Wednesday, April 19, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 9
Fans excited about new team owner
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cautious Royals fans hoped Monday that approval of David Glass as owner would be the start to locking in the young stars who have created the most excitement around the team in this city in years.
Glass" $66 million bid for the Royals was approved Monday night by major league baseball owners meeting in Houston.
"I'm thrilled," said Julia Irene Kauffman, daughter of team founder Ewing Kauffman who knew that her father had wanted Glass to become the owner.
"If my father could get up from his grave and walk the aisles of Kauffman Stadium, he'd see that everything is functioning just as he asked.
"David is a very down-to-earth, honorable man. He's smart, humble. He has been a rock for me since my father died. I think the city is going to find out what a wonderful man he is. Kansas City is going to be thrilled."
Fans said Glass' first order of business should be signing players, such as Johnny Damon, American League Rookie of the Year Carlos Beltran and Mike Sweeney to long-term contracts.
"I can remember back to the '80's
when the team was always in contention, and you knew all the players. Guys like George Brett, Willie Wilson, Frank White," said Mike Stahm, 25, of Kansas City. "Finally we have some guys in there who look promising. Now we need to keep them here."
The Royals have been without an owner since 1983, when founder Kauffman died and Glass took over as chairman of the board that ran the team as it looked for an owner.
Under the
unique succession plan developed by Kauffman, the board's top priority was finding an owner who would keep the team in Kansas City. That meant the board did not necessarily have to take the largest bid for the team.
The succession plan also spelled out that all proceeds from the sale will go to area charities.
Glass initially bid for the team, but dropped out when he sensed the community was opposed to him. Some believed he was using his position as board chairman to buy the team cheaply.
The board then approved New York lawyer Miles Prentice's bid of $75 million. Prentice was told that he would not be approved, although the owners never took a formal vote.
Commissioner Bud Selig and the owners strongly suggested at the time that Glass was the preferred choice.
Once Glass made a new bid, fans quickly threw their support behind the former chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
"I think Prentice was more interested in trying to make a buck than keeping a winning team in Kansas City," Stahm said "He was a New York lawyer who had no real reason to be here other than to buy the team and take it elsewhere."
Members of the Royals, who had a day off in Minnesota, said they welcomed the sense of stability.
"It's somebody's personal money involved," said manager Tony Muser. "It's a healthy manager for the franchise."
Glass already appears to be building his own ownership legacy. He told the Kansas City Star on Monday that he will find a position for his son, Dan, in the team's front office, but did not say what that position would be.
"Hopefully, long after I'm no longer around, our family will still be involved with the Royals," David Glass said. "This is a long-term commitment for us."
Determination for the
Dan Glass 41 lives in Kansas City.
Dan Glass, 41, lives in Kansas City. "My job is going to be to go in and learn all the different aspects of the business," he said. "I think it makes sense for someone besides my dad to know the inner workings of the team."
Third baseman Joe Randa, a key part of a Royals offense that has picked up again after generating a club-record 856 runs last year, he hoped the selection of Glass would lead to long-term contracts for key players.
"If that's one of his objectives, to keep the team together, that's going to work to our advantage," said Randa, who is in the second-year of a two-year contract and wants to stay with Kansas City. "To compete, we have to have a nucleus, and we have that now."
Ron Meurrens, 31, of Kansas City, said excitement about the Royals had been building in Kansas City since the end of last season and continued to this year.
"This is what the Royals need to put the fans back in seats at The K," Meurrens said in seatto Kauffman Stadium. "Look at the way people support the Chiefs. If you put a winning product out there, people will show up. The Royals can have that same thing."
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