Party on, KC: Join us on a trip through the Royals tailgating scene

Tailgating is a time-honored American tradition, but let's face it -- in baseball, it's not exactly a common occurrence.

With so many downtown ballparks having popped up in the last two decades, stadiums sitting in the middle of gigantic parking lots have pretty much become a thing of the past. There are only a few ballparks left in the big leagues that still have on-site parking, and fortunately for Royals fans, their stadium is one of them.

Tailgaters have been out in full force for the playoffs. There were a few who braved the conditions on Monday, before the game was called due to horrid weather conditions, but on Tuesday, the parking lot at Kauffman Stadium -- "The K," as it's called in these parts -- was filled with fans who fired up their grills, popped open some cold ones and enjoyed some good old-fashioned tailgating.

Most of these folks are native Kansas Citians who are used to tailgating for Chiefs games, when the temperatures are about 50 degrees colder than they were on this sunny, breezy Tuesday afternoon. That made for a much brighter scene, as everyone donned their Royal blue gear without needing parkas to keep warm.

"This is what Kansas City does," said Vinnie from Blue Springs. "We tailgate. That's what we're known for. We party before the game, party after, party during. All season."

Party on, Royals fans. We sense there's more of this to come.