The Royals have shown signs of improvement this season, but manager Buddy Bell won't be around as manager if Kansas City contends in the AL Central again.
Bell announced Wednesday that he is resigning as manager effective at the end of the season. The Royals are 47-59 and just finished their second straight winning month after not having one since July of 2003.
He will join the Royals' front office in 2008 as a senior adviser to general manager Dayton Moore.
"I had to make a choice between managing and my family," Bell said, "and to me that's a no-brainer."
Bell underwent surgery last September to remove a cancerous growth in his throat.
"It started last year when I got sick," Bell told The Kansas City Star.
"My priorities changed real quickly. Not seeing my grandkids became important. When I grew up, my dad wasn't there. When my kids grew up, I wasn't there. Now my grandkids are growing up, and I haven't seen them."
Bell told The Star he wanted to wait until the Royals improved their play to announce his decision.
"It's been a hard decision," Bell told the newspaper, "and I wanted to wait until things were better. They're still not as good as they're going to be, but I wanted to wait until things were progressing the way I think they should -- and then see how I felt.
"And I still feel the same way."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: ESPN.com
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