Entire WEEI Sox broadcast team back
Turns out that WEEI is not “building a bench” and adding depth to its roster of Red
Sox broadcasters for the 2024 season after all. It’s not necessary, since after some unusual suspense, the entire regular lineup is returning.
Joe Castiglione, who will be honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer as the Ford C. Frick Award winner, will call mostly home games during his 42nd season as a Red Sox radio voice.
Will Flemming, whose status was cause for such suspense, will call approximately 140 games in his sixth season as part of the radio broadcast team.
Lou Merloni will be in the booth for 70 or so games, also filling a similar role on NESN.
And Sean McDonough, one of the premier national multisport play-by-play voices of his generation, will call 20 or so games, slightly fewer than in recent years. McDonough is ESPN/ABC’s lead NHL play-by-play voice and will call the Stanley Cup Final in June.
Questions about the status of WEEI and parent company Audacy’s plans for the broadcast materialized in early January when a job posting seeking a play-byplay/analyst announcer for Red Sox radio broadcasts began making the rounds.
It read in part: “If you have experience and expertise in describing baseball action on the radio — to go along with an engaging personality — you could be a perfect match to call games alongside Hall of Famer Joe Castiglione in the Sox Booth this year!”
The description sounded an awful lot like Flemming’s job — because it was. Mike Thomas, senior vice president and market manager for Audacy Boston, told me at the time that he was just “building a bench.”
But it turned out that Flemming had applied for television openings with the Tigers and, then, the White Sox. He did so after being offered just a one-year deal to remain on the broadcast despite being an obvious choice to be Castiglione’s successor in the long term.
The offer was not a reflection on Flemming’s job performance, but rather Audacy’s financial situation. The company filed for bankruptcy in early January.
The job listing was a hedge against Flemming rejecting the offer and leaving for a higher-salaried TV job in a different market.
The White Sox position opened up when popular television play-by-play voice Jason Benetti left to take the Tigers’ TV gig in late November. Flemming was one of the three finalists to replace him on NBC Sports Chicago’s White Sox broadcasts, but that position went to John Schriffen.
It must be disappointing for those many broadcasters looking for a big break who applied for a spot on the Red Sox radio broadcast team to find out that there’s not an opening. But after that suspenseful stretch, nothing much has changed — at least this year — and that’s a good thing.
As for NESN’s Red Sox broadcast team, it sounds like there will be some small changes from last season but nothing significant. The official announcement will be made this coming week.
Rotating cast
Since Rob “Hardy” Poole
moved to co-host 98.5 The Sports Hub’s morning program alongside Fred Toucher at the start of the year, the station has used a rotating cast in his former spot as the third voice on the midday “Zolak and Bertrand” show.
Among those filling in have been Michael Holley, Phil Perry,
and current station weekend/fillin personalities such as Tim McKone.
The Sports Hub does plan to fill the position with a permanent third voice, and from what I understand everyone who has been part of the rotation does have some level of interest in the permanent gig.
Perry, an informed and levelheaded Patriots voice on NBC Sports Boston, has been a particularly good fit. Whether or not Holley — who already is the busiest man in Boston sports media showbiz — ultimately lands the gig, expect him to continue contributing to the station in some capacity.
Extra points
Three more quick thoughts on “The Dynasty,” Apple TV+’s 10part docuseries on the Patriots: 1. Director Matthew Hamachek has been an insightful guest on several outlets while promoting the epic project, and he has recurring spots that are well worth your time on Brian Barrett’s Off The Pike podcast on The Ringer and NBC Sports Boston’s half-hour specials each Friday rehashing the documentary’s latest episodes. 2. It’s striking to see how engaging Bill Belichick was with the media in his early years as coach, at least compared with his frequent monosyllabic approach in his later years. I’m not sure when it changed, but Spygate would seem to be a logical tipping point. 3. Still chuckling at the quote from Ty Law in Episode 2. “Thank God for Adam Vinatieri.
They should bronze his damn foot, for real.” If you need the context for that, I’m guessing “The Dynasty” probably isn’t for you anyway.