My First Ballgame with Bryan Hoch - Episode 4: Meredith Marakovits

Episode 4: Meredith Marakovits

04/18/22 • 42 min

1 Listener

We are joined by Meredith Marakovits, who has been the YES Network's Yankees clubhouse reporter since 2012. Meredith takes us to her first day on the job -- April 6, 2012, where we'll revisit the Yankees' 7-6 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer in baseball history, but Mo didn't have it that afternoon, leaving Meredith to ask some tough questions in her debut. We'll learn how Meredith traded the Philadelphia 76ers for the Yankees, ask what people always want to know about Derek Jeter, discuss the contrasts between the Joe Girardi and Aaron Boone eras, talk about college volleyball injuries and ponder why Kelly Clarkson wound up with a better career than Justin Guarini.

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Episode 3: Sweeny Murti

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In this episode of My First Ballgame, we are joined by the great Sweeny Murti of WFAN and SportsNet New York, who has expertly covered the New York Yankees for more than two decades. Sweeny takes us to June 8, 1975, where we'll trot onto the steaming Astroturf of Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium for the Phillies' 4-2 victory over the Dodgers. We'll discuss Sweeny's affection for Greg "The Bull" Luzinski, swap behind-the-scenes stories with Aaron Boone, meet Tim McCarver and Tug McGraw at a Harrisburg, Pa. mall, get to know the legendary Harry Kalas, see the 1986 Mets in person, and reveal how a one-time Phillies diehard was able to remain impartial in the press box for the 2009 World Series against the Yankees.

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Episode 5: Pete Caldera

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We are joined by Pete Caldera, who leads dual lives as the New York Yankees beat reporter for The Record of New Jersey and an evening performer, singing swingin' Frank Sinatra standards at a variety of New York City cigar bars and nightclubs. Pete brings us to Shea Stadium on August 9, 1974 for the Mets' 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, a game played just hours after Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency. We'll discuss being a Mets fan in the 1970s, the heartbreak of the Tom Seaver trade, getting an autograph from the famous "Shea Stadium Sign Man," seeing Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine in person, and of course, we invite Pete to give the starting lineup with the world's greatest Bob Murphy impression. Pete also discusses the joy of covering a 12-year-old Bryan Hoch in a 1994 Little League game for the Rockland Journal-News.