Kansas City fired manager Tony Muser after Monday night's game. Unlike over 57% of the games Muser has managed in his career, the Royals won his last game with the team. However, Muser actually wasn't managing when the team won the game, as he was ejected in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes on behalf of Michael Tucker.

The Royals gave Muser his first job as a major league manager mid-way through the 1997 season. In that season and in 1999, Muser's record was under .400. In no season during his extended trial did he have a winning record. The best season he could muster was in 2000 when he went 77-85 for a .475 winning percentage. He didn't even make it over .450 in 1998, his second best season, only managing a 72-89 record, and he just barely made it over .400 last season with a 65-97 record. After last night's game, Kansas City was 8-15 for this season.

Muser is the fourth manager fired this April, and in every case, the manager has not had the best and the brightest players with which to manufacture wins. However, as ESPN's Rob Neyer, an ardent Royals' fan, points out in his column on the dismissal, truly talented managers can win with bad teams while bad managers will struggle regardless of the talent on the roster. Muser might be able to win with the Yankees, but why let him try? Teams will lose talented players to injury, and while they can anticipate losses and compensate with depth, clubs also need the flexibility to trade depth for talent in other areas. Therefore, all teams should strive to have managers that are able to make do even if they have a roster of wannabe Starting Lineup figures and guys who will never be Bobbleheads.

Sports pages are filled with complaints about managers, and many columnists and fans frequently call for the professional heads of these people. However, at the same time, it seems that managers and head coaches of professional sports' teams are part of a singular group in which there are No-Fault Firings. I've been guilty of the practice myself when writing of managers fired this season.

With so many variables, excuses are plentiful. We question the fairness of judging someone on such a limited sample size. Sure, if the guy had done this or that differently, they might not have lost the game, but nobody can perfectly predict the future and everyone would have thought he was brilliant if things had worked out. The fact that even managers who eventually are elected to a Hall of Fame were likely fired from some coaching position, encourages the typically generated excuses. However, the standings and team results are what matter, and anyone with this level of responsibility willing accepts both the accolades and blame inherent in the position.

Kansas City named bullpen coach John Mizerock interim manager. This season is Mizerock's first as a major league coach, but he has 9 years of minor league managerial experience, all in the Royals' organization. Mizerock played professionally as a back-up catcher. He made it to the majors for portions of three seasons with Houston and one with Atlanta over a period of seven years. His last year in the majors was 1989, though he played in AAA in 1990 before retiring.

In 1992, he took a job as a coach for the Kansas City's affiliate in the A- Northwest League. He was promoted to manager of the team in 1993, the first of several promotions as he managed his way through the Royals' minors. In nine season of minor league managing, he spent one year at A-, one at A, three at A+, two at AA, and 2 seasons with the AAA, always moving up the minor league ladder. He also managed a team in the Arizona Fall League in 1999.

Mizerock was consistently successful during his time as a minor league manager, only finishing under .500 in three of the nine seasons he managed, though two of those were his AAA seasons. Baseball America selected him as Minor League Manager of the Year award in 1999, and he was also named Manager of the Year after his first two seasons.

Reportedly Mizerock has already managed many of the current Royals during his time in the minors. Therefore this is a particularly interesting case, as he likely already possesses well-defined opinions on a number of players. He's praised Mark Quinn's work ethic, which bodes well for Quinn's chances of breaking into the lineup when he returns from the DL. Meanwhile, depending on his willingness to dole out second chances, Dee Brown, currently stuck in the minors, may want to start lobbying for a trade. When in AAA in 2000, Brown had a well-publicized argument with Mizerock over Brown's perceived lack of hustle.

Mizerock is the youngest man currently managing a major league team. While he presently only has the position on an interim basis, Kansas City is considering him as a permanent replacement. The Royals reportedly plan to interview both internal and external candidates but also plan on taking their time with the hunt. Therefore even if Kansas City doesn't decide to keep him on as the manager after their search, he could remain in charge for more than just a few games.

Considering the controversy over the extended trial GMs Herk Robinson and Allard Baird gave to Muser, it should be interesting to see how long the next manager lasts. However, I highly doubt the replacement will receive nearly as much leeway as Muser. If the new manager is anywhere close to as unsuccessful as Muser, Baird will likely be replaced and the new GM will get to select his own manager, though Muser's dismissal has almost certainly bought Baird until the end of the season to save his own job.