Tour Guides

Peggy Bales

Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas

Occupation: Elementary teacher (34 years)

Started with Royals: 2015

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: Letting fans know our stadium wasn’t always called Kauffman Stadium, for 20 years it was named after the Royals because Mr. Kauffman, the owner, wanted it to be all about the team!!

Favorite Player (all-time): Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez

Favorite Royals Moment: Alex Gordon’s game-tying home run in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series.

Favorite Team as a Kid: Kansas City Chiefs

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: I like connecting with fans from all over sharing our unique stadium with them. We have a unique history of baseball in Kansas City. I always hope to share in an entertaining manner to make it memorable for each of them.

Joe Barnes

Hometown: On a farm in Kansas (address Centerville, phone number Parker, school in Mound City)

Occupation: Family Physician

Started with Royals: 2023

Favorite Tour Stop: Humidor where we talk about the recent changes, behind-the-scenes workforce and unique features of the business of baseball

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: Original capacity of stadium and capacity following renovation

Favorite Player (all-time): Steve Busby

Favorite Royals Moment: Pine Tar Game

Favorite Sports Memory: Met George Brett at a Wichita State basketball game. He was introduced at halftime. Probably '76 or '77.

Favorite Team as a Kid: Boston Celtics while in high school

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: I enjoy meeting and working with the other tour guides, all of whom have an interest in baseball. I'm able to meet people of all ages from all over the U.S. as well as visitors from around the world. Many know many more facts about MLB than I do, which leads to very interesting conversations. Going to the stadium several times a month is still a thrill, just as it was when attending a game with my parents as a young person.

Mike Bratcher

Hometown: Independence, Missouri

Occupation: Sales and Marketing

Started with Royals: 2010

Favorite Tour Stop: Dugout

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: Longest home run at the stadium

Favorite Players (all-time): Salvador Perez and George Brett

Favorite Royals Moment: Winning 1985 and 2015 World Series

Favorite Sports Memory: Meeting Mickey Mantle

Favorite Team as a Kid: Growing up in Kansas City it was the Athletics

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: Meeting people from all over the states and world; sharing my love of baseball. I gave a tour to a family from France and we started with the basics of the game. It was a fun learning experience.

Kirk T. Bride

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri

Occupation: Sales, Vendor Management, Operations

Started with Royals: 2025

Favorite Tour Stop: Joe McGuff Press Box

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: George Brett is the only player to win a batting title in three different decades.

Favorite Player (all time): George Brett

Favorite Royals Moment: Beating the Oakland A’s for their first division title

Favorite Sports Memory: George Brett’s 1977 upper deck homer against Goose Gossage at Yankee Stadium

Favorite Team as a kid: Kansas City A’s/then Royals

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: Sharing information that I am passionate about!

Larry Hettinger

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Occupation: Marketing Communications, Product Development Manager, Sales, Meeting Planning, Business Analyst, Business Owner

Started with Royals: 2018

Favorite Tour Stop: The Dugout

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: CrownVision – the 10-story tall, High Dynamic Range (HDR) Video Board in CF would take 789 60-inch televisions to cover the entire display.

Favorite Player (all-time): Ernie Banks

Favorite Royals Moment: Salvador Perez hit down the third base line to score Christian Colon and win the 2014 AL Wild Card Game.

Favorite Sports Memory: August 19, 1969, in the right field bleachers at Wrigley Field, keeping score of Kenny Holtzman’s no-hitter.

Favorite Team as a Kid: Chicago Cubs; 3-4-5 hitters Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ernie Banks with Fergie Jenkins and Kenny Holtzman leading the pitching staff.

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: The enjoyment is being with the fans who come to tour the stadium. I will never get old as long as I can share with fans of all ages their love of baseball and the memories they share with me.

Min Jung

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri

Occupation: Prior to the Royals: Taught medical students, was a biostatistician, and taught court reporting students

Started with Royals: 2024

Favorite Tour Stop: Visiting clubhouse

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: It takes 789 60-inch televisions to cover CrownVision, which is the tallest scoreboard in the MLB

Favorite Player (all-time): Bo Jackson

Favorite Royals Moment: Tie between watching Bo Jackson scale the outfield wall in Baltimore in 1990 and watching George Brett charge home plate after the infamous Pine Tar call in 1983

Favorite Sports Memory: Watching George Brett and Bret Saberhagen hug after the Royals clenched the 1985 World Series

Favorite Team as a Kid: Kansas City Royals

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: I take pride in my hometown, and Kauffman Stadium is a small part of what makes Kansas City such a great city, so I like showing folks around and showing off The K. I also like teaching them about what makes Kauffman such a nice place to play ball and host such an amazing team.

Mary Lou Kanatzar

Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas

Occupation: Teacher

Started with Royals: 2015

Favorite Tour Stop: Visiting clubhouse

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: I love seeing the reaction on younger fans faces when I talk about the Royals and Chiefs sharing Municipal Stadium.

Favorite Player (all-time): Salvador Perez

Favorite Royals Moment: 2014 Wild Card Game

Favorite Sports Memory - Attending my first World Series game. 2015 World Series Royals vs Mets Game 2. After the game hearing Josh Vernier say “ I think we’ve seen the last game at Kauffman tonight”

Favorite Team as a Kid: Whichever team my dad was cheering for. My dad bought season tickets when the Royals started in 1969. I began being a Royals fan.

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: I love giving tours and sharing my love of baseball with fans from all over the world.

Mike Knipp

Hometown: Tipton, Missouri

Occupation: Printer (retired)

Started with Royals: 2024

Favorite Tour Stop: Dugout. You are right there by the field.

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: Statues of George Brett, Dick Howser and Frank White

Favorite Player (all-time): Lorenzo Cain

Favorite Royals Moment: Alex Gordon’s home run in bottom of ninth in 2015 World Series. Tied the game. Royals went on to win.

Favorite Sports Memory (does not have to be baseball): 2012 All Star Game in Kansas City. Seeing fans from all over the country in one place supporting their team.

Favorite Team as a Kid: St. Louis Cardinals

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: I love showing fans Kaufmann Stadium's unique features as well as telling Royals history.

Chris Kohl

Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas

Occupation: Retired Teacher, Self-Employed-Private Music Teaching Studio; High School Baseball Umpire

Started with Royals: 2022

Favorite Tour Stop: Joe McGuff Press Box

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: Kauffman’s personal financing of the fountains

Favorite Player (all-time): I grew up watching George Brett

Favorite Royals Moment: Being at The K and watching the 2014 Wild Card Game

Favorite Sports Memory: The Royals winning the 1985 World Series

Favorite Team as a Kid: Well, yes, the Royals

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: Baseball is such a generational game and produces a truly unique path for every individual who follows it. It's great to hear fans' stories and personal histories from across the country. Sharing the history and unique features of Kauffman Stadium and the journey the Royals have had here is a great way to add more to any fan’s personal baseball experience.

Gary Kruger

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri

Occupation: Life-time Teacher – History and Special Education, secondary level Life-time Coach – Cross Country, Track, Baseball, and Basketball

Started with Royals: 2010

Favorite Tour Stop: Royals Dugout. Being where the guys get to be!

Favorite Tour Stat: I love telling the stories of the foul balls that come through the press box windows with the indentations present in the wall behind the writers.

Favorite Player (all-time): Salvador Perez. He is an amazing ambassador for baseball and an example for how to treat others.

Favorite Royals Moment: The utter joy of being present for the Royals victory in the 2014 Wild Card win.

Favorite Sports Memory: The yearly tradition of attending Opening Day with my three sons – now including my wife after she has retired.

Favorite Team as a Kid: Kansas City Athletics

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: As a lifetime teacher and coach, I thoroughly enjoy maintaining my connection with kids working with the RSVP program. I teach subjects related to baseball and learning, and I love interacting with the kids and passing the love of baseball and learning forward.

The satisfaction of being around kids keeps me young, and the opportunity to be around a wonderful staff and leaders makes the experience a pleasure. What a deal! Being around kids and great people with a great setting with the Royals.

Kelly Lawson

Hometown: Clinton, Missouri

Occupation: Retired

Started with Royals: 2022

Favorite Tour Stop: Statues. Frank White...local kid makes it to his local MLB team

Favorite Player (all-time): Thurman Munson.

Favorite Royals Moment:1985/2015

Favorite Sports Memory: Going to a game at Municipal Stadium in 1969.

Favorite Team as a Kid: Royals

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: Hanging out at the ballpark and talking baseball with fans...it does not get much better.

Tom Linhoff

Hometown: Willmar, Minnesota

Occupation: Attorney

Started with Royals: 2017

Favorite Tour Stop: Dugout

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: The three no-hitters thrown at Kauffman Stadium

Favorite Player (all-time): Warren Spahn (Pitcher Milwaukee Braves); Royals -Bret Saberhagen

Favorite Royals Moment: In-Person: Game 6 - 2015 ALCS; Not In-Person: 2014 Wildcard Game

Favorite Sports Moment: 1980 "Miracle on Ice" Olympic hockey game (US v USSR)

Favorite Team as a Kid: Milwaukee Braves (1956 and 1957 were my favorite years)

Why I Enjoy giving Tours: I love baseball and in particular Royals baseball. I am privileged to have watched the Royals since they became one of four expansion teams in 1969 under Ewing M. Kauffman's ownership. I am further privileged to relate to visiting fans my memories, experiences, and information regarding the Royals, first at Municipal Stadium, and since 1973, at Kauffman Stadium (“The K"). My goal is to give fans a unique fan experience celebrating Kansas City's rich baseball history, and a "behind the scenes" look at one of the most beautiful stadiums in major league baseball.

Bob Marks

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Occupation: Retired Quality Assurance Manager from Pepsi-Cola Beverages North America

Started with Royals: 2019

Favorite Tour Stop: Interview Room

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: Denny Mathews, Royals radio announcer, was the first person to say "Royals Win!" back in 1969 and continues to broadcast on Royals radio network.

Favorite Player (all time): George Brett, only career Royals player inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame

Favorite Royals Moment: Attending the 2015 home playoff and Worlds Series games and cheering on the Royals to their World Series win. Kauffman Stadium was electric during those games. We have great fans in Kansas City.

Favorite Sports Memory: Watching my youngest daughter for over 10 years excel in competitive volleyball. I was always very proud of her.

Favorite Team as a Kid: Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: I like to be around passionate baseball fans. I get to show Royals fans the behind-the-scenes locations of the stadium that they don't see when they attend a game. People love the Interview Room. They immediately identify the Manager's chair that they see on the news from a press conference.

Chris Morris

Hometown: Higginsville, Missouri

Occupation(s): Middle School Social Studies Teacher

Started with Royals: 2013

Favorite Tour Stop: It doesn’t matter how many times I lead a tour, I still always geek out about going to the dugout. Especially on game days.

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: I always enjoy telling the story about how the fountains in Kauffman came to be.

Favorite Player (all-time): Dennis Eckersley. I always thought he looked cool with his long hair and unique pitching style. Worst memory in sports as a kid was Kirk Gibson hitting that homer against him in the 1988 World Series. To this day, I still can’t watch it without getting a little upset.

Favorite Royals Moment: The 2014 Wild Card game. Still the greatest sporting event I have ever attended.

Favorite Sports Memory: I will never forget going with my oldest son to his first Chiefs game. Great memories that I will always cherish.

Favorite Team as a Kid: I was a huge A’s fan. I couldn’t get enough watching the Bash Brothers, Bob Welch, Dave Stewart, Rickey Henderson, and of course Dennis Eckersley.

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: The opportunity to showcase my favorite team, and meet people from all around the world. Occasionally bumping into Royals players is pretty cool as well.

Curt Oldroyd

Hometown: Lake Winnebago, Missouri (since retiring from military)

Occupation: Retired Chief Warrant Officer Five, US Army, 1969-1997. Project Manager, Perot Systems Inc., 1997-2007.

Started with Royals: 2018

Favorite Tour Stop: Royals dugout

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: I always like telling guests about Joe McGuff and the importance he played in getting a new baseball franchise for Kanas City.

Favorite Player (all-time): Yogi Berra

Favorite Royals Moment: Winning 2015 World Series

Favorite Sports Memory: Going to baseball and football games with my Dad. Those were always the best.

Favorite Team as a Kid: New York Yankees. Growing up in New Jersey in the 50’s I got to see all the Yankee greats from that era play.

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: I love meeting people from all over world who come to see Kauffman Stadium and sharing with them the history of Kauffman and the Royals.

Kelsey R. Ortiz

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Occupation: Researcher at the University of Kansas, focus on disability policy in K-12 educational settings

Started with Royals: 2025

Favorite Tour Stop: My favorite tour stop is the dugout where we get to see the field from the players’ perspective!

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: The Royals players have a barbershop right next to their clubhouse!

Favorite Player (all-time): Dan Quisenberry, Royals reliever from 1979-1988.

Favorite Royals Moment: I remember the pine tar incident in 1983 with George Brett and the shock on my dad’s face as it was unfolding!

Favorite Sports Memory: I can remember my dad talking about the "I-70 Battle" or "Show-Me Series" and I remember thinking how cool it was to play against our state rival in the World Series!

Favorite Team as a kid: The Royals of course! I listened to all the games on the radio with my dad when I was a little girl!

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: Kauffman Stadium is a special place where we all have wonderful memories. It is a great honor to share that sense of awe and nostalgia with folks when they come to visit.

Vicki Saviano

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri born and raised.

Occupation: Elementary School Teacher; 12 years in the Diocesan Catholic Schools; 23 years in the Kansas City Missouri School District

Started with Royals: 2013

Favorite Tour Stop: Joe McGuff Press Box-one of the best views of our Stadium.

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: We have a barber shop serving the Royals and visiting teams.

Favorite Player (all-time): Alex Gordon. His dedication to the game of baseball was evident the first time I saw him.

Favorite Royals Moment: Winning the 2015 World Series. I felt so much a part of this team as a Royals Associate.

Favorite Sports Memory: Surprising my parents by taking them and a few of their close friends to their first baseball game to celebrate their 40^th anniversary.

Favorite Team as a Kid: Kansas City Royals! Ever since I can remember, my parents always had the television or radio tuned in to the Royals game. They were so excited when we won the World Series in 1985.

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: Giving tours is an extension of my teaching career. Each tour is as unique as the fans who have chosen to spend time with us. I love driving to the stadium and thinking of the new people I will meet on my tours.

Charlie Scott

Hometown: Bunceton, Missouri

Occupation: Risk Control

First Year with Royals: 2017

Favorite Tour Stop: Dugout

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: The grass field. The drainage system. The amount of work that goes into maintaining the best field in baseball.

Favorite Player (all-time): George Brett

Favorite Royals Moment: 1985 and 2015 World Series

Favorite Sports Memory: Alex Gordon's home run, bottom of the ninth in game one of the 2015 World Series.

Favorite Team as a Kid: St. Louis Cardinals

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: The opportunity to share the rich history of baseball in Kansas City. Meeting baseball fans from all over the world. Hearing the positive comments fans make at the end of the tour.

Dianne Siegel

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri

Occupation: I taught Adaptive Physical Education (special needs students) in Phoenix for 35 years. After retiring and moving back to KC, I was hired as a tour guide. I also work as a gameday wheelchair attendant for the Chiefs.

First Year with Royals: 2017

Favorite Tour Stop: The fountains! Also known as the Water Spectacular, I love telling about how they almost didn’t happen. I love to see the reactions of guests when they hear the roar and feel the spray of the famous fountains.

Favorite Tour stat/Fact: The K’s fountains were the largest, privately funded fountains in the world upon completion!

Favorite Player (all-time): Pete LaCock

Favorite Royals moment: Winning the 2014 Wild Card game to advance to the playoffs for the first time in 29 years!

Favorite Sports Memory: The Chiefs playing the Packers in the first Super Bowl.

Favorite Team as a Kid: Kansas City Royals

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: Kauffman Stadium is my “happy place” so I love talking about it and showing people what a beautiful place it is. I also enjoy the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and hear about their Kansas City experiences.

Brad Ziegler

Hometown: Lee's Summit, Missouri

Occupation: Event Director for KC Running Company

First Year with Royals: 2022

Favorite Tour Stop: Radio and TV broadcast booths

Favorite Tour Stat/Fact: Kauffman Stadium is one of the oldest major league ballparks in the country.

Favorite Player (all-time): George Brett

Favorite Royals Moment: 2014 A.L. Wild Card game vs. the Athletics

Favorite Sports Memory: The Royals winning the 1985 World Series

Favorite Team as a Kid: Kansas City Royals

Why I Enjoy Giving Tours: I enjoy connecting with other baseball fans from around the country (and around the world) and trying to plant a seed of interest in kids who may not yet have a passion for the sport.