Results tagged ‘ WEEI ’
From the Backfields to the Broadcast Booth
Yesterday was as much fun as I thought it would be. Not only did I get to watch the PawSox game in Port Charlotte followed by the Red Sox game at JetBlue Park, I had the great privilege of watching the majority of the Red Sox game from the WEEI broadcast booth above home plate.
Joe Castiglione is entering his 30th year as the “Voice of the Red Sox” and it was a real thrill to be in the booth next to him while he was calling the game. Joe and his broadcast partner Jon Rish are terrific guys and they were even kind enough to answer some of my questions between innings. What I maybe found most interesting is that Joe carries with him a small blue three-ring binder that contains a hand-written notecard with information on every Red Sox player and every opposing player as well.
Joe writes down things he reads in the media guide, online, or that he gets directly from a player. He told me that when he physically writes it down, he retains the information much better than when he types it (I’m the same way). Throughout the game he would write new information on certain players’ cards for use later in the season.
Here’s a look inside the Red Sox broadcast booth at JetBlue Park. To the left is Jon Rish, on the right is Joe Castiglione. Through the glass to the right you can see former PawSox broadcaster and current Red Sox TV broadcaster on NESN, Don Orsillo. Next to him in the navy shirt is the one-and-only Jerry Remy.
Today the Red Sox are on the road playing the Pirates at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, but I’ll be in attendance for the PawSox 1:00 game this afternoon at home against Rochester. But before I leave for the ballpark I wanted to share with you some more pictures I took from yesterday’s game in Port Charlotte.
Not many hot dogs were served from this concession stand behind the minor league field where the PawSox and Durham Bulls played yesterday. It did, however, provide some shade which was in short supply.
So much for the shade! This was my view for most of the game (throwing a Gatorade towel over my head never seemed like such a good idea). Although it got a little warm at times, I was at least grateful that they had bleachers set up for spectators to sit on.
PawSox outfielder Daniel Nava getting loose before the start of the sixth inning.
Only in Spring Training can you find a dugout as charming as this one.
Eammon Portice pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning including two strikeouts, but before he took the mound he was busy charting pitches behind home plate.
The Texas Rangers called Port Charlotte their Spring Training home for 15 years before leaving in 2002 for a newer ballpark in Surprise, Arizona. In 2009 the Tampa Bay Rays reached an agreement with the county to invest over $27 million in renovation costs in order to bring Charlotte Sports Park up to state-of-the-art standards. The renovation costs were more than five times the ballpark’s original cost of $5 million.
I’ll talk with you again late this afternoon/early evening to update the blog on today’s PawSox game. For live updates during the game you can follow me on Twitter. Have a great day!
-AG
@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com
Chipotle, Katy Perry, and Today’s Best Quotes
Sometimes I like to imagine Katy wearing a PawSox hat. (AP)
It’s been a big day for me so far.
First, I had a delicious steak burrito from Chipotle for lunch, and to make it even better, I snagged a parking space directly across the street (parking is at a premium on Thayer Street in Providence). Secondly, I just learned that Katy Perry’s new single, and my latest iTunes download, Part of Me, is now #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s her seventh song to be ranked first on the list, and yes, I love me some Katy Perry.
Enough with why I can’t stop smiling. Here’s the buzz from Day 2 of Spring Training in Ft. Myers and the rest of baseball.
- Bobby Valentine commenting on short stop Jose Iglesias per Alex Speier of WEEI.com:
“My first impression … is that he can catch it. I bet you he can throw it after he catches it, too.”
- Valentine discussing if Boston could “afford to receive no offense from their starting shortstop in the AL East”:
“Probably not. My fast brain says, probably not.” (The “fast brain” comment is referring to Daniel Kahneman’s book “Thinking, Fast and Slow.”)
- Maybe my favorite quote of the day so far comes from Dustin Pedroia per Nick Cafardo discussing off-season workouts:
“I was trying to straight body build, man. I hit cage bombs.”
- Jerry Spar of WEEI.com dug up a gem with a story about the domain name www.jetbluepark.com:
“Fort Myers resident Eric Engelman purchased the domain name for $8 last March after learning of the [Red Sox] new facility’s name. ‘I just thought it would be fun to have,’ Engleman told The News-Press. Engelman, 30, is a Cubs fan, but he decided to play a joke and have the site link to the Yankees home page.”
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Although I dig his glasses and his hairdo, Joe Maddon is no Katy. (AP)
One of my favorite guys in all of baseball, Tampa Bay Rays‘ manager Joe Maddon, on Manny Ramierez signing with Oakland per the New York Times:
“I guess I’m overtly forgiving … I’m not bothered by it, because he and I became friends … He’s a complicated person, and it goes way deeper than I know … I know a lot of people are going to be not very happy about it, but then again, he’s actually playing within the rules … We’ll see. I mean, this probably exceeds the number of chances you thought he would normally get, but still I think he’s a likable guy.”
- Alex Speier asking PawSox third baseman Will Middlebrooks for a scouting report on new acquired pitcher Chris Carpenter whom Middlebrooks faced recently in the Arizona Fall Leauge:
“I only faced him once. All I remember is he threw hard and had good stuff. He was one of the guys who was a later-innings guy, who came in and threw hard — good, hard stuff: hard fastball, hard slider. It was definitely good. … He didn’t have any control issues against us.”
Some quick house keeping … In case you missed it earlier today, our weekly PawSox Insider radio show is now available on iTunes, HipCast.com, and via RSS. Also, I’d like to thank my latest subscriber, amanda.c.lanser. You can subscribe by entering your email address in the box at the top-right corner of this page.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to finish memorizing the words to Part of Me.
-AG
@aaronmgoldsmith
agoldsmith@pawsox.com
Meeting Joe Castiglione
“Swing and a ground ball, stabbed by Foulke. He has it. He underhands to first, and the Boston Red Sox are the world champions! For the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox have won baseball’s world championship! Can YOU believe it?”‘ – Joe Castiglione
In my short time with the PawSox, I can already tell that they’re all about the community. From banquet dinners, to chamber events, to last night’s gathering in Providence put on by WEEI, my social life has boomed since arriving in Pawtucket (am I the first person to say that?).
No doubt the highlight for me last night, along with everyone else in attendance, was meeting the “Voice of the Red Sox,” Joe Castiglione. I had the pleasure of meeting Joe in the booth at Fenway Park at the end of the 2010 season, but he was on the mic and I only had time to say a quick “hi” in-between innings.
There’s no doubting Joe’s dedication, knowledge, and passion. Can you remember what you were doing professionally 30 years ago? If you’re like me, you weren’t even alive 30 years ago. Well, I can tell you what Joe was doing. He was beginning his first year calling games on radio for the Boston Red Sox. Before that, Joe called play-by-play for the Cleveland Indians on television and broadcast the Milwaukee Brewers on TV as well.
When talking with him last night I was surprised to learn that Boston was his first actual radio job. I also found it interesting that Bobby Valentine will be the 10th Red Sox manager Joe has worked with while in Boston. Can you name the other nine?
1. Ralph Houk (1981-84; 312-282)
2. John McNamara (1985-88; 297, 273)
3. Joe Morgan (1988-91; 301-262)
4. Butch Hobson (1992-94; 207-232)
5. Kevin Kennedy (1995-96; 171-135)
6. Jimy Williams (1997-2001; 414-352)
7. Joe Kerrigan (2001; 17-26)
8. Grady Little (2002-03; 188-136)
9. Terry Francona (2004-11; 375-273)
Joe was very gracious with his time, answered everyone’s questions, and posed for countless pictures (I wasn’t the only one). My hope is to have more of a “sit-down” style interview with him at some point during Spring Training this year and will post that conversation on the blog.
Speaking of Spring Training, the Sox first game against major league competition is March 3 versus Minnesota.
36 days.
In the meantime, Joe’s second book, Can You Believe it?: 30 Years of Insider Stories with the Boston Red Sox, will soon be available at Amazon.com and at local retailers. You an currently pre-order it through Barnes & Noble. Should be a terrific read.
-AG
