Kansas City Royals fan gets wish for a puppy granted after Wild Card Game win. A WHOLE lot of drama went down at Kauffman Stadium this week, but only part of it played out on the field. For everyone watching the Wild Card Game, Question 1 was: Can the Royals pull this out?You know the answer to that one (they did).For all of us watching on TV, there was a Question 2: Did that woman get her puppy? 
In the fifth inning, before a commercial break, the camera lingered for a good 10 seconds on a female fan holding a sign. On that sign was a picture of a dog wearing a Royals crown and these words: “If We Win, He’s Buying Me a Puppy!” An arrow pointed to the guy at her right.The woman, we now know, was Katie Castan, 24. The guy was her boyfriend of two and a half years, Joe Onofrio, 30.Turned out that Onofrio had made a bet with Castan. Her thing is more Nebraska football than Royals baseball (she’s from Omaha.) Back at the end of June, the Royals were struggling, and it was making Onofrio a tad cranky. Kansas City Royals celebrate their 9 to 8 win over the Oakland Athletics. Source: AFPWatching a Royals game with him after work? Not always a ton of fun.So he called in the hounds.Actually just one. His multitiered bet/bribe/challenge went like this: If (A) Castan watched most of the rest of the season’s Royals games with him; (B) at the end of the season she could name 10 Royals players; (C) the Royals won the division or a wild card game.He’d get her a puppy.“It worked,” he said Wednesday.“She really likes puppies.”Danica Lyons, a co-worker of hers at West Bottoms ad agency DMH, made the poster. Tuesday afternoon, Castan texted a picture of it to Onofrio, who works at an investment firm.“This isn’t too embarrassing, is it?” she asked him.“Absolutely not,” he replied.At the game, one of the DMH partners, in the section next to Onofrio and Castan, pointed out her sign to a roving cameraman. After Royals pitcher James Shields secured a third out, the photographer gave Castan a nod.The camera’s red light came on. They were live on national TV.“Our phones blew up right away,” she said, with enough text messages to “make you think something was happening.”Someone later created a Twitter account called @GetHerThatPuppy — “Royals 9, A’s 8. Fair is fair.”The social media craziness would only intensify Wednesday.This is the best story ever. All you have to do is see a dog lover and puppy meet for the first time to get why. And baseball is involved!— Get Her That Puppy! (@GetHerThatPuppy) October 1, 2014After the game, in the parking lot gridlock, they discussed what they’d name the pup, which will stay at Onofrio’s place.Their top four: Rally, Finnegan (Finn for short), Salvador (Salvy), Perez.Brandon Finnegan is the rookie Royals pitcher who helped save the night.“He’s got serious swagger, but he was not on the radar for a puppy name,” Onofrio admits.Salvador Perez is his favourite player, the guy who drove in the 12th-inning run that won the game.Now that we know Katie is going to get her puppy, two questions suggest themselves immediately: 1.) What should she name it? #Royals #Puppy— Get Her That Puppy! (@GetHerThatPuppy) October 1, 2014By the way, the pooch on the poster was a corgi, which was the kind of dog Castan wanted. In a happy coincidence, corgis are already royals, at least in some households. Queen Elizabeth II has a bunch of them.Some on social media took slight umbrage at the sign’s wording, that Onofrio would buy a pup rather than adopt one.But they’re likely going to adopt a dog from KC Pet Project, the Kansas City animal shelter. It doesn’t have to be a corgi — which is good, the shelter’s Tori Fugate says, because not a lot of corgis come through there. Fugate sent Castan pictures of several cute dogs Wednesday.Although Onofrio and Castan had planned to wait until next spring, “he’s feeling the pressure to get out there and search for something,” she said. They might get a pup in the next week or two. “He’s never had a dog before, so this will be an adventure for us,” Castan said.One last thing: that kiss.Before the broadcast cut to commercial, Onofrio leaned in and planted one on Castan’s cheek, then pointed to the sign and gave a thumbs-up.“I got lucky,” he said.And before you know it, some Kansas City dog will, too. Greg Holland #56 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates with a team flag. Source: AFPOriginally published as Royals victory clinches puppy for fanfchornet.com
In the fifth inning, before a commercial break, the camera lingered for a good 10 seconds on a female fan holding a sign. On that sign was a picture of a dog wearing a Royals crown and these words: “If We Win, He’s Buying Me a Puppy!” An arrow pointed to the guy at her right.The woman, we now know, was Katie Castan, 24. The guy was her boyfriend of two and a half years, Joe Onofrio, 30.Turned out that Onofrio had made a bet with Castan. Her thing is more Nebraska football than Royals baseball (she’s from Omaha.) Back at the end of June, the Royals were struggling, and it was making Onofrio a tad cranky. Kansas City Royals celebrate their 9 to 8 win over the Oakland Athletics. Source: AFPWatching a Royals game with him after work? Not always a ton of fun.So he called in the hounds.Actually just one. His multitiered bet/bribe/challenge went like this: If (A) Castan watched most of the rest of the season’s Royals games with him; (B) at the end of the season she could name 10 Royals players; (C) the Royals won the division or a wild card game.He’d get her a puppy.“It worked,” he said Wednesday.“She really likes puppies.”Danica Lyons, a co-worker of hers at West Bottoms ad agency DMH, made the poster. Tuesday afternoon, Castan texted a picture of it to Onofrio, who works at an investment firm.“This isn’t too embarrassing, is it?” she asked him.“Absolutely not,” he replied.At the game, one of the DMH partners, in the section next to Onofrio and Castan, pointed out her sign to a roving cameraman. After Royals pitcher James Shields secured a third out, the photographer gave Castan a nod.The camera’s red light came on. They were live on national TV.“Our phones blew up right away,” she said, with enough text messages to “make you think something was happening.”Someone later created a Twitter account called @GetHerThatPuppy — “Royals 9, A’s 8. Fair is fair.”The social media craziness would only intensify Wednesday.This is the best story ever. All you have to do is see a dog lover and puppy meet for the first time to get why. And baseball is involved!— Get Her That Puppy! (@GetHerThatPuppy) October 1, 2014After the game, in the parking lot gridlock, they discussed what they’d name the pup, which will stay at Onofrio’s place.Their top four: Rally, Finnegan (Finn for short), Salvador (Salvy), Perez.Brandon Finnegan is the rookie Royals pitcher who helped save the night.“He’s got serious swagger, but he was not on the radar for a puppy name,” Onofrio admits.Salvador Perez is his favourite player, the guy who drove in the 12th-inning run that won the game.Now that we know Katie is going to get her puppy, two questions suggest themselves immediately: 1.) What should she name it? #Royals #Puppy— Get Her That Puppy! (@GetHerThatPuppy) October 1, 2014By the way, the pooch on the poster was a corgi, which was the kind of dog Castan wanted. In a happy coincidence, corgis are already royals, at least in some households. Queen Elizabeth II has a bunch of them.Some on social media took slight umbrage at the sign’s wording, that Onofrio would buy a pup rather than adopt one.But they’re likely going to adopt a dog from KC Pet Project, the Kansas City animal shelter. It doesn’t have to be a corgi — which is good, the shelter’s Tori Fugate says, because not a lot of corgis come through there. Fugate sent Castan pictures of several cute dogs Wednesday.Although Onofrio and Castan had planned to wait until next spring, “he’s feeling the pressure to get out there and search for something,” she said. They might get a pup in the next week or two. “He’s never had a dog before, so this will be an adventure for us,” Castan said.One last thing: that kiss.Before the broadcast cut to commercial, Onofrio leaned in and planted one on Castan’s cheek, then pointed to the sign and gave a thumbs-up.“I got lucky,” he said.And before you know it, some Kansas City dog will, too. Greg Holland #56 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates with a team flag. Source: AFPOriginally published as Royals victory clinches puppy for fanfchornet.com
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