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This is a passage from my new book, Hurdle-isms ____ Hurdle-ism 15: There's No Guarantee You're Going to Get to Sip Lemonade by the Pool During the most trying days of our building phase in Colorado (see Hurdle-ism 14), I would periodically get asked about my thoughts on my job security. One day I shared with our staff – and possibly the media – that I had signed up to build the house and wasn't really thinking about anything past that. I said something like “There's no guarantee that I'm going to get to sip lemonade by the pool in the backyard.” What I meant was, I was going to stay focused on doing my job every day and not worry about whether I was here to reap any future rewards … like the builder who finally finishes the structural elements of their house but isn't necessarily the one living in the house, relaxing by the pool, barbecuing hamburgers, and sipping lemonade. In the sports world, I've always believed those who spend time worrying about money and their contracts should be worried, because these distractions keep them from doing their job to the best of their abilities. This strategy of daily focus would give us a chance to achieve our vision of championship baseball. We ended up blazing a trail that others could follow in any organization. At the time, I didn't know that part of the endgame for us was going to be an incredible finish to a National League Championship and a trip to the 2007 World Series. I applied this “lemonade by the pool” mentality in Pittsburgh, and it helped lead us to consecutive playoff appearances from 2013 to 2015 after having 20 consecutive losing seasons and 21 years without a playoff game. These are just some examples of how I would much rather put my energy into building a solid house with a strong foundation than be doing backflips off the pool deck and have it all come crumbling down.

2/11/25 Launch 🚀 Day for Hurdle⚾️isms. Arriving today at a bookstore near you. Tap the link in my bio to order. 🤔 “As I finish writing this book, I want to share a thought on perspective. Do you have any idea how many men in the history of Major League Baseball have been to the World Series as a player, coach and manager? Hmmm. Me neither. My guess is it’s a small number. You know what’s an even smaller number? The number of men who have gone to a World Series as a player, coach or manager and finished second! I can’t wait for my fourth trip. I’ve heard the fourth time is a charm!

1/10 ⚾️🎂🥳 My Dad turns 91 today. 🙏 62 years ago my dad looked at me and asked me a question that would establish the direction of my life immediately. He asked…”Son, you want to play catch?” We’ve been on that journey together playing catch ever since. 💎Life’s not fair. 💎Learn to do hard. 💎Your best ability is your dependability. 💎Behind every good man is a much better woman. All these nuggets of wisdom from my Dad. God loves me so much he gave me the Best Dad I could have and the Dad I needed.