In Boston, Joon Lee reported NESN Red Sox analyst Jerry Remy will be back in the broadcast booth next Tuesday for Rockies-Red Sox. Remy has been "battling pneumonia that landed him in Mass General Hospital for nearly a week." Remy, who has not called a game since May 28, said, "I was working a Sunday game and I had an allergy attack. I thought that would improve within a couple of days and it actually got worse on the Monday night that I worked." Remy admitted that he "hasn’t been watching many games during his absence." He said, “It’s very hard for me to watch the games that I’m not participating in because it gives me a feeling of guilt that I’m not doing my job" (BOSTON HERALD, 6/20).
ALL THE KING'S MEN: In Sacramento, Tom Couzens notes some NBA Kings fans argue that the "longtime TV duo of Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds should be replaced ... that they've been doing it too long and the start of a new era is the perfect time for a change." But others "love how Napear calls games ... and the 'aw-shucks' personality Reynolds brings to the broadcast as an analyst." Napear has been a "fixture on Kings broadcasts since 1988, and Reynolds came to Sacramento with the Kings from Kansas City." There has been "no word, so at this point expect them in their usual places on opening night" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 6/21).
HARD KNOCK LIFE: In California, Michael Lev writes it is "hard to imagine the Bengals were anywhere near the top of the list of most attractive candidates" for HBO's "Hard Knocks" series. The "fact the Bengals are stepping to the plate for a second at-bat just four years after their first indicates that multiple franchises turned down the opportunity." There is "no data to support the contention that appearing on 'Hard Knocks' is detrimental to a team's fortunes." Three teams have had "worse records than the previous season, three have had better record and one team's remained the same" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/21).
NICE CHOICE: The Cleveland PLAIN DEALER in its "Cheers & Jeers" editorial gave cheers to SI for "departing from its usual practice of putting a 'hero' on its cover" to feature Chardon High School assistant football coach Frank Hall. Hall was a "bona fide hero the day of the Chardon High School shootings, risking his life" to chase a gunman out of the school after killing three students (CLEVELAND.com, 6/20).
