"For so many years, Frank White's story sounded like a Kansas City fairy tale. He was the local kid done good, a raw athlete from Lincoln High School who turned into a Gold Glove second baseman for his hometown major-league team.

He was a World Series champion, a community icon, an aspiring manager in the Royals' minor-league system and a broadcaster who endeared himself to fans with a player's perspective and a constant chuckle.

But on Friday morning, White woke up to a new chapter. For the first time in more than 15 years, he was a man with no formal ties to the Kansas City Royals organization. His final connection — a job as a color commentator for Royals' games on television — had been severed by the Royals and Fox Sports Kansas City, their television rights-holder.

The decision to not renew White's contract was the latest public spat between the Kansas City legend and the franchise that displays a statue of him at Kauffman Stadium.

"This has been their goal all along," White said Friday, "And I knew it was coming."

The Royals announced that producer Kevin Shank, a Kansas City native who had just completed his 17th season on Royals broadcasts, was also out. The end, White says, came during a meeting Thursday with Fox Sports Midwest general manager Jack Donovan. According to White, Donovan said it was a mutual decision between the Royals and Fox Sports. The primary reason: The Royals believed White was too negative during broadcasts."