One Minute of Trust

The Major League Baseball trade deadline passed earlier this week, ending days of rumors about who might be going where. For the Royals, one of the names we expected could be on the move was outfielder Lane Thomas.

But expecting a trade and watching one happen in real time are two very different things. KC was playing in Denver when, between innings, I noticed Royals manager Matt Quatraro walk toward the umpires holding his lineup card. Nobody had been hurt, and it seemed too early for a substitution. Then I saw outfield coach Damon Hollins waving toward center field and Thomas started jogging toward the dugout.

I knew immediately he had been traded. Lane knew it too, but at that point he had no idea where he was going. All he knew was that his time with the Royals had just ended.

Outfield Coach Damon Hollins says goodbye to Lane Thomas, beginning a procession of hugs in the dugout.

I grabbed my phone and started recording as teammates and coaches hugged him and shook his hand. Another outfielder took his place, Hollins eventually retrieved the positioning card from Lane's back pocket so it could be passed along, and the game continued. Lane's life had changed in an instant, but baseball hadn't stopped.

That video was viewed more than half a million times, and I think there's a reason why. Anyone could later read that Lane Thomas had been traded to the Atlanta Braves, but people wanted to see what it felt like. They were getting a glimpse inside a human moment that normally happens behind the scenes.

My producer soon sent me upstairs to see if Lane would give us an interview once the trade became official. That's unusual during a game. Players don't normally leave the field, get traded and then stop outside the clubhouse to talk with the television broadcast. As I hurried up a tunnel where I normally wouldn't be, Royals pitcher Noah Cameron saw me and smiled. "What are you doing here?" He knew exactly what I was doing there.

Lane had much more important things to figure out than talking to me. Where am I going? When do I leave? What does my family do? How do we suddenly move our lives while on the road? But he gave me one minute, and I kept it to one minute. Our network ended up with the only interview he gave before leaving.

I didn't build a relationship with Lane Thomas because someday I might need something from him after a trade. Trust doesn't work that way. It's built during all those ordinary interactions when you don't need anything.

Then, when everything suddenly starts moving fast, trust helps you understand where to be, how to show up, how much to ask for and when to get out of the way. 

That's small ball.

Are you building relationships only when you need something, or long before you do?