That's where we disagree: winning is an important part of progress. Losing hinders development, at least at this level of baseball. It just festers, creates a bad atmosphere, both in the clubhouse and in the fanbase. You won't see progress from a team in a funk like this. And it'll be difficult to pull out of because they just don't have the kind of lineup that can score enough to overcome mistakes, build momentum and confidence.

David DeJesus can be just as good or better as Johnny Damon, I love watching him hit. Just watch his approach, he's a really good leadoff man. Buck is very smooth behind the plate but still has work to do, at the end of last year he was playing at a pretty high level for a rookie catcher, you can see the potential there. I don't see a Beltran, that would be asking a lot, but I'd trade 9 Beltran's for some starting pitching, and we actually have that now. It's not all the way there yet, but we're going to have some high draft picks this year, and we're probably going to have some high draft picks next year. We're coming off a pretty good draft last year where we got guys like Billy Butler and JP Howell, and Baird has done a good job working with his baseball people, and brought in the former Angels director of player development who helped turn that farm system into a zoo full of great young players so he can help us... I think it's a work in progress, we are not the A's or Twins yet, we're not supposed to be. I think people are getting things mixed up, I don't think we're at that stage of the process yet where we're supposed to be the A's with young arms out the wazoo...and I don't know what the future holds, but I'd like to see Baird get the chance to follow this through, and maybe things will start clicking. I'd rather do that then sign washed up Juan Gonzalez's and Jeff King's every other year.

We have to get a manager who understands the importance of our hitters working the count.

It seems Pena sends these guys up hacking.

Pena has no clue about when to pull a pitcher, and no clue as to why the Royals don't score runs (low OPS).

Allard Baird is trying to modernize this franchise by incorporating some lessons from Moneyball, but his manager is a dinosaur who doesn't believe any of that stuff. Pena has to go.

I wonder if Pena will be fired before the Royals leave KC.

Just thinking aloud here.

No. At this point, it would be re-shuffling the deck chairs on the titanic.

However, I do think this team will get better as the season progresses, and I even think they will finish strong.

AAA Baseball at its mediocre best...

You are such a queef. I never said spend $200 million.

Actually everything we got including season tickets before game 1 of the season was $74 million. That was before 1 parking fee, 1 non-season ticket sale, 1 hot dog, 1 beer, 1 t-shirt. It's pathetic what Glass is doing.

No whining. Just the facts.

Does affirmative action grant "preferences" to "protected classes," or not? Simple question: yes or no?

I agree with the crowd who thinks that the only thing sickening is the way the Royals play. They don't hit cutoff men, they don't play smart defense, they don't advance runners - the type of stuff you have to do when you aren't very good offensively.

Couple that with Pena's method of managing the pitching, which is by hunch and feel one day and by the book the next, you have a pretty volatile mix.

You only have to look at last night's game as a microcosm. McEwing tries to get a double play, throws wide at first, allowing a runner to advance to second. Next play, Ford hits a bloop single, runner scores. If the runner was on second, no way he scores.

Sisco comes in during the top of the eighth because Pena is managing by feel, and strikes out Hunter. The next inning, Sisco left in because, I guess, he wants lefty Sisco to face lefty Jacque Jones. Jones grounds weakly to second. Of course, to get righty/righty, Burgos comes in to face LeCroy. LeCroy singles and rally begins.

I don't know if it's Pena or what, but this is the second year in a row where the Royals aren't playing fundamental baseball. It's a rebuilding year, fine, I'll take the losses. What I can't take is the constant mistakes that cause losses in one-run games.

Well hate to rain the party on some people who wants him to go, but I don' think that will happen anytime.

Safe: Pena's job not in danger

Royals manager gets nod from GM, players
By Matt LaWell / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- Despite a six-game losing skid and one of the slowest starts in Royals history, Tony Pena's job is safe.
Royals general manager Allard Baird quelled any rumors to the contrary Tuesday night when he confirmed that Pena will remain the team's manager through at least the 2005 season.

"What's very important when you look at our direction ... is consistency," Baird said. "You need a manager who's willing to embrace those young players and go through the ups and downs of the process. Tony is very much a big part of that. It doesn't make any sense to think otherwise for us."

Though neither Pena nor his players said they thought the manager's job was in danger, Baird's endorsement should allow everyone within the organization to breathe a little easier. Pena, of course, never let the rumors bother him.

"I feel no pressure at all," said Pena, who has led the Royals to a record of 195-275 since being named manager on May, 15 2002. "I have a job to do and my job is to make sure my players get better. That's what we work on every single day."

And while those players are getting better, the process has been slow, and sometimes painful.

Among the 14 American League teams, the Royals are 12th in batting average at .239, and last in runs scored, with 70. They're 12th in team ERA, ahead of only Texas and Tampa Bay, and they're last in the league in fielding percentage. After committing a Major League-leading 21 errors through 20 games, they're also on pace to break the 32-year-old club record for errors in a season.

But while discussing those numbers, it's important to remember that under Pena, 34 players have made their Major League debut, including three this season. And among that group of 34 players, 10 are currently playing in Kansas City.

But even those figures aren't enough to deter Baird or Pena, or especially the players. Pena called for extra practice Tuesday afternoon for first and second basemen and relief pitchers. Instead, the entire team was out drilling fundamentals nearly four hours before the Royals' game with the Twins.

"A lot of the guys here are improving," first baseman Matt Stairs said. "Tony has no reason to feel pressure. Tony's not playing the game. We're the ones going out and making mistakes, so he shouldn't be worried. It's never the manager's fault."

"The bottom line is the direction of the ballclub," Baird said. "We're in a rebuilding mode. We've got a lot of young players on this team -- and more to come -- and having the manager that can maximize and develop their ability is very important. Tony can do that for this ballclub. That's why he's here and that's why he will be here."

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/NAS...t=.jsp&c_id=kc

Although I don't understand why he would want to pull Sisco in favor of someone. Sisco is effective aganist righties as he is aganist lefties.

Sisco vs. Left: .167
Sisco vs. Right: .135

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?!

Sorry, I couldn't resist
 

ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL

Yes, consistently bad teams :deevee:

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