Red Sox: 5 favorite memories from Jerry Remy’s NESN broadcasting career

Memories of Jerry Remy covering the Boston Red Sox for NESN

Red Sox Nation is heartbroken by the devastating news that the beloved Jerry Remy passed away over the weekend after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Remy spent seven seasons in a Red Sox uniform during a productive career as a speedy second baseman but entire generations of fans who never had the chance to see him play know him best as the long-time color commentator for games broadcast on NESN.

The Massachusetts native greeted us every night with a thick Boston accent that served as a reminder that he’s one of us. He was as emotionally invested in this team as anyone, sharing in the euphotic highs of every triumph and feeling the pain of every low point. Remy openly rooted for the Red Sox but he did so without being a homer. He would praise someone for making a great play but wasn’t shy about offering insightful criticism when it was warranted. His critique was tough but fair, which earned him the respect of the viewers.

Many different personalities have cycled through the NESN booth but Remy was the linchpin that held it together for over three decades. His on-air chemistry with Don Orsillo was magical. We could listen to Remy talk to former teammate Dennis Eckersley for hours as they reminisced about their time together on the field.

Remy’s last public appearance at Fenway Park came prior to the Wild Card game against the New York Yankees when he threw out the first pitch to Eckersley. It’s a bittersweet moment now that we know that it served as his final farewell.

There are countless other fond memories we can reflect on from Remy’s broadcasting career. Here are a handful of my favorite RemDawg moments.

Remy breaks out the air guitar before a Red Sox game

NESN’s Tom Caron cut to Remy during the pregame show but Jerry could barely hold it together for his analysis of Red Sox starter Julian Tavarez’s performance from the previous game. What was it that had Remy struggling to regain his composure on the air?

“I just fell off a table, that’s why I’m laughing,” Remy revealed.

Of course, this led to many wondering how he fell, which TC was able to confirm with video evidence. Remy was getting himself hyped to go on the air by rocking out with some air guitar. The clip shows Remy strumming away on his imaginary instrument, presumably along to the tunes flowing through his headset. Suddenly, he stumbles backward. His attempt to catch the ledge of the window overlooking Fenway Park fails as Remy goes crashing to the floor.

Thankfully, the only thing that was injured during the fall was his pride. In typical RemDawg style, he was able to laugh along with us. Remy’s impromptu musical performance showed us a glimpse of his loveable personality and his ability to brush off his embarrassing spill with a laugh proved he wasn’t one to take himself too seriously.

Eating grasshoppers when Red Sox visited Seattle

Peanuts and crackerjacks are a staple of many ballparks. When taking in a Red Sox game in Boston, a Fenway Frank and a Sam Adams beer completes the experience. The Seattle Mariners offer a more unique delicacy at T-Mobile Park – grasshoppers.

Chapulines, or toasted grasshoppers served in chili-lime salt seasoning, have been one of the best-selling concession items since the ballpark added it to their menu in 2017.

While adventurous foodies will eagerly gobble down these fried insects, the taste isn’t for everyone. Put Remy in that category. While the Red Sox were in Seattle for a series against the Mariners in 2018, NESN’s Guerin Austin convinced Remy to try a grasshopper.

Remy’s reaction was priceless. From the moment he popped the critter into his mouth you could tell how disgusted he was. Remy slowly chewed before reluctantly swallowing it. He then had to excuse himself to roll his chair off camera, presumably because he felt he was about to be sick.

Who could blame him? Eating bugs isn’t for the faint of heart but give Remy credit for being brave enough to try it. His broadcast partner, Dave O’Brien, wasn’t nearly as bold.

Pizza throw overshadows Red Sox game

We move on from the urge to throw up after eating grasshoppers to a fan literally throwing his food.

During a game at Fenway in April 2007, a shallow pop-up heading toward the stands was chased by Garrett Anderson. It appeared that the Angels outfielder had a chance to make the catch but a fan in the front row got in the way when he reached for the ball. Neither of them would end up with the ball as it deflected off the fan back onto the field.

That’s when chaos ensued. It was bad enough that beer splashed everywhere but a fan seated in the row behind him added to the mess by hurling a slice of pizza at the guy who failed to snatch the foul ball.

“Here comes the pizza, see it?” shouted an excited Remy as NESN showed the replay of the pizza slice splattering against the back shoulder of the fan.

The pizza thrower must have taken exception to the fan interference. Although, the culprit was wearing a New England Patriots jacket, which would lead us to believe he’s also a Red Sox fan. Why would he be upset about someone preventing the opponent from recording an out against our team? Better question – who throws a pizza??

The incident would end with the guy who threw the pizza getting thrown out of the game but the story of the infamous Fenway Park Pizza Throw would live on in infamy. Remy analyzed the reply more intently than anything that occurred on the field that day. Years later, NESN still shows that clip as one of their most memorable moments in broadcast history. Fans remember the pizza throwing event far more than they remember the outcome of that game.

The Red Sox defeated the Angels 7-2 that day, by the way. The Red Sox went on to win the championship in 2007 yet if you tune into a game on NESN, you’re more likely to see this clip about a guy throwing a pizza than you are to watch World Series highlights from that year.

Remy loses a tooth during a Red Sox game

While the Red Sox were on their way to losing a slugfest against the visiting Chicago Cubs in 2014, Remy was busy losing his tooth.

During the fourth inning of the game at Fenway, the conversation in the NESN booth pivoted from the game to Remy’s tooth, which had somehow popped out in the middle of the broadcast. He and Orsillo would spend the better part of the remaining game hysterically laughing as they joked about what to do with the tooth.

Orsillo encouraged his partner to try sticking the tooth back in, even offering to assist in the minor operation.

“You’re not going in my mouth,” said Remy.

That led to Don outlining how he would use his dentistry skills to hammer the tooth back in. Naturally, he would need some plyers to separate the other teeth to make room for him to “bang it in.”

Someone from the production team actually handed Orsillo a bag of tools, including plyers that he used to try to wedge the tooth back into place. Remy tried to explain that it was set back in wrong and was poking sharply into his gums.

“Don’t worry about it, it’ll be fine,” Orsillo responded confidently.

When he couldn’t find a hammer to finish the job, Don’s last resort was to try using tape to hold the tooth back into place. Sure, that will fix everything!

The ridiculous interaction between the two broadcast partners was comedic gold. No pair covering the Red Sox for NESN has ever had better chemistry together than Don and Jerry. Even when games started getting out of hand, those two could be counted on to keep fans entertained.

This iconic pair had many great moments together but the tooth debacle was mentioned by Orsillo as being his favorite, which means it undoubtedly deserves a spot on this list.