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Rany Jazayerli's been working, for at least a few weeks now, to evaluate the Royals' top 30 preseason prospects. Frankly, it's largely an exercise in masochism, because the Royals didn't enter this season with many real prospects, and most of those have failed to further distinguish themselves. Essentially, the Royals have the second-worst run differential in the majors and one of the worst farm systems. Big fun.

And, of course, it's not been just this year. It's been the whole decade (plus). Rany just begins to list the indignities:

The Royals are 47-76 after today's debacle, which puts them on pace to lose exactly 100 games this season. Less famously but perhaps more tellingly, if the Royals lose 100 games, they will tie an American League record for the most losses by a single franchise over the span of an intact decade.

The Royals have lost 927 games and counting during the 2000s. They have blown past the Pirates (903 losses) and the Rays (901) as the losingest franchise of the decade. In the history of baseball, only six teams have lost more than 927 games in a decade, and the Royals are almost certain to pass at least three of them by the end of the year

It's easy (and fun!) to mock Tony Muser and Buddy Bell and Tony Pena and Trey Hillman and Allard Baird and Dayton Moore, and all of them have deserved plenty of mockery. But there have been only two constants during this decade: the market and the owner. The market is obviously a hindrance, but a number of franchises have to cope with similar financial issues and none have played as poorly as the Royals. Which leaves only the owner.

As a wise man once told me, "A fish stinks from the head."