A day to give thanks

A Thanksgiving Day appreciation of true friends

The Marlins used to have an athletic trainer who, at the end of every season, would tell us, “Now we get to pick our friends.”

His point was, when you’re at the ballpark every day from February into October, you spend more time with the people you work with than any of your “real-world” friends or even your family.

Your professional colleagues become your default friends because they’re the people with whom you endure the ups and downs of the long season. They’re your seat mates on late-night flights across the country, your dinner companions on the occasional off night on the road and your closest confidants since they’re uniquely qualified to appreciate some of the day-to-day professional challenges you may face as well as the difficulties that go along with having an all-consuming job that takes you away from your family.

Hence, when the season ends and everyone in your baseball family goes his or her own separate way til the spring, you finally get to pick your friends.

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Spending this past season out of baseball for the first time in more than 3 decades, I truly have had the opportunity to pick my friends. And in many cases, those friends picked me.

Outside of my immediate family, those true friends—the people who have remained an integral part of my life over the last year—are what I’m most thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day.

When I departed the Marlins just over a year ago, a trusted friend who herself had recently left a job she’d held for decades told me the only thing that was going to surprise me more than some of the people I’d never hear from again would be some people I wouldn’t expect who would go out of their way to remain a part of my life.

She couldn’t have been more right. And that has been hugely gratifying.

While some people vanished when I was no longer around every day, no longer there to help with information or perspective, professional advice or mentorship, others never skipped a beat. Some I even hear from more often now than before.

My true friends, and frankly some people with whom I may not have realized how much I had connected over the years, have been remarkable over the last 12 months.

They’ve checked in regularly with phone calls and text messages, to make sure I’m doing OK. We’ve met for lunches. They’ve called with job leads and suggestions. But more than anything, they’ve gone out of their way to let me know they’re thinking about me.

And that has meant more than they can imagine.

I’m not going to start listing people by name. They know who they are, and many of them will hear from me directly at some point later today.

But they’re broadcasters from across the majors and the world of sports. They’re current and former executives from all over the league. They’re players, managers and coaches, past and present. They’re members of the media. Former interns and broadcast engineers with whom I’ve worked. They’re Marlins season ticket holders and even fans of other clubs with whom I’ve crossed paths over the years.

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While this is a bit more self-indulgent than what I typically write in this space, today is Thanksgiving, and it seemed like the perfect day to offer my personal thanks.

And while we’re handing out bouquets, I also want to say thank you to anyone reading this piece and to everyone who has supported this endeavor, which I began in March. I had no idea where this Substack might go when a couple of people encouraged me to start writing just before Opening Day. But it’s been a fun ride so far, and it’s only possible through the generosity of those of you who have subscribed over the last year.

To all of you, I offer my sincere gratitude and wish you and your families the happiest of Thanksgivings.

And to the men and women who inspired this post, there are no words for what your friendship and support have meant. I’m keenly aware of how fortunate I am to have each of you in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

—GG

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