Retirement

Since my retirement became official at the end of February, I've been spending time with a number of friends and former colleagues -- checking in and catching up.

To a person, each one has asked me a variation of the same question "How's retirement going/How do I like retirement?"

So, I answer in kind and report back on the "state of the retiree" and the state of the retiree is good!

Honestly, I had been thinking of pulling the ripcord on my golden parachute for a while. And in preparation. I read a number of articles giving tips or advice. I say 100 percent of what I read said

• Have a Plan
• Remain Active
• Keep Connected

So, I've been putting in to practice what I've read.

The follow-up question is almost always, "So what do you do with your time?" My friend Ed asked me that during a recent email exchange and I gave him a fairly solid outline of what I do.

I start most days in meditation/prayer/quiet time. And then I check the news, email and the progress of my fantasy baseball team. And often I check ARRL's Logbook of the World, as I mentioned last Tuesday. 
Then. I launch into the agenda for the day.

Being active? I listed four major household projects I wanted to accomplish out of the chute. And so far, I've knocked out three of the four. Also, I have been walking each day (more about that in a future post). And I've been doing some volunteerism.

In terms of staying connected, I've had an informal goal to see a friend or former colleague each week.  Last week, I had lunch with a former colleague from my youth baseball coaching years. Later this week, I'll meet up with a guy I used to work with.

Staying connected.

Oh, and I do often spend a little time on the radio. For a while now, I've made it a goal to make at least one radio contact each day.

So, indeed, the state of this retiree is good.

One last question I've been asked is if I plan to return to the world of work. I wouldn't rule it out. But I am also not actively interviewing or seeking employment at the moment. A PR colleague who is a bit older (and wiser) than me advised me to "take a beat." In other words, don't rush into anything.

Good advice.  

What will I do now? Review my text, add a few links, click the publish button. 

And then, I'll head out for my morning walk.

JG

Questions, Comments and Feedback

It's been three weeks since I launched the re-boot of Coach Jeff's Blog - the 2026 edition.

This will be my tenth post since the re-boot, so I thought it was the perfect time to pause and ask for any questions, comments or feedback.

What's working? What's not working? What do you like? What do you not like? What topics would you like me to cover?

Coach is looking for some chatter from the fans.

Each day when I post, I "amplify via social." So, you can leave me feedback thru Facebook, Instagram or X. Or, also, you have the option to make comments here on the blog.

Any and all feedback welcome.

To recap from a couple weeks back, I've structured the re-boot with the following framework:

• Monday - Suburban life
• Tuesday - Ham Radio
• Wednesday - Baseball
• Thursday - Blogger's Choice (could be a topic from the main pillars or something completely different)

So far, I've covered a baseball brawl and ham radio QSLing. I've talked about slang and buzzwords and the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. In other words, we've just scratched the surface.

Chat me up. Let me know what you think.

And, on we go!

JG

Fisticuffs

There was a bench clearing brawl in the fifth inning of last night's Braves 7-2 win over the Angels. 

The game started just before 10 EDT. Because the game was played on the west coast, many of us in the east may have missed the excitement. 

The incident occurred after Braves pitcher Reynaldo Lopez fired a pitch high and tight to Angels' DH Jorge Soler. Soler, a former Brave, took exception to the pitch. Words were exchanged and, eventually. Soler charged the mound. Early in the game, he his a two run homer and, during his next at bat, was it by a pitch.

Seems like he was saying "Enough!"

Players and coaches from both teams acted quickly to separate the principals. After tempers cooled and the umpires sorted out the details, both players were ejected from the game and both teams warned.

Interestingly, there have been a lot of connections between the two teams over the years with a number of trades and free agent signings. So, it's not like there is a lot of animosity. Soler, himself, was a hero of the Braves 2021 World Series winning team and Lopez formerly played for the Angels.

Generally, the Braves are thought to be a calm, business-like team. It's not like there is usually much drama associated with the ballclub.

I'm not sure what is about a good donnybrook that gets our attention. Maybe it harkens to old school baseball. Or perhaps it is because baseball generally moves at such a slow pace. Possibly it is the cerebral nature of the game.

In any case, there isn't the physical component, in, say, football or hockey. 

I was thinking back to the #CoachJeff days and I don't remember any fisticuffs or even a hint of that. There was often some good-natured jawwing back and forth.

Paul, who was larger in stature than many of his compadres, would often shoot a faux menacing look in from the pitching mound or back out from home plate when he was hitting - but it was all for show. Once, however, he took exception at a pitch that buzzed the tower and he was told by the umpire to knock it off. 

But, again, nothing serious came out of it. Youth coach sports tended to really emphasis sportsmanship in our era. 

And I think it generally true, at the highest levels of the game, we see much less of this kind of thing that we might have seen 50 years ago.

I think that is one reason why an incident like last night grabs our attention. In the old "news values" discussion, it's a novelty.

JG

#10K

Recently, a number of amateur (ham) radio operators traveled to Canadian territory—Sable Island—and set up shop for a couple weeks. Their goal was to open up this rare entity for the rest of us hams around the world.

In the ham world, these sorts of well-funded, hyper-organized efforts are called DXpeditions and are quite popular. With the east coast of Canada being just a short-hop, radio-wise, I was fortunate to make contact with this station a few times.

The other day, the electronic confirmation of my contacts showed up. I was elated, of course, because this sort of documentation makes it official. I send the contact details up to the cloud; they also send the details, the system makes a match and the contact (or QSO) is confirmed for both parties. 

Pretty cool, eh?

The most popular system for doing this, and the one I use, is called "Logbook of the World" (LoTW). LoTW is a product of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).

Last week, I told you that I got back on the air in 2021 after a long break. Over the course of nearly five years, I have uploaded the details of nearly 17,000 QSOs to LoTW. And just this week, I received my 10,00th confirmation (or QSL). #10K!

In the old days, a QSL was achieved by the exchange of two post cards. In the mid 70s. you can imagine teenage Jeffie and his excitement when a new card showed up in the day's mail. I still have all the cards I collected back then as well as the ones sent to my dad.

These days, there seems to be mixed opinions about sending the card. Some hams—myself included—still enjoy sending and receiving cards. In fact, I just dropped a card in the mail to a station in MS. I talked to the person (or "worked" them, in ham radio lingo) over the weekend.

Other folks cite a number of reasons for NOT engaging in the practice, ranging from postage costs to just not wanting to bother. Some operators say they already have boxes and boxes of cards and don't need more. 

No judgement either way. I still like to tap into my 13-year-old psyche and enjoy the thrill of adding a new card to my collection.

None of this to say that I don't equally enjoy a new LoTW e-confirmation.  I just got one last night, for instance, from Utah. That's pretty cool, too.

Over five years, that is 10,000x of "pretty cool." It's just one aspect of many that I love about this hobby. And over the course of the weeks and months ahead, I'll enjoy telling you about many of them - to my ham and non-ham friends alike!

JG

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