A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Anthony Mazzini building a fast-growing broadcast career and is the voice of Florence Y’alls


By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter

Anthony Mazzini feature/Florence Y’alls

He watches games for a living.

Not a bad gig if you can get it.

Anthony Mazzini watches lots of games – baseball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse and basketball.

At the present time the 24-year-old native of Framingham, Mass. calls games for the Florence Y’alls – the independent baseball team and a member of the Frontier League.

But there’s a price to pay.

The Y’alls play a 96-game schedule — and travel to such glamorous places like New Jersey, Ottawa and Quebec City – Canada.

Anthony Massini

Oh, did we mention, they do their traveling by bus.

And Mazzini goes along for the ride.

“It’s an opportunity,” he told The Northern Kentucky Tribune, “And you take an opportunity when it comes to you.”

He majored in Broadcast/Digital Journalism and Sports Communications – he graduated in 2019 – and is in fine company with some broadcast alums.

Marty Glickman, the famed voice of the New York Knicks and later the football Giants and Jets, Bob Costas, the former ‘face’ of sports for NBC are grads of the upstate New York school.

And locally, Dan Hoard and Dave Lapham – the voices of the Cincinnati Bengals – Hoard also calls basketball and football for the University of Cincinnati – are also grads of Syracuse.

That Syracuse connection helped land Mazzini his gig with the Y’alls.

“I was calling Syracuse athletics – men’s and women’s basketball, football and high school football on WAER and WJPZ Radio,” he said. “Scott Hecht, a producer with the Syracuse network helped me connect with the Y’alls.”

Hecht previously worked in local television at WLWT (NBC) Channel 5 and helped make the local connection for Mazzini.

Mazzini’s resume is quite impressive. He worked in the Boston-area and did games for ESPN+ calling events for Harvard, The College of the Holy Cross, Boston University, Babson College and the Worcester (Mass.) Brave Hearts in the Summer Collegiate Baseball League (2020).

He says the Florence Y’alls position “intrigued” him, and, “it was an opportunity to leave Massachusetts.

“I was ready for something new.”

And that didn’t lessen his work load.

He calls all games on ESPN+ for the University of Cincinnati as well.

How do you juggle the two?

“The UC season winds down when the Y’alls begins,” he said, “so it’s not too bad.”

His day is a long one.

He doubles as the Director of Media Relations, so he’s preparing game-night information early in the day for the usual 6:30 p.m. weeknight games – 7 p.m. on Fridays and 1 p.m. Sundays.

“My goal is to broadcast an exciting, meaningful game on linear TV,” he said.

For the defending West Coast Champion Y’alls, Mazzini does the play-by-play for all games on Flo-Sports – an internet connection.

Anthony Mazzini is a true student of broadcasting – and, at the same time he gets an opportunity to see America on a bus.

Truly, not a bad gig — if you can get it.


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