Host Carl prides himself on finding people that have interesting and different kinds of careers. It took Episode #110 but he finally found his first ex-cop. It's a fun one to listen to and an extra bonus is you can enjoy the banter live from Carl's Tiki Bar. After decades in law enforcement, including high-stress work in narcotics investigation and hostage negotiations, the former Police Captain is now realizing a childhood dream by working with Major League Baseball.

Jim grew up in Sacramento and sports were the main activity in his neighborhood. He says he was a stubborn and independent child. “I was self-sufficient fairly young.” He attended CSU, Sacramento and earned a master's degree in criminal justice. Jim also graduated from the FBI National Academy.

He joined the Sacramento police force and eventually worked his way up to Captain. He talks about the challenging transition from being “one of the guys” to management. There’s hiring, firing, big budgets and more. “90% of police work is communication,” Jim adds. “It’s also a great, rewarding job that you can be proud of after 35 years.”

Jim retired from the police force and went on to serve as Senior Director of Protective Services at Sutter Health, where he specialized in healthcare investigations, workplace violence prevention and systemwide security strategy. He retired from his second act in 2025. 

For Jim’s third act, he has combined his investigative background with his lifelong passion for sports—and more specifically the Oakland A’s. “When I was a kid in the early 1980’s, the A’s were MY team. It took another 45 years for this opportunity to present itself. What a great job!" It turns out the A’s left Oakland and are playing in Sacramento for three years. When Jim heard the team was coming to town, he started making calls to the right people and landed the position as an authenticator for Major League Baseball.

Jim loves being an authenticator. “It’s multi-tasking and negotiating with lots of people," he says. He gets to interact with his sports heroes all season and he's even traveled to Japan with the team. Working with the A's is a dream come true for him. When not in the dugout, Jim is totally obsessed with pickleball. He plays almost everyday!

Jim's (Un) retirement advice:

• Financial planning: "I'm fairly frugal and (decades ago) I put together a big spreadsheet and tried to be as financially literate as possible. I look at all the trends, making sure it all pencils out and makes sense. I do it myself. I taught a class on financial planning for new recruits to set them up for success. I'm very proud of that."

• Health and Routine: "For me, I want to live as long and healthy as possible. See a doctor. Find something you like to do that's healthy. I guarantee there are days you don't want to get up and do it. But I say, 'Just 5 minutes.' And then you do another 5, and another 5, and soon you've got a workout." 

• More about Jim Beezley​​​​​​​

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Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.

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