Dayton Moore

NPH loves baseball, and a few short years in the Heartland has made him a devoted fan of the Kansas City Royals. NPH knows somebody who knows somebody, so he gets to go to games several times per season (although "knowing somebody" is certainly not a requirement for getting to see the Royals; they sell out exactly four times a season: opening day and the three games the Cardinals are in town). NPH reads about the Royals a lot, goes to games whenever he can, and listens to games on the radio faithfully.

So NPH devoured this article in the KC Star this morning by Bob Dutton. It's all about the decisions facing the new Royals General Manager, Dayton Moore, who was hired mid-season after Allard Baird was fired. Essentially, Moore faces the challenge of leading the transformation of an organization for consistent future success, all with scant financial resources(relative to baseball econmics, that is).

And so what's most important to Moore in that process? That's easy. Here's a money quote from the article:

"The most important exercise that we do every day,” Moore said, “is scouting and signing future talent in the international market and through the draft.”

In other words, you have to bring in new talent. And that talent has to be inculcated, coached, beat over the head with a consistent philosophy and style of play. To do this, the Royals have even created a new minor league team, a rookie squad, just so that they can bring in more young players.

There are lessons here for life, for sure. Give NPH some time to tease them out.