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.

This World Series was won by trust, resilience, and teammates who embraced their roles.

Baseball has a way of bringing generations together, and few players embody that more than Shohei Ohtani. History has never seen anything like it. As much as I’ve enjoyed watching Ohtani from a fan’s perspective, I’ve also been thinking about creating a legacy off the field, especially after co-hosting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s annual Hall of Game Gala earlier this month. Whether in baseball or in life, the real wins come from the relationships built and bridges left standing, inside and Out of the Park.

Every so often, I meet someone whose story actually resets my perspective. And that’s exactly what happened in a recent interview with John O’Leary, who shared more than a few lessons on living for the now, and creating a legacy that lasts. 

You never know when the next full-circle moment will arrive

Moments like these remind me that baseball, like life and business, rewards awareness. It’s about presence. Knowing the rules, reading the room and anticipating the next move.

In baseball and in life, that’s what creates connection;  not the big swings, but the steady presence.

I’ve read Bob Burg’s The Go Giver and have been reading Give to Grow by Mo Bunnell. The message of both resonates deeply as I wrap up my 18th season broadcasting Royals baseball. The grind is real, but what I’ll remember more than the innings played or miles traveled are the people who gave something of themselves along the way. Because in the end, the real wins come from the relationships we invest in and the spirit we bring to others, inside and Out of the Park.

I’ve long believed that the secret to influence is giving to grow.  And when you offer value with intention instead of expectation, you set a cycle into motion that I have found returns far more than you ever imagined. It’s a concept that changed the life of one recent guest on my podcast who believes every one of us can master the art of sales, whether we carry a quota or not. Her name is Dr. Cindy McGovern, a two-time bestselling author, founder of Orange Leaf Consulting and an international authority known around the world as the First Lady of Sales. With a dynamic energy and practical approach, she has inspired thousands to see sales not as a transaction, but as an opportunity to give.

Talent matters, but consistency and daily effort set you apart.

In a world with so much dissension, I witnessed a moment in Philadelphia that truly warmed the heart.

We all drive home some nights beating ourselves up over a meeting, a mistake, or something out of our control.

Instead of giving up, he let that rejection fuel him.

As we head into a weekend-long celebration of workers across the nation, this month’s newsletter turns the focus to the people with one specific job to do. In baseball we call them role players. And though they may not take the field every game, the value they add makes them critical to the success of the team. It’s a lesson that teams anywhere can learn from. Not everyone can be a superstar, but they can be ready to step in - and up - when their number is called. And sometimes that’s the difference between winning and losing, inside and Out of the Park.

When teams succeed, it’s rarely due to raw talent alone. Instead, they reach peak performance when every player knows their role and plays it well. Just like in baseball you wouldn’t want your closer batting cleanup, in a corporate setting, you wouldn’t want your top performing salesperson in the mailroom. Teams win when people step into the roles that fit them best.  That lesson came through out and clear during a recent interview with Lindsay Howerton, a fractional COO who gets results where they matter most.

One has a booming voice. The other is losing hers. But both are loud in their impact.