Q&A Exclusive with Tyler Milliken
“That changed my life. I’ll never forget it.”
Tyler Milliken is an associate producer for Zolak and Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Co-Host of the very popular “Name Redacted Podcast” and overall Boston sports media star.
Milliken talks about how he gained popularity in the Red Sox media world, his gratitude for all the help and guidance he has received from others in the industry and opens up about his very busy life during the baseball season.
He also reveals which player from the 2007 championship team he would have on the 2024 Red Sox, what he would deem a “successful” 2024 Red Sox season, a day in his life and much more! Enjoy!
Q: Favorite childhood (15 years or younger) memory involving the Red Sox?
A: August 1st, 2013. My best friend and I had got tickets to this game for our 15th birthday and it was our first time going to a Red Sox game on our own. We got lost going into the city and it was an absolute journey to get to Fenway Park, but fortunately we had left 4 hours early with the hopes of catching batting practice. That same afternoon, we met Brandon Snyder before the game and got a picture with him, which we both have framed today. All that led up to a ridiculous 6-run comeback in the 9th against the Mariners where it was the perfect representation of the 2013 Red Sox. I just remember watching it all come together and that’s where I knew I wanted to be part of the media industry one day. Also, put some damn respect on Daniel Nava’s name. Please and thank you.
Q: Favorite Red Sox player of all time?
A: Dustin Pedroia will always hold that spot for me. As someone who wasn’t blessed with the height gene, I feel like Pedroia gave all vertically challenged people the confidence they might’ve been lacking on the field. Not to mention, I’m extremely competitive, almost to a fault. That was something I always connected with while watching Pedroia over the years. No matter how mad I was about a game, it felt good to know nobody was more frustrated than him. I’ll never forgive Manny Machado robbing him of a potential Hall of Fame career.
Q: If you could take one Red Sox player from the 2007 World Champion Red Sox team and put them on the 2024 Red Sox, who is it and why?
This is like asking someone to pick their favorite child. But purely from a standpoint of trying to win, I’m going Josh Beckett. The Red Sox are starving for that type of ace right now and adding one would transform the team immediately. Especially if you’re getting the guy who finished 2nd in Cy Young Voting with a 3.27 ERA in the regular season. Can’t forget that 1.20 ERA in the playoffs either. Not to mention, we could all rock Phiten necklaces with pride again. Sounds like a win-win.
Q: In your opinion, what would qualify as a successful 2024 Boston Red Sox Season?
A: It feels like the goalposts have shifted quite a bit since we were getting excited about Tom Werner’s “full throttle” comments after Craig Breslow was introduced. At this point, a successful Red Sox season for me would be playing competitive baseball through the final week of the season. The last two years, the team has been basically dead by the time the calendar flipped from August to September. If you’re the Red Sox, success should be measured by making October at the very least, but it’s hard to envision that with the state of the AL East right now and the way the Red Sox are choosing to spend. Truth is, you could finish a few games above .500 and still miss the playoffs. Hopefully, the young core continues to take a step forward with the likes of Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer, and Roman Anthony all debuting towards the end of the year. Maybe that will finally give ownership an incentive to spend ahead of a ridiculous free agent class.
Q: What’s a day in the life as Tyler Milliken look like during the Red Sox season?
I can’t lie, it’s a little hectic. But every single morning during the season, I usually re-read the recap from last night’s game to get my mind fresh from the night before. I use that to kickstart my production work at the Sports Hub, before getting my tweets together for my Twitter page in the morning. Then it’s off to work, where I either hear about how great or terrible “my baseball team” is doing. Once Zolak & Bertrand is done for the day, my goal is to knock out a few baseball podcasts on my commute home and eat before the game starts. Once that happens, I’m cutting clips and trying to write for the Sports Hub website until I go to bed. Then, it’s rinse and repeat roughly 162 times. Unless it’s a podcast night, then we’re cooking until 1 or 2 AM about whatever is going on with the Sox.
Q: What would you say is the most rewarding and most challenging part of being a member of the #1 downloaded Red Sox podcast?
A: The most rewarding part of being on Name Redacted is just hearing how much the show means to people and their daily routine. Life can be really tough. I remember having horrible days and then an episode of Section 10 would drop and it’d put a smile on my face. Hearing others say similar things makes it all worth it.
The most challenging? Just the schedule. It’s a lot of long nights during the season with my full-time job, but at the end of the day, talking baseball is my favorite thing in the world. Even if I’m exhausted, once the podcast starts your brain flips on (sometimes haha). Plus, if I didn’t get those thoughts out on the Red Sox, I’d probably lose my mind. So, it all works out.
Q: Who is someone you have looked to for inspiration or advice as you have gained popularity in the Boston sports media space?
A: Man, there’s so many people that have helped me along the way early in my media career. It definitely starts with everyone from Zolak & Bertand, from our Executive Producer Tom Morgan, to Zo, Beetle, and Hardy.
Tom has taught me everything I know about being a producer and has always been an important big brother figure for me as I navigate the space. That goes back to when I was an intern on the show for 6 weeks and I barely spoke. When nobody was a fan of Tyler Milliken, he made sure to push for me again and again, and I’ll never forget that. Beetle, Zo, and Hardy have been crucial for me finding confidence with my voice on-air. From day one, they always pushed for me to give my thoughts and takes without hesitation, even if they completely disagreed with them.
There were plenty of growing pains on my end as I worked to understand radio, but they never gave up on me. I also have to shout out our Assistant Program Director Jim Louth, who was the reason I was ever an intern in the first place and the reason I have a job today. I was working at Target after I graduated college trying to figure out what was next and he gave me a call to come do overnights. That changed my life. I’ll never forget it.
Then there’s Jared Carrabis. I’d be lying if I didn’t say he was part of the blueprint for everything I was hoping to accomplish in high school and college. Watching a fan completely take over the media space and become the most important voice for Red Sox baseball made it seem possible for someone like me to have a place in this community.
If you go far back enough on my Twitter, you can see all the fanboy tweets I used to send his way. Thankfully, James Stewart (Executive Producer of Felger & Mazz), hooked us up right before the 2022 season and it changed my life again. Getting the seal of approval from him transformed my social media account and the spotlight on me in a major way that I’ll never be able to pay back. But the best part is, that was just the start. Jared’s become a really important friend/mentor to me over the last two years, giving me advice on just about every part of my life. I’m really thankful to have someone like that in my corner pushing me to reach new heights and be uncomfortable. He could’ve bet on anyone else to do Name Redacted with, but he stuck with me as I learned how to be more than just someone who ranted for a minute and then shut his mic off. Truly means the world.
Lastly, I do have to show some love to J-Stew as well. This is a tough industry where you can overthink so many different things from the work you do to the relationships you build. He’s been a constant role model for me as both a producer and talent, and has always been there to hype me up. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat around after Zolak & Bertrand and just discussed a thousand things on my mind with him. Not once has he ever turned me away or told me he’s too busy or that I’m being dramatic. That’s a real friend. Can’t forget Matt McCarthy either, who was the first one to ever have me on a Red Sox podcast or ask me to do a phoner. We can scream at each other about baseball for hours. Very rarely do we agree on anything involving the Red Sox, but that’s what makes it fun. He’s gone out of his way to show love to me again and again, and that’s a rare thing in such a competitive industry.
Q: What does the baseball off season look like for you?
A: If I’m not tweeting out rumors or checking out what’s going on in the Scoop Shop, I’m definitely sleeping. I’d be lying if I said the season didn’t wear me out a ton. But the offseason for me is about trying to get healthy and locked in for the next marathon of a season. Once I’m a bit more rested though, I try to spend a lot of time with my family and girlfriend. It’s hard for me to do a ton during the season because I’m locked in front of the TV for 3-4 hours a day from February through October. So, it’s about making up for that time when my schedule is a bit more flexible.
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