Nick Cafardo | |
|---|---|
 Cafardo atFenway Park | |
| Born | (1956-05-08)May 8, 1956 Weymouth, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | February 21, 2019(2019-02-21) (aged 62) Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Suffolk University |
| Occupation(s) | Sportswriter, author |
| Years active | 1981–2019 |
| Known for | Boston Red Sox coverage |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | J. G. Taylor Spink Award (2020) |
Nicholas Dominic Cafardo (May 8, 1956 – February 21, 2019)[1] was an Americansportswriter and sports author. A longtimecolumnist andbeat reporter forThe Boston Globe, he primarily covered theBoston Red Sox.[2][3] In December 2019, Cafardo was named theJ. G. Taylor Spink Award recipient for2020.
Cafardo was born inWeymouth, Massachusetts; his parents were immigrants from Italy.[2] He grew up inHanson, Massachusetts, and graduated fromWhitman-Hanson Regional High School.[2] Cafardo attendedNortheastern University before graduating fromSuffolk University.[2] He was inducted into the Whitman-Hanson hall of fame in 1993.[4]
Cafardo got his start covering local news forThe Enterprise ofBrockton, Massachusetts, and sports forThe Patriot Ledger ofQuincy, Massachusetts, before moving toThe Boston Globe in 1989.[4] He was hired at theGlobe at the suggestion ofWill McDonough.[4] Cafardo covered theNew England Patriots for theGlobe when he wasn't covering the Red Sox.[5] His "Sunday Baseball Notes" column in theGlobe was nationally read.[2][5]
Cafardo was the author of several books on sports.[2] He wroteThe Impossible Team: The Worst to First Patriots’ Super Bowl Season (2002),[5]Boston Red Sox: Yesterday and Today (2007), and100 Things Red Sox Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die (2008).[6] WithTom Glavine, he wroteNone But the Braves: A Pitcher, a Team, a Champion (1996) andInside Pitch: Playing and Broadcasting the Game I Love (2016),[2] while withJerry Remy, he wroteIf These Walls Could Talk (2019).[5]
In 2001, Cafardo joinedNew England Sports Network (NESN) as an analyst for the Red Sox,[7] and contributed to NESN reports covering the team.[3]
Cafardo was co-recipient of the Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year award in 2014, shared with colleague Kevin Dupont of theGlobe.[8] In January 2017, Cafardo received the Dave O'Hara Award from the Boston chapter of theBaseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), recognizing his long and meritorious service to BBWAA Boston.[9]
On December 10, 2019, Cafardo was posthumously named the recipient of the 2020J. G. Taylor Spink Award, given by theBaseball Writers' Association of America, for "meritorious contributions to baseball writing."[10]
Cafardo and his wife, Leeanne, were married in 1979 and lived inPlymouth, Massachusetts.[2][5] The couple had two children. His son, Ben, has worked as a senior communications director forESPN. Cafardo died on February 21, 2019.[2] He apparently suffered anembolism atJetBlue Park, and died atGulf Coast Medical Center; both are inFort Myers, Florida.[2] In August 2019, the Red Sox honored Cafardo in a pregame ceremony atFenway Park, which included his two grandchildren throwing outceremonial first pitches.[11]
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