Tom Verducci

Tom Verducci is an American sportswriter who wrote for Sports Illustrated and now writes for SI.com, an online magazine. He writes primarily about baseball. He is also a reporter and commentator for Fox Major League Baseball and MLB Network.^[1]

Tom Verducci
Verducci at Citi Field in April 2011
Born	East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Education	Penn State University (B.A.)
Occupations	Sportswriter Sportscaster
Years active	1982–present

Early life and education

Verducci was born in East Orange, New Jersey and grew up in Glen Ridge.^[2] He attended Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, New Jersey and to Penn State, graduating with a B.A. degree in journalism, where he was a reporter for The Daily Collegian and. He wrote for the first edition of The Weekly Collegian.^[3]

Writing career

After a year with Florida Today, Verducci moved to New York Newsday in 1983, becoming a columnist in 1990. He began writing for Sports Illustrated in 1993. In 2005, while writing for the magazine, Verducci briefly joined the Toronto Blue Jays as an outfielder for spring training.^[4] He is a regular guest on The Dan Patrick Show.

His most recent book is titled The Cubs Way about Theo Epstein and a perfect 5-year plan taking the Cubs from a 101-loss season in 2012 to the 2016 World Series Champions.^[5] In October 2020, Verducci was in the MLB's "Playoff Bubble" covering the postseason for FOX's MLB broadcast. He appeared on Sports Illustrated's daily cover on October 27, 2020.^[6]

Broadcasting career

In addition to his writing duties, Verducci works in television. He works for MLB Network, where he serves as a "baseball insider" and co-host of several programs with Bob Costas. He called his first World Series in 2014 for Fox alongside Joe Buck and Harold Reynolds. Verducci was the first non-former player or manager to work in the broadcast booth as a color commentator for a World Series telecast or any pro sports since ABC's Howard Cosell in 1983. Verducci and Reynolds were replaced by John Smoltz as Fox's top baseball analyst following the 2015 season. He worked the 2016 Fall Classic (World Series) as a sideline reporter, a role he still has to this day in addition to being a studio analyst, in that capacity only for 2016.

Personal life

Verducci lives in the Belle Mead section of Montgomery Township, New Jersey, with his wife, Kirsten, and two sons. His brother Frank Verducci was the offensive coordinator for UConn.^[7] Their aunt is Joan Hodges, the widow of Gil Hodges.^[8] The brothers are of Italian descent.^[9]