Out of the Park: Reinvention
Major League Baseball players work relentlessly to perfect their technique at the plate or on the mound. But even with all of the focus that is put on consistently capturing a perfect swing or pitch delivery, they are also masters of reinvention.
No other professional sport changes its players' positions the way they do in baseball. Often it’s in response to circumstances such as an injured teammate who left a void that needs to be filled. Whatever the reason, the most successful players welcome these opportunities to refine - if not broaden - their repertoire of skills.
Take Salvador Perez, for example. Over the course of his 13 seasons with the Kansas City Royals, he has become best known for playing catcher (followed in close second by dumping buckets of Gatorade). But now, at 34 years old, he is playing arguably some of his best baseball to date…and not necessarily from behind the plate.
Seeing his remarkable ability at first base has been a reminder that it’s never too late for reinvention, even though he is a player who has put in the work at a greater level than most over the years. The difference is that now he has the benefit of experience. Gone are his days spending energy on wasted swings or drills. Instead, he practices with efficiency, allowing him to perform where it’s needed most: on the field.
We visited Los Angeles in May. While there, I had a chance to spend some time with Angels Manager Ron Washington. As I watched him during batting practice, I noticed how he individually worked with every one of his infielders. They practiced drills specifically designed to strengthen fundamentals…drills he created back in 1990.
These days, they’re used by every team in the League, a fact “Wash” makes sure I always remember. While skills practice may have remained constant, one area of my life that has undergone a major reinvention in recent weeks is a new and improved Joel Goldberg Media.
Thanks to my amazing team, Hello Big Idea and photographer Adri Guyer, we have a fresh brand and website that I could not be happier with. In addition to the new look, you can now find my speaking resources, behind the scenes photos and my newest blog and podcast releases. I hope you’ll check it out at www.joelgoldbergmedia.com.
As we swing into summer, I invite you to welcome a season of reinvention into your own life, inside and Out of the Park.
Stadium standout
Rogers Centre in Toronto is a venue I’ve written about before, but following its spectacular renovations that have been completed in the last two years, I feel a new assessment is justified.
This stadium, formerly known as Sky Dome, truly caught the world’s attention upon opening in 1989. In the years since, other stadiums were torn down or upgraded, but it remained untouched.
As the seventh oldest in MLB, only Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field in Chicago, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Angel Stadium in Anaheim, the Coliseum (or whatever they call the dilapidated mess that is in Oakland) and the Royals Kauffman Stadium have seen more games than Toronto’s stadium.
Put differently, it could stand some improvements.
In recent years, the most enjoyable parts about trips to Toronto were thanks to the city, not the stadium. But the new Rogers Centre makes it an all around worthwhile stop.
In 2023, I wrote about the first phase of renovations which included new bars and social spaces. This year, the project has expanded to also include nicer seating on the lower level that bring fans closer to the action, new-look dugouts, a significantly improved visiting clubhouse and new turf, to name a few.
I have always said that I prefer open air venues, but despite the roof being closed in all three of the games we played, the recent improvements still made for a great experience, and one that I definitely recommend checking out.
Local flavor
If I could have my choice of one person to be my local flavor guide, it would easily be Phil Rosenthal.
He is best known as the creator, writer and executive producer of the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. More recently, he has reinvented his career as host of the Netflix food and travel show Somebody Feed Phil. It’s a favorite of my wife and mine, and I was lucky enough to bump into him in Toronto this month in the lobby of the team hotel.
It was a joy to talk briefly, which is how I learned he was in town for an event. I assume he gets asked for suggestions of places to visit hundreds of times a day, so I refrained from asking him myself. But I’d be willing to bet he’s been to St. Lawrence Market.
I’ve written about the Cleveland, Philadelphia and Seattle markets in past issues of this newsletter, but the one in Toronto may be my favorite.
Featuring multiple levels and more than one hundred vendors, this historic site truly has something for everyone. It opened in the 19th century and after multiple reinventions through decades, now offers pastries, meat, fruit, vegetables, restaurants, gifts and more.
Some businesses are new, while others have been passed down for generations in the same spot. I love its rich history, and is one of the reasons it’s always a must-visit for me when the Royals are playing the Blue Jays.
I would, however, be remiss if I failed to give an honorary mention to a Minneapolis specialty. On Memorial Day, my former college roommate (and proud Minnesotan) Jack Fiterman and I visited The Nook in St. Paul. He always takes me to the best places in the Twin Cities, and this was no exception.
We ordered the regional favorite Juicy Lucy, a burger that puts the cheese on the inside of the patty instead of on top. It was obviously delicious, and deserves bonus points for being right across the street from Cretin-Durham Hall, alma mater of Twins legends Paul Molitor and Joe Mauer.
Dugout dialogue
I have been interviewing Kansas City Royals players in postgame interviews for nearly 20 years. Putting together a list of favorites would be a challenge to say the least, but I know without a doubt that May 18th will forever live among the best.
All of the stars from the 2014 American League Pennant winning Royals team were in town for a 10-year reunion and it was a trip down memory lane. Seeing the players, many now with their own kids in tow, made it even more special.
The one remaining link between the Royals that were and the Royals that are is Salvador Perez. He was there for the wins, stuck it out through the losses, and now - a decade later - is the veteran player leading the team’s turnaround.
I always love interviewing him, but there was something different about this night. Between a surprise appearance from retired manager Ned Yost, the electric crowd and a big splash to top it off, that was one I’ll never forget.
My sit down with Chief of Staff KC’s Casey Wright had little to do with the 2014 Pennant team, but much about reinvention. Check out our discussion below.
rounding the bases rewind
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I’m proud of the attention it received this year.
Royals fans may have noticed players wearing green ribbons, which my broadcast partners and I discussed on the air. To further raise awareness, my podcast Rounding the Bases featured guests all month who could discuss mental health from different perspectives. It also included one man’s story of reinventing his neighborhood to something cleaner, safer and better than it has ever been, which I would argue is critical to the mental health of an entire community.
Every single episode this month had lessons that apply across the board, but guest Anne Fraser’s is a standout. Be sure to check out her remarkable story that took her from early onset dementia to reversing the symptoms completely. You can listen here.
Of course, thanks again to each and every one of the incredible guests who joined me on the show this month:
Our schedule is already being booked into 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
Every week on my podcast Rounding the Bases I get the opportunity to interview business leaders, athletes and everyone in between. No two experiences are alike, but each conversation tells a significant story and provides an enlightening lesson.
My blog Keeping the Score rounds the bases with a single, double, triple and home run from one recent guest on the podcast. This month, it featured my interview with a man named Chris Harris who may have one of the best stories I’ve heard in years.
Chris is the Founder and Executive Director of Harris Park. It’s a thriving oasis on Kansas City’s urban landscape that now stands where his childhood was lived. By seeing potential where others could not, he led an epic transformation thirty years in the making…improving not just the neighborhood, but generations of lives.
His is a truly inspiring story of struggle, change and the reinvention that makes them all worthwhile. Be sure to check it out.
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