Sports

Video: The ZOOMers Sing at Fenway

By Cristina Quinn & Elizabeth Deane   |   Thursday, June 21, 2012   0 comments.

June 22, 2012

BOSTON — Today is Kid Nation Day at Fenway, a day where the little Red Sox fans get to hang out at the park and meet the players. Back in 1999, the cast of the WGBH kids program ZOOM got the chance of a lifetime — to perform the national anthem at Fenway. We were curious: where are they now?
 
 

The stands were filled with parents and pint-sized Red Sox fans eating Cracker Jacks and wearing baseball caps they’d eventually grow into. The field was filled with baseball greats like Pedro, Nomar and Wally the Green Monster, signing autographs and taking photos. The WGBH Archives has video footage from that day, shot by ZOOM producer Jim Johnston on his home video camera. Alisa, David, Jared, Lynese, Pablo and Zoe are wearing oversized matching jackets with the word ZOOM embroidered on them — and they're barely able to contain their excitement.

From the Archives — the U.S. Open

Wednesday, June 13, 2012   0 comments.

June 13, 2012

 
Greater Boston has partnered with the Boston Globe to bring you a weekly feature called "From the Archives." Each Wednesday on Greater Boston, we will show one to two photos from the newspaper's archives. This weekly feature offers a glimpse into Boston's past.
 
On June 13, we get a sneak peek of … the grand game in Brookline.  

June 14, 1988: Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman on the first tee of an opening practice round of the U.S. Open. Despite presently holding the record for most majors ever won at 18, and despite winning the U.S. Open as a rookie in 1962, Nicklaus did not make the cut at The Country Club in 1963 or 1988. Norman, one of the pre-tournament favorites, had to withdraw during the second round when he injured his wrist hitting a concealed rock on his third shot at the ninth hole.

From The WGBH Vault: Jean Shepherd at Fenway Park

By Elizabeth Deane   |   Thursday, May 17, 2012   0 comments.

Remembering Carl Beane

By Annie Shreffler   |   Wednesday, May 9, 2012   0 comments.

May 11, 2012

Carl Beane with WGBH News reporter Ibby Caputo, showing off his World Series rings during an interview in 2010.

In a 2011 conversation with Emily Rooney, Beane said he began covering the Red Sox as a sports reporter in 1977 and got the unexpected opportunity to call Fenway games after a one-time audition during spring training.

"I'm sitting in the booth about a half an hour before the game, down in Florida, the place is full and I'm thinking to myself, 'What have I just talked myself into?', because my PA experience is zero," Beane said.

"It's kind of spooky talking to you," Rooney said during their interview. "That voice is just so familiar, and here you are talking like a regular person. We don't think of you as a regular person. You are that voice from the booth, like the voice of God."

Seau Suicide Highlights Athletes' Post-Career Risks

By Tonia Magras   |   Friday, May 4, 2012   0 comments.

May 4, 2012
 
BOSTON — The day after the suicide of former NFL linebacker Junior Seau at 43 stunned the football world, an emotional Bob Kraft of the New England Patriots shared his thoughts.
 
"He sent me something in the few weeks after Myra’s passing and he wrote, 'I’m so sorry about the passing of Mrs. Kraft' — " Kraft began to cry as he continued — "'She was an inspiration to me. I have so much respect for all she did and to help people lead better lives. I’ll always be there for you and your family.'"
 
Among sad football deaths, this "is one of the most dramatic because of how great Seau was … he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer," said Damon Amendolara, host of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
 
"Inside of that locker room, he was a hero," said sports reporter Chris Collins of NECN, who covered Seau at the end of his career, with the New England Patriots. "He was a teacher, he was a mentor and he was a friend."
 
Seau’s state of mind and the details surrounding a car accident in 2010 have led some to question whether years of head bumping contributed to his death.
 
His family said there were no signs of stress or depression — and his sister Annette said the media would "overblow this."
 
Amendolara said Seau had no notable on-field accidents but pointed out that over much of his career, people weren't focusing on head injuries — and that the linebacker had spent "over 20 years in the most violent position in the football field."
 
While no one knows what drove Seau to take his own life, former NFL player Tiki Barber said that depression is common among former NFL players: "There is a façade that sits around athletes that we are these strong, emotionally strong, powerful beings, when in fact, we’re just human beings."
 
Collins agreed that turbulent currents could lie under the façade. "I know a lot of retired NFL players and a lot of them are going through the same type of deal: When you see them out, when you see them on the golf course everything is fine but they're in a dark place when they get home."
 
Said Amendolara, "It should shine the light right now on former players and what they deal with, whether it's because of the violence of the game and head injuries or just removing themselves from the adrenaline rush — because this is happening far too much."
 

The Poet of Fenway

By WGBH News   |   Friday, April 20, 2012   0 comments.

April 20, 2012

BOSTON —  Fenway's one-of-a-kind charm has inspired no end of literary giants, including such as Stephen King, poet Donald Hall and perhaps most famously John "lyric little bandbox" Updike. Today, Dick Flavin is carrying on the tradition as the official poet laureate of Fenway Park. Sure the pay is low — but that keeps competition for the spot down, he joked. This is his special verse for the Fenway centennial, as heard on The Callie Crossley Show. Listen to the rest of the conversation above.

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