I’m back and pumped.
For those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself before we get to the good stuff.
My journalism career began in 1992 at The Providence Journal. I spent the next 18 years honing my skills and learning all about the newspaper business. I have enjoyed every second of my time at The Journal. I met amazing people along the way, many of whom I still consider great friends and mentors.
I had every intention of spending my entire career at the newspaper I grew up with as a Cranston kid. I lived the dream covering the Bruins and Red Sox during the Golden Era for both organizations. I never imagined that one day ESPN would call. I was offered a position and after months of negotiations I decided to turn it down.
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The late, great Bill Reynolds pulled me aside one night in the sports department at 75 Fountain St. and convinced me to accept the position covering the Bruins and Red Sox for ESPN. I eventually became a national hockey writer, but my tenure ended after eight years at ESPN. Since then, I’ve made stops at the Boston Sports Journal, The Athletic and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
I am currently the Director of Communications for the Rhode Island Golf Association and love every minute of it. In fact, my first byline in The Journal was about RIGA and Foster Country Club, so in a way I’ve come full circle.
So why did I return to The Journal?
Former colleague and current sports editor Bill Corey contacted me to see if I would be interested in writing a weekly column about the Boston pro sports scene, including the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots and Celtics. This quickly piqued my interest and it didn’t take long for me to accept. The Journal changed my life and now I’m back where it all started.
The timing for this first column is perfect – the Red Sox home opener is Tuesday at Fenway Park. The Sox have surprisingly gotten off to a solid start, thanks in part to an impressive starting rotation. When I covered the WooSox for T&G, I witnessed the transformation of Brayan Bello into a big league pitcher. He is the real deal. He’s legit, and this could be a phenomenal season for the young right-hander. We’ll be keeping a close eye on his career in Boston.
Before we look ahead, it’s also fitting that the Red Sox are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their incredible World Series championship in 2004. Along with then-sports editor Art Martone, Sean McAdam, Steve Krasner, Reynolds, Jim Donaldson, Paul Kenyon and Kevin McNamara, I covered this season and the incredible achievement to erase 86 years of disappointment.
My role was to cover every opponent in the postseason, so I got to know the Anaheim Angels, the New York Yankees, and the St. Louis Cardinals. That comeback win against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series was clearly one of the greatest. I’ve never said this publicly, but after the Red Sox recorded a 5-4 victory in 14 innings in Game 5 to cut New York’s series lead to 3-2, I remember thinking, “I can’t I believe I have to go back to New York for just one game before the Sox finally lose.
It turned out to be one of the most exciting days of my career. When the Red Sox shut out the Yankees in Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, I was making my way to the Yankees clubhouse when I heard all the commotion and celebration coming from the visitors’ clubhouse. Even though I was a pro, I grew up a Red Sox fan, so I wanted, needed, to experience what was going on in their clubhouse.
I briefly witnessed the celebration, somehow stayed clear of the flying booze, and then walked down the dingy concourse of the old Yankee Stadium to the loser’s club. Being a bit late, I missed the Alex Rodriguez media scrimmage. He sat by his locker, still in full uniform, his head bowed in disbelief. I apologized for missing the scrimmage and asked him if he could answer one more question. He nodded his head.
I asked, “Alex, if the deal with the Rangers goes through and you end up playing for the Red Sox, you’ll be in the hallway celebrating an upcoming trip to the World Series. How does that make you feel at this moment?’
He replied, “I thought the Yankees would be better than they are.” Yes, he said you.
Since I had already submitted my story by the deadline, I had to call Martone to add some Yankee quotes. When I dictated Rodriguez’s comment, Martone couldn’t believe it. “Did he really say that?” he asked. “Was anyone else around?” I told Art that only I had been told. The bigger story, however, was that the Red Sox completed their comeback and headed to the World Series. A-Rod’s quote was lost.
After we finished writing, several of the Red Sox beat writers enjoyed the remainder of the early morning hours at an Irish joint downtown, which fortunately remained open for us. I never slept and went straight to the station. When I arrived in Providence, my brother and a few of his friends were still celebrating the Red Sox victory. They wanted me to join them, but I was exhausted and needed to sleep. It didn’t take much to convince me to join the party, though.
A few hours later, Martone called and asked if I had returned 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 I should go in, Art,” I told him. “Actually, I can’t get in.”
He knew exactly what I meant. He laughed and scheduled our meeting early the next morning. It was great to share this World Series run with everyone at The Journal, including our readers. The Red Sox did it again in 2007, and many of The Journal’s stories hang on the wall in the hallway outside the press box at Fenway Park.
Sadly, Art passed away unexpectedly in 2022 and Billy Wren passed away last summer. I hope they’re both looking down and smiling that I’m back at The Journal. I have been fortunate to learn from some of the best in the business. Many of these life memories will appear in this column as I try to connect the old with the new.
I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing.
On X: @JoeyMacHockey