MLB Special Report: Kansas City Royals unable to reclaim the magic
Once a perennial winner along side the Yankees, the Kansas City Royals have not won consistently since their World Series championship in 1985.
George Steinbrenner’s Yankees, the Kansas City Royals operated as a buttoned-down, IBM-like franchise, back in the old days, ruling the American league in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Nowadays, the franchise is forever rebuilding and chasing another last-place finish. But back in the early ‘80s it fielded one of the games most charismatic stars and purest hitters, George Brett, backed by an exciting , almost entirely home-grown supporting
cast—Frank White, Willie Wilson, Hal McRae & Co.—that played the turf game of speed, defence and athleticism to the hilt, swaggering every night.
The Royals were partly designed by one of the games up-and-coming young executives John Schuerholz, now seemingly destined for Cooperstown. Player development and scouting were primo. Following newly inducted Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog, Jim Frey and d**k
Howser (late), managed the show on the field. The civic minded Midwestern owner Ewing Kauffman sat upstairs. He was affectionately known around town as “Mr.K”, who fancied the glass half full and did not fear dipping into his personal fortune to ensure his
ballclub stayed near the top.
The Royals matured over night into an expansion juggernaut. They produced a winner after two seasons. They earned seven post season appearances in a ten year stretch, beginning in 1976, highlighted by two World Series gigs.
The Royals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to take the I-70 World Series about 25 years ago, which led to a grand celebration on a late October night. An umpire’s blown call and the coming of age of two kid pitchers-- Bret Saberhagen and Danny Jackson
punctuated the series.
However, it was not to last for too long. Before the confetti could touch the ground, it all came crashing down and good baseball ended in Kansas City.
Howser could never manage again after he was diagnosed with brain cancer in the 1986 All-Star break. He died a year later.
Schuerholz left three years later for Atlanta to run Ted Turner’s bumbling franchise.
Minority owner, Avron Fogelman absorbed a huge financial hit in the real estate market and sold back his interest to ailing Mr.K in 1991. Two years later Kauffman died and the team was run by a charitable foundation until sold in 2000 to current owner David
Glass.
The players who made up the ’85 championship team grew old and faded without able replacements.
"It is frustrating to know that kids born in 1990 have pretty much never seen a winning season," said Wilson, the former fleet-footed centre fielder.
"That is tough. It is frustrating to be an alumnus."
Mr. Wilson said this because in the 25 years since winning its own world series, the Royals’ franchise is by leading measurable, the games most consistent and biggest loser. This team ranks No.1 in the most games lost, at 2,171. No city has experienced a
longer playoff drought.
The season
One must first appreciate how things fell perfectly into place for the Royals in 1985 to understand how poorly things have gone in the last 25 years.
The Royals didn’t achieve the title with superb talent. Graybeards like Wilson, McRae and White still swear their 1977 team was a superior club.
"That was a magical year," said Schuerholz. "Magical in how the guys as a group performed as a team. Magical in how the acquisitions worked and came together. And magical in the ultimate result, becoming world champions.”
There were a number of teams that had more talent in the American League that year, but there was not another team that played as well and effectively as a team than the Royals. That is a credit to d**k Howser. They really were the epitome of a team with
real complementary parts, which is always the goal of a general manager when you're putting a club together.
"I thought that group, if you measure each guy position to position, we probably had one, for sure, maybe two guys that might have been viewed as the best in their positions. But as a team, I don't think there was any team that was any better."
In the mean time the Kaufman heiress who grew up by her daddy’s side can only wait and hope for the days of glory to return.
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