Can you believe it: Joe Castiglione, the 2024 Ford C. Frick Award winner!

[loneredseat]

Hello Everyone-
I've been visiting this sight for close to 20 years and this is my first post. I have a little Joe C story.
I took my son to his first red sox game when he was about 7. We went to the souvenir shop across the street before the game Joe was there signing his book. We walked up to the table and I said to my son "Do you know who this is?" My son looked at him, and then at me, and then Joe said (in that very recognizable voice) "Hi guys! Are you headed to the game?"
My son, with a very confused look on his face, said "Is it da guy from da radio???"
Which gave Joe a good little laugh.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Nice story. You should post more!

 

[RG33]

Wow, great run of stories TDF, OCST, and LRS. Thanks to all 3 for sharing!

 

[Harry Hooper]

@jacklamabe65

When you look back at Red Sox broadcasting history it is fascinating.

I have mentioned this before, but I think one of the big reasons Ned Martin has not gotten this honor is the Sox games not being on a megawatt station (e.g., WBZ) while working up in a corner of the U.S. Broadcasters like Ernie Harwell were heard and known across a bigger swath of the country.

 

[LoweTek]

I was fortunate enough to get to know both Ken Coleman and Joe through the Red Sox fantasy camp years. Both were very interesting people. This old college radio PBP guy will always be thankful to Joe for one day inviting me to be his color man as he recorded PBP for the games between the folks attending the camp and the former Red Sox pros. IIRC we did three or four games (the games were shortened 3 inning affairs). It was a lot of fun to learn how Joe would queue the color man for comment. It was a very interesting and enlightening experience. Every time I'd run into him in ensuing years he would mention the day. He would always say, "As I recall, you were pretty good."

Joe is a great guy who made a memorable impression in my life and deserves every accolade he gets for this well deserved honor. He has been perfect in the role as our PBP man.

 

[pedro1918]

Excellent title to the thread SoxHop!

Indeed. But it was either "Can You Believe it" or "Swing and a popup."

 

[TDFenway]

Joe did a podcast with Bob Lobel and Mile Lynch earlier today

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6rCgKlp0q4

 

[dirtynine]

My favorite Joe inflection is any time the Sox have gotten out to a big lead, but are giving it back and all the momentum is in the other dugout. He puts so much concern and ominous emphasis on the opponent’s new scoreline as it creeps higher.

“And Tejada comes all the way around to score, and now it’s 8 to *five*, Red Sox.”

 

[runnels3]

Coincidently on the day Joe C received his (fumbled) call from Cooperstown I was listening to an old tape of his. Maybe some of you remember the Jeff Stone game from late September 1990 as the Red Sox battled it out with Toronto for first place. Joe was #2 to Bob Starr (whose time as a Sox announcer in Boston was way too short btw) in the booth. Within a minute of Stone's miraculous bases loaded walk-off single in the 9th, Joe was exclaiming his (Stone's) immediate fixture into Red Sox lore, no matter how the pennant race turned out. Only an impassioned Sox fan who also happened to be an excellent announcer could make this kind of commentary on the spot. It was an electrifying moment.

 

[Kenesaw Martin Landau]

Watch the post title scene from "In the Bedroom".

If a picture is worth a thousand words, that diegetic audio is worth a thousand pictures.