Fans these days can usually expect certain things when they turn on a baseball broadcast. High definition picture quality, slick graphics and a scorebug stuffed with stats, a “K Zone” and more.
But that wasn’t always the case, and this past week NESN turned back the clock and gave Red Sox fans a different kind of viewing experience.
To commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the 1975 World Series, NESN put together a special retro broadcast for Tuesday’s game between the Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds designed to evoke the look and feel of that era. The broadcast featured 70s-themed graphics, music, interviews with members of the ’75 Red Sox and even era-appropriate outfits for all of the network’s on-screen talent.
It was a huge hit.
Rewinding to the best of last night’s ’75 retro-cast 📽️ pic.twitter.com/tv1IYEl1r1
— NESN (@NESN) July 2, 2025
“To get the reaction we got from the broadcast, it was great, especially from people that I talked to from that generation, how excited they were about it watching it as a kid and getting to see it on Tuesday,” said Amy Kaplan, NESN’s coordinating producer for the Red Sox. “It kind of felt like we captured something there.”
“It’s been unreal man,” said sideline reporter Jahmai Webster. “It’s been crazy. I didn’t think it would be as popular as it became.”
The idea for the retro broadcast first came up last fall. NESN’s leadership knew the Reds would be coming to Fenway Park and that 2025 would mark the 50th anniversary of the two clubs’ meeting in the World Series, so Kaplan said they circled the series as an opportunity to celebrate the ’75 Red Sox.
“It really started very simple and very basic and we kind of built on top of it,” Kaplan said. “So we landed on doing two innings in the style of a 70s broadcast.”
Work on the project ramped up during spring training, and once word started getting out Kaplan said everyone at the network got excited and began offering their own ideas to help take the broadcast to another level.
“We all loved it right away because it was rooted in baseball, it was rooted in some of the great history of this team,” said host Tom Caron. “It was the perfect time to do it.”
To recreate the technicolor feel of an old 70s broadcast, Kaplan said technical director Michelle Schlickman and the graphics department worked together to create authentic film effects, wipes and graphics reminiscent of what was standard at the time. Care was also taken to find a happy medium between historical accuracy and serving modern sensibilities, the most notable example being the decision to display the scorebug constantly, which wasn’t a common practice in the 70s.
As far as coming up with the outfits, NESN had the perfect guy for the job on staff as well.
Thomas Csizmadia, a longtime NESN designer, happens to also run a vintage clothing business, Picker Packer & Grumb, through which he buys and sells pieces from the 50s, 60s and 70s.
“The thought came from one of my coworkers because he knows I do the vintage clothing on the side and we were in a meeting and we started talking about ‘hey wouldn’t it be fun if they dressed the part?’,” Csizmadia said. “It just seemed like a natural connection, I’m a designer here at NESN and my other world is in the past in vintage, so it was ‘hey wouldn’t this be cool if these two things could connect?’”
With his deep knowledge of the era’s fashion what was worn by sportscasters of that time, Csizmadia set out to gather the necessary clothes for the broadcast. Beyond just finding suits that Howard Cosell could have worn on Monday Night Football, he also had to make sure everything fit — not necessarily the easiest task.
Then there was coming up with something for Webster, who had something a little more funky in mind for his outfit.
“When it was brought to me I emailed Amy a picture of Jimi Hendrix in like 1975 and I’m like if it’s not like this I’m not wearing it,” Webster said. “And they came through on that promise.” (Editor’s Note: Hendrix died in 1970.)
Through his inventory, his personal collection and through his connections in the industry, Csizmadia gathered the clothes and came up with something special for Webster, a groovy red floral button-up shirt.
“It fit pretty good and my wife liked it so I was like alright let’s do it,” Webster said.
“That shirt was meant for Jahmai,” Kaplan said.
Originally the plan was for the retro broadcast to cover the third and fourth innings, but in an unexpected twist, thunderstorms moved into the area before the fourth inning began, leading to a lengthy rain delay. The irony wasn’t lost on the NESN crew given that Game 6 of the 1975 World Series was famously delayed three days by heavy rain, but it also allowed the broadcast to continue and gave commentators Dave O’Brien and Lou Merloni a chance to interview colleague Jim Rice — a member of the ’75 Red Sox — in the booth.
“Most of the time I don’t love rain delays but this one actually kind of worked out well because we got to have that conversation with Jim,” Kaplan said.
Rice later returned to NESN’s centerfield studio, where he and Caron continued until the game was suspended to the following afternoon.
“The line was great, I was like didn’t you get wet? And he said ‘sugar don’t melt,’ which is the perfect Jim Rice line,” Caron said, adding that the rain delay ultimately enhanced the broadcast. “It really did, it allowed the graphics to keep going, it allowed for a little more long-form storytelling, and Jim had some great insight to what was going on in ’75, and ultimately it carried it over another day.”
When play resumed on Wednesday the retro broadcast picked up where it left off and carried through to the end of the fourth inning as planned. By the time it ended the broadcast had generated considerable buzz, both from young fans who found the aesthetics fascinating and from older viewers who grew up in that era.
“Some of the comments on social media have been hilarious, (especially) from our younger audience,” Webster said. “But some of the older folks too about how it’s taken them back to that time, so I think we nailed it in that regard.”
“That 1975 team, whether you were alive for it or not, it was a really important season in revitalizing and building the passion for the Red Sox in Boston, and a lot of what we have now is built on that,” Caron said. “I was really excited that it struck a chord with people because it was all a lot of fun and there was some silliness to it all, but it was all rooted in baseball and the incredible history of the Red Sox.”
The retro broadcast won’t be the only special initiative NESN undertakes this season. This week the network is also planning “Monster Week,” which will focus heavily on the Green Monster and will be highlighted by O’Brien and Merloni calling the entirety of Monday’s series opener against the Colorado Rockies from atop the wall.
Would NESN consider doing another retro broadcast in the future, perhaps an 80s-themed broadcast next year commemorating the 40th anniversary of the ’86 team? Kaplan said they haven’t turned the page to next season and haven’t discussed any plans like that, but she’s found the entire experience working on this past week’s broadcast to be rewarding and is grateful viewers enjoyed it.
“A lot of people made this happen and a lot of people got excited about it and were excited by the challenge,” Kaplan said. “We had as much fun behind the scenes as most people had watching it.”
Will Red Sox get three All-Stars?
The complete MLB All-Star rosters will be unveiled Sunday, and while the Red Sox did not have any position players voted in as starters, there’s a good bet left-handers Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman will be among the American League’s pitchers.
Will any of their teammates join them? Three other Red Sox players have a realistic case for earning All-Star honors.
Alex Bregman was the runner-up in the AL third base vote and still ranks among the league’s top players at the position in Wins Above Replacement (2.9), home runs (11), RBI (35) and OPS (.938) despite having now missed more than a month due to injury. Bregman most likely wouldn’t play even if he is able to return before the All-Star Break, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him earn the nod from his peers anyway, even if he wound up just handing the roster spot off to the next most deserving candidate.
Carlos Narvaez has a strong case for being the No. 2 catcher in the AL behind Seattle’s Cal Raleigh. He ranks second among AL catchers in WAR while also boasting an OPS of around .800 and some staggering defensive metrics. Will that be enough to earn him the nod over Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk? Kirk was the runner-up in the fan vote, has been an All-Star before and plays for a team higher in the standings, so even if Narvaez has a stronger argument on paper, he might still have a tall hill to climb.
The biggest longshot of the realistic contenders is Wilyer Abreu, who is having a terrific season but faces stiff competition amid a crowded AL outfield group. Abreu is on pace to approach 30 home runs and still ranks as one of the top defensive right fielders in the game, but he’ll have to crack a reserve unit that will almost certainly include Mike Trout and Steven Kwan, leaving perhaps one spot up for grabs. Would Abreu beat out Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena, or Toronto’s George Springer? It’s doubtful.
The full MLB All-Star rosters will be announced Sunday at 5 p.m.
Boston’s Baez enjoying breakthrough
Joshua Baez was one of the area’s top prep standouts a few years back, becoming a two-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year at Dexter Southfield before signing with the St. Louis Cardinals out of high school. But since being chosen in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Boston native has taken some time to find his footing in the professional ranks.
But now, he’s starting to take off.
Baez is enjoying a breakout season, and at the time of was batting .291 with 10 home runs, 49 RBI, 31 stolen bases and an .885 OPS through his first 66 games split between High-A and Double-A. Baez was promoted at the end of May and has continued to produce with the Springfield Cardinals, maintaining a consistent OPS to what he had at High-A while hitting six homers in his first 28 games at Double-A.
Still only 22, Baez now ranks as St. Louis’ No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The outlet notes that while Baez has long struggled to make enough contact to allow his plus power to play, he’s now significantly cut down on his whiff rate and has flourished as a result.
