Red Sox need their own version of the “ManningCast”

An alternative to watching the NESN broadcast for Red Sox games

Imagine a world where fans can tune into Boston Red Sox games to hear entertaining yet insightful commentary without the standard play-by-play.

ESPN produced a smash hit by pairing Peyton and Eli Manning together for an alternative broadcast to Monday Night Football games this season. Their success will inevitably lead to imitation and the network is already considering ways to translate the concept to baseball. ESPN is reportedly thinking about building a ManningCast-type broadcast around Alex Rodriguez, according to the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand.

First of all, this is a horrible idea. The ManningCast works because of the chemistry between the two brothers. Their goofball personalities are hilarious and they provide insightful analysis. That description doesn’t fit A-Rod based on his contributions in the booth during Sunday Night Baseball over the last few years. Rodriguez has often been criticized for talking in circles while failing to land a point with any interesting analysis.

Patriots fans might hold lingering bitterness toward the Mannings from their battles with Tom Brady over the years but outside of New England, the brothers are generally well liked. Their personalities are relatable and make for great television. A-Rod has always had a reputation as a prima donna who most fans can’t stand. Even Yankees fans found him to be cringeworthy at times.

While giving Rodriguez more air time during games might be a plan doomed to fail, the news got me thinking about how the concept could be tailored to fit the Red Sox. It wouldn’t need to be for all 162 games but it’s an idea NESN could toy with for one game each week or certain marquee games. It could either replace the standard booth for that game or broadcast simultaneously on NESN+ in much the same way that ESPN aired both versions on Monday nights.

Some of the best moments from Red Sox games over the last several years have been listening to Dennis Eckersley talk baseball in the booth with the late great Jerry Remy. Eck has the charisma to continue carrying the broadcast for any game he’s a part of but it won’t be quite the same without the RemDawg. Pairing Eckersley with essentially any former player would be television gold but he’ll presumably spend most of his time on the regular broadcast to bring some entertainment value alongside Dave O’Brien’s bland play-by-play.

If fans want an alternative to the regular format, a more casual conversation throughout the game similar to what the Manning brothers provide, which former Red Sox players would pair well together?