North Bay Woman

24 NORTH BAY WOMAN | S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 Around the BASES a well-known sportswriter who covers the National Football League for espn.com, for al- most 15 years. They relocated to Petaluma 12 years ago, and together they are rearing their two children, Zachary, 11, and Gracie, 8. Fans admire Gutierrez for her warmth, humor and ability to tell insightful stories about players and coaches during home and postseason games. So do her peers. She's won three Northern California Emmys – one for Best Game Broad- cast (of pitcher Matt Cain's perfect game) and two for Best Broadcast Team that she shares with one of the Bay Area's favorite on-air duos, both former professional ballplayers, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow. When she's not working, Gutierrez can be found volunteering in her children's class- rooms or running the beautification commit- tee for the grounds at her children's school. She also donates a portion of proceeds from her book, "Smarty Marty's Got Game" (2012) and the recently released "Smarty Marty's Official Game Day Scorebook" to the Giants Community Fund's program, the Junior Giants. And, each time a customer orders an Amer Gamer No. 1 or No. 2 at Lucchesi's Deli in Petaluma, a donation is made to the Petaluma Educational Foundation. North Bay Woman caught up with Gutierrez before she headed to spring training to get her take on her life and career. As a young girl growing up in Petaluma, did you have any idea of what you wanted to do when you grew up? I always had my path laid out. I liked watch- ing the television reporters like Barbara Walters and Connie Chung and other women in the news realm. I liked looking at them and listen- ing to them and I never thought that I couldn't do it, too. You worked for other stations and outlets before landing at Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. What was the progression that led you to working with the Giants? I started as a freelance features producer. We had an on-air talent that got a gig back east and had two shows left to host. I jumped in and hosted those and the rest is history. I'm now entering my ninth season covering the Giants for CSNBA and 13th year working at CSNBA. How has your background helped you in this position? I always knew I wanted to be a reporter, but I started as a producer and I still produce ev- ery day. But, thank God I was open to the idea of working as a producer because it opened up a whole world of possibilities for me. That's the advice I give everyone. When you're 22 you don't know what you'll be doing at 42. Just get your foot in the door. Your husband works in the business. Did he give you any great tips? When I was first getting started, I crossed over from general news. Paul told me to really know my role with the players and to remem- ber that I wasn't friends with them. They're co-workers. He told me to be friendly but to keep my distance so I didn't get biased. That advice really helps me do my job properly and professionally. You've written a children's book called "Smarty Marty's Got Game." Who's Marty? Marty is named for my grandmother. She was one of my favorite people and she loved baseball. The book is about a young girl, Mar- ty, who teaches her younger brother to love baseball through scoring baseball. Do you memorize baseball statistics? Not me. I'm not a numbers cruncher. I talk Amy Gutierrez has been involved in the world of sports since childhood with both of her parents being coaches on her teams. Clockwise from top left: Amy Gutierrez as a junior softball player at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma; her first year of soccer, age 6; and in an eighth grade softball photo (Gutierrez is back row, third from right. Her father, Bob U'Ren, is the coach at right.) – Photos provided by Amy Gutierrez

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