Q&A Exclusive with Red Sox “ITM Podcast" host Steve Perrault: 'Fenway is the most accurate version of live baseball nostalgia'

Nov 15, 2023

Steve Perrault is a well known media presence in the Boston sports space.

The former co-host of the well known Section 10 Podcast with Jared Carrabis and Coley Mick, is now the proud founder and co-host of the popular “Inside The Monster” podcast with Joey Copponi.

Perrault is recognized among Sox fans for his authentic and optimistic outlook on the team and supports all the Boston area teams. You might find him at the Garden cheering on Jayson Tatum and David Pastrnak or at Gillette Stadium hoping for a Pats win, but it’s safest to say that when it’s mid-August and the Sox are in the middle of a playoff run, he is going be at Fenway… even if it’s in a Reese’s costume.

Perrault talks Fenway, day in the life, advice for his younger self and more!

Q: Favorite player of all time from the Red Sox, Celtics or Bruins? Favorite Athlete of all time from any sport that never played for any of the Boston teams?

A: Favorite local player ever has to be Nomar Garciaparra. Nothing beat going to Fenway as a kid and hoping to get his autograph. He was the definition of what you wanted a role model to be in the Boston sports space. Class act that genuinely cared about his relationship with the city.

Favorite athlete of all time is easily Ken Griffey Jr. Watching Griffey growing up was the absolute best. The game seemed so easy to him. I would try to duplicate his swing playing wiffle ball in the back yard and fail miserably. A smoothness that will never be duplicated and the face of a video game that was a ton of fun to play every year. Oh and getting the new Griffey poster at the school fair every year was an absolute must.

Q: You only get to go to one game at Fenway for the rest of your life… where are you sitting?

A: It’s gonna be a boring answer but I have to say the Monster seats. I’ve been lucky enough to watch a handful of games up there and the view and atmosphere are just so perfect. You weed out a lot of the dopes that are yelling useless stuff all game, there are no lines for food, you have the chance to catch a homer, and…you’re ON the Green Monster. Nothing beats that.

Q: If you had to take one current Red Sox player and put them on the Boston Celtics, who is it and what position are they playing?

A: I would have Jarren Duran literally becoming Payton Pritchard. Shifty guy that can knock down some threes and give you top energy for every minute that he’s out there. Also isn’t afraid to talk some trash when needed. That’s always key.

Q: Can you rank the top 3 Boston Sporting events you have attended in person?

A: 3. Manny Ramirez walk-off homer, Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS

2. Ken Griffey Jr. winning the 1999 Home Run Derby at Fenway Park

1. David Ortiz grand slam game, Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS

Q: How would you describe Fenway Park in one sentence to someone who has never been?

A: Fenway is the most accurate version of live baseball nostalgia, if that makes sense.

Q: Favorite Childhood (15 years old or less) Red Sox memory?

A: My favorite childhood Red Sox memory is when my dad took myself and my brother Dan out of school in October of 2004 to go to New York for Game 2 of the 2004 ALCS. I’ll never forget the looks on my friends' faces in gym class when I was walking out telling them I was off to the Bronx to see Pedro take on the big bad Yankees. My brother and I wore Manny Ramirez jerseys in NYC and to the game and were cursed out for four hours straight. After hearing the “Who’s your daddy?” chant a thousand times and seeing the Sox fall behind in the series 2-0 I certainly wasn’t in the best of moods, but still was super thankful to my dad for bringing us to such a big game. The Sox coming back to win that series certainly makes that memory a lot more fun for us now.

Q: What does an average day look like for you on a day you record the podcast during the baseball season?

A: Recording day always starts with at least an hour of prep for the show. From planning out segments, to looking up the right stats, to reaching out to our audience to get DM questions or voicemails - there is a lot more that goes into the preparation for the podcast than most folks would expect. Then it’s locking in a time that works for Joey and I to record, making sure we keep the show to around an hour, uploading it to all podcast platforms and then beginning the content creation process to promote that episode on social media.

Q: Who was someone you looked up to in the Boston Sports/Media/Red Sox space or did you have to carve out your own path?

A: The person I looked up to most in this space while I was going through high school and college hoping to make a career out of this was Michael Holley. Holley was very nice to me when I interned at WEEI during my freshman year of college and was always someone who I thought had the most accurate takes on whatever was going on in the Boston sports world. He had a very conversational and laid back approach when discussing the local teams, but was also super knowledgeable on each of them. I tried to adapt that approach when I got going in the Red Sox space in 2015. I certainly had to put in a lot of time and effort to become any kind of relevant in this field, but people like Michael Holley certainly paved the way for folks like me to become something in Boston.

Q: Can you tell us the most rewarding and the most difficult part of transitioning from being a member of the “Section 10” podcast to starting “Inside The Monster” ?

The most rewarding part of the switch from Section 10 to ITM was knowing that I can still maintain my relevance in this space without the connection to Barstool Sports. The Barstool branding definitely helped us grow an audience faster, but we grinded to make that show great and build the loyal following that we had. Knowing that my audience still supports the content just as much with ITM has definitely been the most rewarding part of the switch.

The most difficult part of the switch has been starting from scratch. I enjoy the challenge of building up a new project, but that will always take a lot of time and effort in order to become something valuable to the listeners. We have made a solid dent in the Sox space with ITM, but I’d be lying if I said the Red Sox sucking for the most part over these last two years hasn’t slowed our growth potential.

Q: If you could go back in time 5 years ago, what advice would you give yourself?

A: To not be so hard on myself when things aren’t going exactly as I would like. I’ve definitely had to overcome some pretty big hurdles in the last few years and it’s allowed me to realize that obstacles are part of the process of trying to really make it in the sports industry. There are times where I’ve gotten down on myself a bit too much and needed to give myself a break and acknowledge that better days are certainly ahead. And let’s be honest, the Sox being in last place the last two seasons just hasn’t been good for my health. Go sign Ohtani. Please.

Q: What’s the baseball off season look like for you?

A: There is definitely more free time which is good. We do one show a week so the time committed to the actual podcast is cut in half, if not more. I try to spend as much time with my family as I can since it can be harder to do that during the baseball season. And I get to the Garden as much as possible for Celtics and Bruins games.