I'm back and feeling energized.
For those who don't know me, before I get into the main topic, let me introduce myself.
My journalism career began in 1992 at the Providence Journal. Then he spent 18 years honing his skills and learning everything about the newspaper business. I enjoyed every second of my time in the journal. Along the way, I met some amazing people, many of whom I still consider great friends and mentors.
I was going to spend my entire career working for the newspaper I grew up reading as a kid out of Cranston. I was living a dream, covering the golden era of the Bruins and Red Sox. I never imagined that I would get a call from ESPN. I was offered a position, but after months of negotiations, I decided to turn it down.
more:A primer on the Red Sox as Boston opens the season Thursday night at Seattle.
The late, great Bill Reynolds pulled me aside one night in the sports department at 75 Fountain Street and convinced me to accept a job covering the Bruins and Red Sox for ESPN. Eventually, I became a national hockey writer, but that tenure ended with an eight-year stint at ESPN. Since then, I've stopped by the Boston Sports Journal, The Athletic, and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
Currently, I am the Communications Director for the Rhode Island Golf Association and I am loving every minute of it. In fact, my first byline in the Journal was about RIGA and Foster Country Club, so in a sense I've come full circle.
So why did I come back to journaling?
A former colleague, now sports editor Bill Coley, asked me if I would be interested in writing a weekly column about Boston's professional sports scene, including the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, and Celtics. It immediately piqued my interest and it didn't take me long to accept. This journal changed my life and now I'm back to where it all started.
The timing of this first column is perfect. The Red Sox' home opener is Tuesday at Fenway Park. The Sox are off to a surprisingly strong start, thanks in part to an impressive starting rotation. When I covered the WooSox for T&G, I witnessed Brayan Bello's transformation into a major league pitcher. he is real He's a legit player, and this could be a phenomenal season for the young right-hander. We will be closely monitoring his career in Boston.
Before we look to the future, it's also fitting that the Red Sox celebrate the 20th anniversary of their incredible 2004 World Series victory. Along with then-sports editors Art Merton, Sean McAdam, Steve Krasner, Reynolds, Jim Donaldson, Paul Kenyon, and Kevin McNamara, I wrote about that season and the improbability of eradicating 86 years of frustration. I covered an unprecedented feat.
My role was to cover each postseason opponent, so I learned about the Anaheim Angels, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals. That come-from-behind victory over the Yankees in the American League Championship Series was clearly one of the best. I never said this publicly, but I remember thinking this after the Red Sox won Game 5, 5-4 in 14 innings, cutting their series lead against New York to 3-2. ing. He returned to New York for just one game before the Sox ultimately lost. ”
Those were the most exciting days of my career. When the Red Sox shut out the Yankees in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, I was heading to the Yankees' clubhouse when I heard the noise and celebration coming from the visitors' clubhouse. Even though I was a pro, I had been a Red Sox fan since I was a little kid, so I wanted and needed to experience what was going on in the clubhouse.
I witnessed a bit of the celebration, trying not to get in the way of the flying alcohol as I walked through the dirty halls of old Yankee Stadium to the loser's clubhouse. I was a little late so I missed Alex Rodriguez's media scrum. He was sitting at his locker, still in his uniform, with a look of disbelief on his face. I apologized for leaving the scrum and asked if I could answer one more question. he nodded.
“Alex, if you were traded by the Rangers and you ended up playing for the Red Sox, you would be celebrating a trip to the World Series in the Hall. How do you feel at this point?'' ?”
He replied: “I thought the Yankees were going to be better than they are now.” Yes, he said.
I had already submitted the story on deadline, so I had to call Martone to add some Yankee quotes. When I dictated Rodriguez's comments, Martone couldn't believe it. “Did he really say that?” he asked. “Was there anyone else around?” I told Art that that was only said to me. However, the bigger story was that the Red Sox completed their comeback and headed to the World Series. A-Rod's quote is lost.
After we finished writing, some of the Red Sox beat writers enjoyed the rest of their early morning hours at the Midtown Irish facility, which thankfully stayed open. I headed to the station without getting any sleep. When I arrived in Providence, my brother and some of his friends were still celebrating the Red Sox victory. They wanted me to join them, but I was tired and needed to sleep. But it didn't take long to convince me to join the party.
A few hours later, Martone called me and asked if I had gotten home. When I told him I was in Providence, he asked me to stop by the sports department to discuss the upcoming World Series. “I don’t think you should come in, Art,” I told him. “Actually, I can't come in.”
He knew exactly what I meant. He laughed and scheduled our meeting early the next morning. It was great to share the World Series developments with everyone at the Journal, including our readers. The Red Sox did something similar in 2007, and many of the Journal articles are displayed on the hallway wall outside the press box at Fenway Park.
Unfortunately, Art passed away suddenly in 2022, and Billy Wren passed away last summer. I hope they look down and smile that I'm back in the journal. I've been lucky enough to learn from some of the best people in the industry. Many of these lifelong memories will appear in this column as I try to blend the old with the new.
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
About X: @JoeyMacHockey
