Lou Merloni Declined NESN Offer To Call Red Sox Games
With the passing of Jerry Remy, NESN is looking for a new analyst to call Red Sox games in 2022 (If we even get a season with this lockout). A popular choice could be Lou Merloni who used to play for the club and currently works in the Boston sports media realm.
NESN tried to hire Merloni as the color guy next to Dave O’Brien. Merloni declined the offer:
Chris Cotillo of Mass Live had the news:
“NESN pursued former Red Sox infielder Lou Merloni to work as a color analyst for the 2022 season but Merloni declined, multiple sources told MassLive. Merloni, who co-hosts the afternoon “Merloni & Fauria” show on WEEI and works as a color guy on radio throughout the year, is said to be comfortable with the work/life balance his current gigs provide.
The door remains open for Merloni to join NESN’s booth down the road, a source said, though that won’t happen in 2022. The network has not yet finalized its plans to replace longtime color commentator Jerry Remy, who died in October. Dennis Eckersley will return to the booth as a color analyst alongside play-by-play man Dave O’Brien and is expected to work about half of the 162-game season. The search for other analysts is ongoing and includes many names that are familiar to Red Sox fans.”
I like Merloni. He’s kind of a straight shooter. He tells you how he thinks which is something to appreciate in this field. He would have been a solid choice for the job. Luckily, Dennis Eckersley is back and will work around half the season which he always does. With Eck in the booth, it’s always an enjoyable watch.
Apparently, Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks are both in the hunt to call games for the Sox. No choice has been made on the matter. Youk auditioned for the job last year in short spurts. Time will tell if either is a good hire. It would be awesome if someone like David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez took the job but only one can hope.
Tom Curran is back for the 22 season as the in-studio guy for NESN. Lenny Dinardo, Jim Rice, and Tim Wakefield are among the group returning for that role.
