I had almost gotten to the point where I felt guilty about writing this. Almost. As the Kansas City Royals moved closer and closer to respectability, Ned Yost seemed to fiddle less and I began to think maybe the first two weeks of the season were just a hiccup. I became nervous again with his handling of the bullpen on Wednesday, and was pushed over the edge today when I saw his Friday night lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was then I realized Ned must go.

In fairness to Yost, I supposed I should start at the beginning, with expectations. I was one of the few people out there that actually thought this team could compete in 2012, so surely that explains why I’m so quick to fire Yost right? I mean if you expected 70 wins out of this club, are you really that disappointed with where they are? The thing is, Yost didn’t talk or act like a manager that expected a 70-win season, at least not until the games started…then he panicked.

In fairness to Yost, another theory has emerged to explain his managerial style. Many have speculated (with sarcasm) that Yost may think the Royals are a National league team. A more likely scenario in my mind is that Yost doesn’t think there is a difference between managing in the American or National leagues. There is, and Yost is proving it.

The other, more legitimate, excuse for the Royals poor performance is injury. While the Royals injuries have been well chronicled, I wonder how much they have really affected this club. Could you really expect Joakim Soria to have been better than Jonathan Broxton has been this year? What are the odds that Lorenzo Cain would have gotten on base at a .370 clip? Sure, Cain and Salvador Perez would have helped defensively, and Broxton could have been working his “heart attack” act as a relief man if Soria were here. Still, how much difference would they have made*? Would they have affected Yost’s use of the bullpen, his affection for the bunt, or his affinity for giving away free outs on the base paths?

*Don’t even mention the Danny Duffy injury in defense of Yost, Duffy’s injury hasn’t cost the Royals a game…yet.
If Dayton Moore doesn’t want to fire Ned Yost quite yet, he can at least ask him these questions:

• Why can’t Mike Moustakas hit higher than Jeff Francoeur in the order when Moose is clearly the better hitter in nearly every situation?
• What is the theory behind stacking middle infielders that are below average hitters at the top of the order?
• Chris Getz over Johnny Giavotella, why?
• Explain your philosophy on managing in the American league vs. the National League…

Maybe Yost has well thought out replies that I (and the rest of Kansas City) just haven’t thought of. Considering his results, I find it highly unlikely.

I am not saying that firing Ned Yost is going to save 2012, although I will mention that the Florida Marlins were 16-22 in 2003 when they fired Jeff Torberg and hired Jack McKeon. That Marlins team went 75-49 the rest of the way aided by the call up of the 20 year-old Miguel Cabrera (Wil Myers anyone?).

I think it’s far more important to consider the future. Yost has shown over the last two months that he doesn’t handle adversity very well. With the Milwaukee Brewers, he handled pressure so poorly that he was fired in the middle of a playoff race. One day in the not-to-distant future, the Royals and Yost will face the prospect of a division race again and we have no reason to believe he will handle it any better.

The I-70 Teams seem to view their former players, managers, and traditions a bit differently.

I make now excuse or attempt to hide the fact that I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. I have been for a very long time. That being said, I do live in the Kansas City area and have an affinity for the Kansas City Royals. What has happened this past week is surprising to me.

The St. Louis Cardinals have two former players that are up for election to the Baseball Hall Of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York this year. Tim McCarver, once a catcher for the Cardinals, is currently a national broadcaster. Mike Shannon, former outfielder for the Redbirds, is the voice of the Cardinals radio booth currently.

Neither deserves the enshrinement, in my opinion.

That being said, Mike Shannon has been a part of the organization for a considerable amount of time. His announcing is passable, filled with long winded stories of yesterday that sometimes distracts him from describing the game action of today. His speech is sometimes hard to understand and he tends to leave fans exasperated at times.

But you know what? He is part of the Cardinal family. The team respects what he does for the franchise and the amount of time he has given to the club. They know that Mike Shannon deserves respect.

Frank White was part of the construction crew that broke ground on Royals Stadium. He spent his entire career in Royal blue, giving everything he had to a franchise that surrounded him with quality personnel. He wears a World Series Ring, the only one in history to bear the Royals logo, from 1985. He has coached, announced, and been a part of numerous celebrations for the Royals over the years.

Recently, he was fired.

Now White was not horrible as a television analyst. By no means am I claiming he was great, but he added something to the broadcast that gave it a better feel. He made it feel like “home” for the Royals fans. Like him as an announcer or not, just the mention of Frank White allowed fans to talk about one of the greatest Royals in the history of the game. There is a reason you keep guys like that around.

I am not a fan of Mike Shannon as an announcer. I was a fan of Frank White as one. I was a fan of the tradition and respect that both men brought to the franchises that supported them over the years.

The Royals sacrificed the respect and tradition for reasons unknown and unexplained.

Maybe the Royals front office should drive across Interstate 70 and take some lessons in tradition and respect from the other team in Missouri. Even though they don’t have the perfect man for the job, they have the perfect formula.

Respect those that have supported you.

Kansas City, you’re doing it wrong.

The Minnesota Twins came to Kauffman Stadium this week and were quickly swept aside in less than 24 hours. Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar looked like the 1 to 2 punch the Royals needed them to be back in June. Back when the Royals were in a free fall. Not to cheapen the wins the Royals got this week. They were wins, 62 and 63 which ensures that the Royals will not lose 100 games this season. Woo freaking Hoo! I would have rather had these wins when the Royals were still in the division race. But that is not what was sad about this series. What was sad, was how terrible the Twins were playing.

You see, the Twins are my favorite division rival. I have this perception that out of all the cities in the division Minneapolis is most like Kansas City. They are the most like Kansas City in market size, and from the visiting Twins fans I’ve met at Kauffman Stadium their fan base is similar to us in personality. It seems the Royals and Twins always play close games even though the Royals have a hard time winning a season series against them.

I think my affinity for the Twins as a rival began in 2003 when the Royals were actually competing for the division title. During that time the company I worked for had an office in Minneapolis and the guys there were big Twins fans. It seems we had a wager on every series that year. I even have a favorite game that year: This one. The Royals scored 12 runs in the bottom of the 6th. If you look at the box score you’ll notice it was against good pitching.

In August of that year the Vikings had a pre-season game at Arrowhead the same weekend the Twins had a three game series. Kauffman was invaded from the north with Minneapolis sports fans. I made a sign that said “Circle this Bert” depicting the Royals ahead of the Twins in the standings. I ran all kinds of smack at them when they were there. At the end of the game we smiled and shook hands.

I like the way the Twins organization came to prominence by building from within. The way the Royals are trying to. I enjoyed the Royals beating the Twins this week. But that was not Twins baseball. The team I saw this week looked like a wounded critter looking for a place to die. I guess in a way it was. They’ve had a rough season and the players are probably looking forward to the season being over. I hope the Twins get better this off-season. Next year when the Royals are better, I want them to beat the Twins when the Twins are good too.

Dayton Moore’s affinity for former Braves players is no secret. Last November David DeJesus was traded to the Oakland A’s for two pitchers. Royals fans just assumed Jeff Francoeur was landing at Kansas City International Airport at the same time to take David DeJesus’ place.

Dayton Moore drafted Jeff Francoeur in the 1^st round of the draft in 2002 while with the Atlanta Braves. In his time with the Braves Francoeur rocketed through the minors and quickly made is debut with the Braves in July of 2005. He hit a 3 run home run in his second game in the majors against the Cubs. The start to his career was so hot that he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in August. Despite playing in only 67 games he finished with 14 HR and 44 RBI’s. He finished 3^rd in Rookie of The Year voting.

Francoeur went on to have successful 2006 and 2007 campaigns displaying decent power, and flashing leather in right field. He won a Gold Glove in 2007. However, after 2007 his career began to decline. In June of 2008 Francoeur was in such a slump he was sent to AA. After three days he was recalled because of injuries on the big league club, where he remained the rest of the season. His final numbers were .234/.300/.324.

During the middle of the 2009 season Francoeur was traded to the Mets where he floundered in mediocrity, and began to draw the ire of Mets fans and the New York media. During the 2010 season he was traded to Texas Rangers where he continued his mediocrity and became a free agent at the end of the season.

Many Royals fans were shocked it took an entire month for the Royals and Francoeur to come to terms on a contract. There was also a collective sigh of relief when it was revealed the deal was only for 1 year and $2.5 million, plus incentives. For that type of money it’s worth it to take a flyer on Jeff Francoeur. He’s not blocking any prospects. He will certainly be a defensive upgrade in right field. Despite his offensive woes Francoeur has remained strong defensively. For the first time in several years the Royals will have a right fielder that actually belongs.

As mentioned above Francoeur has had his offensive struggles. He can display some power, but his on base percentage and strike-outs have become a drag. It would be a fun summer in Kansas City if Francoeur regained his early career success. I don’t want to say the Royals don’t need that type of performance, they need all the help they can get. But keep in mind, we’re talking about a team that has seen a player hit more than 20 home runs ONCE in the last five seasons, Miguel Olivo in 2009. If Francoeur improves his plate discipline and cranks 25 home runs, and 100 RBI’s I would consider that a successful season for him and the Royals. If that does happen I would hope Dayton Moore considers resigning him to a better contract. If not Francoeur is likely to become the next whipping boy for a frustrated fan base.