Flanagan: Glass likes way Royals are playing the game

[Deberg_1990]

Personally, Glass should be the last person to ask for advice on how to win a pennant.




http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/570924.html



You won’t get Royals owner David Glass to gloat. Not yet at least.

But deep down inside, you know Glass is loving the fact that his small-market Royals with a payroll under $60 million have had their way with the big-spending Tigers — the Yankees of the Central Division — and the financially-bloated Yankees themselves.

As always, Glass is preaching the message of spending money wisely (something the Royals haven’t always done, mind you).

“It really comes down to the fundamentals,” Glass told me. “The Twins have proven over the years that (it’s not about payroll). If you execute and play the fundamentals and don’t beat yourselves, you can compete and you can win.

“What I have liked so far is that we’re not beating ourselves. Last year and the year before, you could sense that there were games we lost just because we beat ourselves. I think we’ll do a lot less of that this season.”

Trying to buy a pennant — something the Tigers obviously think they can do — isn’t necessarily the guaranteed route to go.

“Smaller markets can’t do financially what the bigger markets can do,” Glass said. “But we can compete if we execute. That’s why I really like our new manager and what he’s trying to accomplish.

“You take the players you have and get the most out of them and then if you need to possibly add another piece (in August), you can still do that.”

Guillen’s influence

Glass did drop $36 million on one piece to the puzzle — cleanup hitter Jose Guillen. So what does Glass think of that investment?

“I think he’s going to be fine,” Glass said, “and I think he’s going to end up being a good influence on our younger players. I really do.”

[DeezNutz]

One very positive thing about Meche, though, is that he gives a team a chance, even when he's having a bad night. Last night's a great example. His performance, by Meche standards, sucked, but he still kept it relatively close and went six innings. Things went to crap in the second, but he didn't quit and thus saved the pen for the rest of the series. I respect this attitude and approach. Definitely a team guy because it would have been easy for him to consider quiting, especially given the weather conditions.