The Legacy of Ned Yost

Ned Yost is the winningest manager in Royals history. His 499 victories, two World's Series appearances, and presence over the most prosperous era of Kansas City baseball in thirty years makes him a surefire franchise Hall of Fame inductee if and when he decides to hang them up.

He also has more losses than any manager in club history. Resting at 499, today's game will mark the half-millennium for Yost as either victor or victim.

Such duality is the hallmark of Yost's tenure as manager. As both the arbiter of franchise success and defeat, his role has been marked by questioning and praise, intermittent bewilderment and fleeting steadiness.

In a society that still lingers on depictions of purity, Yost embodies a charming contradiction. As much measure as one can take of a team's success and apply it to its figurehead, the record of Ned as manager contains within it a keen reminder of the duplicity of life. Nervous Ned. Cool Hand Yost. Both are applicable, but terribly incomplete.

Eventually, all that remains will be the resume. 500 wins and 500 losses will come and go in time, but how it is measured will persist. On a macro level, his tenure as field general can't be seen as anything other than a success, but the meticulous view still raises questions about his effectiveness.

Regardless of today's decision, Royals Hall of Famer Ned Yost will stand as a symbol of both triumph and tribulation, of curious decisions with overwhelmingly positive outcomes. Good Ol' Ned. Boom Yosted.