BALTIMORE _ These days, Josh Earnest has a lot more time to watch baseball.
Earnest, a Kansas City native and former press secretary under President Obama, is done doing daily briefings for the White House press corps and working intense, around-the-clock hours. He's filled much of the time with family, he says. But a lot of it with baseball, too.
A lifelong Kansas City fan who sipped from a Royals coffee mug during briefings and touted his fandom on Twitter, Earnest said he's been able to keep up with the club on a nightly basis, rather than rely on updates on his phone or newspaper stories the next day. The most enjoyable part: Watching the surge following a sluggish start for the Royals.
"Watching this team demonstrate some real mental toughness after that tough stretch," Earnest said. "And to be able to focus on some perspective, recognize that it's a long season with a lot of games."
On Tuesday night, he came to see the club in person, enjoying a game at Camden Yards. Earnest caught up briefly with Royals manager Ned Yost, whom he hosted during the team's White House visit last summer. He also stopped for a moment to chat with The Star about his Royals fandom, the resilience of the 2017 team, life after the White House and a little "Saturday Night Live."
