You can stop at the Grand Canyon, or maybe Zion on the off-day drive. And while you're out there on the run from Phoenix to Denver, you can think about where the Texas Rangers might be today had Tom Hicks listened to former Rangers GM Doug Melvin instead of talking heads. Or how the Orioles might actually be relevant if Peter Angelos listened to anyone. Or what the Houston Astros might be with rational ownership. It was Melvin, now the Brewers' GM, who made the point last month that when the Yankees and Red Sox decided to go with young players in the heat of the pennant race, the free-agent market might be devalued, and Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein had built organizations with vast wingspans. But this offseason is about far more than Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury. It is about watching the Indians' organization, for instance, rise like the Trump Towers. And now, it's about watching the Diamondbacks and the Rockies and some of the best young players in the game in this, the Josh Byrnes October, since the current Arizona GM has had a prominent hand in the building of the Indians, Rockies and Red Sox, as well as his own team. The Diamondbacks' best young players -- Stephen Drew, Chris Young, Justin Upton, et al -- are really at the point the Rockies' young rocks were two years ago, when Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Jeff Francis and Garrett Atkins were blossoming without the spotlight. That is, all except Troy Tulowitzki, a fellow rookie with 24 homers and 99 RBIs who is gaining consideration as the best defensive shortstop in the game. Tulowitzki led all major league shortstops in total chances (by 114), double plays and fielding percentage, and an official of one team that closely studies defensive statistics says "the difference between Tulowitzki and the second-place defensive shortstop is greater than the difference between No. 2 and No. 9."There are lessons that this October should teach us.First, patience. "When we went through some of our signing fiascos and knew what we had to do, our ownership supported us all the way," Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd says. "It wasn't always easy. Things didn't happen overnight." Even this spring, there were calls for the heads of O'Dowd and Clint Hurdle, but ownership never wavered. The same situation has existed in Cleveland, where team president Paul Dolan handed the GM reigns to Mark Shapiro, asked him to raze the payroll and rebuild. In Arizona, Byrnes has had the support to let some veterans go and gradually work in the young players.It hasn't always been true with the Yankees and Red Sox, but Cashman has ascended to an authoritarian role when it comes to signing high-priced amateur talent, and Epstein has apparently won his wars in the same area. Since New Englanders obsess about the Yankees, Epstein had better be allowed to ignore the commissioner's office attempts to artificially rig draft and amateur signing prices, because Cashman's Yankees will spend whatever it takes. And the new ballpark (and the year's exemption from the luxury tax) will add to the Yankees' vault. Some fans have already secured first-row boxes behind home plate in the new park at $2,500 a seat. At that price, four seats for the regular season will cost $810,000 -- until the prices go up. Pittsburgh will have that patience and clarity of direction. When CEO Frank Coonelly was in the commissioner's office, he was Bud Selig's hawk, but he is highly respected by the young, bright minds across the sport and he will give Neal Huntington every chance to succeed as GM. Yes, the Pirates haven't been competitive since Barry Bonds left the lineup, but this is an organization that will have the opportunity to sign draft choices and international players and develop them. Baltimore? There are pools on when Angelos will turn on Andy MacPhail, as he did on Pat Gillick and everyone else. Drayton McLane is too erratic, too hands-on and too devoted to the Selig signing laws to succeed in Houston. St. Louis looks like a mess with any new GM caught in between Internet guru Jeff Luhnow, likely returning manager Tony La Russa and the need to succeed, and he'll also have to deal with Scott Rolen's desire to be divorced from La Russa.Second, scouting and development are vital. Rockies scouting directorBill Schmidt is one of the most underappreciated men in the business, and the D-backs are still reaping the benefits of what Mike Rizzo accomplished before moving on to Washington. The Indians, Red Sox and Yankees all have fluid ties between ownership, general managers, scouting directors and scouts.Think the Padres might like Stephen Drew? Kevin Towers was going to take him, but ownership bowed to the commissioner's office, forcing him to select Matt Bush, who has no fixed team address. It sure was great that the Pirates passed on B.J. Upton for Bryan Bullington. Houston became an embarrassment this year by refusing to sign any high picks above the price-fixing slots. Third, if you want to build from within, you have to have the right manager. Melvin and Hurdle haven't received their due for bringing along young players and standing behind them. Hurdle has suffered through some frustrating seasons to get here, but never backed off the kids, while Melvin has broken in close to 10 young players the past couple of years. Hurdle has gone with Ubaldo Jimenez, Franklin Morales and Manny Corpas in a pennant race, and Melvin has nurtured Drew, Upton, Micah Owings, Young, et al. Eric Wedge has been a constant, solid, developmental manager. Terry Francona brought along kids from Pedroia to Clay Buchholz. Look at the Yankees and see Torre's patience -- where would they be without Melky Cabrera in center, Robinson Cano at second, Chamberlain and Hughes? Oh yes. While developing those kids and changing the future of the franchise, Torre is the only manager to make the postseason in 2006 and 2007.Fourth, if you want to play young players, you'd better have the right veteran players to support them. Look at what happened with the Dodgers down the stretch. Hmmm. Luis Gonzalez raised a ruckus in Arizona when Carlos Quentin arrived, and his refusal to accept that times are a-changin' ran him out of that franchise and into a similar mess in L.A. The Diamondbacks' veterans like Tony Clark, Eric Byrnes, Orlando Hudson and Livan Hernandez have been support nets for all the young teammates, as Trot Nixon, Casey Blake and Paul Byrd have been in Cleveland. Monday night, Johnny Damon acknowledged, "our season started to turn when Melky got in there every day."To get here is a long process. It requires Curt Schilling admitting he reported to spring training out of shape, then working and accepting John Farrell's advice. It requires Asdrubal Cabrera and Franklin Gutierrez stepping in for the Indians midway through August, and Wedge being willing to send Cliff Lee and Jeremy Sowers back to Triple-A Buffalo. It requires the time to handle all the ups and downs those remarkable young players in Arizona and Colorado have endured to get here, and now they are about to give us what promises to be a remarkably entertaining NLCS. These teams have paid a lot more than free-agent money, and the price of competence, patience, diligence and detail are being rewarded.