Recently, I announced my 100th game since 2022. The team that I work for took time out to acknowledge my accomplishment (thank you). There was a PA announcement at the rink at the start of #99. There was a social media post following #100. Thank you.

Now, on the other hand, there are some who will downplay your accomplishments. I’m not saying this to be bitter or anything; I’m merely sharing my experiences as I reflect on my journey.

I once volunteered at a community radio station. I’d just published my Tom Candiotti biography called A Life of Knuckleballs. Someone at the station was asking me about it. I answered the question. Another person was in the room and overheard, and scoffed when I mentioned that the book could be purchased online. The fellow scoffed that books should be in bookstores and not online.

More recently, I was helping out at an after-school academy for high school kids. I had asked for a particular Wednesday night off because of a hockey broadcast. I mentioned this to the school a week ahead of time and reminded the admin again. Then that night came and I received phone calls wondering when I was going to show up for class. When I reminded the caller that I had booked time off, the answer was they’d forgotten my request and I needed to tell the students afterwards that “I was sick” and couldn’t do the class. Huh? I am proud of my hockey broadcasting work and yet I was instructed to say I was sick and couldn’t have class? The school wanted to save face and didn’t want to acknowledge that they screwed up by forgetting my time-off request. (To provide some context, students often cancel classes to play sports or do extracurricular activities, and these cancellations are often communicated on the same day. It’s clearly a double standard.)

Again, I’m not bitter and I’m stating this matter-of-factly. Some people just don’t want you to succeed. For those who acknowledge me, I say thank you.