Zak Ford

08/29/2026

I’m thankful I got to feature Mike Trombley’s story in the book. I posted a brief excerpt about a week ago.

A big congratulations to on his new book, Beyond The Last Inning: Life and Careers After Playing Professional Baseball.

I’m honored to be included and to share my story of life after baseball — from 14 years playing professional baseball to becoming a financial advisor and owner of Trombley Wealth Management. ⚾➡️ 📈

Thank you, Zak, for telling these stories and for including me. I’m proud to be part of this book and excited to see it out in the world!

-Mike

08/28/2026

If you’ve enjoyed “Beyond the Last Inning,” positive reviews and word of mouth go a long way. Whether it’s a longer review for a publication, a few sentences on a book or baseball website, or just simply clicking on five stars on Amazon, I’d greatly appreciate it.

08/28/2026

Following baseball, Jason Jimenez returned to his hometown and entered a career in law enforcement. He currently leads his police department’s media and community relations team. I'm pleased his story is featured in my new "Beyond the Last Inning: Life and Careers After Playing Professional Baseball" book.

Jimenez played eight seasons of affiliated baseball, including one season in the major leagues. His last year playing in affiliated baseball was 2004.

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“I’ve been blessed to have fulfilled my two lifelong dreams – to play in the major leagues and to serve my community as a police officer. At the same time, I’ve been fortunate to be a high school coach and have an impact on young kids’ lives. It’s been rewarding to find those wins in life outside of playing the game.”

08/27/2026

A few field and dugout shots from last week’s visit to Dodger Stadium on an away day.

08/27/2026

Tomorrow I’ll be shipping a large number of books. Send me a message if you want one.

08/26/2026

Following his playing career, Mark Acre entered real estate before eventually pursuing high level corporate sales jobs. At the time of his interview for the “Beyond the Last Inning” book, he was working and living in Arizona.

He played seven seasons of affiliated baseball, including four seasons in the major leagues. His last year playing in affiliated baseball was 1997.

An except from his “Beyond” story is below.

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"Before getting acclimated to the corporate world, I wanted to walk out and quit a hundred times. I was like, 'This isn’t for me. I can’t do it. I’m uncomfortable.' I could talk in front of people all the time. However, when I had to talk about IT training, Security+ training, implementation, and all that type of stuff, it was challenging, but I made it work.

Obviously, we all love baseball, but it’s important to do something outside of your comfort zone. You can’t be afraid to take risks. That’s what we did on the diamond every day. We took risks with pitches. We took risks with changing positions. You can’t always play it safe. People can’t be afraid of change. If you get fired, laid off, or something happens where you’re leaving a job, embrace it. You never know the reason it happened until it unveils itself later.

Baseball teaches the ability to adapt. I can adapt to any situation, any role on a team, or any account. I think we as baseball players and athletes have the ability to do that. You could be relieving one year and then starting the next. You could play a different position or hit in a different position in the lineup. You must adapt, have the team in mind, and want to win collectively."

08/25/2026

Available now! Order “Beyond the Last Inning” online today!

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For former professional ballplayers, career transitions aren't as simple as switching jobs. Imagine excelling at something since you were a child, having it become your job, and reaching great professional heights as a young adult - then, often within just a few years, having to accept everything you've worked toward is over, and likely not on your terms. What follows is not just the challenge of finding a new profession but of forging a new identity. Through 49 first-person stories of major and minor leaguers, this book gives readers a greater understanding of what ballplayers face when they hang up their spikes.

Beyond the Last Inning: Life and Careers After Playing Professional Baseball

08/25/2026

Obligatory first day of school photo for BOTH of us… Well, sort of…

My daughter is starting her sophomore year at the local community college, and I’m taking an online creative writing class through a different community college just for fun.

I graduated from college before the internet was widely used, and when online meetings were still primarily science fiction, so my “return” means I’m the weird old guy.

08/24/2026

I've posted the introduction for "Beyond the Last Inning" on my Substack. I hope the book gives fans a better understanding of what professional ballplayers face when they hang up their cleats, and helps other ballplayers going through the process.

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"Professional baseball players are human. While this statement is obvious, fans often don’t consider the human side of the players they watch perform. This disconnect frequently continues into the post-playing lives of players, as many fans have the misconception that players can retire after their playing days without the need to transition into other careers. This is far from true for most players."

Professional baseball players are human.