During my Sunday morning travels, I was listening to 610 WIP just like any other day.
There were the expected hot topics of the Philadelphia Eagles and who they should take in the NFL Draft and how the Flyers needed to defeat the Washington Capitals in Game Six.
What I didn’t expect was the talk about South Philly’s John Marzano. The radio hosts and callers were sharing stories and memories like the former Major League catcher had died.
Is this the same John Marzano who was on Comcast SportNet just three days earlier, getting the crowd hyped up for the Flyers/Capitals game at the Wachovia Center?
Was this the same John Marzano I could call up, out of the blue, and talk baseball and get his take on the Phillies?
With thoughts swirling, I heard, "… died Saturday in his South Philadelphia home."
He looked perfectly healthy the other night on television. He was only 45. Reports are he fell down the steps of his Passyunk Avenue home after a possible heart attack.
I was in shock and immediately returned home to check the Internet. Articles were everywhere, from MLB.com to Comcast SportsNet to the Temple University Athletic Web site, where Marzano played college ball.
In my 10 years with the Review, I’ve had the opportunity to interview Hollywood celebrities, state championship teams and athletes from the NFL and NBA. Most of those experiences became just stories, interviews for an article that week.
Marzano, on the other hand, had become more. He was someone I would check in with regularly. Sometimes we would talk about the Phils’ chances of beating the Mets for the National League East title, other times we would talk about his post-baseball career. A couple years ago, we ran into each other at the Bernard Hopkins/Antonio Tarver championship fight at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. Marzano was one of the most approachable guys around, always smiling and upbeat. He would often greet you with the traditional South Philly "Yo!"
He also was someone constantly giving back to the community, opening his Marzano Baseball Academy in Philadelphia in 2001 to pass on his knowledge to the area’s up-and-coming players. Whether profiling a high-schooler from Bok or Neumann-Goretti, Marzano’s name would usually work it’s way into my stories.
In ’07, he formed the Marzano Scout League so some of the top travel baseball teams from Philadelphia, South Jersey and Delaware County could be seen by colleges.
It is just hard to believe Johnny Marz is gone.
