David Glass: Royals will contend in 07

[HumnHilghtFreel]

I guess he's a "Glass" half full kind of guy.

By DOUG TUCKER, AP Sports Writer
January 19, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The owner of the most woeful major league team this century made a bold promise Friday to long-suffering fans.

The Kansas City Royals will not just be better in 2007, David Glass said at the team's annual forecast luncheon -- they'll be contenders in the AL Central.

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"I think all of us can look forward to a competitive team this year," Glass said. "We've not had good teams in recent years, but the fans have hung in there. All we want is to have a competitive team, where every time we go out to the park we feel we have a chance to win. And I think that's what we've got this year."

Glass, who allowed his team to make moves in the free-agent market, said his peers seemed miffed when he saw them at Thursday's owners' meeting in Phoenix.

"We listened to the commissioner berate all of us for the escalating salaries and what we're doing to the economics of baseball," he said. "But all of them were all on my case complaining about the things that we're doing, we're overly aggressive, that we've got all these things going on. The more they complain, the better I like it, because they'll pay the price later on in the season."

Kansas City has lost 100 or more games in four of its last five seasons, including a 62-100 finish last year. The Royals then gave a $55 million, five-year contract to 28-year-old right-hander Gil Meche, a $5 million, one-year deal to reliever Octavio Dotel and a $2.25 million, one-year contract to reliever David Riske.

Prospect Alex Gordon seems poised to take over at third base, and hard-throwing right-hander Luke Hochevar is climbing through the system after being taken as the overall No. 1 pick in last year's amateur draft.

"I may need a scorecard to figure out who all the new players are," Glass said. "This is perhaps the most exciting team Kansas City has fielded in a long time."

New general manager Dayton Moore also has added 13 front office positions in the baseball department.

"The thing I'm most excited about is the leadership team we've put in place," said Moore, who was hired last June to replace the fired Allard Baird.

"I've told a lot of people throughout the process we did have some success in making some trades that we're excited about, acquiring free agents," Moore added. "But the leadership team we've put in place and the processes we have gone through ... that's been the most gratifying for me."

Meche is 55-44 with a 4.65 ERA in six seasons, all with the Seattle Mariners. He missed the 2001 season with a rotator cuff injury and spent 2002 in the minors.

He was 11-8 with a career-best 4.48 ERA last year and probably will start Kansas City's opener.

"Once we get to a point where we have two to three players every year come through our farm system who can compete for a spot on our 40-man roster, we'll have the potential to sustain some consistency at the major league level, without a doubt," Moore said.

"The economics of the game are what they are," he said. "It is very competitive. Certainly it's great for the players. But at the same time for us to be able to manage our payroll effectively, we have to have a great farm system. It takes four, five years to develop your farm system and get that steady flow. But there's no doubt that we'll be able to do that."

[Handofdeath]

Originally Posted by HumnHilghtFreel

I guess he's a "Glass" half full kind of guy.

If signing Gil Meche to an 11 million a year contract makes him hopeful then he is indeed as clueless as people say. Kansas City fans deserve better than this pompous buffoon.

[jmac]

To "contend" in the AL, you need to be very very good.
In other words.....probably better than Gil Meche as your opening day guy.
Dont get me wrong....it is good to be optimistic.
However considering our top 2 starters vs theirs and plus the royals having to play the likes of Oakland...NY....Bosox...White Sox....Detroit....etc , I like our chances better of contending than theirs.

[Chip R]

Contend for what, Miss Cogeniality?

[Redsland]

Originally Posted by Chip R

Contend for what, Miss Cogeniality?

[oneupper]

Time to short Wal-Mart.

[Falls City Beer]

See, I read articles like this and can't help but feel a little sad: it's a different city, sure, but KC's no more deluded or off-track than the Reds are, really. It's just that the NL Central sucks donkey turds, so the Reds can hang around for a bit into the summer.

[RedsBaron]

Sounds as if he has been drinking a lot from that "half filled" glass.

[KronoRed]

Come on guys, he says "competitive" that's code for "We're gonna suck but at least we have some guy the fans might know"

[Jpup]

Originally Posted by Falls City Beer

See, I read articles like this and can't help but feel a little sad: it's a different city, sure, but KC's no more deluded or off-track than the Reds are, really. It's just that the NL Central sucks donkey turds, so the Reds can hang around for a bit into the summer.

you are joking right?

[Ron Madden]

Originally Posted by HumnHilghtFreel

I guess he's a "Glass" half full kind of guy.

Like so many around here... God Bless'em

[Ltlabner]

Originally Posted by Falls City Beer

See, I read articles like this and can't help but feel a little sad: it's a different city, sure, but KC's no more deluded or off-track than the Reds are, really. It's just that the NL Central sucks donkey turds, so the Reds can hang around for a bit into the summer.

Lets see...in 2006 KC finished 62-100.

The Reds finished 80-82. Which of course was a gift because they didn't play a single team outside of the "donkey turd sucking" NL Central.

Yep, so much in common.

[redsmetz]

Originally Posted by Ltlabner

Lets see...in 2006 KC finished 62-100.

The Reds finished 80-82. Which of course was a gift because they didn't play a single team outside of the "donkey turd sucking" NL Central.

Yep, so much in common.

Well we were so bad in our own division, we had the best won/loss record
(46-38), not to mention a winning record against the East (17-15, best in the division). Unfortunately, we weren't bad enough to have had a winning record in the West or in Interleague play (which was, afterall, our downfall).

[MrCinatit]

Well, I will give Glass a little bit of credit - at least he is attempting to draw fans in, no matter how bad the team.
I remember Carl Linder's comments about the Reds about this time of the year in '04...........

No...seriously. Stay away. Stay away. Stay away. We stink.
I mean...I have no idea who's managing right now. Seriously. Boone? Knight? Miley? You tell me.
Our freaking GM...he held a press conference to announce the signing of John Vander Wal. John Freaking Vander Freaking Wal!
He's showing so much man-love for some dude named Ramano, both are showing signs of morning sickness!
Ah well. At least Milton went to Philly. If we'd got him, I would have freaked.

[Ltlabner]

Originally Posted by redsmetz

Well we were so bad in our own division, we had the best won/loss record (46-38), not to mention a winning record against the East (17-15, best in the division). Unfortunately, we weren't bad enough to have had a winning record in the West or in Interleague play (which was, afterall, our downfall).

No kidding. The Cards get tons of man love here as being an excellent, well run orginization and being WS champs. Until, of course, it comes to when the Reds beat them. Then, somehow, those wins don't coun't because the Cards suck eggs.

And I'm tired of the "weak division" is the only reason for any Reds success talk. That's just a cheep way of digging at the Reds, IMO. It certinally helped that the rest of the division worked as hard as the Reds to avoid winning it and give the illusion of competition. However, we beat some teams in other divisions. We beat some teams in other leages. We even beat some teams that are significantly better than we are. Every one of those wins counts no matter how badly someone wants to dismiss them.

Our record last year was, at best, mediocre and we've got a long, long way to go to be truely successful, no doubt about that. But a few folks here want to give credit for anything the Reds do right on the playing field to the other team. It was because they sucked. Or the pitcher had an off night. Or beacuse anybody should be able to catch that ball. It's always the other team giving us the hit/play/game not the Reds doing anything to make those events happen. I don't understand that line of thinking.