Kevin Burkhardt has reached the pinnacle of sportscasting, having called two Super Bowls and hosted countless World Series, but what may separate him is what he does off the camera as much as on … in how he treats others.
Burkhardt discusses his big breaks from a small station in New Jersey to WFAN to SNY to FOX. He goes into detail about the thrill of working with Tom Brady, Greg Olsen, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez.
Burkhardt is the guest on a 36-minute edition of “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand.”
THE RUNDOWN …
What was shaping Kevin Burkhardt as a kid
Growing up in North Jersey, his whole family were New York fans, but not Kevin
Burkhardt was a big MLB radio guy as his family did not have cable
The influence of WFAN on Burkhardt
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When Burkhardt entered the business, he wasn’t thinking Super Bowls & World Series
His first job out of college, he had to worry that the signal wouldn’t work
The old engineer who mentored Burkhardt
Why Burkhardt enjoyed and valued the journey
What was Burkhardt’s first break …. on The FAN & Mike & the Mad Dog
Marchand says Burkhardt is the best sideline TV reporter ever
The advice that SNY Mets’ producer, Gregg Picker, gave Burkhardt
Gary Cohen, Ron Darling & Keith Hernandez’ important move for him
Curt Gowdy Jr. took Burkhardt up on wanting to do more and made him versatile
How Burkhardt got his Fox break and legendary director Bill Webb’s influence
The story behind how Burkhardt was shocked in 2013 when Fox offered him a full NFL play-by-play job
How he tries to relate to stars like Jeter, Ortiz & Rodriguez, which he is calling a game with on Saturday, June 6th, between the Yankees-Red Sox
Why Burkhardt raves about Jeter
Ortiz is a “giant teddy bear”
How A-Rod really wanted to be good on TV
Why Pete Rose was a little dicier than the current crew
Burkhardt covered Olsen’s high school games, which helped their bond
Olsen’s practice game was unbelievable
What is the process in terms of getting to know Tom Brady up to speed at Fox
Brady didn’t do something for TV that most other players do
M-Fing the GOAT & Brady loving it
How the relationship with Brady has grown from golf to dinners
The reactions to Brady when they are out is like the Beatles
The Brady-Burkhardt strategy to deal with Brady’s fame on the field
The Micah Parsons & Trevon Diggs picture before a game with Brady
What it meant to Burkhardt that Brady called him as good a teammate as he has ever had
The fun they have on set with everyone together
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On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel
