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Listen to Rick Porcello


Which part of the newspaper is Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello’s favorite? The sports section, of course!


As a kid, Porcello, who grew up in New Jersey, loved to read Sports Illustrated magazine and books about baseball. Now he likes to stay on top of sports and current events by reading the newspaper every day. “I like to see what’s going on,” Porcello says. “Read up about life and see what’s going on in the world.”


If Porcello read any articles about himself lately, he’d see that the Tigers and their fans have high hopes for him this season. Porcello, who’s now 21, was the Tigers Rookie of the Year last year. In fact, he was the most impressive rookie in the American League, with 14 wins. That’s more wins than any other pitcher age 20 or younger in Tigers history. Porcello was also the youngest Tigers pitcher to ever start a game at Comerica Park. When Porcello isn’t busy perfecting his pitching skills, he enjoys fly- fishing, which he describes as relaxing. And when he finds time to read, whether it’s a newspaper or a magazine about fly-fishing, he also likes to be somewhere peaceful.


“I like to read in a quiet spot somewhere,” Porcello says. “During the summertime I like to be outside where it is quiet and there are no distractions. During the winter, maybe by a fire or something like that just to relax.” Porcello knows that reading is also a great way to learn new information — whether it’s how his opponents are doing, how the city he’s playing in is doing, or how to find the shortest route on a map. “Stuff that you’re seeking to find out, you can find out from reading,” he says. “In your everyday life, you have to read, whether it is a street sign or trying to figure out where you are going.”


For kids coming up, he says, there is no substitute for learning to read. “You know, if you can't read well then chances are you are not going to be able to get a good job. You’re not going to be able to really do anything that requires reading. “I enjoy reading,” he says, “because it gives you information that you can learn from and become better educated.”


Rick Porcello liked reading sports stories as a kid, and now reads to “see what’s going on in the world.”


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