NESN’s reworked Red Sox broadcast team of play-by-play voice Dave O’Brien and analysts Jerry Remy, Dennis Eckersley and Steve Lyons is "off to an encouraging start," though some tweaks to the lineup "are necessary ... for true excellence to happen," according to Chad Finn of the BOSTON GLOBE. O'Brien is "talented and accomplished," and it "was assumed he would do a fine job in the difficult role of replacing the affable [Don] Orsillo." It is "hard to imagine there are regional cable networks with a more polished lead voice." There are criticisms that O'Brien "talks too much." Finn: "If it is a habit, it’s not one I’ve found egregious." O'Brien has "meshed effortlessly with Eckersley, who remains on the very short list of the best color analysts in the game." He is "always energetic and candid, and it’s endearing when his visceral reactions mirror those of the viewers at home." Meanwhile, Remy "is more engaged than he has been in years." Though he "was excellent last season," this year "he's been even better" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/20).
CHANGES COMING? In Boston, Alex Reimer noted it "appears as if phasing out" Remy "may be the next step" in re-energizing the Red Sox broadcast. Through the first seven weeks of the season, Remy’s presence on telecasts "has been diminished," as he has "sat out the last three road trips, sharing color duties" with Lyons and Eckersley. Though Remy and O’Brien "have yet to develop a free-flowing rapport," Remy seems "sharper as an analyst this season than in recent years." When Remy "is at his best, he adds a keen level of insight to the more intricate aspects of the game that escape the average fan" (BOSTON.com, 5/19).
