One of the most important jobs of a color analyst is telling viewers something they may not know about the game they’re watching. Kevin Youkilis accomplished that right at the top of his NESN debut Tuesday.
With the temperature dipping into the 40s for Red Sox-Blue Jays, Youkilis remarked that players often slather themselves up with vaseline to withstand the cold weather. He proceeded to deliver that kind of insight all night along, along with plenty of laughs. When comedian Bill Burr started imitating Derek Jeter during his visit to the booth, Youkilis piled on, pointing out how the former Yankees shortstop used to react incredulously to pitches on the outside corner.
It was fitting for Youkilis to be on the call with Burr, considering Denis Leary’s riff about Youkilis was one of the most hilarious moments on a Red Sox telecast in recent memory — if not all-time.
“That’s fantastic, we’ve got a Jewish first baseman. I didn’t know that!”
After debuting as a studio analyst last year, Youkilis is slated to call around 50 games this season. As one of the early faces of baseball’s analytics movement — Billy Beane wistfully called him the “Greek God of Walks” as he was working his way through the Red Sox’ minor league system — Youkilis is especially well-suited for the moment. He possesses a strong knowledge of advanced metrics, referencing heat maps and other tools during the broadcast.
But just as importantly, Youkilis showed a lot of personality. That may be surprising to some, considering his sometimes surly demeanor on the field. But Youkilis didn’t have any problems delving into casual conversation, whether it was remarking that Gary Sheffield’s violent swing caused him to wince at third base, or cheekily saying he “married a good one” (Youkilis is married to Tom Brady’s sister, Julie).
It looks like NESN got a good one, too. Now we just have to wait for the Youk and Eck three-man booth.