View Full Version : Royals biggest mistakes in Franchise history?
I thinking about the Royals and inter-league play, I started to think that one of the very biggest mistakes that the Royals have ever made in their history is not electing to switch to the National League and allowing Miluwakee to switch instead.
Being in a division with St. Louis & the Cubs would really be a much bigger fan draw than being in a division with anyone else.
My #2 (or co-#1) is letting John Schuerholz go to the Braves as their GM.
Anyone have any nominations for biggest mistake in Royals history?
Deberg_1990
05-22-2005, 12:52 PM
David Glass taking over as owner and Allen Baird as GM
Braincase
05-22-2005, 12:52 PM
Allowing Ewing Kaufman to die. Reprehensible.
4th and Long
05-22-2005, 12:53 PM
I thinking about the Royals and inter-league play, I started to think that one of the very biggest mistakes that the Royals have ever made in their history is not electing to switch to the National League and allowing Miluwakee to switch instead.
Being in a division with St. Louis & the Cubs would really be a much bigger fan draw than being in a division with anyone else.
My #2 (or co-#1) is letting John Schuerholz go to the Braves as their GM.
Anyone have any nominations for biggest mistake in Royals history?
Those are 2 damn fine conclusions if you ask me. Don't quote me on this but, if memory serves, and that was a long time ago, the Royals didn't want to match the $ offer Schuerholz got from Atlanta. Big mistake.
On the other side of the coin, what kind of career would George Brett have had if we HAD switched to being a NL team? Would he have stayed here in Kansas City for his entire career, moved on to another team, or perhaps just shortened his career and retired once he was no longer able to play 3rd for us?
Those are 2 damn fine conclusions if you ask me. Don't quote me on this but, if memory serves, and that was a long time ago, the Royals didn't want to match the $ offer Schuerholz got from Atlanta. Big mistake.
On the other side of the coin, what kind of career would George Brett have had if we HAD switched to being a NL team? Would he have stayed here in Kansas City for his entire career, moved on to another team, or perhaps just shortened his career and retired once he was no longer able to play 3rd for us?
The opportunity to switch to the NL came in the year just before Glass bought the team. Brett was long since retired.
4th and Long
05-22-2005, 01:14 PM
The opportunity to switch to the NL came in the year just before Glass bought the team. Brett was long since retired.
Shows how much I've been following baseball since Brett retired eh? :doh!:
KChiefs1
05-22-2005, 01:16 PM
Wasn't the thought process that Kansas City was an AL city(Athletics & Royals) while Milwaukee had been a NL city(Braves) before the Brewers came along?
milkman
05-22-2005, 01:16 PM
Allowing Ewing Kaufman to die. Reprehensible.
Damn you BC! :cuss:
That was gonna be my response! :banghead:
eazyb81
05-22-2005, 02:00 PM
Taking 7 or so years before finding a new owner to replace Kauffman, and in the meantime letting our farm system turn to complete sh#t.
Boyceofsummer
05-22-2005, 02:16 PM
The Royals should have switched. The regional rivalries outweighed the tradition of membership of the American League. I was a baseball fanatic in the 80's and was partial to baseball tradition. I was appalled when the Royals passed on the option to switch. Distant history now.
NaptownChief
05-22-2005, 02:20 PM
Not drafting a local kid named Pujols is near the top of the list.
WilliamTheIrish
05-22-2005, 02:22 PM
Trading Sweet Lou to the Yankees for Lindy McDaniel.
Trading David Cone to the Mets for Ed Hearn. (courtesy of John Schuerholz.)
PhogPhanTim
05-22-2005, 02:34 PM
David Glass taking over as owner and Allen Baird as GM
That's funny, I don't think Allen Baird has ever been the Royals' GM.
WilliamTheIrish
05-22-2005, 04:20 PM
I'm more curious why some of you folks think Schuerholz leaving was a big mistake.
That clown gave us such fine players as Ed Hearn, Kevin McReynolds, Storm Davis, Mark Davis (I don't blame him much for Mark Davis-nobody knew he was a mental case), while trading away arguably the best pitching prospect in franchise history. Not to mention Cone was a local boy who dreamed of pitching for the Royals.
History seems to judge JS on the 85 series. He's lucky in that regard.
teedubya
05-22-2005, 04:25 PM
I'm more curious why some of you folks think Schuerholz leaving was abig mistake.
Atlanta has won how many divisions in a row? 13ish?
WilliamTheIrish
05-22-2005, 04:37 PM
Atlanta has won how many divisions in a row? 13ish?
Atlanta has won exactly how many WS titles with him at the helm?
teedubya
05-22-2005, 04:38 PM
one. heh. they choke in the playoffs, remniscent of 70's Royals.
I, for one, would take that complete playoff suckage, instead of our current level of ineptitude.
How many SB's has KC won with CP at the helm?
WilliamTheIrish
05-22-2005, 05:00 PM
I think it a pipedream to think JS would have made a difference in the direction this franchise took after EK's death.
He left because he saw the writing on the wall. The franchise was going to be in a trust and he's would have to answer to a board of directors.
That said, I don't blame him for leaving.
I'd hold him in higher regard if not for that complete blunder of giving Cone to the Mets. For nothing. Just gave him away. GM's all over the league are still giggling at that.
That is a black mark on his resume and everybody just conveniently tries to gloss over it. Cone would have anchored a still decent pitching staff that might have been able to battle the A's of the late 80's.
Almost 200 wins and 230 IP per season. 3.4 ERA.
For Ed Hearn.
Sort of like (but not near as bad) as trading Kevin Millwood to the Phillies for a 26 year old AAA catcher.
History seems to judge JS on the 85 series. He's lucky in that regard.
~15 straight years of winning seasons in Atlanta kinda helps his reputation too.
Coach
05-22-2005, 05:12 PM
Signing Neifi Perez.
KCWolfman
05-22-2005, 07:04 PM
Not drafting a local kid named Pujols is near the top of the list.
Why? He would just be a Yankee or Red Sox today if they had.
WilliamTheIrish
05-22-2005, 07:13 PM
~15 straight years of winning seasons in Atlanta kinda helps his reputation too.
How could they not win? The foundation (Smoltz,Glavine Avery) were there long before Schuerholz arrived. He signed Maddux. They spent money like it was water.
That series against the Twins was one of the greatest of all time though.
Lonnie Smith getting faked out at 2nd base by a little league play and Puckett making incredible play in the field... Morris pitching 11 innings for the game 7 clincher.
WilliamTheIrish
05-22-2005, 07:29 PM
As for playing in the NL.....
If this franchise put a good product on the field the place would fill up. No matter the opponent.
beavis
05-22-2005, 07:34 PM
From the replies on this thread, you'd never guess it was a football board. :rolleyes:
How could they not win? The foundation (Smoltz,Glavine Avery) were there long before Schuerholz arrived. He signed Maddux. They spent money like it was water.
That series against the Twins was one of the greatest of all time though.
Lonnie Smith getting faked out at 2nd base by a little league play and Puckett making incredible play in the field... Morris pitching 11 innings for the game 7 clincher.
The thing about that Lonnie Smith baserunning mishap was that he could have been on his way to winning the 4th of his first 4 World Series, all with different teams:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/smithlo01.shtml
WilliamTheIrish
05-22-2005, 07:37 PM
The thing about that Lonnie Smith baserunning mishap was that he could have been on his way to winning the 4th of his first 4 World Series, all with different teams:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/smithlo01.shtml
Good ol' Skates.... :)
He did our team right.
Good ol' Skates.... :)
He did our team right.
He always seemed like a decent guy. Two of the things I remember about him are that he would occasionally interact in a friendly way with the ushers and vendors and that he seemed to keep Bo Jackson and other outfielders engrossed in conversation on his end of the dugout bench whenever they weren't out on the field.
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