Out of the Park: Fresh Start
I don’t check the calendar to know when spring starts. I listen for it.
It’s the sound of a fastball popping into a catcher's mitt on a morning in Surprise, the sun out but not yet Arizona hot. Warm and comfortable, with a buzz across the back fields as players joke and laugh until their turn comes and the tone shifts. It’s a hitter stepping into the box. A pitcher climbing the mound. It’s not game mode yet, but its workmanlike. Focused. Intentional. It’s what they do.
This will be my nineteenth season with the Royals, and that number still blows my mind. I feel the same anticipation I did in 2008, just without the uncertainty that came with being new. Back then I didn’t know the players, the rhythms of a full season or myself, at least not entirely. Now I do. And I’m not in a rush for Opening Day, because it always arrives right when it’s supposed to.
Earlier this month I walked into the clubhouse one day before workouts and players I hadn’t seen in months came over to shake hands or offer a hug. I joke that it’s the happiest they’ll be to see me all year, and I don’t take those moments lightly. Superstar Bobby Witt Jr. made a beeline to say hello. That wasn’t surprising, but it was affirming.. Salvador Perez, always jovial, carried a little more edge this spring. You could see the captain in him, setting the tone for the season before a single game has been played.
I know I belong in that room because of my role as a broadcaster, but I also know it's their clubhouse. That perspective matters because this job, at its core, is about trust. I could lose that trust if I ever took it for granted, and I know that my rhythm only works if it doesn’t interfere with theirs. It’s a balance I’ve learned over time.
This season brings something new on the broadcast side as well.
After eighteen seasons on a regional sports network, we’re shifting to Royals TV. The truck, the crew, and the people who care deeply about getting it right are all the same. What’s different is the structure. When we first found out in early February, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t cautious. Eighteen seasons builds familiarity, and familiarity brings comfort. Change brings questions.
Within hours, though, that caution mixed with curiosity was replaced with real excitement. The partnership with the Royals feels stronger than ever, and the opportunity in front of us feels more connected than anything we’ve done before.
February is also Black History Month, and the Royals are again offering free admission to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. Every time I walk through those doors, I feel both heaviness and hope. The weight of segregation and discrimination is real, but so is the pride of a group of athletes who refused to wait for permission. I’m still inspired by the athletes who started their own league at a time when baseball didn’t want them. It’s a legacy that continues to grow, just like the museum that protects 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.
Local flavor
This month, Local Flavor stays right here in Kansas City.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum announced detailed plans for a $35 million expansion that will reconnect the museum to its historic roots inside the old Paseo YMCA, the very building where the Negro Leagues were formed in 1920. The museum has outgrown its current space, so this expansion will allow for more exhibits, more storytelling, and more room to honor the players who shaped the game and the culture around it.
It was a big day at the press conference. City leaders, members of Congress and community stakeholders all gathered in a building filled with history and possibility. The plans include expanded museum space and a hotel attached to the historic structure, a major investment in the future of the 18th and Vine district. That’s where so much of our city’s story began, and Museum President Bob Kendrick said it best when he talked about restoring the authentic cultural identity of Kansas City.
I’m proud to serve on the Museum’s Board of Directors, but more than that, I’m proud of what this institution represents. It has always been my top recommendation for anyone visiting Kansas City. If you haven’t been recently, go. If you’ve never been, make it a priority.
History lives there. And the future is being built there, too.
Dugout dialogue
Some interviews are about performance, but this one is about a person.
Terrance Gore was one of the most unique players I’ve ever covered. He spent eight seasons in the big leagues, earning three World Series rings with three different teams. He had sixteen career hits. Forty-three stolen bases. And one elite skill that changed games. But that’s not why he was beloved.
It was the way he treated people, from the superstars to the clubhouse staff and everyone in between.
His passing on February 6 was both shocking and heartbreaking. At just 34-year-old, its a reminder how fragile all of this really is.
One of the great privileges of my job is bringing fans closer to the players, beyond the box score. Sometimes that means celebrating big moments, others it means helping people remember who someone really was.
I put together a montage of interviews I’d done with Terrance over the years, not to relive stolen bases but to share his smile, his humility, and the personality that made him so easy to root for.
If you only knew him as a pinch runner, I hope this helps you know him as a person. Here’s that conversation.
speaking engagements
Stepping on stages continues to be a privilege.
This month, I had the thrill of emceeing the Kansas City Heart Ball for the first time. One of the city’s signature galas, it raised $860,000 for the American Heart Association. It was an incredible night, and I’ve already said yes to next year.
February also brought a speech at Grass Pad in Kansas City, followed by a keynote in Tucson for the Chief Executive Network. I’m always grateful for rooms that lean in, and these two delivered.
Looking ahead, I’m excited for all of the events coming up as well.
March 5 - Elevate Cannabis Keynote, Kansas City
March 24 - Gathering For Good to benefit the Opes Foundation, Kansas City
April 10 - Standard Beverage Keynote, Kansas City
April 24 - CFM Distributors Keynote, Kansas City
Availability is filling for 2026, including select days during the baseball season. If you have an upcoming event, it’s time we play ball.
My Game Changer Speaking Series focuses on universal topics like trust, culture, grit and resilience that apply to every team, whether baseball fans or not.
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
I was recently joined by a commanding leader who spent 35 years exemplifying the highest standards of excellence. Now, as he starts a new chapter of service, he continues pursuing the same mission…just in a different suit.
Retired Army Lieutenant General Milford “Beags” Beagle is a three star general, business consultant and author of When the Map Runs Out. Using battle-tested strategies that translate to boardroom success, he inspires organizations to navigate complexity with certainty, and chart a course for victory, even if the terrain has changed.
For an engaging discussion with valuable takeaways on leadership and purpose, this is the one. Listen now.
Lastly, thank you again to each of the incredible guests who shared their time and talent to round the bases with me this month:
Our schedule is already booked into early summer, 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
I’ve always believed that my job as a broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals is ultimately about telling stories. Over the course of the 162-game season, I connect a city to its team by sharing the human elements of our hometown baseball stars. It builds trust and keeps fans tuning in game after game, year after year.
The same principles apply every time I step onto a stage before keynoting on trust and culture. Credibility isn’t built overnight. But through consistency and showing people you understand their story, eventually it can be earned.
That’s why one recent conversation on Rounding the Bases meant so much to me. 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.
As one of cinemas most respected voices, Shawn has had a front-row seat to movie history in the making for more than a quarter of a century. He’s interviewed the worlds biggest stars, and now he’s bringing legacy to life with the Black Movie Hall of Fame.
His latest project is a celebration of cinematic trailblazers on and off the screen. But it’s also part of a bigger mission to keep their impact in the spotlight, long after the camera stops rolling.
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