Yost fan, friend of late pro wrestler Rhodes

ST. LOUIS -- Royals manager Ned Yost spent part of his off-day on Thursday watching old videos on youtube.com of professional wrestler Dusty Rhodes.

Yost was friends with Rhodes, who died at the age of 69 earlier on Thursday.

"I was a fan of his, too," Yost said. "When I was in instructional league in Florida in the 1970s, I used to go to the Armory in Tampa every Tuesday night and watch him wrestle. I had pictures of him in my locker in the Minors.

"Then, I found out we were neighbors when I was coaching in Atlanta. That was special. We became friends."

What kind of guy was Rhodes?

"Great. Awesome guy," Yost said. "Just a laid-back guy.

"I remember we picked him up to go to a party once and we were all dressed up and he comes out in hunting boots, jeans, a T-shirt and an old baseball hat. That was him. He was great."