Kevin Youkilis is one of the new additions to the Red Sox broadcast crew on NESN. The three-time All Star was part of the 2007 World Series team. He is one of three new analysts joining the network this season.
On Tuesday morning, Youkilis joined The Greg Hill Show on WEEI to talk about what he is expecting in his new role. He told Hill that in test games and in spring training he learned very quickly how different being a full-time analyst is from showing up to do guest spots.
“When you join the broadcast for an inning, it’s a lot different where you can talk through it and get out of it.”
Co-host Courtney Cox asked Kevin Youkilis if he still feels the same about the media as he did in his playing days. She wanted to know how being in the media changed how former players view the media.
“I’m not really the media because all I do is analyze baseball still,” he joked. “I don’t have to ask questions.”
He was a little more forthcoming with Jermaine Wiggins. The former Patriots tight end asked Kevin Youkilis how hard it is to transition from thinking like a player to thinking like a broadcaster. Did he have any trouble being critical of players?
Youk answered that he is going to try to educate viewers more than simply say the team is screwing up. He joked that plenty of Boston and national media are willing to do that when things aren’t going right for the Sox.
What he wants to do is to explain why something is off. Youkilis says that baseball is full of “moving parts,” so a single motion or habit being off can ruin a player in the field or at the plate. He told The Greg Hill Show that there is no value to a media member ranting about a player or a team’s slump if they can’t pinpoint what is going on.
“Explaining those things is easier than telling a guy he stinks right now,” Kevin Youkilis said. “You can look at a guy and he is 0 for 20. Guess what? He knows he stinks.”
Youkilis will rotate with former teammate Kevin Milar, 98.5 The Sports Hub afternoon host Tony Massarotti, and incumbent analyst Dennis Eckersley on television. Dave O’Brien and Mike Monaco will share play-by-play duties on the NESN broadcast.