KANSAS CITY -- The moment that Packers kicker Mason Crosby booted the walk-off field goal Sunday to beat the Cowboys, 34-31, and send Green Bay to the NFC title game, Gene Watson's cell phone began buzzing non-stop.
Watson, the Royals' director of pro scouting, has a special friendship with Crosby and his family. Their wives, Melanie and Karen, are close.
And it was Crosby who used to coach Watson's son, Tyler, on the art of kicking back in Georgetown, Texas, during the summers. Tyler once aspired to be a collegiate kicker before then concentrating on baseball. He's now an Angels farmhand.