The Boston Red Sox return to NESN as their lone local television outlet for the ninth consecutive season and as a broadcaster of televised Red Sox baseball in New England for the 30th year in a row in 2014. And like they have since 2001, Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy will bring you all the Red Sox action.
Red Sox baseball on NESN actually starts with a two half hour pregame shows Red Sox 1st Pitch airs 60 minutes prior to the game and Red Sox Game Day Live airs 30 minutes prior to the game. Both are hosted by Tom Caron with a crew of rotating analysts that include Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons, Hall of Fame players Jim Rice, Dennis Eckersley and Tim Wakefield. It also includes segments with Boston Globe writers and Red Sox game analyst Jerry Remy. The broadcasts conclude with a pair of post game shows “Extra Innings Live” and “Red Sox Final” also hosted by the same cast of characters.
On Monday’s, the pregame show will be 90 minutes as well as Friday home games.
Don Orsillo, a New England native, is entering his 13th season as the play by play voice of the Boston Red Sox on NESN. “Announcer Boy” is a graduate of Northeastern University where he studied under Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione. Before he came to NESN, Orsillo was the play by play voice of the Springfield Falcons hockey team, the Pittsfield Mets and Pawtucket Red Sox. The two-time New England EMMY winner called a no-hitter for Hideo Nomo in his first game covering the Red Sox. In addition to his Red Sox duties he has called men’s college basketball and the Beanpot Hockey tournament for NESN. He has also called Big East basketball games for the Big East Network and works for TBS during the MLB postseason calling one of the division series every year since 2007.
Jerry Remy, the “Rem Dawg”, is entering his 26th season as the color analyst on Red Sox baseball. He missed significant time in 2013 leaving the booth in August after his son Jared Remy was arrested in connection with the murder of his girlfriend and mother of his young daughter. It was only recently that Remy decided to return to the booth for this season, much to the delight of Red Sox fans everywhere.
As a player with the California Angels and Boston Red Sox Remy spent 10 seasons in the major leagues but saw his career end due to bad knees. A Fall River native, he is also the first President of Red Sox Nation and owns three restaurants, RemDawgs, a hot dog stand outside Fenway and Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill behind Fenway Park on Boylston Street and a second location in Fall River MA. In addition he also has a successful website, the Remy Report, and is the author of “Watching Baseball” and five children’s books based on Wally the Green Monster. He is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame having been inducted in 2006. In addition to his NESN work, which has won him 4 EMMY Awards, you will see Remy on occasion as a color analyst for regional MLB on FOX games usually involving the Red Sox.
Orsillo and Remy both now are the proud owners of three World Series rings having called the teams championship seasons in 2004, 2007 and again last year in 2013.
As of this publication no official decision from NESN has been made regarding the Red Sox field reporter replacement for Jenny Dell who was dropped from the broadcasts due to her relationship with Red Sox 3B Will Middlebrooks.
During the Spring Training Broadcast the network has been using both Sarah Davis and Elle Duncan in the field reporter capacity.
Tom Caron, a Maine native, is the Red Sox studio host for the pregame and post game festivities through the year with many of the pregame shows coming from outside Fenway Park amongst the sea of Sox fans. Caron who has been at NESN since 1995, has also hosted the Boston Bruins studio show, been the Red Sox field reporter and has done play by play for the Pawtucket Red Sox games on NESN as well as college basketball and college hockey. “TC” is a three-time New England EMMY winner and is also a frequent guest on sports talker, WEEI the Red Sox flagship station.
Peter Gammons is a Boston Sports Icon having started his career at the Boston Globe in 1969 covering Boston sports. He has also written columns for the Sporting News, been lead baseball columnist for Sports Illustrated and has been a baseball analyst for ESPN, the MLB Network and NESN. Peter has also written several books, is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year and in 2004 was selected as the 56th recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing, given by the BBWAA, and was honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies on July 31, 2005.
Dennis Eckersley is a NESN studio analyst since 2002. The Hall of Fame closer is only one of two players to have a 20-win and 50-save season in MLB history. Eck played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals in a 24-year career. Eckersley also won the 1992 AL Cy Young Award and 1992 AL MVP Award becoming only the 8th player to win both awards in the same season. In addition to his NESN work, Eck works as a studio/game analyst with TBS during the regular and post seasons. He also was given his own dictionary by the Bleacher Report blog because of his own very colorful baseball vernacular, called The Eck-tionary.
Jim Rice is a NESN studio analyst since 2003 and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame after playing his entire career in Boston with the Red Sox from 1974 to 1989. The 1978 AL MVP in his career hit for a .298 average with 382 HR, 1451 RBI and 2452 hits. His #14 is retired by the Red Sox and sits on the right field facade at Fenway Park. Jim Ed is also heavily involved in community service with the Jimmy Fund and MLB’s RBI program.
Tim Wakefield will return as a NESN studio analyst for his third season. Wakefield retired at the end of the 2011 after a 19-year MLB career, spending 17 years as a popular member of the Red Sox (1995-2012). He ended his career with 200 wins, 186 of them with the Red Sox, which ranks third behind only Cy Young and Roger Clemens on the Red Sox all-time career win list. He was the American League Comeback Player of the Year in 1995, an All-Star in 2009, and a two time World Series Champion.
He was also a champion off the field as one of the most charitable players in the league. He was nominated eight times for the Roberto Clemente Award, and honored as the 2010 recipient of this prestigious award. His partnership with the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston allowed him to spend time with patients. He has also been active with New England’s Pitching in for Kids organization, the Touch ‘Em All Foundation and the Space Coast Early Intervention Center in Melbourne, Fla.
On a side note to the broadcasts the Red Sox will be featured this season as they have in the past on FOX Saturday Baseball and ESPN on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday evenings and now at times on FOX Sports One.
Some of these broadcasts will be blacked out regionally to protect the local broadcast rights or NESN and the Red Sox opponent. Other times, namely the Saturday FOX games and Sunday ESPN games, are national exclusives and not available to NESN to be broadcast.
In regard to the FOX Saturday games these games while exclusively available for national broadcast, are regionalized by FOX Sports usually in a group of three games. In the past, depending on where in the country you lived you may not have been able to see the game because FOX had chosen to show a more regional match up. Now these other regionalized FOX Saturday games will be made available to subscribers of the MLB Extra Innings package or through MLB.TV.
This preview was sculpted over the off season with some mild tweaking as we went along prior to publication. It comes from a culmination of reading many hours of baseball research. 
We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.
1. Boston – Manager John Farrell (2nd year/4th Overall)
I don’t know where to begin other than to say John Farrell and his coaches and Ben Cherington and the baseball ops staff delivered one of the most improbable seasons ever in any sport in 2013. Between September 2011 and September 2012 this franchise was a disaster and Cherington righted the ship with the correct field manager and quality people in the clubhouse and rewarded the fanbase with a World Series title. Now they look to be the first team to repeat since the Yankees of 1998-2000. In that time period only the Yankees and Phillies made it back with chances to defend their title and the Rangers were the only other squad with back-to-back Series appearances. It’s a difficult task but hold on and buckle up.
2. Tampa Bay – Manager Joe Maddon (9th year/11th overall) 
Last year the Rays dealt pitching for hitting and came away with a standout outfielder and 2013 AL Rookie of the Year in 
3. New York – Manager Joe Girardi (7th year/10th overall)
They failed to make the post season last year for only the second time in the 
4. Baltimore – Manager: Buck Showalter (5th year/16th overall)
In 2012 the Orioles were dominant in one run games. In 2013 that trend reversed itself and it helped sink them. So what do they do? They trade one of the most effective closers in the last two years 
5. Toronto – Manager: John Gibbons (2nd year/7th Overall).jpg "Jose Bautista #19 of the Toronto Blue Jays Jays reacts after striking out to end the top of the sixth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on July 10, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio.")
2013 was a huge bust for the Blue Jays, the blockbuster deal with Miami went nowhere for the most part all though they did get one of MLB’s most electric leadoff men in SS 
We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.
1. Washington – Manager Matt Williams (1st year)
The Nationals have this two-year window on the players under contract before a bunch of them become free agents. Look for them in the next two seasons to do whatever they can to get to the World Series. They have a very good rotation, one of best in baseball, a solid bullpen and lineup with nice balance and good defense. They faltered early last year and the playoff push fell short after a wonderful 2012. Look for a year in 2014, in which they rebound and make a serious championship push.
2. Atlanta – Manager Fredi Gonzalez (4th year/8th overall)
Last year despite the disaster that was 
3. Philadelphia – Manager Ryne Sandberg (2nd year)
If you listen to closer 
4. Miami – Manager Mike Redmond (2nd year)
The one thing you can say about the Marlins is change is ever present. In come FA’s C 
5. New York – Manager: Terry Collins (4th year/ 10th overall)
I’m not sure what these guys are doing. They signed FA’s LF 
We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.
1. Detroit – Manager Brad Ausmus (1st year)
After losing in the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox manager Jim Leyland decided to walk away after 8 years in Detroit. While unable to win a title in that time he did lead the Tigers to two World Series appearances. Taking over is Dartmouth College grad and CT native Brad Ausmus who is considered one of the top young baseball people in the game. The Tiger lineup has a few changes with 
2. Kansas City – Manager Ned Yost (5th year/11th overall)
The Royals contended in 2013 nearly to the end before falling off and I expect the same this year as they and the Indians will battle for second in the division and one of the two AL Wild Card spots. Kansas City strengthened the rotation by adding 
3. Cleveland – Manager Terry Francona (2nd year/14th overall)
The Indians made a nice run in 2013 earning a wild card in the first year under Terry Francona. Now they need some more of that magic and for the pitching both in the rotation and the bullpen to help carry them. They could probably use another big bat in the middle of the lineup and may peddle SS 
4. Chicago – Manager Robin Ventura (3rd year)
The White Sox made an effort this off season to strengthen the corners of the infield by signing Cuban FA 1B 
5. Minnesota – Manager Ron Gardenhire (13th year)
The Twins have a beautiful ball park and some loyal fans and they’ll need both to continue to draw because if they don’t get big contributions from free agent signees SP 
We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.
1. St. Louis – Manager: Mike Matheny (3rd year) 
The Cardinals are the defending Nation League Champions having lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series for the 2nd time in 10 years and no one should expect them to go away. This Cardinals team despite trading away 
2. Pittsburgh – Manager: Clint Hurdle (4th year/12th overall)
They stopped the streak at 20. After 20 consecutive non-playoff seasons and 20 seasons without a NL MVP, the Pittsburgh Pirates and CF 
3. Cincinnati – Manager: Bryan Price (1st Year)
The Reds should compete once again for the division and wild card berth and will do so every year for the next several years. They have a solid core of young players, good veteran’s and a new manager who comes from a pitching background and a staff that has a style that fits well with the make up of the club. They like the Pirates did very little in the offseason and they really want to improve on their post season experience after they were disappointed with the one and done wild card game loss to Pittsburgh. They have some questions in LF as well as up the middle in CF and C and because of this I have them third in the division.
4. Milwaukee – Manager: Ron Roenicke (4th year)
Ryan Braun
5. Chicago – Manager: Rick Renteria (1st year)
Year Three of the “Theo Epstein Project” (that should be the name of his band) and now the Cub faithful are starting to get restless and introducing “Clark the Cub” didn’t help matters. Then they lost out on 
We will also select a MVP candidate and Cy Young candidate for each team no matter what their predicted team outcome is.
1. Oakland – Manager Bob Melvin (4th year/11th overall) 
For two years in a row the unassuming Oakland A’s have captured the AL West over the divisions big brothers the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers. Can they make it three in a row? Biggest changes for the A’s are adding FA SP 
2. Los Angeles – Manager Mike Scoscia (15th year)
For the first time in three offseasons the Angels didn’t make a huge free agent splash. In 2012 they signed 1B 
3. Seattle – Manager Lloyd McClendon (1st year/6th overall)
Jay-Z delivered All-Star 2B 
4. Texas – Manager Ron Washington (8th year)
For the second season in a row we watched as the Rangers choked away the AL West. As late as September 4, Texas led the division only to go in the tank and play some of their worst ball all season that saw them lose 13 out of the next 17 and slip to 8.5 GB in just 19 days. Yet they were able to recover enough in the seasons last week to play in game 163 against Tampa Bay that they lost, 5-2. And now here we are in 2014 and Ron Washington still has a job and somewhere in Arlington pigs are flying. There’s a lot of questions about Texas especially in the pitching department after losing SP 
5. Houston – Manager Bo Porter (2nd year)
The Astros moved to AL West in 2013 and not much changed. Sure the players came and went but it didn't add up to very good baseball and they will lose a ton of games again. The team has lost 324 games the last three seasons and you can look for another 100 losses this year. The starting pitching has little MLB experience and they are very weak across the board in all phases’ offense, defense, pitching and their bench. The best thing the Astros have going on the field is 2B