David Glass Has Reverted Back to Form

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, sometimes 140 characters (or thereabouts) can paint a very precise picture as well. That is certainly the case for the tweet sent out by Jay Alou, the agent for Ervin Santana.

So, let’s see if we have this correct. The front office, the manager, and likely Santana himself, all want a reunion. However, the man controlling the purse strings refuses to allow that to happen. This after David Glass green lighted the expenditures this offseason to bring the Royals to what appears to be the brink of contention. Why not go all the way, and invest in a team that could generate far more interest, and revenue, than they had in years past?

Earlier this offseason, after the signings of Jason Vargas and Omar Infante, it appeared as though Glass had changed his ways. He was spending the money needed to make the Royals a contender once again, even allowing the Royals to engage in bidding wars with the New York Yankees (!!!) for different players. Now, even with an influx of television money that is being shared by each team, Glass will not allow the Royals to make what may be the final move to end a 28 year playoff drought.

David Glass is 78 years old. He is at the age where most people begin to think about their legacy, to wonder about how they will be remembered once they have shuffled off from this mortal coil for whatever lies beyond. As it stands, Glass is going to be remembered as the biggest obstacle to keeping the Royals from being a winning franchise. He will be remembered as the man who took what had been a passionate fanbase, a collection of fans who lived and breathed Royals baseball, and has left them waiting for the other shoe to drop. He has taken a once proud franchise and reduced it to a national punchline, a team synonymous with atrocious baseball.

And yet, after all these years and all the frustrating seasons, the Royals had given us hope. Glass had let Dayton Moore bring in the players he needed to build a contender, and the Royals responded with their best season since 1989. Instead of the last two months being about where the Royals would pick in the draft, they were playing meaningful baseball. It was gratifying to see the Royals once again on the cusp of the playoffs. Now, if the Royals sign one more top notch starting pitcher, they could even be making a playoff appearance.

Except, once again, David Glass will not open the checkbook. The Royals may be one player away, and Glass, despite the assurances that he gave Dayton Moore back when he initially took the job as the Royals General Manager, cannot bring himself to part with another cent of his money. And that is going to be Glass’ legacy at this point – an owner far more concerned with lining his pockets and adding to his already substantial wealth instead of building a playoff caliber baseball team.

It makes one wonder what it would be like to have an owner that understands Kansas City and their fans. An owner that understands that we are ready, and willing, to pack Kauffman Stadium and lose our voices cheering as the Royals win. And not just win 60 games – to be a perennial playoff threat, the team they were back in the heyday of Royals baseball. It makes one wonder what it would be like to have an owner that cared.

Instead, we have David Glass and the thoughts of what could have been. Can someone get me another beer?