The Question Everybody Is Asking: Should Jerry Remy Be In the Booth This Year?

I haven’t really weighed in on this issue yet, but it’s obviously a hot topic around Boston.  Lots of people debating whether Jerry Remy should be in the Sox booth this year.   For me the answer is unequivocally no.  And I thought that even before that article in the Globe which basically outlined just how big of an enabler the Remy family was. I would not have returned simply out of respect to the Martel family.  It’s just impossible to listen or look at Jerry Remy without thinking about his son now.  He’s not the lovable Red Sox announcer anymore.  He’s the dad of a psycho woman beating murdering maniac.   Anytime anybody who knew Jennifer Martel watches a Red Sox game they are going to be reminded of what happened.   Frankly anytime anybody watches a Red Sox game they are gonna be reminded of  what happened and Jerry’s role in it.  When you watch a Red Sox game it should be an escape.  Not a reminder of a brutal murder.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think off Jerry as a villain.  Yeah clearly the Remy’s fucked up.  Clearly they enabled Jarod.  Clearly they were delusional. But I assume sometimes as a parent you can get blinded to reality.  You don’t think clearly.  You do anything you think can help your child even if it’s the wrong move.  He was a bad parent to the extreme.  I don’t’ think he’d debate that at this point. But just because your kid is a monster that doesn’t make you a monster.  I believe him when he says he’s totally and completely devastated by this entire thing.  But it doesn’t change the fact he’s a public figure.  This isn’t like Joe Six Pack going back to his 9-5 job.  He’s in a position where he is the face of the Red Sox.  The President of Red Sox Nation.  Just too much baggage.  I’m not sure how he doesn’t realize that.  It’s not about him.  It’s bigger than him. Like it sucks your son ruined your life, but he did.  It’s nothing in comparison to what he did to the Martels.  You can’t go back to being the old Jerry Remy.  That ship has sailed.  It’s not about “his right to earn a living” as he told Dennis and Callahan this morning.  That makes him seem like an arrogant selfish person who is putting own interests ahead of everything else in light of the circumstances.  It’s almost surreal to me he doesn’t get it.  Almost as amazing as John Henry saying all of Red Sox Nation is behind Jerry and wants him in the booth.  Speak for yourself John.  If I had to guess I’d say 75% of people would prefer him to step aside.  He is just too close to this entire horrible tragedy to be the face of Red Sox Nation anymore.  Bottomline is you don’t want to think of all the things that Jery Remy brings to the table when you turn on a baseball game and there is nothing that can prevent that at this point.