Posted
by Chris Wristen
August 24, 2005 at 11:39 p.m.
The Royals won. Damn.
Is there anything worse than the putrid baseball the Kansas City Royals played while losing a franchise record 19 straight games? As a matter of fact, yes. About the only thing worse for Royals fans than losing 19 in a row was winning lucky number 20. We needed the Royals to break the American League record of 23 consecutive losses. Heck, we needed them to break the all-time baseball loss record of 26 straight, set way back around the time Jesus was playing stickball. Why exactly did we need the Royals to set Major League Baseball's all-time record for futility? Because it's the only way - and I mean the ONLY way - they Royals organization is going to get serious about making necessary changes to try to become a winning franchise. Of course, the first problem is that the Royals are the Wal-Mart of professional sports, run as cheaply as possible by former Wal-Mart CEO David Glass. That's something that we can't change unless Glass sells the team - but really, who that can afford the Royals wants them in their current state anyway? The first change that could be made, though, is unloading Allard Baird as general manager. That experiment should've ended at least a year ago when he had his second 100-plus loss season in three years. This year the Royals are on pace to have their worst season in franchise history. Baird's youth movement plan - the plan Royals management has tried to sell us on for more than a decade without producing results - is failing more miserably than ever. But, as evidence of Baird being back this year and still having the loyal support of Glass, Royals management now will again refuse to change horses midstream. It'll continue to stick to the plan of going with youth, of unloading those young guys as soon as they show some meaningful progress, and then they'll sign a few more washed-up has-beens and pretend they care about winning. Losing 23, 26, maybe 30 games, the Royals would've been forced to make changes because when you set league records for crumminess, the folks at Sportscenter won't let America forget about it until changes are made. By avoiding the Major League record for futility, however, no changes will take place. By avoiding the futility record, Glass and Baird will continue to convince themselves that they're doing a good job, that their so-called strategies are working, and the Royals will continue to be a disgrace. But, by avoiding the futility record, nothing will change with the Kansas City Royals. The management will stay the same. The crummy no-name players will stay the same, and the results will stay the same.Time to catch a real baseball team? I'm off to Washington D.C. for a quick weekend vacation, and I'm hoping I'll get to catch a Washington Nationals game while I'm out there. That's a team that had poor fan attendance in a small market (they survived in Montreal, for the love of God) and still found ways to be successful before moving to Washington. Now they're a National League force.
Comments
Lawrence.com does not necessarily agree with comments posted below - responsibility lies with the relevant user alone. Read our full policy.
quinn (Patrick Quinn) says…
I'm telling you, it's major league. The soulless corporate clone is running the team into the ground--has run the team into the ground--in an effort to move it somewhere else. Mr. K made vy few mistakes, but picking Glass was a catastrophe. Selig loves the guy because he's Wal-Mart, and hence anti-union--no one pretends that Glass is a baseball guy. He's a union-buster, pure and simple.
I've bled Royal blue most of my life (I'm old enough to remember Kauffman and the old As), and I'm
not
happy.
To think we were once thought worthy rivals of the Yankees....
Tater (anonymous) says…
It was a great ride to even see the Royals mentioned on Sportscenter.
nblack (anonymous) says…
cwrist is right on as usual. I grew up idolizing number 5 and it has been painful to watch this crap year after year. I have to confess, while I still root for the Royals (when there is anything to cheer about) I moved from Lawrence to DC last summer and have fallen in love with the Nats. I've been to more games this year at RFK than any season before (due in large part to having a boss with season tickets who travels all the time) and the atmosphere is eletric. So many one-run games will do that to a city. This team is a gem for any owner lucky enought their hands on it. So enjoy the game, Chris. I'm going to try and catch one myself against the Cards this weekend an loudly root for a team that's *gasp* in a wild card race.
DavidRose (anonymous) says…
I don't think America could care less about the Royals and whether or not their organization makes changes. KC is really too small of a market to have the national following that the historic Chicago and Boston franchises enjoy. The Red Sox and Cubs are and were, respectively, the lovable losers. On the national level, the Royals are just good for the a couple of cheap laughs each year. I want to say they are the Devil Rays of the Plains but they've been playing some decent baseball in Tampa Bay lately, so that wouldn't be fair.
I stuggle with being too hard on Glass for his 1993 sized payroll after the brilliant signings of Gonzalez, Santiago, and Angel Berroa. Yeah, it's time for Baird to go. I know KC is dying to be a great baseball town with a winner, but I wonder if breaking the losing streak record would have created enough commotion locally for Allard to be let go. Why care when football seasons right around the corner? And the beloved Chiefs are gonna go all the way, right? Haw haw...
Ah well. This has been such a good baseball season that I'd rather not think about the Royals too much anyway. I just want my What Would DeJesus Do? bracelet!!
Good blog, Chris.
ichikuo (Hanluen Kuo) says…
nfl > nba > mlb
Structured-wise.
cwrist (Chris Wristen) says…
Greetings from D.C. I think I'll be hitting a Nationals game either Friday or Saturday -- they're playing St. Louis, so it should be a good series.
I agree that most of the rest of the country could care less if the Royals lose, because hey, if they Royals are losing, then their teams are winning when they play KC, so they're all happy. But, that doesn't mean that the Royals fans who've been driven away by poor baseball and poor treatment by the ballpark staff (at least my friends and I have had a few run-ins with some unhospitable staffers) don't deserve to have a winning -- or at least competitive -- team to cheer for.
The thing I have a problem with is the belief that the Royals simply can't win in the modern age of baseball with the Yankees and Red Sox forking out hundreds of millions of dollars. I used to believe it wasn't possible for KC to keep up, but the fact remains Oakland and Minnesota regularly are among the smallest market teams in MLB, and most seasons they're in the pennant race. What's so different about Kansas City that we can't do it?
Rigg (Mike Rigg) says…
What the hell are you vacationing in DC for?
If it doesn't have a beach -- or a craps table -- it's not a vacation.
Back on topic, the Royals' win on Saturday night ruined my weekend. I was at my sister's wedding in Colorado and was so upset that I punched a hole in the wall and refused to talk for the rest of the night.
Seriously -- how do the A's only score one run off Woody?
The Royals suck at sucking.
KU_Terry (anonymous) says…
Great post as usual. Joe Randa and Tony Muser were both quoted on a Florida radio station that David Glass needs to sell the team to someone else that is really committed to winning baseball.
I used to believe in the small versus big market disparities that make baseball an uneven playing field. However now I believe it is more about the owner and the money they are willing to spend on their team.
rwood (Ryan Wood) says…
The Royals suck at sucking....great line, Rigg.
cwrist (Chris Wristen) says…
Alright, here's the deal. I went to the Nationals game tonight against St. Louis, and the Nat's won. The game was almost sold out, despite the fact that the Washington Redskins also had a home game. It was wild to be at a game where the home team was in the pennant race, and actually won, and the fans were going wild about it. Ahh.... if only it were the 80s in KC again...