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NESN reportedly pursuing Kevin Youkilis, others to replace late Jerry Remy
Will Middlebrooks is another former player reportedly in contention.
NESN is reportedly eyeing Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks as potential color commentators to replace the late Jerry Remy in their broadcast booth for Red Sox games. NESN targeting Youkilis was first reported by Chad Finn earlier this month.
According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox initially went after Lou Merloni of WEEI, but the former infielder turned them down citing his acceptable work/life balance at the network. Dennis Eckersley is slated to cover half of the team’s games, which would leave openings for roughly 81 contests (give or take a few pending the resolution of baseball’s lockout). The Red Sox season is slated to begin on March 31.
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Youkilis played for the Red Sox from 2004-2012. He was on the roster but didn’t play in the 2004 World Series, but he played a role in the Red Sox’ championship in 2007. He retired from baseball in 2015, and after a brief stint as a scout, he opened a California brewing company with his brother. He is married to Tom Brady’s sister Julie.
Middlebrooks spent 2012-14 with the Red Sox and helped the Sox win a World Series in 2013. He now works for CBS Sports as an analyst for the company’s streaming service.
“One day when I’m old and gray, I know I’m not going to look back and wish I spent more time in baseball,’’ Middlebrooks told Chad Finn in 2020. “I’m going to look back and be glad that I spent as much time as I could with my family.”
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Remy — a longtime staple in the NESN booth — died on Oct. 30 last year after a lengthy battle with lung cancer that stretched to 2008. He spent more than 30 years broadcasting Red Sox games after his playing career ended in 1984.
“Jerry lived and breathed Red Sox baseball,” his family wrote in a statement following his death. “Playing for his hometown team was a dream come true, and to have the opportunity to have a second career as the voice of the Red Sox was all that he could have asked for.”
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