Jody Jackson Ackerley (Transcript)

Robby Incmikoski: First, let me tell you—I don't want this in the book, but I want to tell you a story. It would be funny to go on the record. I always thank Jody for having her daughter and...

Jody Ackerley: Because—

Robby Incmikoski: She’s heard this story a hundred times over, but I was a minor league hockey play-by-play announcer in Prescott Valley, Arizona, with dreams of going into television. Jody shared the load of games for the Phoenix Coyotes and Diamondbacks with—what was it? Brad, Todd... thank you... and am I missing a fourth? Mark McClune. So they had a bunch of people. Jody was pregnant and going on maternity leave.

Jody Ackerley: Yeah, it was kind of a mishmash, yeah.

Robby Incmikoski: I had a friend who was friends with our former boss, the executive producer. I went to him while I was doing minor league hockey and said, “Hey, Jody’s gonna miss some time. Can I just fill in for her for a couple of days, just to get some demo tape material?” He goes, “I do.” They hired me—two other ladies to share the—

Jody Ackerley: That’s right, they did hire somebody else, something...

Robby Incmikoski: I’ve been in—Lacey Collins, who's now a lawyer, and...

Jody Ackerley: Hey—

Robby Incmikoski: I don’t know what she’s doing and...

Jody Ackerley: Law.

Robby Incmikoski: Yep. So I got my start in television covering for Jody when she went on maternity leave. And that was spring of ’08. So, her daughter is 16 and a half now, her son is gonna play college football—

Jody Ackerley: Yeah.

Robby Incmikoski: —in New Mexico. So there’s the little backstory. Okay, Jody—Chase Field in Arizona. How long have you been covering the Diamondbacks?

Jody Ackerley: I’ve been covering them since May of 2000. So when I showed up, I hadn’t really spent a lot of time in a retractable roof stadium, so it was really interesting for me.

Robby Incmikoski: Watching this team now for 25 years, how would you describe how they’ve been able to build a fan base? And what is the game day experience like at Chase Field?

Jody Ackerley: Yeah, I’ve seen it through my eyes as a person working there, and I’ve gotten to see it through my kids’ eyes growing up. It’s a really unique stadium, of course, just being indoor and then the retractable roof. And no more was that on showcase than in the World Series. One kind of magical moment for me was when it started drizzling a little bit on that November 4th, ’01. There’s a bit of an aura about it for me. From the day I walked in there, we had a producer, John Walsh, who had this idea—and I know Matt Lauer is an unsavory name—but it was back in the day when the Today Show was doing “Where in the World Is Matt Lauer?” So he had an idea: “Let’s do ‘Where in the World Is Jody Jackson.’” And this was to introduce me to the people in Arizona. And I got up on the catwalk...

Jody Ackerley: So way up in the roof. That was my first thing. It’s so funny thinking back—I think, why did I do that? That’s scary! It’s really high up there. It was really hot and kind of dusty up there. Why would I go up there? But I’m kind of glad I did now, because I’m not planning on going back up there any time soon. But it was kind of a cool thing in the very beginning. And then there’ve been so many memories for me there. It’s a unique place.

The game day experience—sorry, I didn’t even answer your question, I’m just rambling on about my memories.

Robby Incmikoski: It’s a great story. Exactly what we want.

Jody Ackerley: Opening Day is always exciting. You have April—we have seasons with our stadium, I feel like. Because Opening Day, the weather is gorgeous as it can be, and for the most part, unless it's going to rain that day—which would be really rare—the roof is open. And that's how it is for most of April and May. And then in the summer, it becomes kind of like a big indoor playground. That's how my kids saw it. You can get out of the heat—it's terrible, the heat in Arizona in the summer, as Robby, as everybody knows, right? But it's a lot of great baseball fans out in Arizona. A lot of these people have come from other places. That is true, and that's why when other teams come in, you do see a lot of those jerseys. But they've grown a terrific fan base, and I think it's only been bolstered by the excitement of the team lately. But they’ve really—in a short history of a franchise—for a young franchise, they've really been pretty good. When you think about winning the World Series, going to another World...

Robby Incmikoski: So I obviously have a personal relationship that goes back with you almost 20 years now, and I know you really well. And I also know how you’ve transformed into... you’re a Miami native, right? And now you're in Arizona, and you married a college football player from Arizona. You raised both your kids in Ariz—

Jody Ackerley: Series—so, built some great fans that enjoy the game. Yeah, there are fans that have come from other places.

Robby Incmikoski: Your kids are Arizona natives...

Jody Ackerley: But really, it’s funny—

Robby Incmikoski: What does that do, you think, for a fan?

Jody Ackerley: I'll meet fans that are even Dodger fans, but they say, “When the Dodgers aren’t here, I am a D-backs fan,” which is really strange. I'm always like, just come all the way over! Why stop there?

Robby Incmikoski: Like Kyle’s from Chicago, lives in Pittsburgh...

Robby Incmikoski: He's a Cubs fan. So when you come to another city—

Jody Ackerley: But it’s also very multicultural. We have a great Hispanic influence at our ballpark.

Robby Incmikoski: What is—

Robby Incmikoski: What is...

Jody Ackerley: We have great food.

Robby Incmikoski: Watching people come from another city and...

Jody Ackerley: There’s all kinds of food—

Robby Incmikoski: —become fans of a team.

Jody Ackerley: But they have a great tamale stand—Ray’s Tamales.

Robby Incmikoski: That’s a big transplant city, like Phoenix, because there’s so many other things. You’ve got, whether it’s golf—

Jody Ackerley: He’s a gentleman that has worked at the stadium for a really long time.

Robby Incmikoski: There’s so much—like when you look at it, in every city—Miami, San Diego, Phoenix—all the beautiful cities like that—

Jody Ackerley: And so there’s a lot of—to me—maybe fans don’t see that—

Robby Incmikoski: Sports. Like, you come to Pittsburgh in the winter—

Jody Ackerley: If you come in visiting one time—

Robby Incmikoski: It’s Steelers.

Jody Ackerley: —but a lot of authentic Arizona roots at the stadium and—

Robby Incmikoski: Because there’s nothing else to do. In Arizona, there’s always something else to do. So what is it like watching people become fans of a team when there are so many other distractions out there?

Jody Ackerley: And in the game day experience as well.

Robby Incmikoski: And what is the challenge in building a fan base?

Jody Ackerley: Yes.

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah.

Jody Ackerley: Yeah.

Jody Ackerley: Yeah, I think there are challenges for sure, and that’s why it’s so important to have that great game day experience—from the people when you walk in. It’s been a real focus from day one. To be honest, when I came in day one, I was covering every sport in town, so I didn’t know everyone at the ballpark like I do now. Now, I’m at the ballpark a hundred-plus times a season. I don’t cover every single game, but—so, a hundred adds the road—but you know what I’m talking about. I’m there for most of the home games, and so these people are like family. And I think that’s really been a focus—not only at the beginning too, with Jerry Colangelo and Rich Dozer—but Derek Hall taking it to another level. He’s like, “Hey, we have to have a great experience here. We have to have people—our ushers—they’re called Guest Services Representatives—they work hard to create a real family vibe, a real welcoming place for people.” I think all ballparks in America do that. I was in Milwaukee not that long ago, and everybody’s really nice there. It’s Midwest nice, right? And I feel like Arizona has a little bit of that too.

Robby Incmikoski: Right.

Jody Ackerley: Maybe it’s because there are so many Midwesterners out here. And we have people that make it really welcoming, but it is hard, because everyone is coming from another place. They have their traditions. But I think Arizona’s done a lot to have their own traditions as well. And that’s from—you...

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah.

Jody Ackerley: There are a lot of traditions there—from D-backs win songs when they win a game. They have a Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers song that was written for the D-backs. And that’s a little bit of flavor because Roger’s such a big Arizona guy and he loves New Mexico too. And then you’ve got the stuff that they do for kids, because that’s what—when you’re building—you’ve got The Sandlot way up high in left field, you’ve got Bobby Freeman the organist, you’ve got Baxter the Bobcat. You’ve got all of these things that do make it—it’s like, you want to know what are the Diamondbacks all about? What does it all mean? And then, of course—I mean, the logo itself is a snake. So that’s not so welcoming, I guess—a rattlesnake—but it’s cool. It’s unique. When you see the traditions of other teams...

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah. All right, Derek Moore—the lemonade guy—tell me about him real quick.

Jody Ackerley: I mean, ours is—in some ways—you…

Robby Incmikoski: Just—

Jody Ackerley: There are these details and—

Robby Incmikoski: What impact does he have on the fan experience?

Jody Ackerley: Because it’s not just “My father came here, I’m coming here,” and it’s a really old stadium or whatever it is—which you can’t really match a Fenway or a Wrigley, right? That’s just—they have their own charm. I’m going to Fenway here this weekend too, and haven’t been there in a really long time. So I think the Diamondbacks work hard to—whatever they can’t make up with the history of the building—is just that welcoming vibe and those unique traits that make it a cool place to be. There’s the pool—

Robby Incmikoski: Phoenix—I don’t even know—

Jody Ackerley: Didn’t even mention the pool! I mean, the pool—when you talk about game day experience—it’s not like everybody can just go launch themselves into the pool—

Robby Incmikoski: That’s right. I’m gonna try to talk to him anyway, but go ahead.

Jody Ackerley: They sell that area, but over the years, what’s fun is just talking to people through 24 years—at some point, everybody’s been out there, whether it was for a party, a corporate event. I think it is a little harder to get in that area. I mean, there are probably times where, in the middle of summer, when the team wasn’t very good, that it wasn’t that hard to get that area. But now, I think it’s pretty coveted to get out there. And so it’s a really neat place. The other day—forget the homer—I think it was Corbin Carroll hit a home run, a guy caught it, fell back in the pool. It was almost scripted. So there’s a lot of cool things that involve our pool at Chase Field.

Jody Ackerley: Yeah.

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah.

Jody Ackerley: So everybody loves Derek Moore. And that voice—I don’t know if I can do it. It’s a little bit of a gravelly voice—but “Lemonade! Ice cold lemonade!” And you can hear him bellowing this through the stadium. He started out—I guess he’s been—Robby, you may know more than I do—I mean, I think he even started out at the stadium—

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, no doubt. Last thing—we’re going to try to talk to Derek for this book as well.

Jody Ackerley: What was the first pro baseball stadium? The Roadrunners was at the room—

Robby Incmikoski: So I want to get you—talk—

Jody Ackerley: No, in Phoenix—

Robby Incmikoski: I definitely want to talk to Derek.

Jody Ackerley: Yeah. Going back to—I have to do or—

Robby Incmikoski: Hey, so just—can you give me a little—

Jody Ackerley: You can do some—

Robby Incmikoski: I mean, it’s kind of cool and—

Jody Ackerley: Yeah, so he’s just been like a lifer at the stadiums, going back to before the D-backs came to town.

Robby Incmikoski: And you alluded to it a little bit, but just—can you compare and contrast the two World Series: ’01 versus ’23? One—the Diamondbacks win arguably the most dramatic World Series in the history of baseball—

Jody Ackerley: And out at Scottsdale Stadium, I believe, for Spring Training.

Robby Incmikoski: Close to it in terms of finishes—a walk-off single off arguably the greatest closer in the history of the game—versus Josh Sborz striking out Ketel Marte looking and—

Jody Ackerley: He’s just like—you—how can you not buy lemonade from this guy? And then he’s a staple there. You go to the stadium, you expect to hear Derek Moore. And he’s a really friendly guy. He loves to talk to the fans and—

Robby Incmikoski: The Texas Rangers win the World Series at Chase Field.

Jody Ackerley: A couple years ago—I think it was during COVID, but I’m not sure. I don’t think it was COVID-related, but he had some health issues. And there was a big outpouring of all the fans in Arizona to help Derek Moore. There was a GoFundMe, and I remember donating a little bit of money to it as well. I think he’s doing well now. I don’t always see him at every game—which kind of makes me wonder. I’ll try to figure that out when I go back home.

Robby Incmikoski: What for all that?

Jody Ackerley: But yeah—yeah, he’s just—everybody’s like—people come from out of town even and—

Robby Incmikoski: Of course.

Jody Ackerley: They’ll be like, “You guys have that lemonade guy, right?” Because he’s always there with his—and he’s carrying around the big tray with the strap around the neck, with the lemonade. So yeah, he’s great. And when you think of Diamondbacks baseball at Chase Field, I think—think of Derek Moore, the lemonade man.

Jody Ackerley: That’d be cool. Yeah.

Jody Ackerley: Okay.

Robby Incmikoski: What was the scene like from Game One through Game Seven?

Jody Ackerley: I will just preface by saying—sadly—

Robby Incmikoski: I mean, obviously they played at Yankee Stadium. I know that—

Jody Ackerley: I wasn’t at Game Five—

Robby Incmikoski: But just the home—what was that vibe like at that ballpark?

Jody Ackerley: Because I was doing a Coyotes game in Anaheim. But right—funny story, just for you—not to suck up too much of your time—this is not relevant to the book. But I’m standing there—and I don’t know if you probably know out in L.A., Jake—John Reynolds—so he’s my stage manager that night. And I’m in Anaheim, and I’m really sad that I can’t—again, with the network being gone, everything’s kind of like freelance work. So I went and worked Coyotes because that was good for me personally, but of course my heart was over there seeing the team that had done it, trying to stay alive. Gallen was pitching a gem, but then it kind of got away from them late. And right before I go on the air for the second intermission, JR goes—

Robby Incmikoski: Was it the trumpet player?

Jody Ackerley: “It’s 5–1 now.” And I was fine—I wasn’t emotional or anything—but I was like, that sucks. And then, “Welcome back to the Honda Center...” I needed him—“JR, could you have waited three minutes through this intermission?”

Robby Incmikoski: Right, if we can find that—

Jody Ackerley: Just because there was part of me—maybe they can come back, maybe they can make it happen. I’d love to get to Game Six. So yeah, that’s where I was when Game Five was happening, unfortunately. But I’ll go back to ’01. And you’re right, Robby—I was there for all those games in ’01.

Jody Ackerley: Yeah.

Jody Ackerley: Yeah, waving those towels. I mean—it really was—and this is a franchise that just came in ’98, so it’s really incredible when you think about what they did. But people were, in the beginning, just excited to have baseball. Now these people are on fire with excitement for this, and it was so loud. I mean—I don’t know—the roof I think was open for most of those, because obviously it was late October. But just a gorgeous setting. Again, seeing a flyover through that open roof. And Jesse—gosh, I’m blanking on the trumpet— you should talk to him maybe too—just—blanking on his last name—

Jody Ackerley: Yes, he’s kind of like a good luck charm—he still does it for us, I believe he did the World Series this year. We felt like we went off course—we won all those home games, we lost the games in New York. But—God, I’ll find it for you—but great dude. Really awesome trumpet anthem that everyone felt was just a good luck charm for us. And it was just so tense. I mean, when you think about it—there was that one blowout game, which was kind of fun at Chase Field when—

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah.

Jody Ackerley: I forget who was pitching for the Yankees now—

Robby Incmikoski: Where were you when Luis Gonzalez swings the bat?

Jody Ackerley: But—literally—couldn’t get anyone out, so it just kind of piled on...

Robby Incmikoski: Where were you, and tell me what thoughts you remember?

Jody Ackerley: But Game Seven is unbelievable. I was actually just rewatching a little bit of it before this interview to kind of remember. I mean—the intensity of that—when Mark Grace leads off with a hit against Rivera, and then comes out of the game for the pinch runner, which was David Dellucci. And just seeing the look on the face—like seeing Bob Brenly go—and everybody’s just like—I get goosebumps thinking about it. Just the intensity of that entire inning. And then the bunt. And then Rivera throws to second—it goes into center field—and just—the crowd could sense, at that moment, what was happening. That they were creating—to steal a 2023 word—chaos. Right now, in 2023–24, our team is built around young—Brenly sometimes calls them “rabbits,” Brenly of course is in our booth—young kids who run really well. What’s funny is, I’m watching the ’01—and they created some chaos there—but not really with runners. They were older guys that don’t run. But the pressure they created that night—and then the frenzy of the crowd—because again, the game was tied at one, and then New York takes the lead. And then to come back in the ninth inning—I mean, it was—and then it was magical. The way that it started to drizzle that night, a little bit—it never rains in Arizona—and it almost felt like, is this gonna happen? Are the Arizona Diamondbacks going to upset the storied New York Yankees, who had been through so much? I mean, everyone in the country was rooting for the New York Yankees because of the horror and the tragedy that had happened in New York. And the Diamondbacks, to their credit, stayed the course. Despite all that emotion, they felt that emotion—and they managed to pull off one of the greatest baseball games of all time.

Jody Ackerley: I was tucked behind in what is known as the Sedona Club, because I was watching it on a monitor. Because we were ready to go out and do some interviews, but you have to wait till FOX and MLB do their presentations and all of that. So I was kind of relegated to being packed in there with just a bunch of people. And it was insanity. We all couldn’t believe—I’m not gonna lie—I wasn’t crying or anything, but I was just overjoyed for those guys and for the city and for everything. Just the fact that I was going to be able to go out on that field and—

Robby Incmikoski: Yep. Great.

Jody Ackerley: —celebrate a win for the D-backs. Because at the moment when it became 2–1, you’re thinking—this is Rivera’s game now. And this might not end well—

Robby Incmikoski: Okay, last thing—

Jody Ackerley: —and that’s the worst feeling—is to cover a championship game—literally, a World Championship—

Robby Incmikoski: We’re letting you go, because Kyle’s got to go too and you have a game. But if a fan wants to check off every ballpark—they want to go to Arizona—

Jody Ackerley: I experienced that with the Cardinals in Tampa—and not even really get to go out on the field—

Robby Incmikoski: How would you describe to them—

Jody Ackerley: —because your players are now just in the locker room—

Robby Incmikoski: —what the experience is like and what they could expect?

Jody Ackerley: Luis Gonzalez is everything to Arizona. He is everyone’s favorite human. The man could run for governor—he would probably win. I mean, he’s on commercials—if you’re watching our broadcast—or it’s not even just our broadcast—you could be watching any channel in Arizona, Luis Gonzalez is doing the car commercial, he’s doing restaurants, whatever it is. And you know what—well deserved. Because this guy is the most friendly guy. He never seems to tire of mingling with the fans. But yeah—he won the World Series with a bloop single, coming off of an amazing year. Again, another bit of irony with a guy that hits 57 home runs—and then he wins it with a little—

Robby Incmikoski: And they’re getting set to make another playoff run, so it’s good.

Jody Ackerley: Texas leader—but Gonzo—he’s a great representative of not just the D-backs, but sports fandom in Arizona. I mean, you could argue that he alone created—how many lifelong D-backs fans did he alone create with his season, his hit, and then the guy that he is? And everyone watched his family grow. His triplets grew up in front of everyone in Arizona.

Robby Incmikoski: Right. So I’m saying—it’s crazy.

Jody Ackerley: So that made him much more human to people. And he’s like a human mascot. I don’t know if he would like that too much, but he’s just as lovable. He’s probably more lovable than Baxter, to be honest.

Jody Ackerley: Yeah, just a unique experience with the stadium that it is—but people that love baseball out in Arizona—it’s just a place where it becomes an indoor playground in the summertime. But you also have that ability to have the outdoor experience when the weather is a little bit better—

Robby Incmikoski: You are the best, JJ. Thank you so much for doing this. We’re done.

Jody Ackerley: —but it’s just a really warm, welcoming place that welcomes everybody—

Robby Incmikoski: We hope to get the presale going around Spring Training. Book will be available around the All-Star break.

Jody Ackerley: —because again, when you have fans coming from all over—it’s a resort destination—

Robby Incmikoski: So I’ll be in touch with everything.

Jody Ackerley: Arizona—a lot of people come out to golf or—

Robby Incmikoski: We’re just collecting a ton of interviews right now.

Jody Ackerley: —go to the Grand Canyon. And I think we’re just a welcoming—

Robby Incmikoski: So we’re gonna get Tiff tomorrow.

Jody Ackerley: —place for all fans, really—

Robby Incmikoski: I’m gonna do Tiff, yeah—

Jody Ackerley: —and—

Robby Incmikoski: I’m gonna talk to him about setting up the locker rooms and—

Jody Ackerley: —then that said, you’ve got a really strong bond of Diamondbacks fans—

Robby Incmikoski: —what that experience was like. We’re gonna get the insider’s perspective.

Jody Ackerley: —who have been through some tough times but really have enjoyed the highest of highs in the game of baseball as well, together—

Robby Incmikoski: Right, exactly. That’s gonna be—

Jody Ackerley: —which has strengthened that bond.

Robby Incmikoski: Any fan doesn’t usually see that stuff. So that’s what I’m trying to give—it’s like you’re an insider—

Jody Ackerley: We can only hope—getting swept by the Rays was not everyone's—

Robby Incmikoski: You know what I mean? You and I have access that nobody else has, and I’m trying to shed a little bit of light on that—

Jody Ackerley: —because now we just sound like the New York fans. One minute, everything’s great, and the next minute, the sky is falling and everything is terrible, and “Fire the manager!” and “This guy sucks!” And it’s like, wait a minute—they went 20–5 coming out of the All-Star break!

Robby Incmikoski: Yeah, but that’s the sign of the good—when the sports talk radio is heating up and people are pissed off.

Jody Ackerley: I mean, but that’s what’s cool for me