I was just looking at the standings and wondering how long Tony Pena was going to last when I see that he has resigned as manager of the Royals.

Bench coach Bob Schaefer, 60, will replace Pena on an interim basis in the first managerial change in the majors this season. Schaefer also managed the Royals for one game on an interim basis in 1991 between the firing of John Wathan and the hiring of Hal McRae.

General manager Allard Baird said a permanent replacement would be found as quickly as possible.

"We'll take as long as we need to hire a new manager," Baird said. "The timetable to fill this position is secondary to finding the right individual to manage this ballclub."

The Royals were 2nd to last in runs scored and ERA in the AL. That's a deadly combination for any team. Pena's a good cheerleader, and his enthusiasm led to a good finish by the Royals in his first full season with the team. Compared to other AL managers, he doesn't use his roster much during a game. During the 2004 season, he used the fewest pinch hitters per game and made very few defensive replacements. He also had a low platoon percentage, according to the The Bill James Handbook 2005.

Will it make a difference? Look at how the KC lineup has performed by slot. With five slots having OBA's under .300 (way under .300) it's hard to see how you can rearrange things to score more runs. Defensively, the team falls apart with men on base. Opponents are slugging .500 with men on base, .349 with none on. The Royals are giving up the long hits exactly when they do the most damage. Whoever is hired for this postion will not have an easy job ahead of him.