But…What if you Don’t Know?

From time to time, our American society selects a buzzword or catchphrase that seems to be everywhere.

Examples:

• Paradigm Shift
• Where's the Beef?
• It is what it is
• Keep on Truckin'

You can probably think of others.

These days, the "Keep on Truckin'" of the mid 2020s is "If You Know You Know." (Often abbreviated as IYKYK). Reading up on the nomenclature, it seems to mean an inside joke or something that is known only to a few people.

For example, during my high school and early college days, one of my friends never seemed to have any money. He'd giggle when we were pooling our money for, say, the purchase of a pizza to share, and quip "I've got a coupon!" 

Thus, if one of us saw a coupon, we'd thought of our friend. So, about coupons...if we knew, we knew.

It became a running gag.

Fast forward to April 2026 and I had a realization. Whenever I see a cheeky post that includes the signature, I almost never know the details. Thus, my question is: What if you don't know. (#WIYDK).

Knock knock. Who's There? An inside joke where none of us knows the punchline.

Now, here are some examples in which if you know, I might know...

1. A little cartoon dog laughing at someone's misfortune
2. A larger than life baseball player pointing beyond the outfield fence
3. A man opens a hidden door and slides down a long pole

Alas, do those examples date me? 

Back to the question at hand, it seems to be the notion of these catchphrases is that we like to get the inside joke. And it some of us aren't in the know, so much the better. Remember the cool kids table? You're not there.

I guess there's nothing wrong with this.

Meanwhile, every few years, there's a "Bazinga" or a "I love it when a plan comes together."

If you don't know the backstory, then there's work to be done.  Think of it as another challenge to be mastered.

On the other hand, if you know...well...you get the picture.

JG

Balls and Strikes

 
One of the touch points during the first week of the 2026 MLB season has been the new Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS).

Using the system, players can challenge a ball-strike call immediately after the pitch occurs. Decisions are rendered within a matter of seconds so it doesn't slow the game down. ESPN published a comprehensive overview of the system right before the season started.

There were two challenges during the A's-Braves game yesterday. The challenges were displayed on the big screen for fans. Both were resolved quickly and without incident.

A friend asked me my opinion of the system. On one hand, I can imagine it is tough for umpires to have their work critiqued and displayed for everyone to see. But, more importantly, I think it is important the game enforce the strike zone codified in its rules.

For years, we have heard about specific home plate umpires who have their interpretation of the rules. Some would call pitches strikes that were below the published zone. Others would give a couple inches off one or the other side of the plate. And on a bad day, their "interpretations" could be inconsistent.

This clears all that up.

During my days in youth baseball, I was occasionally pressed into service when one of our umpires couldn't make it to a game. I told everyone I wanted the kids swinging their bats, so I had a wide strike zone. 

Back on the bench as coach, I admired the work of the umpires who called games at Farragut Baseball, Inc. They weren't paid a lot of money. They did what they did because they loved the game. And they worked hard.

Imagine working a slate of Saturday games that might go from 9-5. Sun bearing down. No shade. No seat. It's hard work.

I'm sure as umpires work their way up through the system–from high school to college to minor leagues to the majors–the pay increases. But it is still a tough job. And most of the umpires want to do the right thing. 

Over time, they will adjust because of ABS as will players and team officials. And in the meantime, it gives fans another element to discuss as the game's popularity continues to grow.

From my seat, it's all good.

jg

Day Baseball

There's nothing quite like day baseball.

Doubleday's game: Played under a bright blue sky and lit by the sun. This is the game as it was for many years until the advent of night games. The first of those was played in Cincinnati on May 24, 1935. 

Now, games under the lights are commonplace. So, when you see a mid-week, mid-day game on the schedule—and your new flexible schedule allows for such activities—sometimes, ya just gotta go for it.

And what a nice day it was in Atlanta at Truist Park as the Braves wrapped up their first home stand of the young 2026 season with a 5-1 win over the Athletics. Those types of games happen when you couple timely hitting with having your ace starting pitcher on the mound.

What an unbeatable combination!

If you haven't been to the ballpark yet, there are lots of updates and bells and whistles this year at Truist. 

• Signs touting their new BravesVision package. 
• Yummy treats and new food offerings.
• New features on the large jumbo screen. 

It was also a nice family day as we enjoyed the game and our trip down and back to see it. What could be more wholesome than a Wednesday afternoon at the ballpark?

During my Coach Jeff days, I used to tell our players "There's no better way to spend a beautiful day than to do it at the ballpark.

And so it was on this day. 

JG

Hamming it up

Many of you "tuning in" have probably heard of amateur (ham) radio.  Perhaps you associate it with relaying messages during natural disasters or with scouting.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I will introduce you to the hobby. I'll tell you about my history and practice in amateur radio. Maybe we'll informally call it: Tubes Tuesday (or these days, more likely, our blog will be tubeless!). This will be part of the Coach Jeff structure I mentioned in yesterday's post.

Back to me and my history: I didn't get into the hobby through either of those avenues. My dad was a radio operator in the U.S. Army in the late 1950s. He learned morse code and sent messages using a traditional telegraph key. 

Fast-forward 17 years to the mid-1970s. He taught me how to copy and send morse code. I studied and passed my exam and was licensed in 1975.

I operated for a few years and, then, as I got older, I fell out of the hobby as life got more complicated. But, recently (during the COVID shutdown), I got back into the hobby.

But don't take it from Coach Jeff. Here's what K4KYN says in his/my official bio on the QRZ.com website:

Bio Text:
My story is an interesting one, I think. Or at least a little unusual. 

I was licensed as a ham radio operator (novice) at age 12 in the 1970s under the tutelage of my dad, who was our family's original K4KYN.

I operated a station at my parents' house with my original call sign WA4ZJW through my high school years. I only wish someone had taken a picture of me operating the rig as a teenager!

Anyway, I grew up, went off to college, got married, got a job, had kids and, as life progressed, I drifted further and further away from the world of ham radio. But, I always renewed my license when the time was right.

Over the years, my childhood best friend, also a licensed operator, encouraged me to get back involved in radio. Finally, in late 2020. I learned about local Volunteer Examination sites and signed up for a session. I studied and passed the Technician exam one month, General the next and, finally, my Amateur Extra in January of 2021.

About the same time, I noticed that my father had let his license expire. When his old callsign was about to be available, I applied for a vanity license and it was granted. I was thrilled to carry on the legacy and tradition of K4KYN while making new contacts and exploring the modern world of amateur radio.

In some ways, as I've told my friend, I am the personification of Rip van Winkle. While I was away from the world of ham radio for more than 30 years, there have been so many advances. We didn't have a computer in the original ham shack - just a very large, tube-powered Heathkit transmitter (an Apache TX-1) and an accompanying Hammerlund HQ 170A receiver.

I still have the Hammerlund. It sits off to the side of my tiny, sleek, modern ICOM IC 7300 in the new ham shack.

My 27-foot multi-band, ground-mounted vertical helps connect me to the world. Since I've been back on the air, I've been enjoying quick DX contacts and longer domestic ragchews.

Most importantly, I'm having fun. Will always QSL via mail if you reach out and by LoTW otherwise.

73 Jeff K4KYN

jg

Housekeeping

I have to admit that part of getting back into my writing routine is brushing off some of the rust. But at the same time, it's kinda fun.

And a significant part of that effort is determining some sort of structure for the reimagined Coach Jeff's Blog (ca. 2026) and learning the features of this new platform.

During the last hour, for instance, I changed the look of the background, added the intro text AND added a profile photo. For purposes of illustrating today's entry, here it is:

If the modern blog is ca. 2026, I'm thinking the photo is ca. 2006. This is "Coach Jeff" about halfway through the coaching run. Paul might have a word with me about my photo selection.

I think, somewhere, he still has the red bat, however!

I am still struggling with a couple basics. How do I add the "About Me" text, for instance? That effort took me through about a 15 minute loop of bouncing from page to page and then back where I started.

No worries. I'll get it...eventually.

For purposes of housekeeping, I've decided to structure the reimagined Coach Jeff with the following framework:

Monday - Suburban Life 
Tuesday - Ham Radio
Wednesday - Baseball (and other sports)
Thursday - Jeff's Choice

If there is some late breaking news or an overriding topic, I might deviate from the outline. But, for purposes of basic organization, I think this will do. 

I still need to learn more about what's behind the curtain. That will inform how I tweak the look and feel and what features I might be able to add. That may take a couple weeks until I fully settle in.

And if you, as the reader, have any requests (or feedback), let me know. We're all in this together, ya know!

jg

Opening Day 2026

As I mentioned yesterday in the re-boot post, Thursday was MLB's Opening Day. What a glorious thought!

And for me, personally, it was time to renew a time-honored practice of mine that goes back to 1990. I was home to watch all the action. This year, one of my two gray tabby cats, Scottie, was on-hand to enjoy the festivities with me.

More on my Opening Day tradition in a moment.

No matter who your team is, I hope you won on Opening Day. And, well, if you didn't, the beauty of baseball is there is always another game tomorrow!

For those of us in Braves Country, we will experience Opening Day later than most. The Braves open the 2026 season at home, tonight, vs. Kansas City. The hopes and dreams of a new slate of 162 games begin, again, at approximately 7:15 p.m. EDT.

When I exchanged my post-season projections with a friend of mine (another annual tradition), I placed the Braves just outside of post-season contention. The combination of injuries to starting pitchers and the inability to sign any free agent reinforcements leaves the ball club a little thin in this category. It's hard for me to see how they would overcome some of the top teams in the league, let alone their own division rivals.

But, as I say every year, everyone is undefeated on Opening Day. You just never know.

Back to my Opening Day tradition...

It all started back when I was a junior public relations manager early in my career. A very eager colleague from one of the local television stations--who happened to be home from work that day--offered to call me every hour (on the hour) with game updates. I told him that I had set the game to record and was planning to watch it "as live" that evening, so “thanks but no thanks." 

This guy wasn't one who'd take “no"  for an answer. So, sure enough, one hour into the game, he called with a game update. I told him again, much more forcefully, that I wasn't interested in receiving his updates. But, he went on, undeterred. 

I stopped answering my desk phone as I saw his frequent calls coming in throughout the afternoon. But, of course, the voicemails played spoiler and my Opening Day plans were dashed.

Thus, a new tradition was born. 

And every year since then, I have taken Opening Day as a day off. It is one of my favorite holidays of the year.

And to mark this occasion, I am reminded of the quote from former baseball commissioner, the late A. Bartlett Giamatti. If you are a baseball fan, like me, you probably know it by heart. But, if not, it really sums up the game. And in either case, it's the perfect way to close my post for today, Braves Opening Day.

“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops." 

― A. Bartlett Giamatti

 

The Coach Jeff Re-boot

When we last visited Coach Jeff, he (I) was officially "hanging up his (my) spikes." It was the end of 2018 and after seven years of writing and more than 1,700 posts, Coach Jeff's Blog went dark. 

With a newish job and many responsibilities as a PR Division Director in the late 20-teens, it seemed an appropriate time to "let it go."

Indeed, hanging up the spikes.

Fast forward to 2026:

• I recently retired from my job and my communications career of 40 years.

• I am settling into a new routine of volunteerism, exercise and catching up on household projects (although I am still open to any other possibilities that might come along).

• Since the last edition of Coach Jeff, I have re-discovered my childhood/teenage hobby of ham radio.

Anyway, with today being MLB's "Opening Day," it's always a time for renewal. So why not re-new the blog? After all, I started this crazy journey as a journalist/writer all those years ago.

I would think there could be plenty of topics to cover in this re-boot. And, after all, aren't re-boots the in thing ti di? Star Trek and Star Wars re-boot all the time. There was a "Full House" re-boot a couple years back and the Scrubs guys are all over the airwaves with tv spots and an updated storyline.

If there could be a 2026 version of J.D. and Turk and their colleagues at Sacred Heart Hospital, why not an up-to-date "Coach Jeff?" as well?

True, I haven't coached youth baseball in a while. And, I am no longer serving as dad to a couple suburban teenagers (the ones are fully grown now). But I think there will be plenty of potential content up for grabs -  baseball, radio, volunteerism, and just modern living!

Will I go for another 1,700? Who knows. But, it will certainly be fun giving it a try. What a better day to start anew?

Today is MLB's Opening Day - a day when all 30 MLB teams have hope for the new season. So, cheers to you, Opening Day. And also to Opening Day for the Coach Jeff Re-boot.

JG