The Final Word

Visiting With A Hometown Boy
by Diane Lowrey
I recently got the chance to attend a Kansas City Royals baseball game as part of a day-long trip to the city, sponsored by North Central Missouri College. The trip, which also included a visit to the King Tut exhibit at Union Station, featured a tour of Kauffman Stadium. What made that tour special was that Trenton High School graduate and NCMC alum Mike Arbuckle conducted the first part of the visit and took our group to a portion of the stadium few people get a chance to see.
Mike, who is senior advisor to General Manager Dayton Moore, led the group to the baseball operations area of the stadium, which includes not only his office, but those of Moore and other baseball personnel who make decisions involving the Royals on a daily basis. One of the stops was “the war room,” which just prior to our visit had been a hot bed of activity as the trade deadline approached on July 31. The walls of the room, which wasn’t much bigger than a normal school classroom, had a list of the 25-man rosters from all Major League Baseball Teams (American and National leagues) as well as a list of all potential free agents and the rosters of all Kansas City farm club teams. Most of the lists had one or two of the names pulled off to the side, which according to Mike meant that Kansas City was taking a hard look at those individuals and whether or not they might be a good addition to the Royals squad. In addition, there were colored dots attached to some of the names that were listed with their Individual team roster, which Mike said designated them as free agents with their squad in addition to being included in the free agent grouping.
We probably spent a good 45 minutes in that room as Mike explained how some personnel decisions are made as well as answered questions posed by our group. With the Royals at that time moving closer to first place in the AL Central, there were several questions, not only about the major league team, but about prospective players in the organization’s farm clubs as well.
We also got the chance to visit other parts of the stadium as well, including the dugout and field area as well as the media center and press room. We even got a surprise visit from Missouri alum Aaron Crow, who was on his way to the clubhouse as we were down in the lobby. And of course, the day ended with a win by the Royals, who just a few days later made their way into first place and have yet to relinquish that lead.
It was a great trip, made even more special by having Mike with us for part of the tour. His insight certainly made the day a special one, especially for those of us who are rabid Royals fans. There is already talk of another trip next year, perhaps including a visit to the Negro League Baseball Museum among stops for the day. What fun that would be as well.
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We are having great response to a request we made last week, asking the public to make donations of books for students age preschool through fourth grade. The Republican-Times is coordinating this effort, with those books that are donated being given to students at the Rissler Elementary School, who will then be allowed to take the books home. New books or gently used books can be donated and can be left at the newspaper during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We will also take monetary donations and purchase books as well. Donations can be mailed to the Republican-Times at PO Box 548, Trenton, MO 64683 or dropped off at our office. We will be collecting books and donations until Friday, Sept. 19 and appreciate any and all contributions from the public.