Joe Castiglione is still adjusting to retired life.
The legendary radio voice of the Red Sox formally exited the broadcast booth in September of last year after over four decades on the call, but has stuck around the franchise to work eight spring training games this season and engage in alumni events.
“I miss the games and I miss the people. I certainly don’t miss driving down the Southeast Expressway,” Castiglione said with a laugh. “Life isn’t run by the American League schedule anymore. It was for 42 years.”
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Though Castiglione, 78, saw it all — including four World Series championships — in his tenure broadcasting games at Fenway Park, the Marshfield resident soon will embark on a career first.
On Sunday, Castiglione will deliver the commencement speech at Stonehill College’s graduation ceremony in Easton and accept an honorary degree. Castiglione did prepare and give a speech last year upon his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but Sunday will be his first-ever commencement address.
“It should be a great experience,” said Castiglione, who was invited to speak by Stonehill president Rev. John Denning. “I’m very honored to be able to do it.”
Jul 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Radio personality, Joe Castiglione, is honored after 40 years as the voice of the Boston Red Sox during a ceremony before the start of the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park
Family connections at Stonehill
Castiglione has many family connections to Stonehill, including his son Duke (1996 graduate) and niece Faith (2012, according to her LinkedIn).
Duke Castiglione, the sports anchor at WCVB-TV, played catcher and pitched for the Skyhawks’ baseball team after transferring from Ithaca College. Faith now works in public relations in Boston. Both will be attendance for Sunday’s ceremony.
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When Duke Castiglione was looking for a new college, ex-Red Sox general manager and Stonehill alum Lou Gorman — whom Castiglione’s children affectionately called “Uncle Lou” — often encouraged, “transfer to Stonehill, Stonehill, Stonehill!” Joe Castiglione recalled.
Duke did, and then got his start in broadcasting on Stonehill’s student radio station.
Joe Castiglione watched many of his son’s college baseball games at Stonehill’s Lou Gorman Field during the MLB strike in 1995 as the major-league season was off until late April.
“It was a great place,” Joe Castiglione said of Duke’s Stonehill experience. “It was a little under an hour from home, so it worked out well. He enjoyed his time there very much, and made some good friends that we still hang around with.”
Castiglione returned to campus this past Monday ahead of the commencement ceremony.
“I hadn’t been there in a while. The campus is gorgeous,” he said. “It continues to flourish. … It’s just a very impressive school and it keeps getting better and better.”
‘Let your heart lead you’
Castiglione — who in the past has collected honorary degrees from Colgate University (his alma mater), Middlebury College and Quinnipiac University — developed four drafts of his speech in preparation for Sunday.
He sought guidance from Leslie Sterling, the first female PA announcer in the American League who called Red Sox games from 1994-96. Sterling was one of Castiglione’s students when he offered lectures at Northeastern.
“The theme is, do what you love,” Castiglione said of his message to the graduates. “Let your heart lead you. Hopefully you have a vocation, not everybody does, but if you do, follow it. Don’t always go for the bottom line. Do what makes you happy and give back. Pay it forward.”
“You should have plan (in life), but it’s not always a linear path.”
In Castiglione’s case, prior to getting the job for the Red Sox in 1983, he broadcasted basketball and football games (and was a DJ) as a student at Colgate. There were no related courses at the school at the time, and Castiglione said he was “pretty well self-taught.”
He got his first broadcasting job calling Cleveland Indians games in 1979, but the network lost the rights contract after his first year on the air. Castiglione moved to Milwaukee in the aftermath and a 50-day baseball strike in 1981 cut his pay drastically. So, back he went to Cleveland, only to watch the regional network he worked for go bankrupt.
That’s when Casey Coleman, a colleague of Castiglione’s in Cleveland, recommended him to his father Ken Coleman, the Red Sox’ broadcaster, in 1983.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“When I went to my college’s 50th-year reunion, a classmate said, ‘You’re the guy who did exactly what he said he wanted to do,'” Castiglione said.
Like those at Stonehill, he was just a college kid with a dream.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Red Sox legend Joe Castiglione speaks at Stonehill College graduation