Jason Giambi caught in a rundown! A-Rod hitless for 2 nights in a row! Joe McEwing continuing his inexplicable mastery of Randy Johnson (loser to KC for the first time since 1993)! And despite all of these aimless exclaimation points, some folks aren’t impressed.
ESPN’s Steve Levy followed highlights of the Royals beating the Yankees last night by sneering “Buddy Bell should retire.” Even with two straight over the Bronx Bombers, the Kansas City Star’s Jason Whitlock wouldn’t mind if Bell’s took Levy’s advice.
The worst-run franchise in professional sports added to its rich, two-decade history of ridiculous decision-making Tuesday, demonstrating its long-term commitment to building the club the right way by handing new manager Buddy Bell a two-year contract.
Yes, sir, the Royals are so committed to Bell and the long, complex task of rebuilding the Royals with young players that president Dan Glass has shown Bell and Royals fans just how much he and general manager Allard Baird believe in KC™s new skipper, giving Bell a contract that runs through the 2007 season.
Yes, sir, the Royals are committed. Baird and Glass spent the better part of three weeks scouring the country for potential replacements for Tony Peña. And don™t you just feel good that they zeroed in on a man with 30-plus years of major-league involvement and zero experience in postseason baseball as a player or manager?
Buddy Bell knows an awful lot about losing baseball, which probably explains why when Kansas City™s losing owner and general manager showed up to offer him the job, he jumped at the chance.
As Baird explained, Bell is a good fit for the KC Royals. The team has no intention of fielding a legitimate contender, and no one on Baird™s short list of candidates had more experience with baseball illegitimacy than Bell.
In his two previous engagements as a baseball manager ” Detroit and Colorado ” Bell flamed out in a little less than three full seasons both times.
Bell is jumping on the managing Titanic ” the Royals are well on their way to their third 100-loss season in four years ” but at least Glass and Baird have provided him a nice little life preserver. When Bell gets dumped at the end of the 2007 season, he will have pocketed a nice piece of change from owner David Glass.
The stupidity of giving Bell a 2 1/2 -year commitment while also telling the public how patient you™re going to be with this rebuilding process was lost on Dan Glass.
œWe™ve generally just done it that way, Dan said, defending the short-term contract for KC™s alleged new, long-term manager. œTwo and a half years is a long time in baseball.
No. It™s not. The Royals will lose 108 games this year. That means I™m predicting they™ll finish 41-71 under Bell. Next year the Royals will lose another 100 games. So Bell will go into the 2007 season with a horrendous record and a lot of pressure.
It™s not likely he™ll get a lot of help from Baird. If Bell takes the time to study his new GM™s track record when it comes to acquiring talent, he might not sleep the whole time he™s in KC. Let™s just put it this way: Jose Lima is considered a Baird success story.
It™s impossible for me to believe Bell did any homework. He saw a paycheck and a team desperate enough to give a two-time loser a third shot and did what any of us would™ve done. Signed up. This whole thing was done without any thought.
œI feel real stupid right now, Bell said, referring to what he knows about the Royals and how much he™ll rely on Peña™s leftover coaching staff.
The Royals say they want to win, but they hired a man who has never won anything.