WEEI to replace Tim Neverett with a rotating cast of characters such as Chris Berman

[soxhop411]

per Chad Finn,

While pitchers and catchers officially reported to Fort Myers, Fla., on Tuesday as the Red Sox commence spring training and their World Series title defense, the team’s flagship radio station has just about finalized its roster of broadcasters.

And there’s going to be a prominent platoon.

Joe Castiglione, who has been part of the Red Sox’ radio broadcast team since 1983, is back for his 37th season. But the spot vacated when Tim Neverett, who had been Castiglione’s partner on WEEI’s broadcasts for the past three seasons, chose not to renew his contract in December, will not be filled by a single play-by-play voice or analyst.

Instead, WEEI is expected to announce in the next few days it will use a cast of broadcasters with Castiglione this season.

According to sources with knowledge of the process, those expected to be in the mix are Will Flemming, who currently calls Pawtucket Red Sox games, and Mario Impemba, a longtime Tigers broadcaster who was fired — along with analyst Rod Allen —in September after an altercation in the booth. Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wrote the foreword to Impemba’s book.

Analysts who will join Castiglione at times to be part of a three-person booth will include WEEI’s Rob Bradford and Lou Merloni and Boston Sports Journal’s Sean McAdam. And at least one other former Red Sox player besides Merloni may be part of the rotation.

NESN’s Tom Caron may also call a game on radio once in a while. And one source suggested that Sean McDonough, the outstanding Red Sox television voice from 1988-2004, could call an occasional game. That would be a coup for WEEI, but he is under contract at ESPN.He did not respond to messages seeking comment.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2019/02/12/weei-fills-out-its-lineup-for-red-sox-broadcasts/My3eCipy7elD5Cf9m6SkjM/story.html

As Chad mentions, WEEI is also going to need to start looking for a successor to Castiglione sooner or later.....

 

[brandonchristensen]

I’m not upset about this. I’ve never been the biggest fan of his, and Joe is always good with whoever he’s with.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

Sean McAdam won't be bad I guess.

 

[richgedman'sghost]

So I guess this is better than the "sportstalk radio" format that Chad Finn said that WEEI was going to use when the news of Neverett's departure first became public. Damm I was so looking forward to hearing from the Butchie from the Cape types doing red sox play by play...Not! Honestly, despite what Chad reported, I never really thought the "sportstalk radio" format made any sense for a radio broadcast. At least under this format, WEEI can try out a variety of announcers and see what combonations are successful.
Two questions: Has anyone listened to the Pawtucket announcer Flemming and have an opinion of him? Finally, will that poster who announced that he had given up his MLB com subscription in protest of the "sportstalk format" now renew his subscription? He was very vocal in his hatred of the proposed format.

 

[StuckOnYouk]

I'd love to hear McDonough call a Sox game game in. He is/was absolutely outstanding. Hope that somehow, someway it works out.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Hope they warn us in advance of Merloni's games.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Glad to see they have plans to bring other PBP voices in to work with Castig. That was my biggest concern with the rumors of rotating casts and roundtable type broadcasts, that there'd be a lack of experienced play by play in the mix.

I'm skeptical about the idea of three man booths though. I hope what that means is the three are Castig, second PBP, and "analyst" with the PBP voice that is not actively calling the game remaining silent. Two voices on radio is a lot. Three is too crowded when the focus should be on the action as it happens.

 

[Don Buddin's GS]

Living in Detroit, I have seen a lot of Mario Impemba. He's a capable PBP guy. Not too flashy, no schtick to speak of.

Still shaking my head over him and his broadcast partner Rod Allen getting in a fight.--who does that???

 

[Soxfan in Fla]

Living in Detroit, I have seen a lot of Mario Impemba. He's a capable PBP guy. Not too flashy, no schtick to speak of.

Still shaking my head over him and his broadcast partner Rod Allen getting in a fight.--who does that???

Those 2 had been going at it behind the scenes for 2-3 years. Apparently there was a breaking point.

 

[gryoung]

Hope they warn us in advance of Merloni's games.

u

What do you mean? Don’t you want to listen to the smartest guy in the room share his vast knowledge of the universe?

 

[JimD]

Have to think that this is a de facto audition to find Joe's successor.

 

[joe dokes]

Those 2 had been going at it behind the scenes for 2-3 years. Apparently there was a breaking point.

Maybe Lumerloni will piss him off.

 

[TomBrunansky23]

Tune into the Twitter for a fun Chad Finn-Merloni pissing match underway right now.

 

[Rusty13]

I'd love to hear McDonough call a Sox game game in. He is/was absolutely outstanding. Hope that somehow, someway it works out.

He somehow becoming the full time replacement for Castiglione would be a dream come true.

 

[Bunt4aTriple]

As if I couldn't love Chad any more:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1095714148569309190

Chad Finn‏Verified account @GlobeChadFinn
Chad Finn Retweeted Lou Merloni

Well, Lou, I don't talk to you because I don't trust you. And I do talk to people at Entercom, as you damn well know. I don't write everything they tell me, either, such as how prominent people with the Sox think you're a phony and don't like you doing the games.

Chad Finn added,

Lou MerloniVerified account @LouMerloni
It’s really frustrating when the so called media columnist writes articles about Entercom and their plans with talking to ANYONE at Entercom. Remember when he said the broadcast was going to be sports talk radio? Seriously, @GlobeChadFinn talk to someone who knows before u write.
7:59 AM - 13 Feb 2019

 

[Granite Sox]

Living in Detroit, I have seen a lot of Mario Impemba. He's a capable PBP guy. Not too flashy, no schtick to speak of.

Still shaking my head over him and his broadcast partner Rod Allen getting in a fight.--who does that???

Maybe Lumerloni will piss him off.

I would love a 3-man booth with Impemba, Merloni, and Joe Castig, with MI sucker-punching Merloni while Castig reads a Shaw's commercial...

Seriously, I would listen to that troika just on the off-chance Ipemba goes postal.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Did Chad mention the worst development of all, Metaparel doing PBP on Red Sox games?

 

[soxhop411]

Per press release Chris Berman will also be a part of the bootH

PHILADELPHIA – Feb. 14, 2019 – Entercom, the unrivaled leader in sports radio and one of the two largest radio broadcasters in the United States, today announced the new all-star team of play-by-play sportscasters for 2019 Boston Red Sox games on WEEI in Boston, the flagship station of the team. Broadcasters participating this season will include Sean McDonough, Josh Lewin and Mario Impemba, who will rotate in the radio booth alongside veteran broadcaster and Red Sox Hall of Famer Joe Castiglione, who has signed a multi-year extension with the WEEI Red Sox Radio Network and will begin his 37th season.

In adition to McDonough, Lewin and Impemba, Chris Berman, broadcaster for ESPN; Lou Merloni, on-air personality for WEEI; Dale Arnold, on-air personality for WEEI; Tom Caron, studio host for NESN; and Dave O’Brien, television voice of the Red Sox for NESN, will also call select games as part of the broadcast play-by-play committee. O’Brien will call a select number of nationally televised Red Sox games.

https://weei.radio.com/articles/press-release/entercom-reveals-all-star-2019-boston-red-sox-radio-broadcast-team-weei

 

[soxhop411]

Chris Berman doing his back back back back back call during actual games is going to piss so many People off.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Chris Berman doing his back back back back back call during actual games is going to piss so many People off.

Given that there's so many people rotating through how many games do you think he'll actually be a part of? 10 games tops.

 

[InsideTheParker]

Chris Berman doing his back back back back back call during actual games is going to piss so many People off.

I'm annoyed just thinking about it. This owner/management team is so good and then they do something like this.

 

[canderson]

Hiring Berman is an unforgivable move.

 

[Ale Xander]

Given that there's so many people rotating through how many games do you think he'll actually be a part of? 10 games tops.

9 1/2 games too much

 

[brs3]

Is Chris Berman the Bobby Valentine of baseball announcing? Must be close, right? Even one game, 1 inning, guest appearance is too many.

 

[pedro1918]

The first time I hear "Mookie 'You Better You Better You' Betts" I am going to take hostages.

 

[section15]

We've fallen a long way from Martin and Woods.

Joe C is fine - things started getting erratic when they let Jerry Trupiano go.

 

[yeahlunchbox]

This is kind of funny to me. A few posts after someone says how bad Berman will be, in part because of his back back back call, someone else mentions things going bad after they let go of Jerry "SWING AND A DRIVE, IT'S WAY BACK, and the shortstop catches it on the edge of the grass" Trupiano

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

The first time I hear "Mookie 'You Better You Better You' Betts" I am going to take hostages.

That's pretty good, actually

 

[tims4wins]

This is kind of funny to me. A few posts after someone says how bad Berman will be, in part because of his back back back call, someone else mentions things going bad after they let go of Jerry "SWING AND A DRIVE, IT'S WAY BACK, and the shortstop catches it on the edge of the grass" Trupiano

Trupiano was the worst. There is a reason "Truped" is standard SoSH lingo.

 

[joe dokes]

Is Chris Berman the Bobby Valentine of baseball announcing? Must be close, right? Even one game, 1 inning, guest appearance is too many.

I heard Berman on the radio during the playoffs last year. Maybe an early round game when I was driving somewhere. He wasn't too bad. In fact, it was so un-annoying that it took me a few batters before I realized it was him.
[psychobabble alert] It was almost as though, as an old guy, he was trying to show some respect for baseball on radio, as opposed to jazzing it up for TV [\psychobabble]
I am hopeful that he's not so far up his own ass that he wont forget that a local radio audience doesn't want his shtick.

 

[JimD]

I heard Berman on the radio during the playoffs last year. Maybe an early round game when I was driving somewhere. He wasn't too bad. In fact, it was so un-annoying that it took me a few batters before I realized it was him.
[psychobabble alert] It was almost as though, as an old guy, he was trying to show some respect for baseball on radio, as opposed to jazzing it up for TV [\psychobabble]
I am hopeful that he's not so far up his own ass that he wont forget that a local radio audience doesn't want his shtick.

I was coming here to post the same thing. Those of us outside the Boston television market have also had to watch him broadcast Sox playoff games on ESPN in the past. He's not terrible IMO and he does come across a s a guy who genuinely likes baseball. I hope and think that being with Joe will rein him in somewhat, especially since he's basically coming into someone else's gig as opposed to it being an ESPN broadcast where he is The Man.

 

[tims4wins]

Berman definitely likes baseball which is more than I can say for like 90% of sports media. That’s a huge plus.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

Maybe Lumerloni will piss him off.

It would be great if they shuttled him up and down between doing Boston and Pawtucket games just like his big league career.

 

[DJnVa]

The first time I hear "Mookie 'You Better You Better You' Betts" I am going to take hostages.

I don't like his forced nicknames or his forced HR calls at the Derby, but I will say I won't mind him calling a walk-off jack by the Sox.

Just once.

 

[joe dokes]

Neverett called the umass-BC hockey last night ononesn. He didn't suck. UMass got the gwg with 2 seconds left.

 

[jimv]

The first time I hear "Mookie 'You Better You Better You' Betts" I am going to take hostages.

WEEI interviewed Berman on Friday. He'll do 5 games, 3 in May and 2 in August during the Jimmy Fund drive.

He also those exact words when Mookie was mentioned

 

[edoug]

I don't like his forced nicknames or his forced HR calls at the Derby, but I will say I won't mind him calling a walk-off jack by the Sox.

Just once.

or 5 times.

 

[gedman211]

Berman's home right now thinking of nicknames for the entire roster and writing them on cue cards like John Sterling

 

[Doooweeeey!]

I don't get the lack of love for Neverett. He always seemed to know the inside game of baseball, and his PBP was fine, IMO.
Much as I like Joe Castigliano, he's lost a good deal off his fastball...

It's a pipe dream, but I'd love it if they could pry Jon Miller away from the Giants.

 

[chrisfont9]

I don't get the lack of love for Neverett. He always seemed to know the inside game of baseball, and his PBP was fine, IMO.
Much as I like Joe Castigliano, he's lost a good deal off his fastball...

It's a pipe dream, but I'd love it if they could pry Jon Miller away from the Giants.

Neverett never seemed to go very long without some minor error. I didn't mind him but wasn't excited by his work either.

 

[patoaflac]

Could anyone clone Ned Martin?

 

[Ted Cox 4 president]

In the early 1980s, Jon Miller joined Ken Coleman doing RS radio broadcasts. They were a great combo. I loved listening to them. When Miller left for Baltimore after three years, Joe Castiglione became Ken Coleman's radio partner. I've always enjoyed listening to Joe. I'll be sorry when he finally decides to retire.