Nick Cafardo dies at 62

curly2

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 8, 2003
4,887
Wow, that's shocking and tragic. 62 is WAY too young to go.

Rest in peace, Nick.
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,233
Holy shit. 62. That's just awful.
Like someone said, he never seemed malicious in his work.
 

Rusty13

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 3, 2007
5,345
Oh man. Embolism while at the park and Sox medical staff unable to revive. Just terrible.
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,233
Oh man. Embolism while at the park and Sox medical staff unable to revive. Just terrible.
On his day off. No one can say he didn't like baseball.

62 is right around the corner. As Warren Zevon said, "enjoy every sandwich."
 

shaggydog2000

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 5, 2007
11,482
Yeah, I may have thought he was intellectually lazy, but I never wished ill on him, and I never got the opinion he wished ill on anyone or anything. Except computers, he definitely hated the ones that ran analytics.
 

Number45forever

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 16, 2003
1,970
Vermont
He was on the Pats beat back when I was in college. Sent him an email about a column he wrote and he responded. I was in a journalism class and considering journalism as a major. We had a couple mails back and forth, which he definitely didn't need to do. 62 is way too young, sucks.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
I didn't always enjoy his work, but Carfardo gave me something to read every Sunday even if it was to just scoff at it and then laugh at @John Marzano Olympic Hero's reactions on SoSH. He was very entertaining in his own way, and a lot of other journalists have said nice things about him.62 is way to young.
 

cornwalls@6

Less observant than others
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
6,247
from the wilds of western ma
Just awful. I rolled my eyes at a lot of his stuff as well. But had occasion to chat with him a couple times in Chicago last summer. Was staying at same hotel during Sox vs Sox series. He seemed like a nice guy, and was willing to engage with fans and discuss the ballclub. Very sorry for his family.
 

Vinho Tinto

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 9, 2003
7,046
Auburn, MA
He was on the Pats beat back when I was in college. Sent him an email about a column he wrote and he responded. I was in a journalism class and considering journalism as a major. We had a couple mails back and forth, which he definitely didn't need to do. 62 is way too young, sucks.
I enjoyed his debates with Felger about Brady vs Bledsoe during the 2001 season.

Very tragic to hear.
 

Salem's Lot

Andy Moog! Andy God Damn Moog!
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
14,461
Gallows Hill
That’s awful. I disagreed with a lot of opinions but he always seemed like a good guy who actually liked the sports he covered, which is becoming rare in these days of hot take sports media. RIP.
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
Nick was the most personable and approachable of Globe sports writers when I knew him 30 years ago. He talked to everyone, even the scribes from smaller papers. There is a lot of pressure on the guy who writes the Sunday baseball column because of who wrote it before him. Nick would probably want to be remembered as a good person who did the best he could every day. RIP, to a good man.
 

Scott Cooper's Grand Slam

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 12, 2008
4,263
New England
WTDS was en vogue when I started lurking on SoSH. That seems appropriate here. RIP, Nick. For many of us here, I’d venture a guess that he lived the dream. A life spent with the Red Sox is one well spent.
 

JimD

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 29, 2001
8,681
I travel periodically on business myself - the idea of going on a trip and never coming home is heartbreaking. T&P to his family.
 

ifmanis5

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 29, 2007
63,740
Rotten Apple
The Globe article doesn't state a cause but it might have been an embolism.

WBZ | CBS Boston News‏Verified account @wbz 32m32 minutes ago
JUST IN: Boston Globe announces veteran sports writer Nick Cafardo has died at the age of 62. Cafardo suffered an apparent embolism at Spring Training and could not be revived by Red Sox medical staff


Lots of glowing tweets about what a nice guy he was...

MLB Communications‏Verified account @MLB_PR 17m17 minutes ago
We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and readers of Nick Cafardo – a talented writer, a true professional and a friend to so many throughout our game.

Steve Buckley‏Verified account @BuckinBoston 16m16 minutes ago
Nick Cafardo’s passing has stunned all of us here in Fort Myers. One of the giants of our business, Nick was a kind, decent man who brightened the press box. As someone who sat next to him for more than 25 years,l can attest to his good nature.

Andrew Marchand‏Verified account @AndrewMarchand 27m27 minutes ago
Tragic news about a great man, Nick Cafardo. Nick was not only a top reporter, but always a friendly face at Fenway or Yankee Stadium.

Lou Merloni‏Verified account @LouMerloni 35m35 minutes ago
Nick Cafardo was one of the best beat guys I’ve come across. He was loved by everyone. Today’s news was tough to hear. I feel awful.

Bob Nightengale‏Verified account @BNightengale 30m30 minutes ago
I absolutely loved this man. Nick Cafardo was one of the greatest people I've ever met in this business, and such a dear friend. Absolutely heartbreaking. The sports world lost a great one, and I can't tell you how much we will miss him.

Toucher and Rich‏ @Toucherandrich 15m15 minutes ago
I never once heard anyone say a bad word about Nick Cafardo as a person, which is unbelievably rare in this industry. He’ll be missed.

Keith Olbermann‏Verified account @KeithOlbermann 8m8 minutes ago
Nightmare news from spring training. He was one of the true good guys - with everybody. #RipNick

Mike Lupica‏Verified account @MikeLupica 4m4 minutes ago
There are simply no proper words to describe the sudden loss of Nick Cafardo today. There was no one in our business more respected. There was no one who was ever better company at the ballpark. He was a wonderful writer, and even more of a gent. Too young, far too soon.

Tim Kurkjian‏Verified account @Kurkjian_ESPN 50s50 seconds ago
We are crushed. They don’t get better personally and professionally than Nick Cafardo. Rest In Peace, my friend.
 
Last edited:

Caspir

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
6,886
I travel periodically on business myself - the idea of going on a trip and never coming home is heartbreaking. T&P to his family.
Yup. I keep this fear bottled up pretty good, and then something like this happens. What a tragedy, and echoing everyone, way too young.
 

chawson

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
4,660
This is a heartwarming thread for someone everyone regularly goofed on. I hope he hadn’t been struggling long, it’s awful sad.
 

curly2

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 8, 2003
4,887
I'm sure a bunch of people here, like me, follow a lot of baseball writers on Twitter. The tributes that have been coming one after another are not just of the "say something nice about the person who died" variety.

It seems he was a truly great guy who was loved by his colleagues.
 
Last edited:

edoug

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
6,007
I travel periodically on business myself - the idea of going on a trip and never coming home is heartbreaking. T&P to his family.
Having got the call and had to make the call, This²
 

ForKeeps

New Member
Oct 13, 2011
464
When I saw him trending I was hoping it was because he made a bad tweet or something. Awful news, feel terrible for his family.
 

dcmissle

Deflatigator
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 4, 2005
28,269
The Globe article doesn't state a cause but it might have been an embolism.

WBZ | CBS Boston News‏Verified account @wbz 32m32 minutes ago
JUST IN: Boston Globe announces veteran sports writer Nick Cafardo has died at the age of 62. Cafardo suffered an apparent embolism at Spring Training and could not be revived by Red Sox medical staff


Lots of glowing tweets about what a nice guy he was...

MLB Communications‏Verified account @MLB_PR 17m17 minutes ago
We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and readers of Nick Cafardo – a talented writer, a true professional and a friend to so many throughout our game.

Steve Buckley‏Verified account @BuckinBoston 16m16 minutes ago
Nick Cafardo’s passing has stunned all of us here in Fort Myers. One of the giants of our business, Nick was a kind, decent man who brightened the press box. As someone who sat next to him for more than 25 years,l can attest to his good nature.

Andrew Marchand‏Verified account @AndrewMarchand 27m27 minutes ago
Tragic news about a great man, Nick Cafardo. Nick was not only a top reporter, but always a friendly face at Fenway or Yankee Stadium.

Lou Merloni‏Verified account @LouMerloni 35m35 minutes ago
Nick Cafardo was one of the best beat guys I’ve come across. He was loved by everyone. Today’s news was tough to hear. I feel awful.

Bob Nightengale‏Verified account @BNightengale 30m30 minutes ago
I absolutely loved this man. Nick Cafardo was one of the greatest people I've ever met in this business, and such a dear friend. Absolutely heartbreaking. The sports world lost a great one, and I can't tell you how much we will miss him.

Toucher and Rich‏ @Toucherandrich 15m15 minutes ago
I never once heard anyone say a bad word about Nick Cafardo as a person, which is unbelievably rare in this industry. He’ll be missed.

Keith Olbermann‏Verified account @KeithOlbermann 8m8 minutes ago
Nightmare news from spring training. He was one of the true good guys - with everybody. #RipNick

Mike Lupica‏Verified account @MikeLupica 4m4 minutes ago
There are simply no proper words to describe the sudden loss of Nick Cafardo today. There was no one in our business more respected. There was no one who was ever better company at the ballpark. He was a wonderful writer, and even more of a gent. Too young, far too soon.

Tim Kurkjian‏Verified account @Kurkjian_ESPN 50s50 seconds ago
We are crushed. They don’t get better personally and professionally than Nick Cafardo. Rest In Peace, my friend.

That is pretty much an all star team of baseball notables. It says a lot.
 

Spelunker

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
11,857
Terrible news. Even with our professional criticisms, no one doubted that he was a good and decent human.
 

BoSoxLady

Rules Red Sox Nation with an Iron Fist
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 24, 2003
3,448
I’ve known Nick for many years. We disagreed frequently, particularly about the analytics era but he was very kind and generous with his time.

He loved baseball and covering the Red Sox was his dream job.

He was batshit crazy in his latter years but he had no malice toward anyone.

RIP.