Small Ball, like baseball itself, reminds us that every role matters

I don’t check the calendar to know when spring starts. I listen for it. I’m excited about what’s ahead. The continued growth of the Negro Leagues. My return trip to Surprise next month. Opening Day in Atlanta. As Buck O’Neil so often reminded us, this game has a way of showing up right on time, and it always does…inside and Out of the Park.

I’ve always believed that as a broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals my job is ultimately about telling stories. In one recent conversation on Rounding the Bases, I was joined by a guest who has seen representation evolve in real time. His name is Shawn Edwards, a nationally acclaimed film critic whose career took him from Kansas City to Hollywood and back again.

This is Small Ball season.

One theme kept surfacing in different ways: transparency.

Titles change how people see you

January is supposed to feel like a fresh start with new calendars, clean slates and big intentions all arriving at once. But for me, it’s not about bold declarations or overnight change, but the power of fundamentals done well. Whether it's baseball, business or building community, real new beginnings aren’t loud. They’re built one small, intentional step at a time…inside and Out of the Park.

In baseball, the tension point between comfort and calling usually comes late in the game. A hitter has to decide whether to stick with the safe swing they’ve worked on, or go after the pitch that could change everything. I recently sat down with Staci Cross, the founder and CEO of Enjoy Pure Food + Drink, who found her biggest breakthrough in a new beginning.

They won by aligning everyone.

Confidence, I’ve learned, isn’t about eliminating self-doubt. 

Stillness isn’t uncomfortable when you stop fighting it.

As the year comes to a close, I’ve spent the final month of it doing something I don’t always do well: Shutting it down. 

The time spent on creating space has given me time to reflect on 2025, and how I began the year with a single word: curiosity. 

I didn’t know exactly where it would lead, only that I wanted to ask better questions and continue learning.

As I look toward 2026, I’m still curious. Not about resolutions, but the habits and mindsets that will support them, inside and Out of the Park.

This year brought a number of highlights, but being appointed to the Board of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum ranks among the top. In the spirit of reflection of 2025, it only felt right to shine another light on some of the many lessons I have learned from the Museum’s beloved president, Bob Kendrick. He is someone who inspires storytelling like few others can, by honoring history that has already been made.

Perseverance translates into any language.

We all chase ghosts until we finally see them for what they are.

At some point, even the people who love the work need to back away from it.

It’s hard to believe it’s already Thanksgiving week. There’s so much I’m thankful for which is why this month’s newsletter is all about gratitude. I’m grateful to have spent 18 seasons with the Kansas City Royals broadcast team, doing work that I love. Fans stop to say hello and talk baseball in this truly special city, and it has given me a front row seat to priceless moments. Wishing you a season full of thanks and gratitude, inside and Out of the Park.

For years, my work in sports broadcasting has given me a front-row seat to the power of generosity and gratitude. What I’ve learned from nearly three decades in the business it that even though sports in stats, the real score is kept by the people you lift up.  On a recent episode of my podcast Rounding the Bases, I was joined by Bob Burg, whose name has become synonymous with generosity, trust and the idea that meaningful success begins with gratitude and service to others. 

The world changes. People change. Communication changes. Your voice should not.

Great things really do start in little rooms.