I don't know the specifics going on in KC, but there is similar unrest in my local small market town with an owner who won't spend more than he takes in. I understand the sentiment of the fanbases, but I don't know who they think is going to be the white knight riding into town willing to lose money year after year to sign the upper-mid-level free agents, which still doesn't come close to ensuring contention. These small markets will never be able to compete financially with the big boys, and they have to focus almost solely on being as perfect as possible in scouting and developing young talent. Spending 70-80 mill instead of 50-60 isn't going to really fix any of your problems.

If he does sell then the Royals will have no glass.

I don't know the specifics going on in KC, but there is similar unrest in my local small market town with an owner who won't spend more than he takes in. I understand the sentiment of the fanbases, but I don't know who they think is going to be the white knight riding into town willing to lose money year after year to sign the upper-mid-level free agents, which still doesn't come close to ensuring contention.

Remember that KC had precisely such a white knight in the figure of Ewing Kaufmann for the first decades of the franchise's history. Also, under Glass the Royals have had the double problem of not spending a ton of money (though they've generally outspent the cheapest franchises) and of being run by incompetents. The Glass ownership hasn't shown any ability to identify people who can produce winning ballclubs in KC, and they also haven't seemed too upset about this difficulty. At this point you'd like to see Glass go to be replaced by someone more interested in winning, even if that person isn't going to spend a penny more than the current ownership.

At this point you'd like to see Glass go to be replaced by someone more interested in winning, even if that person isn't going to spend a penny more than the current ownership.

New ownership couldn't do any worse.

I don't know the specifics going on in KC, but there is similar unrest in my local small market town with an owner who won't spend more than he takes in.

I'm guessing Cleveland?

but I don't know who they think is going to be the white knight riding into town willing to lose money year after year to sign the upper-mid-level free agents, which still doesn't come close to ensuring contention.

Fans and one local talk radio host have been calling for the owners of Cerner (electronic medical records company), who have become billionaires and now own Sporting KC (MLS soccer). They've been outstanding owners of the soccer team, doing lots of cool innovative fan experience stuff and even spun off a company that now sells tech marketing products to other sports franchises. Since they're a lot richer than the Glass family, and they're local Kansas Citians unlike the Glasses, people seem to think they'll go hog wild on payroll. I rather doubt they will (they didn't get rich by overspending), but I do think they'd bring a much more progressive approach to the team than the tired old backwards-looking Glass family. They'd actually bring a CEO to the team who has run a sports franchise before rather than letting their son (whose only previous experience was running a video rental store) run the team.

And its been so bad under Glass, I think the feeling is "hey, the next guy can't be any worse."

Fans and one local talk radio host have been calling for the owners of Cerner (electronic medical records company), who have become billionaires and now own Sporting KC (MLS soccer). They've been outstanding owners of the soccer team, doing lots of cool innovative fan experience stuff and even spun off a company that now sells tech marketing products to other sports franchises. Since they're a lot richer than the Glass family, and they're local Kansas Citians unlike the Glasses, people seem to think they'll go hog wild on payroll. I rather doubt they will (they didn't get rich by overspending), but I do think they'd bring a much more progressive approach to the team than the tired old backwards-looking Glass family. They'd actually bring a CEO to the team who has run a sports franchise before rather than letting their son (whose only previous experience was running a video rental store) run the team.

And its been so bad under Glass, I think the feeling is "hey, the next guy can't be any worse."

I think the point is not to get an owner who will perpetually overspend revenues. It's to get an owner who will run short-term losses and make smart decisions to invest in the franchise and grow the market.

There's hundreds of millions in franchise value to be gained if an owner actually grows the franchise/market.

You don't even need to run losses. You just need to be willing to make a more modest profit.

There's hundreds of millions in franchise value to be gained if an owner actually grows the franchise/market.

Does that run up against the Kaufmann will?

Does that run up against the Kaufmann will?

It is believed that clause expired many years ago.

And its been so bad under Glass, I think the feeling is "hey, the next guy can't be any worse."

Glass took over in September 1993 (yes he became CEO in 1993, he didn't actually become majority owner until later, but he's controlled the team for 19 years now)

They have had 2 winning seasons since he took over
1994 and 2003 (and the 1994 team was basically inherited)

In 1994 the Royals best player was David Cone, who had been signed by Kauffman as an FA -
under Glass he was traded in April 1995 for 3 minor leaguers, the best of whom, Chris Stynes did nothing for the Royals.

So really Glass's teams have only had one winning season, 2003, 83-79, Pythag was 78-84- and that was with a few guys playing WAY above their heads, - Angel Berroa 2.2 WAR, rest of career, negative 2.6, Darrell May 5.7, next best year, 0.9, and no one cratering- basically it was a 70-75 win team (true talent) that won 83, that happens sometimes

Do you know what the Royals record was the 20 years pre-Glass?
1670-1503

Now they are 55-68

they are not hopeless, they have some good young players, Butler, Gordon, Moose Tacos, maybe Escobar is for real, maybe Hosmer will bounce back, they still have Wil Myers in the pipeline... but near term, it's just Myers, he's the last of the Hosmer/Moose Tacos wave that saw the Royals having the best farm system.

Can Glass/Moore take that young core and do what TB did?
[can they even do what Pittsburgh did- I'm not sure what Pittsburgh did other than have a few guys take that fabled great leap forward- is that even an organizational skill, or is that luck to some extent?)
2012 Orioles? (who cares, 20112 Orioles = 2003 Royals, enjoy it while it lasts, because it won't)

Accordong to the 2012 Forbes numbers, the Royals franchise is now worth $ 354 million and the club made $ 28 million last year. Why would he sell if there are yearly profits and significant asset appreciation?

I'm guessing Cleveland?

Fans and one local talk radio host have been calling for the owners of Cerner (electronic medical records company), who have become billionaires and now own Sporting KC (MLS soccer). They've been outstanding owners of the soccer team, doing lots of cool innovative fan experience stuff and even spun off a company that now sells tech marketing products to other sports franchises. Since they're a lot richer than the Glass family, and they're local Kansas Citians unlike the Glasses, people seem to think they'll go hog wild on payroll. I rather doubt they will (they didn't get rich by overspending), but I do think they'd bring a much more progressive approach to the team than the tired old backwards-looking Glass family. They'd actually bring a CEO to the team who has run a sports franchise before rather than letting their son (whose only previous experience was running a video rental store) run the team.

And its been so bad under Glass, I think the feeling is "hey, the next guy can't be any worse.

Yeah, Cleveland, I figured it would be easy to figure out.

And I totally support the fanbase going "we haven't had the results, let's bring in someone else to try it out". But, in Cleveland at least, this new guy trying it out (they want Dan Gilbert, the Cavs owner) is primarily expected to suddenly be a player in the FA market.

There's hundreds of millions in franchise value to be gained if an owner actually grows the franchise/market

There's also a huge risk that you make the big investment into the franchise to find out that it's still not easy to win division titles on a $80 million payroll and the fanbase doesn't really come back. Then you're completely screwed.

I don't think the Royals need to start throwing tens of millions of dollars around, they just need a higher level of competence with the resources they have.