Out of the Park: Before You Turn The Page
Sunday marked the end of my 19th season covering the Kansas City Royals, and every year, the feeling is one that’s hard to describe.
There’s relief after making it through the grind of 162 games, satisfaction from a job well done, and a little emptiness when the rhythm of the last six months of your life suddenly disappears.
My son Mason may have described it best.
He spent his first season working on the Royals television home production crew and told me he was sad it was over. He compared it to the last day of school when you realize you’re not going to see that same group of people all together for a while.
Baseball is constantly teaching us to turn the page. Win or lose, there is always another game to play. You learn what you can, flush the rest, and move on. But when the season comes to an end, I think it's important to pause and take stock.
This was a successful first year working with MLB and Royals.TV. As successful as it was for the broadcast team, I still assess my own performance. How could I have been better prepared? Was I the teammate I wanted to be? What worked and what needs to change?
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve also learned that my post-season evaluation goes beyond the actual job. Taking better care of myself physically and mentally is critical to the stamina that baseball season demands, and that becomes even more important as I shift gears into speaking. My natural tendency is to fill the void left by baseball with another schedule, another goal, and another list of things I want to accomplish.
There’s where looking back can shape what comes next. As much as I want to keep pushing towards the things that excite me, I know that I need to be smart with my time. Creating room for rest will ensure I’m ready when the next baseball season arrives.
Nineteen seasons in, and I still haven’t lost sight of how fortunate I am to live the dream I had as as kid, surrounded by supportive teammates and an incredible fan base. Turning the page doesn’t mean you have to forget what was on the last one. It means you find a way to take part of it with you.
That’s a lesson worth remembering, inside and Out of the Park.
Local flavor
As I turn the page on another baseball season, Susan and I are already looking forward to an adventure that will begin after the next season ends.
We’re excited to host a seven-night AmaWaterways river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel November 7-14, 2027. We’ll travel through the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland, enjoying incredible scenery, food, and experiences along the way.
Most of all, we’re looking forward to sharing it all with a great group of people, and we would love to have you join us.
Dugout dialogue
Wins and losses are the ultimate measure in baseball. The Royals didn’t have the season we hoped for, but behind the scenes, it was one of the most rewarding ones I’ve had thanks to the people I worked alongside.
On the final day of the season, we pulled back the curtain on our Royals.TV crew and the work that goes into bringing a broadcast to life. This felt like the perfect way to recognize everyone who makes it special before turning the page to a new season.
speaking engagements
On October 10, I’ll be in Paso Robles, California to emcee SabesWings’ Nashville Night Out. Later in the month, I’ll return for my third year as Master of Ceremonies for the Giving GRACE Breakfast at Arrowhead Stadium on October 22, with even more events taking shape in the months ahead.
If trust and teamwork are conversations your organization needs to be having, get a taste of the tools I bring to the stage with a complimentary, 15-minute session.
Curious how strong trust is on your team?
Finally, I’d like to give a big shout out to the team at Square Peg Marketing & Branding. They captured my recent keynote at the Animal Health Summit at Midland Theater and created this 30-second glimpse at how I bring Small Ball and Winning Trust to organizations. Watch it now.
To inquire about my keynote series, event moderation or custom video content, just click the link below. A member of my team will get back to you right away.
Rounding the bases rewind
What happens when the game that gave you everything isn’t the end of the story, but the beginning of something bigger? I recently welcomed Kareem Rush to Rounding the Bases for a conversation about life after basketball—and the pursuit of what comes next.
A Mizzou Hall of Famer and former NBA sharpshooter, Kareem built a reputation for making shots under pressure. Today, he’s putting that same competitive drive into entrepreneurship, including University Heritage Group and University Heritage Spirits, while helping create opportunities for the next generation of athletes. His journey offers a fascinating look at how the skills that make you successful in sports can become the foundation for success long after the final buzzer.
It’s a conversation about reinvention, entrepreneurship and finding purpose beyond the game. Be sure to listen now.
As always, thanks again to each of the incredible guests who Rounding the Bases with me this month:
Our schedule is already booked through the fall, but we are always looking for interesting guests with standout stories. Would you or someone you know make a great guest on Rounding the Bases?
To discuss sponsorship opportunities, please email my Executive Producer Ashleigh Sterr: ashleigh@joelgoldbergmedia.com.
Keeping the score
Over the course of my 30+ year career as a sports broadcaster, I’ve learned that scoreboards tell you what happened, but not always what it means.
As seasons unfold they bring big wins and big losses, but it the moments in between that reveal who people really are. And I don’t mean that only in the context of sports, either. It’s as true in the corporate world as it is in baseball, which is why I cite those “in between” moments often in my keynotes on trust and culture.
But it’s during my podcast Rounding the Bases that I really get to take listeners beyond the highlights. That’s exactly what I did in one recent interview, and the lesson left even more of an impact than usual.
My guest Tommy Breedlove had reached what many would consider to be the pinnacle of success. On paper, he was a high-achieving businessman. But when he looked beneath the surface, it wasn’t everything he’d hoped. Before turning the page to the next chapter, he was forced to confront what the previous one had taught him…and the things left unresolved.
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