From covering the unforgettable near-perfect game by Armando Galarraga to star slugger Miguel Cabrera's run to the Triple Crown, Maumee native Jason Beck has been on hand from some of the greatest moments in recent Detroit Tigers history.
Beck, a 1992 graduate of Maumee High School, has covered the Detroit Tigers for MLB.com since 2002. Now the website's senior reporter, Beck has found his dream job in journalism.
As a beat writer, Beck said his goal is to be tough but fair to the teams and players he covers. An avid sports fan growing up, Beck also tries to balance his historical knowledge without repeating old stories.
Beck has worked with MLB hall of fame manager — and Perrysburg native — Jim Leyland. He also saw firsthand the Tigers' remarkable late-season run this year to an improbable playoff berth under manager A.J. Hinch.
Beck also saw the Tigers reach the World Series in 2006 and 2012. He also covered star pitcher Justin Verlander's no-hitters in 2007 and 2011. He also has seen some dreadful seasons, including in 2003 when the Tigers finished 43-119.
He said he views each game as a chapter in a book with the goal of documenting the players and coaches as part of a larger biography.
Beck grew up in Pennsylvania before moving to northwest Ohio in 1989. He played soccer and basketball growing up.
After graduating from Maumee, Beck attended Xavier University. He then worked at the weekly newspaper, the Maumee Mirror, during college. He then worked for the Cincinnati Post, Bowling Green (Ky.) Daily News, AOL, and CBSSports.com, before joining MLB.com.
Now a resident of Royal Oak, Mich., Beck is an avid runner who has completed four marathons. He loves traveling around the country to different cities while covering the Tigers.
The Blade recently caught up with Beck to reminisce about his career.
The Blade: What are your first memories of baseball?
Beck: I spent much of my childhood going to Pirates games at Three Rivers Stadium, so I was late to Tigers baseball. I remember seeing the '84 team on TV, and I remember seeing Tram and Lou on Magnum PI (my mom was a big fan of the show). But I didn't really experience Tigers baseball or appreciate the team's history and fan base until we moved to Maumee in 1989.
The Blade: What do you recall about Tiger Stadium?
Beck: My dad took me to a few Tigers games a summer as a kid. The sense of history there was incredible. I loved sitting up close to the field in the box seats, but the bleachers were an amazing experience, too.
The Blade: What impact did living in Maumee/northwest Ohio have on you?
Beck: It totally shaped my life. Living down the street from the Rec Center, I spent so many nights at Mud Hens games. As I kid, I would walk to the park, get a ticket, sit behind home plate, and talk with the scouts. And then being so close to Detroit and Cleveland, I got to see a ton of sports. My dad took me to Pistons and Cavs games. We got World Cup tickets at the Silverdome in '94. Going to Maumee High School opened up a world of possibilities for me college-wise. There's no way I would have this career without moving from Pennsylvania to Maumee as a kid.
The Blade: How much did you learn in your first job with the Maumee Mirror?
Beck: I learned more from the summers I spent at the Mirror than I could've gotten from an internship at a big paper, because I got to do everything. I did regular stories on the Mud Hens and learned how to deal with pro athletes at a young age. I also got to help actually put together the paper. It seems like another lifetime, but learning how story length and presentation matter was big.
The Blade: What was your college experience like at Xavier?
Beck: It wasn't a traditional journalism path, but it was great, a smaller school in a big city with a major sports presence. There was no journalism major, so I was an English major while working on the student newspaper. Our advisor helped me get a job working nights on the desk at the Cincinnati Post, taking high-school sports scores, putting together agate copy, and answering phones.
The Blade: Why did you decide to get into journalism?
Beck: Sounds odd, but I knew I wanted to get into sports media from a really young age. I have an uncle who's a huge Phillies fan, and I grew up a Pirates fan. We would have these big debates. He subscribed to The Sporting News and SI and a bunch of publications, and I'd get to read them whenever he was done with them. I could not read enough. I still tease my uncle that he got me into this.
The Blade: You've been with MLB.com since 2002. Is it hard to believe it has been 22 years?
Beck: It's wild. When I started on this job, I was lucky to have veteran writers on the Tigers beat, notably Tom Gage with the Detroit News, John Lowe with the Free Press, and Danny Knobler with MLive. I was the kid on the beat, and it stayed that way for years. Then at some point, the tables turned. Hearing from people who said they grew up reading me, it's an adjustment in my mind.
The Blade: What makes northwest Ohio a special sports market?
Beck: I tell people northwest Ohio is a great intersection of two big sports markets with different cultures. It's where Detroit and Cleveland fans meet, where Michigan and Ohio State fans meet. The prep sports scene has always been underrated.
The Blade: What do you think of Fifth Third Field?
Beck: I love it. As much as I miss having the Hens in Maumee, getting a downtown ballpark was a game-changer, not only for the team but for the city. They've done a great job with upkeep; it doesn't feel 20-some years old.
The Blade: Who were the mentors or inspirations?
Beck: I remember reading John Gugger's column a lot when I was growing up, but I also loved reading Dave Hackenberg. Aimee Ford and John Wagner were big mentors for me when I was doing Mud Hens coverage in Maumee. I learned a lot from how they handled the Mud Hens beat.
The Blade: How would you assess the Tigers' immediate future? Do you anticipate them making many upgrades and in what areas?
Beck: The Tigers are getting back into a cycle of contention, but it's unique in that they're relying on a ton of players who have come up through the farm system. I think they'll make some upgrades, adding a right-handed hitter and restocking the rotation a bit, but it's going to be more important for them to get further development from the young players they already have.
First Published November 24, 2024, 1:30 p.m.
