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?

Former Red Sox who would make a great pair on the air

If the network wants to stick with the brothers theme, look no further than J.D. and Stephen Drew. It could be three hours of silence! If nothing else, their robotic personalities might make us appreciate O’Brien.

Former Red Sox infielder and Massachusetts native Lou Merloni has brought his strong opinions and insightful takes to the airwaves on WEEI. Those traits would fit well in this casual broadcast. If we’re pairing him with a former teammate, Nomar Garciaparra is a fan-favorite who has experience broadcasting Dodgers games.

The 2004 Red Sox were a band of misfits overflowing with interesting personalities. There are plenty of options to choose from that “bunch of idiots” but we can’t overlook Kevin Millar. Just picture Millar tipping back shots of Jack Daniels during the game while yelling at the players to “Cowboy up!”

Several of Millar’s teammates from that season are currently preoccupied with coaching or managerial positions but we can find other options to pair with him. Manny Ramirez might be a bit too off the walls. Manny being Manny could be entertaining or it could be a train wreck. Johnny Damon has the charisma but have enough fans forgiven his betrayal from when he signed with the Yankees?

Ellis Burks finished his career with that ’04 team and he’s done a solid job when temporarily filling in during NESN broadcasts. Tim Wakefield and Lenny DiNardo are already part of the NESN family. There’s a lot of options to consider from that championship team but Millar would clearly be the highlight from an entertainment standpoint.

The 2007 championship team didn’t have quite as many colorful characters but we can still find a solid pair from that group. I lean toward Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia. Both possess the baseball knowledge for the job and they have just the right amount of attitude to ensure that they won’t hold back about letting viewers know how they really feel about what’s occurring on the field.