie Sullivan