Quote:
Originally Posted by Saul Good
I've known Frank most of my life. He is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He also has a huge chip on his shoulder, and it is one of his own making.
The Royals have given him job after job after job to keep him happy, but it's never been enough. They don't owe him a managerial position. They hired John Wathan. They hired Hal McRae. I'm certain there is a reason they never hired Frank.
Eventually, you realize that he's always going to be a malcontent, and you have to part ways. It sucks. He was one of my heroes growing up, and then he and his family became close friends of mine. None of this changes the fact that he felt that he was owed something that he wasn't.
|
They don't/didn't owe him, but I can understand why Frank might be ticked about it. Aside from being an excellent long-time player for the team, he coached and took crappy minor-league positions. He was obviously willing to pay some dues. Then to get passed over
in favor of Buddy Bell and Trey freaking Hillman? Its not like they hired Tony LaRussa or Jim Leyland instead.
I thought he was respected and well-liked by the players. I mean, he SEEMED qualified. In way, I was glad he wasn't hired because I always liked him and any manager of the Royals at that time (or now) is doomed to failure and he'd be fired in a couple years anyway. But, it did kind of seem like a natural fit--unless there's a bunch of stuff that we just don't know. That article sure didn't shed any light on it.