Kansas City Royals: Have Fans Earned the Right to Be Cynical?

Kansas City Royals fans have suffered for quite a long time.  In fact, 2012 marks the first time since 2003 that the Royals have been in third place this late in the season. 

That represents one of the longest stretches of futility in the game and begs a question:  Do fans have the right to be cynical?

According to Joseph Accurso and some Royals faithful, they do. 

Accurso created a website, no-more-glass.com, which collected enough money to place an open letter in Thursday’s edition of the Kansas City Star pleading for owner David Glass to sell the team and give Royals fans a chance to hope again.

Looking back, it is easy to see why fans are upset.  Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Beltran, Mike Sweeney and Zach Greinke are just a handful of the talented young players the Royals have nursed through the minor leagues only to see them playing in the postseason on other teams.

History has, time and again, repeated itself.  There is no reason to believe that anything has changed.

Fans have to be concerned that the talented nucleus of this year’s team will not be together by the time the trade deadline rolls around next year.  If that happens, the progress the Royals have made this year will once again be wasted.

It is highly unlikely that Glass is listening, but he should be.  Fans want to be excited.  They want a reason to care about baseball in September.  Unfortunately, baseball is a business and as long as there is a profit to be made, change is doubtful.

It is something the needs to be discussed, however, and Accurso brought it to the nation’s attention.

Accurso told Blair Kerkhoff of the Star as much.  He told Kerkhoff that although he sees little hope of Glass packing his bags, he could “at least get the conversation started.”

That he has.

Accurso finished by telling Kerkhoff that “after 27 years, I’ve earned the right to be a little cynical.”

He’s right, Kansas City, you have earned the right to be as cynical as you want.