Schuerholz Stepping Down, reaction

The Braves have scheduled a 3:30 p.m. ET press conference at Turner Field. At that time, they will announce Schuerholz's transition and that his long-time assistant Frank Wren will assume his role as general manager.

Liberty Media was rumored to want to cut costs when they purchased the team. This probably means Andruw Jones is gone. Do you think they'll start trading their high priced talent?

When John Schuerholz was boldly predicting last April that his high-dollar Kansas City Royals would win 100 games, Herk Robinson was back home tending to such unexciting matters as parking concessions and paper cup contracts.

But the Royals won only 75 games and finished in sixth place and as of Wednesday, John Schuerholz is the new vice-president and general manager of the Atlanta Braves.

And Robinson, lacking any official contact with the baseball end of the operation for the past 17 years, is sitting in Schuerholz' chair as the Royals' new general manager.

"Nothing that happens in this game surprises me," Robinson, 50, said Wednesday when the Royals held a news conference to announce his promotion almost immediately following Schuerholz' introduction in Atlanta. "The unpredictability of this game is one of the things that makes it so much fun."...

Burke denied speculation the Royals had fired Schuerholz, who talked owner Ewing Kauffman into spending $$19 million last winter on free agent pitchers Mark Davis, Storm Davis and Richard Dotson. Their contracts fattened the team payroll to the point that it became the biggest in the major leagues. But all three were almost totally ineffective. Storm Davis, the 1989 National League Cy Young winner, finished with an ERA of more than 5.00.

Asked why Schuerholz left, Burke said, "In all fairness, John would have to answer that question. I don't think anything pertained to the way this ball club was operated, or with ownership or the people on this staff.

"We told him we'd be very happy to have him and we did not want him to go," Burke added. "Somebody has started the rumor that we fired John, but that's not true."...

In the wake of their 1990 debacle, the Royals are expected to undergo a major personnel revamping, probably cutting their ties to such mainstays as catcher Bob Boone, second baseman Frank White and outfielder Willie Wilson, among others....

Schuerholz, at his last public appearance in Kansas City, was treated to long, loud booing when introduced at a hockey game last week.

Burke said Schuerholz agonized over his decision.

"It was a very, very difficult decision for him to make," Burke said. "I can tell you he sweated over it. He probably prayed over it. He sought counsel from his family and relatives, from his friends in town. It was very difficult to make, but it was his decision.""