The Royals won't be playing baseball until, at the earliest, mid-April. Now that MLB owners have committed to cancelling games, any of the lingering optimism about a new collectively-bargained agreement has begun slipping away again. Players, media members, and fans alike have all grown increasingly distrustful, and while talking to media on Wednesday afternoon, Royals General Manager Dayton Moore took a moment to apologize to everyone who's been affected by the lockout.
"My first thought is simply to say I'm sorry we are where we are," he said. "Spring Training cities, we know how important baseball is to that community this time of year. That's hurtful. The first thing is, you've got to show empathy and compassion towards our fans and those who rely on their business. The economics of their families is through this game. I can't control a lot of things, and I don't really get myself wrapped up in the business side of baseball, as you know. I do know it's the greatest game in the world. It's so important for our communities -- not only for our Major League team, but baseball at all levels. I think every mom and dad, every grandparent, every aunt and uncle, should understand the importance about what baseball teaches a young person about leadership and growth, and what it prepares them for in the future. All of us that have played the game at some level understand what baseball and softball teaches us. So I would encourage our young players and young people to just continue to pursue it. Don't get caught up in the business side of baseball. When you get caught up in the business side as a young player, it robs you of your incentive, it takes away the innocence, it can drive a wedge between you and your commitment level. You start thinking of other things that rob you of your focus. You're not going to be the player you can be when you focus on things like that. That would be my advice: focus on playing the game and learning as much as you can."
You can listen to Moore's entire interview (17:00 mark) in the embedded player below:
