The Jerry Remy Column

The longtime Red Sox broadcaster and former player has been battling health problems for a few years now, and finally passed away yesterday. Here's Shank on Jerry Remy:

Jerry Remy was a terrific baseball player, and that’s where the legend began

Before he was “The RemDawg,” he was Jerry Remy, Red Sox All-Star second baseman.

On a splendid Halloween Sunday morning, Red Sox Nation learned that Remy over the weekend lost his seventh and final battle with cancer. No more will we hear him explaining the fine art of bunting and what it was like to grow up worshipping Yaz in Somerset and then make it all the way to Fenway’s infield where he was Carl Yastrzemski’s teammate for six seasons.

After his big league playing days were over in 1984, Remy grew to be the face and voice of Boston’s vaunted baseball franchise as a color analyst on NESN. He opened restaurants, wrote books, sold RemDawg merchandise, and was elected president of Red Sox Nation. The RemDawg was popular with baseball diehards, casual fans, and even those who didn’t know Manny Ramirez from Hanley Ramirez.

No Bite for RemDawg

The CHB takes on the Jerry Remy situation. Sort of.

Remy, of course, is under fire in some quarters after his son allegedly murdered his girlfriend.

But in his column today, the The Bravest Columnist Joe Sullivan Has Ever Seen(TM), just recounts his Q&A with Remy; he doesn't actually offer a position on whether Remy should step away from the broadcast booth.

Revelation: John Henry is quoted as saying, “I’ve told [Remy] all of us in Red Sox Nation stand behind him.’’

The CHB's obligatory shot  response asserts: "Henry’s generous statements no longer qualify as the whole truth. It is beyond dispute at this hour that not all Red Sox fans are supportive of Remy staying in the broadcast booth."

Well, OK. But one would think a guy who's been in a sportswriting gig for 30 years would have heard of a generalization.

The Rem Dawg Returns

Jerry Remy, on a self-imposed television exile since the August 2013 indictment of his son Jared on murder charges, will return to NESN this year to broadcast Red Sox games.

In an emotional and unconventional half-hour session in a NESN boardroom Monday, Jerry Remy met with a small group of reporters and told us he has decided to come back for a 27th season as color commentator on Red Sox telecasts.

The hardest part was . . .

All of it.

Every word. Every pause. Every question. Every answer. Every attempt to hold back tears. All of it was hard. None of it was easy. Nothing will ever be easy again for Jerry Remy or any of the families devastated by the murder of Jennifer Martel.

“Call me a bad father if you want,’’ Remy said softly when asked about the series of crimes and reports that have been a plague on his house. “But I’ll be damned if my wife is not a good parent.’’

You know the tragic story. Remy, 61, was cruising through his 26th season in the broadcast booth last August when his son Jared was arrested and charged with the murder of Martel, the 27-year-old woman who was the mother of Jared Remy’s then-4-year-old daughter. A troubled man with a lengthy criminal record, Jared Remy is incarcerated awaiting trial, and multiple families are forever damaged.

The column reads as sympathetic towards Jerry Remy, a notable change from Shank's usual M.O. of hyperbolic criticism, passing of judgment and running athletes out of town. In fact, I'll add that Shank's restraint here is remarkable. At least he's consistent in this particular situation.

Rem Badge of Courage

The "Bravest Columnist Joe Sullivan Has Ever Known" takes a break from writing about, well, nothing, to pen what most would consider a serious-minded column ... and then fails to provide an opinion.

Yes, indeed, while Shank has no problem offering his keen insights into such vital issues as "The Top 12 QBs in the Playoffs" or "BarStools I Have Known and Loved," when he attempts to handle something heavy, he inevitably kicks the can down the road.

Remy, the popular Red Sox announcer, has been sidelined since last year after his son reportedly murdered his girlfriend. It appears the exile is self-imposed, as NESN indicates it would like Remy to return.

What does The CHB think about this "awful and awkward" situation? "Now [Remy] has to make a hard decision."

How insightful.

How poetic.

How brave.