The Boston Red Sox return to NESN as their lone local television outlet for the seventh consecutive season and as a broadcaster of televised Red Sox baseball in New England for the 29th year in a row in 2012. And like they have since 2001, Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy will bring you all the Red Sox action. New field reporter, Jenny Dell, joins them this season.
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 air 30 minutes prior to the game hosted by Tom Caron with a crew of rotating analysts that include Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons, Hall of Fame players Jim Rice and Dennis Eckersley and newcomer Matt Stairs. 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.
Don Orsillo, a New England native, is entering his 11th 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 since 2007. This off-season he signed a new multi-year contract to stay with NESN calling Red Sox baseball.
Jerry Remy, the Rem Dawg, is entering his 24th season as the color analyst on Red Sox baseball. Remy played with the California Angels and Boston Red Sox during a major league of 10 years that ended due to bad knees. A Fall River native, he is also the first President of Red Sox Nation and owns two restaurants RemDawgs, a hot dog stand outside Fenway and Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill behind Fenway Park on Boylston Street. 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.
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Joining the NESN game broadcasts for the 2012 season as the Red Sox field reporter is newcomer Jenny Dell. Dell comes to NESN from ESPN where she did on-air reporting and delivered AccuScore reports scores for espn.com. She has also helped cover MLB games, Monday Night Football, the NBA and NASCAR behind the scenes for ESPN. The Connecticut native, a graduate of UMass, replaces former field reporter Heidi Watney who didn’t have her contract renewed after four seasons covering the team.
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.
Matt Stairs joins the NESN studio crew for 2012. Stairs, who played in the majors for the Red Sox, Phillies, Athletics, Blue Jays, Expos, Nationals, Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Royals, Rangers, Tigers and Padres was a first baseman, outfielder and designated hitter in a 19 year playing career. He has a World Series ring as a member of the 2008 Phillies and he holds the MLB record for Most Pinch Hit Home Runs (23). He played for 12 different teams, another MLB record he shares with Octavio Dotel, Mike Morgan and Ron Villone. In the off season, the Canadian now lives in Bangor ME with his wife and three daughters and coaches high school hockey.
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