Random midseason observations about the Royals while wondering when K.C. will be given permission to print playoffs and World Series tickets …

The MVP of the club’s unexpected ascension to first place in the woeful American League Central division has been shortstop Angel Berroa, whose raps have been that he makes too many errors and doesn’t know the strike zone from the Great Barrier Reef.

It’s true Berroa has committed 19 errors this season, but the bulk of the miscues were in April and May. At the same time, while his strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t good, Berroa’s on-base percentage isn’t all that bad because he leads the league in being hit by pitches.

In a league full of great shortstops — Jeter, Garciaparra, Tejada and Rodriguez etc. — Berroa may never reach the first tier, but he’s about 100 times better than the punchless, clueless Neifi Perez, his predecessor.

Oh, and another thing. Don’t you like the way manager Tony Pena has kept the pressure off Berroa by leaving him at the lower end of the batting order? …

Have American League pitchers caught up with Ken Harvey? Does the rookie first baseman always have either an 0-1 or a 1-2 count on him?

Moreover, with two strikes on Harvey, AL pitchers know they can throw the ball two feet outside and he’ll wave at it.

Barely adequate in the field, Harvey has to hit to be useful and, even though managers hate the thought of using young players strictly as a DH, perhaps it’s time for Pena to juggle his lineup and allow Harvey to concentrate strictly on hitting, his only tool. …

When the Royals were sizzling before the All-Star break, Pena was using Desi Relaford at third, Berroa at short, Carlos Febles at second and Harvey at first. That’s hardly the million-dollar infield. In fact, the highest-paid is Relaford at $900,000 a year. Febles makes $775,000, Berroa $302,000 and Harvey the minimum wage of $300,000. …

Reportedly, the Texas Rangers are willing to trade slugging outfielder Juan Gonzalez to the Royals for a couple of young prospects. The 33-year-old Gonzalez, who rejected an earlier swap to the Montreal Expos, is said to be willing to go to Kansas City.

However, acquiring Gonzalez is a good idea only if the prospects are marginal and Pena can convince Gonzalez to be a full-time DH. (The Phog Allen statue adjacent to Allen Fieldhouse is a better outfielder than Gonzalez). Still, the Gonzalez speculation is probably moot because it’s difficult to envision tightwad K.C. owner David (Rollback) Glass approving the absorption of a $13.5 million salary. …

Does it not seem ironic that in a season in which injuries both nagging and serious have been so prevalent that the two Royals who play in the most vulnerable position have been relatively injury-free? I’m talking, of course, about catchers Brent Mayne and Mike DiFelice.

Mayne, whose emotions seem to run the gamut between A and B, is a rock. He may not be the club MVP, but Mayne is arguably the most indispensable player on the roster. Here’s the transaction you do NOT want to read this season: KANSAS CITY — Placed C Brent Mayne on the 15-day disabled list. Recalled C Juan Brito from Omaha of the PCL. …

At $11 million a year, Mike Sweeney is currently the highest-paid bench coach in the major leagues. …

Baseball historians will tell you leopards rarely change their spots, that if a player strikes out twice as much as he walks early in his career then he will continue to follow that pattern until he retires.

How then do they explain Carlos Beltran? Prior to this season, Beltran had fanned 459 times and walked 207 times in nearly 600 major-league games. Last year, Beltran struck out 135 times while drawing 71 walks. Yet going into Saturday night’s game, Beltran had more walks (44) than whiffs (43). …

Perhaps this is an overly optimistic simplification, but young left-hander Jeremy Affeldt is Barry Zito, last year’s American League Cy Young winner, with finger blisters. …

Rookie reliever Mike MacDougal’s bio says he graduated from Mesa (Ariz.) High in 1996. It doesn’t say, however, if he ever portrayed Huckleberry Finn in a high school play. …

Is outfielder Dee Brown still on the disabled list? Does anybody care?