I'm as close as I've ever been to giving up. The thing that hurts is that the Royals seemed to do things the right way this time around, and it's still resulting in epic failure. Sure, you can criticize and deal here or there, but they developed (what was thought to be) high upside talent through the draft, supplemented with some proven pitching, retained high quality arms in the pen and used patience when dealing with the young guys. To see them implode like this is just so disheartening.

Just throwing guys out there that popped off the FA list.

I know Morse's defense is bad, but a Gordon-Butler-Morse middle of the lineup would be a lot more effective than current options. Having a guy with legit 30-HR power hitting behind Butler would certainly protect him much better than he's used to, even if it hurts quite a bit defensively.

Hart is intriguing, though the injury problem is an issue. He also would offer some insurance at 1B if Hosmer continues to struggle/bust. That would be a short-term type thing.

Kubel is also a guy I've long liked.

Choo is a wet dream, but would be an awesome and perfect addition. His plate discipline and all-around skills would play great for the Royals. Not sure what he's going to command in FA, but if I'm trying to compete next year, that might be a good way to spend the money coming off the books.

Of course, you'd need Duffy to come back strong from his TJ and look like he's ready to step into the rotation, along with either Ventura or Paulino ready to step into the rotation, too, to be confident in allocating all the freed-up cash to a hitter rather than splitting it between a mid-rotation starter and a hitter.

Choo is a quietly crappy outfielder who should be nowhere near center, but one of the best leadoff men in baseball. I'd bet he gets 13-16 million/year.

Ethier is an expensive platoon player (.906 OPS vs. RHP career, .651 OPS vs. LHP career). He's not worth what it would cost to pay him (or likely what it would cost to trade for him as well).

Supposedly the Dodgers are now spinning the tires on Chase Utley. Clown shoes.

That crappiness stands out quite a bit in CF, but is not so bad in RF. Especially considering the offense he provides.

I'd gladly do 5 years, $75 million for Choo. That would take him into his age 35 season, but you'd get most of that value out of him, IMO.

Much better than spending that money on Ethier, IMO.

Can we just close this thread and be done with all things Royals yet?

News reported LeadHead Ned exploded after the game yesterday. Then they show him giving his lines in his usual monotone demeanor about spanking players and threatening to send them down, etc. Bastard can't even do a rant properly.

kicking the tires?

Yost fired yet?

Nope, go back to sleep.

While Yost is deserving of criticism, I will be pissed if GMDM is permitted to hire a third skipper. Moore and his talent evaluators must go.

I think Moore's talent evaluators are fine, actually. They are identifying talent.

Where it is failing is development. Starting pitchers have hit a wall at AA. Hitters have hit a wall in the majors.

After seeing the moronic comments of Jack Maloof - the guy who spent the past 5 years as the minor league hitting coordinator, the guy who sets the tone for hitting development for the entire system and who has ultimate say on what a hitter does - I have to place the hitting development blame at his feet.

I'm not sure what the situation is with his counterpart on the pitching side of things. I know at one time, they made a change to Rick KNapp, but I think he's been gone a year or so now.

I believe Knapp was replaced by Steve Foster late last year, but I can't confirm what Knapp is up to these days. Bill Fischer, who has been here since Moore arrived, is the Sr. Pitching Instructor. Haven't heard good things about him.

Basically, the consistent problem I've heard with development is that they take a cookie-cutter approach with pitchers and hitters.

All pitchers are pushed to be FB-CB-CH pitchers, using the same off-day program (though I think they've relaxed a little on the long toss/conditioning programs). Hitters are all preached the middle of the field approach.

Holy shit, Bill Fischer is older than Bill Muir. We really have an 82 year old pitching coach?

Yes. And until Rick Knapp was hired in 2011, Fischer was the pitching coordinator for the minor leagues, setting the overall plan and tone for pitching development.

Okay, so I just can't stop giggling at the prospect that Fescoe put forward this morning:

Tony LaRussa.

Oh lord, that would be beautiful. With as long as you fellas have hated LaRussa, I would just crack me up if you hired him.

That said - not gonna happen. He's not leaving California to come back to Missouri to manage. He wouldn't have walked away from a WS winner if that was what he wanted to do. However, what could happen, is that you could throw a boatload of money his way to be the GM. He's talked about wanting to come back to baseball in a front-office role.

Would Royals fans flip their shit if LaRussa came in as a GM and brought Oquendo in as his manager? I think that would be his managerial move, IMO.

Lets just give the Royals to Oklahoma City in exchange for the Thunder.

Well, he is up on blocks at the moment.

I've long thought Tony La Russa was a brilliant manager who was ahead of his time. His ability to innovate and accept new data and trends was impressive, IMO. I like him individually, too. (Even if he IS friends with that crusty old bastard Buzz Bissinger).

That said, as a GM... he's a novice. And I honestly would be pretty scared by the way he treated Colby Rasmus (a very naturally talented but frustrating player) in the media.

The Cardinals' return for Rasmus helped them win a World Series, but it would have been higher if La Russa hadn't run him down so much in the press.

I don't think this would be a good fit for La Russa as the GM.

Essentially the Royals need to find the MLB version of Carl Peterson and Marty circa 1989.
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The Royals are also victims of bad timing here...well, a little.

Yost probably didn't deserve to get fired in the off-season; his young players had progressed somewhat and guys like Escobar, Cain and Perez looked ready to take the leap (even Moose).

But Terry Francona's a great manager and would've brought instant legitimacy to this team. He'd have been a great hire.

And I still have to wonder how Clint Hurdle wasn't considered. A lifetime Royal that really did a nice job with the Rockies for a long time. He's really helped develop the young talent in Pittsburgh and I don't see any way you get him out of there now. He'd have certainly taken the job and he's just the kind of fire you'd love to see in this team right now.

Hurdle would've been an outstanding pickup, but I'm not sure Yost had been given enough of an opportunity at that time.

Really, the pickin's for an 'established' manager right now are really slim. Jim Fregosi? Really? That guy wasn't good in his prime. I guess Jim Tracy has a decent track record, but he's another soft-spoken guy like Yost and I don't think that's what you guys really need right now.

The answer if I'm the Royals - Jim Riggleman. And really, I don't see a close 2nd. If they're looking for a manager with a track record, experience with developing young players and some upside, I think Riggleman's the clear candidate.

If not, then you have guys like Sanburg, McEwing, Cora and Alomar Jr as pretty attractive options.

LaRussa is pushing 70 years old and retired from baseball because the life demands on a major league manager were wearing him down and affecting his health. And that was with a World Series contending team. Imagine how tough it would be on you with this collective sack of amphibian shit.

Same for Jim Fergosi. He's like 71 years old.

I think you whack Ned just because he's a loser and a dumb ass. Ned is basically Buddy Bell Ver 2.0.

Either find a bright young mind in a winning organization and give them a shot, or just promote someone from Omaha or NW Arkansas until a real manager can be found.

This season is toast. Those of you who say "this is just a bad patch" are just delusional. Teams that win divisions, teams that win wild cards, don't play .420 ball. They just don't.

Cardinals beat writer feels sorry for Royals fans. Thanks, Bernie. We're sorry to be Royals fans too....

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...4f771a91e.html

8-game losing streaks (while scoring only 16 runs TOTAL) and losing 18-out-of-22 do NOT happen to most all teams. Only to really, really crappy ones.

Good read. Thanks for sharing.

No, what they need is an owner like Ewing Kaufman that actually gave a flying **** about his team, and a Manager like Whitey Herzog, who wouldn't settle for losing.

Alright, I'll dive in with a GM hire.

You ready?

Ready to laugh?

Rany Jazayerli.

I know of nobody who has both the PASSION to see the Royals win AND the mind to make it happen. The guy is a baseball savant. He has a clear vision of what an organization needs to do from top to bottom. He's absolutely dialed in at all levels, and well, why the hell not?

BTW, here's Whitey's Rules:

1. Be on time.
2. Bust your butt.
3. Play smart.
4. Have some laughs while you're at it.

And I love this quote:
"I'm not buddy-buddy with the players. If they need a buddy, let them buy a dog."

Simple, no nonsense baseball approach, and the players respected him for it. Yost......****ing pussy, and always protecting his boys from getting hurt.

:spock:

His dermatology practice is booming.

He might make a good consultant on the side, though.

You mean like Robb Heineman, Neal Patterson and Cliff Illig?

It's worse that the answer is staring everybody in the face, and Glass just sits there. Sucking.

Who's controlling the @SaveOurKCRoyals Twitter account? Doing a very nice job thus far.

Is there a reason Paul DePodesta hasn't been given another shot at GM? After Dayton Moore, I could sure stand a GM who understands numbers.

So how long until the next rebuild produces results?

It drives me crazy that can't miss guys like Trout and Harper are immediate difference makers while our can't miss guys like Moustakas and Hosmer are missing badly.

And I am so sick of the "they are young still, only 23" excuse. Both Trout and Harper are way younger and are absolutely raking.

I would cry crocodile tears of joy if that group bought the Royals from Glass-hole.

I will likely be a grandfather at that point. FML.

To be fair, none of the Royals prospects has been considered in same league as those guys.

Bryce Harper is probably the surest thing as a position player since Ken Griffey.

Hosmer and Moustakas have still been horribly developed. Their ability to adjust without losing their strengths is just not there. It's become glaringly obvious over the past few months.

George Brett is new hitting coach per 610.
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He was an asshole to everybody in baseball, thinking he had more figured out than anyone else, and then failed. On an epic level.

Hard for guys with that rep to get another chance.

I'd be all for a guy who's kind of an asshole, though. Dayton Moore, by all accounts, is a really nice guy who's a devout Christian. Let's go the opposite direction. An asshole atheist might be just what's needed (accountability, facts and data replacing the scout's eye and belief Dayton relies on).

Shit franchise turns chicken salad into chicken shit.

Royals have demoted both hitting coaches.
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LMAO

So we take those hitting coaches who are failing and send them to develop our players?

Can we just...fire them?

Oh yeah, and can George still play 3B?

I think that was J.P. Ricciardi who was the asshole.

Oh, for the love of Christ

You're right. I can't keep those two guys straight in my head for some reason.

I don't blame you. Billy's Moneyball boys, both failed as GMs ...

MOAR HITTING COACHES.
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True Blue Fans Rejoice.

I can't wait to Brett takes Moose and Hosmer to Chi-Chi's on Metcalf to hit on some Waitresses to get out of this slump.

I'm surprised they didn't hire three.

ANYONE GOT HAL MCRAE'S PHONE NUMBER?

Brett and Quirk hired as "hitting on" coaches.

Don't curr what you guys say...I'd love to see George as a manager. This just makes the transition from Ned to Brett that much easier. These guys will respond with him in the dugout every night...watch.

#Royals announce George Brett and Pedro Grifol will now serve as hitting coaches.



Who the hell is Pedro?

That can be a positive factor. Wonder how much Yost will defer to Brett. This undermines him in there, I think. If Brett says something contrary to what Yost does, who are the players going to listen to (easy call there).

If there's anybody in the org who can talk to a young player about struggling early, then making adjustments to fix it, it's Brett. My understanding of Lau's work with Brett has always been that he got him to calm down, simplify things, and stop overthinking everything.

That might be just what Mouse (SIC) and Hosmer need.

DePodesta strikes me as a baseball version of Pioli. Maybe that's not how it was but his phone doesn't seem to be ringing off the hook despite helping revolutionize baseball.
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Guess it's fixed now.

Pedro Zamora like hitting.

They must have voted for Pedro.

Brett absolutely loves Francoeur.

Trying to renew my ticket package, THE LINE IS BUSY!

But it's not our decision. I don't think there is a competent soul in KC that wouldn't love to see that group buy the R's. But Glass ain't selling. He's making a killing.

He did, but IIRC he also tore down and rebuilt his swing. When Brett came up he was pretty much a straight up and down, bat held high, Carl Yaz kind of hitter. Lau got him to put the bat in the more horizontal launching position and shift his weight.

Yes. It would be nice to know how much he's actually making a year. It's hard to imagine he's clearing more than $10 million/year, but who knows?

Maybe we can hire a Batman-type to intimidate the Glasses into selling. Anybody know that guy?:cuss:

Reports were the Cerner group about purchased them last year.
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Feels like a PR move, all the way down to the interim tag.

Oh, and just what a young player needs....more voices in his head telling him to adjust this and transfer that and load there. Fine, Brett. Don't need anyone else; there has to be a consistent message (and the message can't be there's no reason to try to hit home runs). I have to think that interview yesterday was the death knell for both hitting coaches.

Charlie Lau worked miracles with a young Matthew Broderick.
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Anything to deflect away from the true problem. Dayton Moore.
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Yeah, had heard that about him, but not DePodesta. Only thing about DePodesta is I remember reading something about his character being written out of Moneyball and replaced by a composite character for some reason.

DePodesta didn't give them permission to use him.

A career minor leaguer.

.226/.276/.323

http://www.baseball-reference.com/mi...d=grifol001ped

somewhere Seitzer sits laughing

Desperate and meaningless move is desperate and meaningless.

Wake me when DM is fired.

Cosmetic move is cosmetic

George's first rule of order. Every inning you don't hit a home run I have to take a drink.

Probably true.

Hosmer still can't get around on a fastball, but at least he'll be able to square up that 8ball.

So, I get why they needed to make a change with the hitting coaches, but seriously, George Brett?

George is great in the Spring to encourage and help out when needed - figure head/spokes model type. He is NOT ever going to be a great coach of any kind. It's not in his makeup. He loved playing baseball, but he does not like coaching it. This is just ****ing stupid, and makes the Royals look desperate....................okay, I guess that they are desperate. Still. if you have broken leg, you don't take Advil to get better. You take Advil to smooth over the pain. We still haven't addressed the broken leg.