NESN

Jade McCarthy Returning Home to New England to Join NESN

All sports fans in Boston, at one point or another, dream of covering the teams that they love. After spending the past four years in Philadelphia, Jade McCarthy will get to live that dream.

The anchor/reporter will be joining NESN in January of 2010, and she’s already looking forward to it.

“I’m really just excited to become a part of the Boston sports community,” Jade said. “There are very few cities in the country as passionate as Boston when it comes to sports. I’ve certainly seen that passion in Philly, and it makes for a special atmosphere for fans and players. Now, I’m looking forward to seeing it in the city I grew up in!”

Though she was working in Alabama in 2004 when the Red Sox finally ended their 86-year championship drought, she was able to cover the Phillies last year, when they won their second World Series title.

“Baseball is my oldest love of the big four,” she said. “My great aunt had me watching and keeping a scorecard more than 20 years ago. Her appreciation and love for the game always stayed with me. To be in Philadelphia when the Phillies won it all last year was unbelievable. Riding along that parade in Philly last year — interviewing the players who were in awe of the thousands upon thousands lined up along the parade route — is an experience I will never forget.”

A native of Newton, Mass., Jade has also worked at WGGB in Springfield. She said that her understanding of the sports culture in Boston will help her relate to the fans watching.

“I understand the passion,” she said. “It’s sleepless nights during the playoffs, Sunday Pats victories or losses that carry over to Monday mornings, and a year-round season for every team. That’s simply what sports means in Boston. For me, it makes the job all the more exciting!

“Although my career has taken me to Alabama to cover news, and then Philly to cover sports, coming home to Boston has always been a goal.”