Royals owner John Sherman throws his support behind leadership and extolls a partnership with the Chiefs as they continue to work toward public financing for a new stadium.
I'm not sure whether Sam Mellinger is telling Sherman what he thinks Sherman wants to hear, or if Sherman just refuses to listen to the truth, but it's really hard to fathom how badly they've bungled the PR. Several outside media/public affairs consultants are going to have a Merry Christmas if there is to be an April ballot measure.
In truth, there are only two things Sherman could have said today that would have generated any real goodwill with Kansas Citians writ large:
1) we're cutting ticket prices ~50% for the remainder of the season
2) we're staying at the K and planning to use the extension of the existing sales tax to build the rolling roof
Unfortunately, Sherman and his partners can't afford either step. Or, rather, they won't finance either step without the promise of future profits from adjacent development down the line.
If he had said #1, that would’ve been amazing. An incredible gesture of goodwill.
The entire purpose of leaving The K is about the “Ballpark Village” they are wanting to build around it. Any kind of development (outside of Taco Bell) isn’t going to happen in the current location. A roof at The K does nothing for Sherman and his partners.
I continue to maintain that when Sherman bought the club, his top priority was the stadium. That’s how his group maximizes their investment.
Jun 30, 2023·edited Jun 30, 2023Liked by Craig Brown
I agree. The Dunn family and other assorted limited partners have plenty of other places they could park their cash, with a higher ROI and better liquidity. Their inclusion in the group was an obvious tell. The most famous LP has been conspicuously silent on the matter, too. No one with a media credential dares ask him, in fairness.
Everyone who attempted to frame up Sherman as modern-day Mr. K was (is) selling a fantasy based on a few vague statements, and platitudes offered up by Sherman's friends who couldn't say anything else on the record.
I'm not in the real estate business, but I am in another business where rigorous analysis of economic activity and demographic trends is essential, and I've been in the weeds on Jackson County very recently. KC has to stop starving basic services and education in order to fund fantasies that empirically are neither creating nor attracting corporate level jobs from outside the region. The fact that local developers - including b/n limited to the Hunt family - have no appetite for these deals should be instructive, but KC seems desperate to avoid that reality.
No matter what the cool kids in the Crossroads apartments post on social media, Ballpark Village is another boondoggle that will drive P&L further under water and further burden the city. For the taxpayers, means more and deeper potholes, longer 911 response times, less upkeep of parks, and more panhandlers on the street corners. If Sherman is gonna play this game, he has to own that, too.
Also, given the direction things are heading, I'm not certain that a wholesale ticket price reduction might not pay for itself via parking and concessions. With the way the summer weather forecast is shaping up, the floor on attendance at the K could approach historic levels. I guess that's less painful this time around since there's practically no one watching on TV to notice.
I'm not certain who is doing the polling that he is looking at, but I have a pretty good idea and despite my cynicism I am genuinely concerned for the long-term health of the team, if it is to remain in KC, that he's not getting quality information on fan sentiment and behavior.
I think the polling statement is spin. Especially any recent polling that would most certainly be skewed by current performance of the team. But tying any polling question to the Chiefs? You may have a winner there.
Yeah, it's another stroke to create the perception of inevitability, as Jim Fitzpatrick (RIP) framed it in his final contribution to local discourse.
IMHO they are gonna have to backtrack and show their work on why it can't work at the K. Based on my limited knowledge of construction/weather planning in the Midwest, I actually think they have a decent chance at selling that story. What's aggravated many folks is the unearned arrogance in believing we'll just trust them, and their unwillingness to course-correct vs. forge ahead. But they're doing no one a favor by pretending that voters don't get to, you know... vote.
Also, if anyone believes that the Chiefs are just gonna settle for ~$300MM, or however 50% of an extension pencils out, then I've got some prime mixed-use real estate in Wyandotte Cty for you. The roads and sewer lines are already built!
I thought that something quite striking and revealing happened during the first two games of the Cleveland series: the Royals faced two starting pitchers who were drafted well after 2018 and found them nearly unhittable.
I have no idea if either of those guys will be long-term starters in MLB. But it all seemed like such a vivid illustration of the vast gulf between the Royals and the Guardians. These two guys looked like extremely viable starters (whatever their season numbers turn out to be) while the much-hyped Royals class of 2018 continues to be extraordinarily… non-thrilling.
The Guardians pitching program has been in place for awhile. That’s why they’re among the elite in that category. They identify their targets, know they can develop them (or a good percentage of them) and…success!
It’s too early for me to write off the Royals attempt to build their own pitching program. It’s going to take some time.
He says the truth sometimes and sometimes it's even what fans want to hear. Really I need to see some better decisions making. Then he can tell the truth more and it will be received better. Not convinced JJ is it, this trade deadline and draft should be for JJ to keep his job. Which is harsh cause it's hard to evaluate a draft right away, but he's got a bill that's due.
I would agree the leash on JJ as a new GM is probably a little shorter than normal, just due to familiarity. This trade deadline is hugely important, as is how they construct the roster this winter. They have to get it right. There is just no margin for error.
I appreciate you, Craig. I know how hard it can be to juggle all the things real life throws at you and still keep up with your writing. It's a challenge. But the truth is, as a reader, I'm just happy when you write about the team you love. It's a joy to read, regardless of how good the team is on the field. Be well. I look forward to the next installment.
Mr. B, thx for your candid deep-dive comments on the rottenness in the state of our team. It's really good to hear your voice again. I was starting to worry. Particularly LOVED your comment about how the Cardinals' disastrous year has been fun to watch. Ain't it though. They are, indeed, a storied franchise, but their fans are just too often full of themselves.
Thanks, Terry. When the Royals are the pits, I have to look around and find other outlets for baseball enjoyment. What’s happening on the east side of the state has been highly entertaining.
I think we’re all learning what other fan bases have already experienced: Stadium deals are just messy by definition. This isn’t an exclusively Royals/John Sherman thing.
I'm not sure whether Sam Mellinger is telling Sherman what he thinks Sherman wants to hear, or if Sherman just refuses to listen to the truth, but it's really hard to fathom how badly they've bungled the PR. Several outside media/public affairs consultants are going to have a Merry Christmas if there is to be an April ballot measure.
In truth, there are only two things Sherman could have said today that would have generated any real goodwill with Kansas Citians writ large:
1) we're cutting ticket prices ~50% for the remainder of the season
2) we're staying at the K and planning to use the extension of the existing sales tax to build the rolling roof
Unfortunately, Sherman and his partners can't afford either step. Or, rather, they won't finance either step without the promise of future profits from adjacent development down the line.
The honeymoon is over.
If he had said #1, that would’ve been amazing. An incredible gesture of goodwill.
The entire purpose of leaving The K is about the “Ballpark Village” they are wanting to build around it. Any kind of development (outside of Taco Bell) isn’t going to happen in the current location. A roof at The K does nothing for Sherman and his partners.
I continue to maintain that when Sherman bought the club, his top priority was the stadium. That’s how his group maximizes their investment.
I agree. The Dunn family and other assorted limited partners have plenty of other places they could park their cash, with a higher ROI and better liquidity. Their inclusion in the group was an obvious tell. The most famous LP has been conspicuously silent on the matter, too. No one with a media credential dares ask him, in fairness.
Everyone who attempted to frame up Sherman as modern-day Mr. K was (is) selling a fantasy based on a few vague statements, and platitudes offered up by Sherman's friends who couldn't say anything else on the record.
I'm not in the real estate business, but I am in another business where rigorous analysis of economic activity and demographic trends is essential, and I've been in the weeds on Jackson County very recently. KC has to stop starving basic services and education in order to fund fantasies that empirically are neither creating nor attracting corporate level jobs from outside the region. The fact that local developers - including b/n limited to the Hunt family - have no appetite for these deals should be instructive, but KC seems desperate to avoid that reality.
No matter what the cool kids in the Crossroads apartments post on social media, Ballpark Village is another boondoggle that will drive P&L further under water and further burden the city. For the taxpayers, means more and deeper potholes, longer 911 response times, less upkeep of parks, and more panhandlers on the street corners. If Sherman is gonna play this game, he has to own that, too.
Also, given the direction things are heading, I'm not certain that a wholesale ticket price reduction might not pay for itself via parking and concessions. With the way the summer weather forecast is shaping up, the floor on attendance at the K could approach historic levels. I guess that's less painful this time around since there's practically no one watching on TV to notice.
I'm not certain who is doing the polling that he is looking at, but I have a pretty good idea and despite my cynicism I am genuinely concerned for the long-term health of the team, if it is to remain in KC, that he's not getting quality information on fan sentiment and behavior.
I think the polling statement is spin. Especially any recent polling that would most certainly be skewed by current performance of the team. But tying any polling question to the Chiefs? You may have a winner there.
Yeah, it's another stroke to create the perception of inevitability, as Jim Fitzpatrick (RIP) framed it in his final contribution to local discourse.
IMHO they are gonna have to backtrack and show their work on why it can't work at the K. Based on my limited knowledge of construction/weather planning in the Midwest, I actually think they have a decent chance at selling that story. What's aggravated many folks is the unearned arrogance in believing we'll just trust them, and their unwillingness to course-correct vs. forge ahead. But they're doing no one a favor by pretending that voters don't get to, you know... vote.
Also, if anyone believes that the Chiefs are just gonna settle for ~$300MM, or however 50% of an extension pencils out, then I've got some prime mixed-use real estate in Wyandotte Cty for you. The roads and sewer lines are already built!
I thought that something quite striking and revealing happened during the first two games of the Cleveland series: the Royals faced two starting pitchers who were drafted well after 2018 and found them nearly unhittable.
I have no idea if either of those guys will be long-term starters in MLB. But it all seemed like such a vivid illustration of the vast gulf between the Royals and the Guardians. These two guys looked like extremely viable starters (whatever their season numbers turn out to be) while the much-hyped Royals class of 2018 continues to be extraordinarily… non-thrilling.
The Guardians pitching program has been in place for awhile. That’s why they’re among the elite in that category. They identify their targets, know they can develop them (or a good percentage of them) and…success!
It’s too early for me to write off the Royals attempt to build their own pitching program. It’s going to take some time.
He says the truth sometimes and sometimes it's even what fans want to hear. Really I need to see some better decisions making. Then he can tell the truth more and it will be received better. Not convinced JJ is it, this trade deadline and draft should be for JJ to keep his job. Which is harsh cause it's hard to evaluate a draft right away, but he's got a bill that's due.
I would agree the leash on JJ as a new GM is probably a little shorter than normal, just due to familiarity. This trade deadline is hugely important, as is how they construct the roster this winter. They have to get it right. There is just no margin for error.
Good to have you back in the saddle, Craig. Even if it's more sporadic then we'd like out here.
Awww, thanks Darin. I’m hoping I can be a bit more regular in the writing.
I appreciate you, Craig. I know how hard it can be to juggle all the things real life throws at you and still keep up with your writing. It's a challenge. But the truth is, as a reader, I'm just happy when you write about the team you love. It's a joy to read, regardless of how good the team is on the field. Be well. I look forward to the next installment.
Thanks, Matt! The juggle is real. Or something. :)
Mr. B, thx for your candid deep-dive comments on the rottenness in the state of our team. It's really good to hear your voice again. I was starting to worry. Particularly LOVED your comment about how the Cardinals' disastrous year has been fun to watch. Ain't it though. They are, indeed, a storied franchise, but their fans are just too often full of themselves.
Thanks, Terry. When the Royals are the pits, I have to look around and find other outlets for baseball enjoyment. What’s happening on the east side of the state has been highly entertaining.
I think we’re all learning what other fan bases have already experienced: Stadium deals are just messy by definition. This isn’t an exclusively Royals/John Sherman thing.