Men’s Journal’s Everyday Warrior Podcast With Mike Sarraille is a podcast that inspires individuals to live more fulfilling lives by having conversations with disrupters and high performers from all walks of life. In episode 56, we spoke to former Major League Baseball player Adam LaRoche.
LaRoche's unwavering determination and commitment inspire listeners to pursue their passions and impact the world. This episode of the Everyday Warrior Podcast is for anyone looking to gain insight into overcoming adversity and achieving greatness.
Listen to the full episode above (scroll down for the transcript) and see more from this series below.
This interview has not been edited for length or clarity.
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Michael Sarraille 00:00
Hey guys welcome to the Men's Journal Everyday Warrior Podcast I'm your host, Mike Sarraille. I've got Adam LaRoche the pride and joy of Kansas.
Adam LaRoche 00:22
heard it before but there's not a lot of people in Kansas either a huge compliment or a small one, but I'll take it.
Michael Sarraille 00:31
no factor. So Kansas City Chief's?
Adam LaRoche 00:37
absolutely and yes I was a fan before the last three or four years now this is not recent the former is the chief standard
Michael Sarraille 00:49
so we talked about born in California does the angel server in Orange County
Adam LaRoche 00:57
that is out there and 79 born there and again I say born there I was gonna live there about six months yeah, we were back to Kansas
Michael Sarraille 01:05
Where was your Dad from?
Adam LaRoche 01:08
He was from out there. smart man was my mom's decision to lay down our foundation and it was Kansas so Kansas is not bad thankful for that. No no not at all. Man you know it was cool about it is my past which my past career was baseball to be in the biggest cities in the country all year and then to get to go just hibernate back at our ranch in Kansas in the middle of nowhere. So yeah, something about getting back on the gravel roads out there on some property was was like the recharge I needed every offseason to get ready to go into to another season.
Michael Sarraille 01:49
You like city life? I've never been a big city guy and Austin's you see he's not like a big city. It's,
Adam LaRoche 01:55
it's it's hard for me. Yeah, you know, I would do the New York's and LA's and some of those were really tough. Fortunately, we were there for like three or four days at a time. So we'd come into town, we'd have a three or four game series. And just when you're ready to go drive off a bridge. We were out of town and on to the next place. So fortunately, I got to play in some some really cool places and even big cities that I played in like, like DC, I would stay outside of the city enough, you know? Yeah. 30 miles out in Virginia. And we stayed in Virginia. Yeah, in that instance. So it was great. So you kind of you kind of forget that you're live, you know, right next to a big city.
Michael Sarraille 02:34
So, Fort Scott, right. That's where you're born. How big will be populations as they're
Adam LaRoche 02:41
small, small. Set. 7000. Maybe?
Michael Sarraille 02:44
Yes. Small. 75. Guys have some land.
Adam LaRoche 02:48
Here. We got a little bit. Yeah, yeah, it was actually my wife's land. And funny story. And I'm gonna give you the short version. But we started dating when I was a sophomore in high school. And her grandpa owns some of the best deer hunting ground in our county. But nobody was allowed to hunt on it. So that's exactly what I started looking at started looking into that like, Okay, what do I have to do to be able to hunt on this prime ground in Bourbon County. And then I and then I heard they had a daughter in high school. That happened to be smokin hot. I said, Man, if I'm dating her, I get access to this property. And that was back in 1996. And we've been married ever since a couple kids
Michael Sarraille 03:34
died. Did she end up hunting on the land? Absolutely. Yeah. Right. Yeah, absolutely. I
Adam LaRoche 03:39
did. Yeah. So worked out all the way around. I don't know if she would say the same. But for me, it worked out all the way around.
Michael Sarraille 03:47
Yeah. So you and your wife had been together for close to 20 years now. 2525 26 years
Adam LaRoche 03:56
or something now? Yeah. We started dating when I was a sophomore in high school.
Michael Sarraille 04:02
And yeah, what was your sophomore? year senior? The senior just went up.
Adam LaRoche 04:06
I did. You went up last year did. Good on you. What do you that's the time ago. That is? That is commitment? For sure. Yeah. Yeah. She's a sweetheart. And your freaking grandfather at the age of 40. Yes, you gotta be recently got a seven month old grandbaby with a 21 year old son who's married and playing junior college ball. No kidding. And she's in nursing school and they're navigating raising the kids. Yeah. Yeah.
Michael Sarraille 04:38
Yeah. Goodness. So, you know, from what I've read, you had a very faith based, Christian based upbringing. Folks were
Adam LaRoche 04:48
Yeah, I did man, my parents and back then, you know, that's when you the only reason you went to church is because your parents made you go to church. Yes. And made you go to the Wednesday night Bible Study and all the annoying stuff. And man, the older I got and got more and more actually, when I got into pro ball I kind of looked back and wondered why we did all that and just started digging into it a little more and, and had some pretty neat life experiences from there moving forward. So now, you know since then I'm all in. And although I wasn't a big fan growing up, I'm glad my parents made that a priority for my brothers and I
Michael Sarraille 05:30
don't think any kid ever says they love going to church. I haven't found one yet. Yeah, I grew up Catholic and we were at the 930 every Sunday,
Adam LaRoche 05:39
put your smile on dress up and try not to get smacked by your mom. Yeah, the service not fun been there.
Michael Sarraille 05:45
I don't know about you. But like, you know, the Roman Catholic priests. I've never heard a sermon that's like delivered. That's been interesting. As you start talking about scripture, and they don't, they never brought it back to relevancy for those living really sorry, they just always it always fell deaf on me, but I did go to a Jesuit High School. Yeah, and those guys had a different way. I mean, they're all scholars, priest, but I did enjoy that education. So your brother is younger or older?
Adam LaRoche 06:18
Both? Yeah. So I'm the middle. You're the middle of this. Yep. So I got an older brother,
Michael Sarraille 06:23
which is Andy. Jeff. Jeff. Yep. Yep.
Adam LaRoche 06:27
Jeff's my little brother. And he played some pro ball he played he never made it the big leagues. We played with the Marlins and Rockies for a little while. And then my little brother played in the major leagues for six, seven years, seven, eight years, something like that. And we got to play together in Pittsburgh. So no kidding was terrible team. I don't even know what a wreck we were awful. But we had a blast. And man, I got to play first base and look across the infield every night with my brother playing third base. And yeah, it was. It was a special summer.
Michael Sarraille 06:59
So your folks were just in heaven.
Adam LaRoche 07:01
It was cool. Man my dad played and I always say I say like kind of half assed joking that we were too stupid to play anything else, or to do anything else. So it's kind of like baseball or nothing. And, and fortunately, it worked out. And that's just that's really been our life. For as far back as I can remember, because my dad wasn't playing he was coaching Pro Bowl. So the whole world was two houses every year, multiple schools, I don't know how many schools we were in, but kind of wherever dad was coaching that we'd move there and move back to Kansas in the offseason. So when I, when I signed and started my career, it really just kind of stayed the course of the way I'd grown up. As far as schedule, baseball wasn't like, pushed on guys, it was just it was a passion for the family. It wasn't and that's one thing. I mean, there's a ton of reasons why I love my dad, but one of them was he never pushed it on us. I remember when I was like 17 or 18 him coming to me and say, Hey, if you want to give a if you want to give this a go, if you really want to do this, let me know. And then we'll do what I think you need to do to be prepared for it. And obviously, I said, Yeah, you know, let's rock and roll. But up until then now they were he was great on go play football, go play basketball, go play this sports as you can continue to fish and hunt and just never really pushed baseball. So it's interesting guys that play at the highest level, in my experience, understand that a lot more than coaches or parents that have never been there that that think that is the mentality of guys that played at the highest level. You know what I mean? So, so a little bit crossed up, but um, I'm glad my dad beat it the way it did.
Michael Sarraille 08:43
That's, you know, when you look at the I'll use the word dynasties, the certain families that just continue to play pro. I mean, do you feel you guys had an innate ability? Or was it that you just drove home the fundamentals, and it was just practice, practice practice all the time?
Adam LaRoche 09:02
Well, I I think it's a little bit of everything. Obviously, there has to be some God given talent there. And there's a work ethic there that goes along with with making it but there's also a little bit of the and that's where I'm proud to have ADD because I have a very short term memory. And man baseball is is absolutely a game of failure, especially if you're a hitter. So most of my career was me sucking like me failing. And if you let that get to you, which I did, you know, there was times were where it absolutely sink in. But if you really let that get to you, it's gonna affect you know, I played with a lot of guys that were way, way better and I mean, this way better than me talent wise, but could not get up out of their own way mentally, to just go play, you know? So go I had that I had a short term memory and could go over for with four strikeouts. And forget about the next night when I gotta go back out there and, you know, face a major league pitcher. So
Michael Sarraille 10:11
you that is unique to baseball, slumps and other sports, but there's something about baseball where they flick, if somebody's just having a bad streak, they really, really hone in on that and the numbers in the NFL or the NBA is as prevalent as, as you guys. Yeah.
Adam LaRoche 10:31
Yeah, I don't know why that is. But But I do remember vividly the difference in getting in the box, feeling good and feeling confident versus getting in the batter's box knowing
Michael Sarraille 10:40
that you've had,
Adam LaRoche 10:43
yeah, I have absolutely no chance here. And I had 1000s of those mats and you just try to put the face on like You're like you're confident, and you feel like something good is gonna happen. But deep down, you know, this is going to be bad. And it's just amazing how fast that can happen. So man between and I don't know if you golf at all, but between golf and baseball, I don't know what's mentally harder to be like really good at between those two, because you can get gummed up so fast.
Michael Sarraille 11:14
It's you know, it's refreshing to hear you say that, when people look at you guys at that level. And think that, you know, it's just all mindset and that you're going to knock it out. All the time. Yeah.
Adam LaRoche 11:27
My gosh. couldn't be further from the truth. Yeah.
Michael Sarraille 11:32
Yeah. So high school, and then you went to junior college?
Adam LaRoche 11:38
Yeah. Yeah. So I played a year in Fort Scott played for my dad, because he was coaching there at the time, because a few years of college ball, he kicked me off the team promptly after my 99 season. And then went down to Seminole, Oklahoma and, and played there then, in 2000, and then signed with Atlanta.
Michael Sarraille 11:58
And you went direct to the league?
Adam LaRoche 12:00
No, no, I played minor league ball
Michael Sarraille 12:02
for how long? Sir? About three years? Three years? Yeah. Yeah. So I played rookie ball Danville, Virginia. You know, you just kind of work your way up. Myrtle Beach. Greenville. Which ones you like the most? Myrtle?
Adam LaRoche 12:16
Yeah, yeah. Myrtle Beach is that's tough to be. That's like, that's like a small. It's like a major league city.
Michael Sarraille 12:23
Yeah. In a small compact. Yeah.
Adam LaRoche 12:26
Yes. It's pretty cool.
Michael Sarraille 12:27
Well, Myrtle Beach is known for nothing else than being a big party.
Adam LaRoche 12:32
You get a lot of trouble there. Yeah. Fortunately, I was married then. Which saved me from a lot of heartache.
Michael Sarraille 12:40
So she's following you.
Adam LaRoche 12:42
Yeah, she's Yeah, man back then we would make I think my paychecks in the minor leagues were. I think they were like $400 every two weeks. Now, we'd have poker night or something, you'd lose half of that quickly. So you're basically living off a couple 100 beats 100 bucks a week was our was our minor league soccer. See, I was living off my wife for the first few years, but I just kept telling him like, I'm telling you. I'm gonna get there one day. And we'll be able to switch roles and I'll actually be able to take care of you like a man should for you know, fortunately, it worked out.
Michael Sarraille 13:19
Did you put that to the test though? years two, three. She's like a things gonna change. Yeah,
Adam LaRoche 13:24
yeah. What are we what is this coming now? Yeah. Just be patient. We'll get there.
Michael Sarraille 13:29
Does she ever question whether you're heading down, or she supports you and your team your goal? You know,
Adam LaRoche 13:34
I don't know that she cared. Deep down either way. Um, she's awesome.
Michael Sarraille 13:40
So you guys are young. Of course, she wanted to she wanted
Adam LaRoche 13:43
me to play major league ball because it was my dream to play major league ball. You know what I mean? Not necessarily. So she could just be a stay at home mom and do her thing. So I mean, that like that was I think that was way down on her priority list. But yeah, we've been with her the whole time.
Michael Sarraille 14:03
That's a good woman right there.
Adam LaRoche 14:05
She's a great one.
Michael Sarraille 14:06
I tell you. So we were talking before we started here, about the league. And, you know, the military and how the the environments are very much the same. The team camaraderie, the the antics. I mean, 12 Well, 12 years, what was the average? pro player play in the league? I don't know. It's got to be something like probably three, four. Probably Probably. Yeah, I mean, 12 years is a long, long time.
Adam LaRoche 14:37
It's, uh, sometimes it felt like it. And other times, you know, other times, especially looking back it went really, really fast.
Michael Sarraille 14:45
As you know, how many years 2120
Adam LaRoche 14:49
So I'm sure there's times where that felt like two or three years and other times where it felt like a lifetime but man, it was good. And I got to play it. are really cool to actually I got out at a great time with the game changing the way it has. And, and I'm not embarrassed to say I don't know what a lot of those changes are now because I just don't really keep up with it. But I know there was enough going on. And enough coming down the pipeline when I was leaving, there were some pretty significant changes in the game. So man, I'm grateful I got to I got to work during the time period I did.
Michael Sarraille 15:26
Great. You know, I was, you know, maybe I was a little bitter at first when I retired, but I think very quickly, I'm like, You know what, my community evolved this way. I've moved this way. It was like, hey, thanks. Thanks for letting me play. Never show the two paths meet. But what do you miss most about it? What do you miss most about? Playing,
Adam LaRoche 15:51
I think, I think probably the same thing you guys do. And that's just the the community and the boys. Yeah, the guys. And specifically the times when things weren't going good. Or like, you get hung up in a city because of because of weather or flight issues, or long rain delays, or you know, just some of the situations where it's not the normal, that you come together as a team and just figure it out. And sometimes that's sitting there staring at each other for, you know, eight hours in the clubhouse waiting for the rain to stop or so some of those times were were, I would say I missed the most. And I think I could speak for everybody throughout the league that when they get out, hands down. That's what guys try to recreate in other areas, like like, what can I do? And so I hunt a lot. So you know what? To do like to put it in like a hunting camp terms of getting the guys back together? I mean, in any excuse to do that.
Michael Sarraille 16:52
Yeah, you can, you can try, you'll never be able to replicate that at all. But I mean, to get close, I understand it's, for me, it was like losing the largest support network I've ever had. It's like losing part of your DNA, especially 12 years in I mean, that's, that's you that's, that's your identity.
Adam LaRoche 17:15
If you're not careful when you're in it, and it's everything you are, and I think it's so much harder for you guys, because you can't really stick one foot in and one foot out, like right to be the best in the world
Michael Sarraille 17:28
at what you do.
Adam LaRoche 17:30
And to be called on to go to some pretty nasty places, and do what you do, like you're all in. But then when it's when you're out, and you become a former guy instead of a current guy, and you lose the jersey or you lose the uniform. You know, I would say the penalty for that in my world would be a crazy high divorce rate. Guys turn into alcohol. Yeah. You know, it's probably the extent of it. And then you guys obviously, it, the problem is the next level of ending it. And so yeah, I relate a lot of our careers to being similar. But I need to I say that respectfully, because there's also a lot that we will never understand or I've never experienced or like another level of brotherhood that you guys have that that can end really bad when guys lose the uniform. And only say that, so I'll skip ahead what I get to do now part of what we do through the foundation is we get to host combat veterans out to the Rams. So just over the years getting to know you guys get to have some really cool life conversations. With warriors I've got to learn you know, a lot of the similarities but also a lot of the pretty heavy struggles.
Michael Sarraille 18:51
There was a guy was a controversial during his career, but he was a lead player wrote an article about how when you leave the league, it's like dying, basically losing losing the support network. And I remember reading the article he was writing in a lot of ways, the similarities are there. You're part of a tribe, which not many people understand. You spend more time with those guys and you do your own family. Absolutely. And you have to show you there will never be a solution for stepping out of that environment where there's a love for your brother. You don't have to like all your brothers but get to love all your brothers. I know I didn't like all the seals I served with they didn't like me but we still got it done at the end of the day but that that environment man I would rather have it and lose it again. And notice like to never to have had it at all and that's what I want. I'm not looking down anyone I feel bad that some people never got to experience it. Yeah, at that such intense emotional level, dude.
Adam LaRoche 20:03
That's right. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, and you know, the other side of that is what I regret the most would be not spending more one on one time with the guys, specifically, the young guys coming up. And I did a better job later in my career. But, you know, part of, you know, we show up at two o'clock for a game. So if it's a seven o'clock game, or they're about to 230, yeah, and a lot of that time, especially the older you get, which I used to make fun of the guys that had to get the hot to the cold tub to the contrary, go get a massage, get all the treatment, and those guys and then I turned into that guy as an older player, but just maybe being maybe being a little too consumed about what I had to do to get ready for that night and not take the time to mentally invest in the young guys. Yeah. And again, I'm not, I don't lose sleep over because last few years of my career, I've kind of made that a priority. But early on, if I could change anything it would be to really zero in on some of those guys that are coming up and trying to figure things out.
Michael Sarraille 21:13
So you know, one of the things I read about you, man that impressed me the most was you were when you're with the Nationals you really got back, you really back something called fake debt.
Adam LaRoche 21:24
Yeah. Yeah, we did. We did. It was Oh, totally proud of it. You know, it was something that in DC being as politically sensitive as it is, yes. It got, I think they had it for a year or two and a guy kind of got pushed out of there. So to be able to be on the on the small team to bring that back. And obviously not not for too controversial. I think so. I mean, like anything there. What can you talk about in DC that doesn't raise it off? Yeah. So to bring it back there and make it successful end to end to see it's still go on today? You know, years after I've left. It's pretty neat.
Michael Sarraille 22:08
suit. I read this. From I believe a chaplain said I once heard a chaplain put it this way. What do you want to be written on your tombstone? Do you want animal roach? Golden Glove batting average hit so many homers has million in his bank account? Or do you want an animal the roach man of God integrity raised a great family? Loving?
Adam LaRoche 22:28
Yeah. Go ahead. No, I remember a chaplain asking us that one time a small group of us and he just kind of did a survey and said seriously, when you guys die? What do you want to be remembered for? The way he put it? Just so black and white was do you want to be known for your like you said, your bank account, your stats, your accolades? The amount of friends you had, or your, your your status? And that's pretty easy. I think believer or non believer that's kind of like, no, that doesn't. Yeah, I don't think that's gonna be attractive then. So he just kind of got us all thinking about well, what do you what do you want to be remembered by? And as we all started to think I said, Okay, well, wouldn't it make sense if that's what you want to be remembered by that that's what you have to be focusing on right now to be remembered by and so, yeah, I've never forgot that. I thought that was a really good kind of litmus test of where are you at in life? And where are your priorities? Because if they're all these things that aren't going to be important at the end of your life, you know, should they be as important as we're making right now? Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up.
Michael Sarraille 23:46
Let me ask you this, then how did you balance that? Because I did not balance that and I ended up in a divorce. Yeah, you're gonna be a statistic. statistical anomaly.
Adam LaRoche 23:56
Oh, man. And trust me, I made I made so many bad decisions. And I screwed up so many different ways. That was one thing we did right. You do it stay together? Yeah. Yeah, it's just grinded it out. Because don't get me wrong. 2022 years, I guess now been married. And all those weren't. All those weren't awesome. You know, they weren't. They weren't totally flawless with no, they never are without downs. And so the balancing of it, I think was believing and knowing that I'm here for a way bigger purpose than to be a baseball player, or make a bunch of money or win or win a World Series or like, and biblically as a believer. I'm confident we're here to do two things. And I think Jesus really simplifies the Bible for idiots like me and says, Hey, do this. Love me. Love each other? Love people love God, and you'll be alright so it really did kind of shift my mindset throughout my career. To not take baseball this year is to not think every game every at bat was the end of the world. And really kind of set up for in 2016, when I left made that decision really easy.
Michael Sarraille 25:19
And this is regarding your son being told he couldn't come down. Yeah. And
Adam LaRoche 25:23
that was, that was part of it. That was that was a big part of it
Michael Sarraille 25:28
was was the fun meter picked? Was that was the fun meter pegged as we say no, was it? No, honestly,
Adam LaRoche 25:33
I was fired up that stone to go play. And I had no intention of retiring, I was under contract, which was a lot of a lot of money. Which, by the way, were completely overpaid, to get to go play a game. So thank you guys for allowing us to be able to go do that. But I was under under contract and ready to go. And it's a difficult one with my son because I get it that it's not normal to be able to take your son to work. I was fortunate the three years before that, where he was kind of an employee of the team. So he was like a clubby Bat Boy, I guess support guy, you know, he would shine shoes, shag balls, wash cars, like whatever guys needed him to do. And then going into that season, they had a change of policy, and they up the age of kids being allowed in the clubhouse. And he fell underneath that. So they just said he, you know, he was going to be out this year. And if I, if I rewind that a little bit, the year, the offseason before I went to Thailand with a guy that I've met and got introduced to the counter sex trafficking world and saw some of the darkest evil I could ever imagine. Over there in Southeast Asia. So I was already coming in to that spring training, thinking, Man, am I really gonna go play a game right now? When I know, all this stuff that's going on that I feel like we can affect. And so I was already going in with Java, just kind of in a weird mindset. But still planning on playing with no intention of retiring. And then the whole thing with Drake with my son just he was kind of the that was where God was saying it's done. Like he made it he made it very obvious there that Okay, it's time to take it back to the, to the ranch
Michael Sarraille 27:22
limit, the meat will be back out there. Because sequentially, what did you see over there?
Adam LaRoche 27:29
Man, so So the group I went with, was for some former military guys, and they had moved over there, they've been operating there for about six years. So they had a really good relationship with the Royal Thai Police, and some of the other agencies over there to be able to come in as Americans, and they would go into brothels every night. And as Americans over there. Fortunately, and unfortunately, fortunately for us, in the work that we're doing, you get offered like the youngest girls right away, they just assume you're not a cop, they assume you have tons of money and their guards down and they're gonna, you know, give you a give you the best that they have, which which happens to be just some really, really young girls. And so I got introduced to a just a disgusting world that I didn't know existed. And it was only it was a couple of weeks that we were over there, but just enough to know, like, man, we're effective here. And what we're doing is actually working. Because we got to, we got to watch with our intel, we got to watch what the Feds there would do with that, and how serious they took it, but also how hard it was for them to combat without our help. So And don't get me wrong. We're not the there's a lot of organizations over there. Yes, do an awesome work. I just was a part of one. But I got introduced to it. So I came home and I flew around and met with as many people that would let me in their door, both government and non government to learn more about this issue, the counter human trafficking issue, and that's when I learned that it's in every state, every county and it's, you know, one of the I think the fastest growing criminal enterprise we have in the states now, which has taken over the drug trade and the weapons trade, which is hard to believe, you know, just a multibillion dollar industry that's going through the roof. And we're not it is beating us now in America. So
Michael Sarraille 29:30
not to be crude. But there's repeatability. Yeah, you can only sell a gun wants to somebody you can only sell drugs once to somebody. That's exactly that's over there. Would you guys act as if you're coming in to engage? Yeah, and you was the youngest role that was it's having to act like a dirtbag for a little bit for the greater good.
Adam LaRoche 29:57
We saw I want to say an 11 and 11 or 12 year old girl, which of course over there, they look seven or eight, you know, being 11 or 12. But so in my mind, I'm picturing my daughter back home, like, like every man that cares about their kids at all. Is that's like the, you know, that's probably the first visual you get this is this is my daughter. So it hit. I mean, it hit hard. It messed me up. And I think if you think if you were to talk to my wife, she would say that I was pretty messed up for a couple of weeks when I got back. She's crying all the time, just from Yeah, just from what we saw. And it and in the hard. The hard spot I was in with wanting to be home with my wife and kids. And you can probably relate, but also, I did not want to leave time. Yeah, I was ready to send for the family and say, we're moving here. We're gonna be here for the next 30 years period. So it was pretty tough to leave there. And even tougher to not go right back. No one that we could, you know, directly affect something. But yeah, man, really, really young kids. And since then, I've seen the same here, which, unfortunately, it's, it's different when it's at home. Not that I don't care about the young girls and Southeast Asia, because I do I love them. But it just it's a different feeling. When you see somebody that looks just like you from your, you know, right in your area, right in your backyard. It becomes a little more real. So. Yeah, that. That between that and then the situation with Drake, it was a pretty easy decision to step away.
Michael Sarraille 31:51
But from what it sounds like, it's not like you and your wife had plans, because you plan on playing that season? Yeah, all of a sudden, you look at the GM be like, Yeah, I think it's my time. Yeah. And then from there, you tell your wife knew you were gonna quit. Or
Adam LaRoche 32:06
I taught to call my manager. After that hints that incident where they changed the age, I called my manager that night, I said, Hey, I need to, I need to take a day. I'm not gonna be in tomorrow. He was awesome. Robin mentor, I love him. So I'm not gonna be in tomorrow, I'll be in the next day. And I did, I went in, you know, that off day, had some good discussions with friends, former teammates, my dad. And and it was pretty obvious that it was time to move on to something more, more meaningful. So yeah, going back to your I got to test what that Chaplain had challenged us with, with what's important to you. And it was nice to be able to test that internally to say, what I walk away from a lot of money to go do something that I felt was the right thing to do. And so that, that way, during that off day that weighed on a lot of the decision was, what is the right thing to do? And I couldn't get over the fact that it's stunning and move on and jump over this fight.
Michael Sarraille 33:13
But you don't fault the guys that choose the stats in the money. That's just not their thing. No,
Adam LaRoche 33:19
no, no, not at all. But I but I know what that leads to. And that leads to discipline. Every single time.
Michael Sarraille 33:27
There's all the guys you know, that stayed in way too long lost their wives lost their family, they all say
Adam LaRoche 33:32
whether you're in for whatever you're chasing. If it's if it's worldly, so if it's the stats, yeah, the money in a lot of instances, the drugs, the women, the alcohol, all these things that we chase that we think are gonna do it, fulfill us. They just don't it's just a dead end. So I'm glad I learned that early enough in my career to know that you know, this doesn't change anything. That will that has always been true and will continue to always be true. Until until we're done.
Michael Sarraille 34:12
So your your wife decided Saturday, move on, you guys moved back to Kansas, was that pretty rapid? Or do you say stay and
Adam LaRoche 34:18
you know, we did, we took a we rented an RV and Phoenix. We're like, well, we got nothing going on the next six months. Because we thought we're gonna be playing ball. So let's just go up through. And in baseball, you sign a contract every year that says you can't do anything fun, basically. So skydiving, riding motorcycle, snowboarding, skateboard, you name it, you're kidding. Anything that you're you're basically committing to I'll never do that again. So I hadn't been able to do that in 16 years since my first contract in 2000 with the Braves. So my first purchase was a dirt bike off of eBay. A shitty old Kawasaki dirt bike, missing fender and in a snowboard and we just hit the road with a snowboards and then up through Montana up into Whistler Canada. Yes. took like a month with the kids to go do what we hadn't been able to do in a long time. So it was a blast.
Michael Sarraille 35:20
Did you know Kansas was the final destination? They'll figure that out? Oh, yeah.
Adam LaRoche 35:24
Yeah, we knew that we, we knew that the kids would have to get back to school eventually. So we made our way back home.
Michael Sarraille 35:33
Yeah. How long did did it take for you to decide what your next path was your next passion?
Adam LaRoche 35:42
You know, it was during that during that RV trip? Yeah, kind of trying to figure out what was next I knew that retirement for me wasn't going to be fulfilling to go retire somewhere. not fulfilling at all for sure. If I would have pursued maybe what may be looked at as the norm and retirement of truly like shutting it down and retiring. So I knew there was gonna be something and I knew it was going to be revolving around working with our soldiers, which I got to do you know, when I was playing in DC for four years, I got to spend a lot of time at Walter Reed and it just crushed me man BNN being in the room with like a you know, 2023 year old kid that's missing both his legs and his his wife is in there are as parents are in there and and so just getting to know these guys. And then really getting a cool relationship with a lot of them where we got to bring them I would start bringing them out to the stadium that's awesome to come just give them a change of scenery and come rehab with us whether it was in the batting cage or with our trainers or out on the field taking ground balls, you know, whatever, whatever we could do to kind of lift their spirits a little bit. And then some of them loved hunting. And so I was able to fly him out you know in the offseason fly him out to the ranch and just serve those guys for a few days as a way to say thank you. So I knew it was going to be something to do with using our ranch for that community and something in the counter trafficking fight and I wasn't completely sure at the time what that looked like
Michael Sarraille 37:17
so the ranch is that the father in law's ranch that you it's a wonderful bill there you eventually created the E three ranch e three standing for
Adam LaRoche 37:32
that is a that is a derogatory term against my position in baseball so my position on the scorecard was number I played first base yeah it was the number three position so an E three is the last thing I wanted to see flashed across the scoreboard in front of you know 45,000 fans because air on the first baseman so I did it this was before E three anything is before an E three restaurant or E three meat company three foundation I did it really as a joke more than anything just thinking I'll put this on the gate to our ranch nobody's ever gonna know about it except you know my friends and it kind of kind of back backfired on me a little bit
Michael Sarraille 38:13
I surprised did recognize that
Adam LaRoche 38:16
that stands for them Yeah.
Michael Sarraille 38:18
I thought it was gonna be three E's some of you
Adam LaRoche 38:23
know there's It makes absolutely no sense at all and just something I did it stuff
Michael Sarraille 38:28
did you become a deputy first or start the ramps first? What was the order in which
Adam LaRoche 38:34
no started the ranch first
Michael Sarraille 38:35
started the race first so
Adam LaRoche 38:36
that so so we lived on the ranch my whole career. We officially named it in 2012 or something like that? You know? 2011 12 Somewhere in there I think is when is when a 3k and funding I had a friend so Luke Bryan Oh, how much country used to listen to so Luke? Never heard of Luke comes out to hunt. Good. I'm gonna tell him thank you. I'm gonna tell him he said that. I love it. Luke comes out to hunt. And I had some hats made I had some E three hats made. There's like a dozen of them or something. Well, we wear the same hat size. They were the fitted like our baseball hats. And Luke steals one. And a month later, he's wearing it on the CMAS or ACS or something. So it takes you know it takes off and he starts getting blasted from his fan base wanting this hat. I mean, like they're coming at him hard wanting to purchase his hat and so we find out he spends it on me and says Hey, he throws his hands up says it's not mine call my buddy Adam. He's got the hat so that I started getting blown up. So anyway, that was kind of the start of the more and more e three in the in the brand taken off a little bit.
Michael Sarraille 39:50
What's what is the charter what's the overall mission of V three with regards to
Adam LaRoche 39:56
the profession? Yeah, yeah. So for you guys. for that community is just as a way to say thanks. We don't we don't, we don't say we're here to your messed up and we're here to fix you. And really one of the cool things about it is there's no there's no way to go off to go online and apply or, or, yeah, or sign yourself up to come out, we just go off of recommendations. So when guys leave, the only thing I asked them to tell me too, is that you go back to your if they're if they're current guys go back to your unit, or go back to your former unit, find somebody that needs it, and send them to us. So a lot of times, we'll maybe, you know, we'll probably have half and half active guys and retired guys. And we always try to bring we always try to bring some, you know, some guys from from the army, soft community, some seals, maybe some PJs and one six do it because the rivalry between you guys is priceless. When you get that group together,
Michael Sarraille 41:01
leave leave the seals out of Evander Deimos. I'll tell you from experience,
Adam LaRoche 41:06
I love it. I love it. Just being a fly on the wall in the lodge listening to these guys banter is it but it's cool because they go out it of if it was better, who had you know who had what but but they also love each other at the same time. So it's that's a pretty new community within the overall soft community that I've got to witness of, yeah, there's a lot of ball busting and, and making fun of each other. But when it comes down to it, you know, it's another brother, like like the next guy. So yeah, we do that. And then we do the counter human trafficking work. So it was quite a few years later, when I realized, and we were doing more work in the states that I realized this is going to be difficult not being commissioned as law enforcement to go attach to some of these groups and working in the US. So I went through police academy became deputized and and then a few years later went through a program with Homeland Security to work with those guys. But the cool part there is because it's kind of a part time gig. So I don't really have a schedule. Yeah, Homeland Security with our local sheriff's office that out the whole time because I travel so much. But it also allows me to be kind of a liaison. When I do travel between nonprofits. They do really good work. Yes. In the law enforcement community, kind of wear both hats. So yes, it just works out to be a great, I get to act as a connector between a lot of these organizations.
Michael Sarraille 42:38
Did I hear that correctly? That the Super Bowl, you know, like the NBA championships are some of the biggest human trafficking events as well, man, it's,
Adam LaRoche 42:47
it's one of them. Yeah, I had always heard forever, that it was the Super Bowl. And I think it probably still is. There's some other big events, you know, anytime there's a NASCAR event, so just in the, in the sports world, in general, a World Series The NHL, you know, the the Stanley Cup Finals, you name it, you know, whatever the kind of the big event is, in sports. There's a huge spike in trafficking during those but but also don't act like that's the only time that happens. Because there's a there's a program we use in law enforcement that scrapes the internet, and just basically looks at all the ads that are going on in a certain city. And if we pulled it up, I think everybody here would be amazed at in Austin, Texas. The amount of girls being advertised against their will, is always mind blowing for me, any area we go to. There's just nothing off limits. I mean, it's such a lucrative industry. And as you said earlier, it's a product you don't have to replace that you can sell over and over again. It's very hard to prosecute a lot of times these girls are scared to death to testify. And that's a whole nother side of it kind of the traumatic bondage that happens with these with these girls
Michael Sarraille 44:09
in which isn't necessarily underage, or could it be a 21 year old girl who's just
Adam LaRoche 44:16
it's both unfortunately, in the States. A lot of prosecutors, a lot of law enforcement will focus on the underage girls and I get it. I get it. One, it's a lot easier to prosecute. And it's hard for any prosecutor or judge or anybody in that system to deny, you know, going after somebody that's exploiting a minor. But, I mean, there's a lot of girls that are in their 30s that have been, you know, traffic since they were 14 or 15. And they need us to come after them just as much as Yeah, 16 year old So yeah, that's that's a challenging one, too. Can you?
Michael Sarraille 45:01
Maybe you can help me define. So for human trafficking in the United States, is it home grown? In the sense of these Are American girls who've been basically taken against their will or maybe objectified? Or,
Adam LaRoche 45:15
you know, the interesting part here, and we do see this in some other countries, but out of the US, it's not a lot of like, Snatch and Grab kidnappings. I think, I think that's a fear for a lot of parents is that oh, trafficking is going through the roof, that there's a lot more kidnappings, it's really not. It's the recruitment office, social media, I mean, so if there's, if there's any danger that a parent faces, is the danger of not being aware of what your kid is, who your kid is connecting with on social media. And here's the thing. It's not bad kids that are doing this, because they don't know, you know, these recruiters and these traffickers are really, really good at their craft
Michael Sarraille 45:59
sophisticated,
Adam LaRoche 46:01
in what your daughter might be thinking, she's talking to an 18 year old kid, when in reality, she's talking to a 35 year old man. And they are very patient and methodical in their, in their process and their methodologies of, you know, recruiting and coercing these girls into a relationship with them. One thing leads to another they start trading some pictures, then you got some blackmail, they might get introduced to drugs and pornography. I mean, there's it's it's a systematic approach with these guys to what works and, and it's working.
Michael Sarraille 46:40
Easier drugs almost involves a
Adam LaRoche 46:43
hierarchy. We rarely get, we rarely get a victim that's not on something dependency
Michael Sarraille 46:48
of some sort. Do you guys are wrapping up the the perpetrators, the guys who are running?
Adam LaRoche 47:02
Yeah, so there's kind of three phases to break down the human trafficking piece, you've got the prevention and awareness. Okay, the guys that which is crucial, going into the parents going into the city council meetings going into schools all across the country and talking about the dangers of this and the reality of this, then then you've got kind of the the interdiction rescue side,
Michael Sarraille 47:27
which has got to be the most rewarding what our
Adam LaRoche 47:28
lane is, yeah. And that's kind of those joint law enforcement operations that we get to do. And then the aftercare, so I can't say any one is more important than the other. I know a little bit on the first one and the last one. But again, our focus is on that interdiction piece. And that's what's cool about having and that's where kind of the synergy with having you guys out your community out to the ranch, is we end up meeting a lot of guys that are retired that have a background in Intel or Angeles, in the you know, guys have spent their life hunting traffickers on the computer and just kind of know that why we call it nerd talk. You guys may have called it the same thing in in your world. But yeah, the stuff they can do on the computer to hunt terrorists rolled over and translates almost exactly the same as hunting for targeting
Michael Sarraille 48:27
humans. Yeah, those
Adam LaRoche 48:28
guys that are real in girls that are really good at what they do, can put together a targeting package for law enforcement. You know, a few hours, it didn't take me, you know, a week to dig into that. So yeah, that's what we've got to utilize some, some guys that have come through our program at the ranch to to give them another mission. Which, yeah, which as you know, that's, that's, that's tough when you leave and you no longer have a mission. You know, to be able to get back in to something that's really significant and rewarding.
Michael Sarraille 49:06
There. There is no, no more noble mission, then, than what you guys are doing. Indeed, I don't want you to answer this question. The only thing I would do in my guys, is we would want to beat the living. Yeah, you know, what out of those guys, if not dragged behind the building, say we never saw him again. No, man. I mean, you're dealing with human trash.
Adam LaRoche 49:32
I know. I know. And you know what, and I think I think God gave me this when I first got into this world. I think it gave me this ability to view those guys. As somebody that's almost like a drug addict. If we're going around a drug addict, alcoholic, you know, any addiction to just view it as somebody that Sick, that needs help. I don't I know it's difficult to feel they're a little bit, a little bit. Not a lot. I need to get a little better at it. But yeah, it's been, it's been easier to, to not just want to kill everyone. And to not like, deeply hate them to understand that maybe there was something in their childhood, maybe there was something that their dad was an asshole and whatever he did you abuse them that caused them to do this to somebody else. So I tried to give them some grace there and give them the benefit of the doubt.
Michael Sarraille 50:45
Let the law law work system.
Adam LaRoche 50:50
But when it doesn't, I like a call to you guys. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Scratch that part.
Michael Sarraille 50:58
Yes. The frustrating part about the justice system is it doesn't always work.
Adam LaRoche 51:03
That's right. How,
Michael Sarraille 51:06
how fast is the problem? In the United States? It will never it will never eradicate it. It's that?
Adam LaRoche 51:14
I don't know. I doubt it. I mean, it's been around since the beginning of time. This problem so I hate to I'm not in the camp that thinks I'm going to see the end of it. In my lifetime. I don't know that it will ever happen. But what I do you look forward to having bigger nets. Yeah, like we have on the drug trade with big task force with the DEA, the FBI, HSI. I think the problem is getting more and more public to the point where they're going to start having to fund you know, some bigger organizations to really focus on this. So yeah, it's getting there.
Michael Sarraille 51:55
What would you say to both young men? Yeah, that would never happen to my daughter and my young son.
Adam LaRoche 52:01
Yeah, I mean, I don't know how many moms and dads I've been on the phone with that have said those exact words. And I get it, and I feel for them because their kid wasn't. There could probably wasn't a terrible kid. And, and all these things where they, you know, expected this to happen. I don't know what the percentage is, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say 90% of the time. The parents are shocked when the phone is ripped. Or, you know, when they get into the phone and see what actually was going on. They just can't, they can't fathom it. So I will say, though, that typically in a family that has a dad that's present, and I don't mean physically present, if your job takes you elsewhere, but but I think I think girls, especially by God's design, when they're born and as they're growing up, attached with a man, that is that it is kind of weird is that father figure in their life. So when they don't have that, they see you're looking for, and it's gonna come, it will come in the form of another man, whether it's a great dude that really has the best intentions for your daughter, or if it's a predator, is the flip of a coin. But you know, most of the kids in the states that we see have been out of the out of the foster in and out of the foster care system. have dropped out of school and just kind of somehow fallen into the Forgotten category. And I was, I would say, That's why typically, my conversations are with mothers. That can't understand it can't fathom this happening, because the dads not in the picture. See, I think that's, that's on us as men to take it a little more serious with our daughters on. Yeah, that they're gonna seek it elsewhere. If they don't get it from us.
Michael Sarraille 54:02
Well, Adam, I wouldn't wish that on on any parent. But I mean, dude, your story alone. Where I've got to assume most of your peers don't go into law enforcement posts, professional. Baseball, they go into business, maybe investing, maybe they have enough money, this wrote out the fact that you have found this in this as you're calling in, you're impacting lives, that I'm absolutely impressed, man. Well get on. Thanks. I'm not doing anything now. Well,
Adam LaRoche 54:39
I'll tell you what, I do a very small part of kind of the overall effect that we've been able to have in most of it has come from, from the military community, and I mean that and so to get to be around and work with these guys every day you talk about the ultimate motivator and driver to have to want to be better. And to and to just not to not fail, and just figure it out does not come from Me. And that does not come from baseball, we are spoiled rotten in baseball, good. I didn't pack my own bags in baseball, you know what I mean? Like, everything is taken care of. And so that's, that doesn't come from me naturally. I think God put people in my life out of that community to make me way better challenged me, and, and helped me just kind of lay the framework so they can go do what they do best and teach me how to do it alone. So yeah, proud, proud to be a part of
Michael Sarraille 55:45
it. Amen. Well, Brother, we in this podcast, in a way that allows the audience to potentially take your breadcrumbs to success and maybe apply them to your life. You quite literally literally grew up in a home with loving parents. I mean, your father was not only father but literally a coach. Yeah, so I'm sure he was the ultimate mentor and coach to to you and your brothers, then you go to the professional league for the pro league for for 12 years, then you know, you're not done. You've seen a lot, you've learned a lot. You've seen a lot of evil. As you look back on all your success, what are those three tenants, there's 123 tenants that Adam would tell his sons that if you do these three things consistently, it will lead to a high probability of success, or happiness, or fulfillment.
Adam LaRoche 56:45
Man again, as a believer number one would be prayerfully look into whatever you're doing, it makes sure that the true commander is with you on this, and you're getting directed that way. And you may hear something that is not what you want to hear. And you may hear something that looks so foreign to what's right, and looks, and something that the world is going to laugh at, and say you're an idiot, and a dumbass for getting involved in that. But listen to it and follow that. And then I would say, as you start down that road, man, bring people along, that are not only awesome people that you trust him. But also people that care as much or more about you as they do themselves. So really, and I think from expect just surrounding yourself with good people are surprised this is such an understate, I mean, it is absolutely critical. And anything that I've ever gotten done at a high level, anything I've ever gotten done and really done it well, didn't come from me because I'm not smart enough to think up a lot of that. And then a third one, we talked about pursuing what God's got for you surround yourself with great people. And don't ever be afraid to lead. But maybe have a really good understanding of what a lever is. Because in my experience, it has nothing to do with what you say it has nothing to do with what comes out of your mouth. As matter of fact, I think that hurts us those that are in leadership positions more than anything in and it's about what you do. So I guess the third one is, don't just talk about it, be about it, or don't talk about it at all. Just be about it. And let that you know, let that speak for
Michael Sarraille 58:53
you. You know, there was a son that would hang will not assign, but words that would hang all around military compounds, doing greater sign talking. And we've always said leadership is about behavior. And culture is behavior at scale. It's about what your people do, not what you see. I think there's beauty in that man. You know, you're the first interview where I quoted that chaplain, and maybe this leaves the question, but when all is said and done 4050 years from now, and you're looking back. What do you want your life to be defined? By? Yeah. What's your legacy that you leave behind?
Adam LaRoche 59:37
Yeah, you know what I wanted? What I want mine to be would be to be an awesome father. And awesome husband. follower of Jesus, but But a guy that would go anywhere to help the helpless or go after people that nobody else get was issued about. And there's no political no financial, no other reason to go help them other than you care about where you want to get them out of a bad spot. So, yeah, I think there's some things there that I would love to be said, more importantly, I want those wants that I have to be the first thing that comes out of, you know, not my family or my closest friends as they go to write that. Here, whatever it is, for that to be like a no brainer. You know that, that there's no question that that's the life that I live, because I'll tell you what, I spent the first half of my life not living that life. I was living man, it was way more for me than it was for anybody else. And I'm glad though, I'm glad because looking back, I can see how unfulfilling, that was compared to what I get to do now. And don't get me wrong. I don't mean I'm not, I still have selfish thoughts and get mine, but having the priority be others because I know what the other side looked like, after spending half my life there has been has been something that I've never want to change and want to be that for the next 40 or 50 years, hopefully.
Michael Sarraille 1:01:19
Well, Brother used one pretty big platform to leap into a bigger and more purpose built platform man for that. We thank you, thank you for what you're doing. You know, I've got an 18 year old daughter. And there's just a naivety that that can happen in the United States that that could happen to my daughter. And I think I need to step back and reassess that man, why can't thank you enough for flying out to Austin? Where can people find you to support what you got going on with the Three Ranch? Or how can they get involved with compassionate combating human trafficking even in their small town?
Adam LaRoche 1:02:00
No, thanks, man. Well, we got so our website e three ranch foundation. What we're terrible at putting out really good insight for like current events on our website. And it because it's a tricky one with especially on the on the trafficking side of how to explain it in any type of detail without presenting some problems down the road. So yeah, so not making excuses for it. But I definitely enjoy talking about it like this one. Yeah. And kind of walking through what we do and telling stories more than I do typing it out and putting it out there for the road. So we touched on it a little bit, some of the work that we've been able to do. And we're going to continue to do it. So yeah, I appreciate you saying that, but three, three ranch foundation. You can you can check it out. Shoot me an email.
Michael Sarraille 1:02:58
Well, we won't drop the wing, dude, thank you for coming on. And, you know, I'd love these talks, man, I learned and for all of you, thank you for joining us. This is the Everyday Warrior Podcast. I'm your host Mike Sarraille with Adam LaRoche. And until next time, I can't wait
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