JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC

Just like every other Kansas City Royals’ fan, I’ve been so mad at manager Ned Yost at times that I’ve thought we’d be better off with someone else.

But now, after the miraculous season the team had last year and after watching the even-handed, philosophical way Yost handles almost all difficult situations, I have become a huge admirer of his.

If there were more people like Yost around, the world would be a lot safer and saner place to live. In the dugout, he is almost always a picture of composure, regardless of the level of excitement or frustration going on around him — unless he’s upset by an umpire’s call.

And when he meets with the press, which he does about 200 or more times a year (much more than just about any other type of public figure), he is careful what he says. When the team is going well, he says things like, “We’re hitting on all cylinders.” When they’re in a swoon, he says things like, “These guys are too good to keep playing like this; they’ll come out of it; I’m not a bit worried.”

This week, however, Yost took diplomacy and his ability to put setbacks in perspective to a new level after Major League Baseball officials admitted that they blew the replay call in the eighth inning of the Cleveland Indians’ 2-1 victory over the Royals Tuesday night.

If you were at the game of watched or listened to it, you know how maddening it was. It was a very tense, 1-1 game going into the top of the eighth, and we had Wade Davis, one of the best relievers in baseball, on the mound. In a rare loss of control, Davis got into trouble, eventually walking two runners and giving up a tie-breaking base hit to center field.

In the midst of the inning, however, it looked like we were  going to get a double play, which would have virtually eliminated any serious threat of a run. After a ground-ball out at second and a relay throw to first, the first-base umpire called the runner safe at first.

From replays, the ball clearly appeared to be in first baseman Eric Hosmer’s glove before the runner hit the base. But after a review of almost three minutes, a team of umpires in New York ruled that the umpire’s call of “safe” would stand.

The 30,000 fans in the stands were outraged. TV announcers Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler were mystified. Fans watching on TV at home — like me, Patty and Brooks — were fuming and frustrated.

The Indians went on to score the tie-breaking, and that was the end of the scoring. It was a very hard loss to accept, and it was hard to resist thinking, “We got screwed.”

The next day, a Major League Baseball official called Yost and told him the replay officials had blown the call; the runner should have been called out.

So, the reporters asked Yost for his reaction. If it had been me, I might have said something like, “It’s a dirty, rotten shame because we might well have won the game, had they gotten that call right.”

But not Yost. His first reaction was that the blown call wasn’t responsible for the loss. “There was enough blame to go around for everybody,” he said.

Yost never directly criticizes players publicly and that was as close as he came to criticizing second baseman Omar Infante, who fumbled a perfect double-play ball by the very next batter and managed to get only the lead runner at second base.

But Yost didn’t stop at factual, level-headed observation. He ratcheted his reaction to outright graciousness and magnanimity. Here’s what he said:

I think it’s a great system (the appeal process). There are going to be mistakes. It’s like a player. Omar makes that play 99 times out of 100…Things happen, mistakes are made…They made a mistake. Admit it, apologize for it and move on. That’s what I try to do when I make a mistake.

When I read those words Wednesday afternoon in a KC Star online story, the considerable, lingering irritation I was carrying from Tuesday night’s game drained away in moments. From my office desk, I read Yost’s quotes to Patty, who was in the kitchen.

When I finished, she said simply: “He’s an adult.”

That about says it all, doesn’t it? I think we can all take some inspiration from the home team manager’s restraint and equanimity: Don’t whine. Don’t sulk. Don’t let adversity suck you into a tailspin. Get through it as quickly as you can and look ahead.

I tell you, we should enjoy Ned Yost every single day he’s a Kansas City Royal. And we would all do well to try to follow his lead when things don’t go like we want.