Jerry Remy Has Passed Away

Erik Hanson's Hook

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 20, 2013
1,079
Okay so, I know the Pizza Throw gets all the press. But Dan Roche did the crowd from about 2000-03 and did a bad joke. It was one of those "Faces in the Crowd" or whatever. Rochie finishes interviewing some fresh fish and and they kick it back to Don and Jerry. And Jerry goes (just to fill time) "Got any good jokes for us, Rochie?"

Dan breaks of the "What's the best time time to go to the dentist. Tooth Hurty." And Don and Jerry just lose it. It was such a bad joke in the middle of a blowout game that they just had to let it out. Remy had to do some random promo later in the inning and he couldn't get it out, he's wheezing "nobody's listening...they all left after Rochie's joke" Full pizza effect in the background...Don can't hold it together.

Does anybody remember this? The Tooth Hurty Gigglefest?
 

Lose Remerswaal

Experiencing Furry Panic
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Okay so, I know the Pizza Throw gets all the press. But Dan Roche did the crowd from about 2000-03 and did a bad joke. It was one of those "Faces in the Crowd" or whatever. Rochie finishes interviewing some fresh fish and and they kick it back to Don and Jerry. And Jerry goes (just to fill time) "Got any good jokes for us, Rochie?"

Dan breaks of the "What's the best time time to go to the dentist. Tooth Hurty." And Don and Jerry just lose it. It was such a bad joke in the middle of a blowout game that they just had to let it out. Remy had to do some random promo later in the inning and he couldn't get it out, he's wheezing "nobody's listening...they all left after Rochie's joke" Full pizza effect in the background...Don can't hold it together.

Does anybody remember this? The Tooth Hurty Gigglefest?
I referenced that in my comments earlier. Still a joke in my household.
 

LogansDad

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
29,050
Alamogordo
Steve Buckley over at The Athletic with a nice article.

Sounds like Jerry knew it was bad from the get go, this time:

That Remy finally stepped away from the booth this summer had nothing to do with him being behind the times. He simply ran out of time, this after one last cancer diagnosis.

“He knew when he got sick this time that it was bad, that it was worse than before, it was different,” said McDonough. “I told him that my dream is that we would do another game together again. And I’m really sad that we won’t, because it was one of the joys of my life, not just my professional life but the opportunity to show up every night and be a part of something that was really special. Because Jerry was special.”
And, on the first pitch at the Wild Card Game:

As fans at a packed Fenway park roared their support, Remy was driven in a golf cart from the garage opening in center field. The fans continued to applaud as Remy stepped out of the cart, made the toss, and then received the ball from Eckersley.

“See, Jerry? Everybody loves you,” Eckersley said to Remy. “I love you, everybody loves you.”
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,920
  • Okay so, I know the Pizza Throw gets all the press. But Dan Roche did the crowd from about 2000-03 and did a bad joke. It was one of those "Faces in the Crowd" or whatever. Rochie finishes interviewing some fresh fish and and they kick it back to Don and Jerry. And Jerry goes (just to fill time) "Got any good jokes for us, Rochie?"

    Dan breaks of the "What's the best time time to go to the dentist. Tooth Hurty." And Don and Jerry just lose it. It was such a bad joke in the middle of a blowout game that they just had to let it out. Remy had to do some random promo later in the inning and he couldn't get it out, he's wheezing "nobody's listening...they all left after Rochie's joke" Full pizza effect in the background...Don can't hold it together.

    Does anybody remember this? The Tooth Hurty Gigglefest?
    Yes! I still say this joke to my kids and they don’t think it’s nearly as funny as I do.
 

InsideTheParker

persists in error
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
40,371
Pioneer Valley
MLBN just ran a wonderful, very long tribute to Remy, with lots of footage from his playing time as well as from the booth. There were tributes from Heidi Watney and Pedro Martinez. Really nice.
 

Big Papa Smurph

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 20, 2007
325
Boston
Okay so, I know the Pizza Throw gets all the press. But Dan Roche did the crowd from about 2000-03 and did a bad joke. It was one of those "Faces in the Crowd" or whatever. Rochie finishes interviewing some fresh fish and and they kick it back to Don and Jerry. And Jerry goes (just to fill time) "Got any good jokes for us, Rochie?"

Dan breaks of the "What's the best time time to go to the dentist. Tooth Hurty." And Don and Jerry just lose it. It was such a bad joke in the middle of a blowout game that they just had to let it out. Remy had to do some random promo later in the inning and he couldn't get it out, he's wheezing "nobody's listening...they all left after Rochie's joke" Full pizza effect in the background...Don can't hold it together.

Does anybody remember this? The Tooth Hurty Gigglefest?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9bW6Xyl6ps
 

fenwaypaul

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2005
6,582
Boxborough MA
NESN is at this moment rebroadcasting Jerry's first game as their color commentator (Tigers @ Sox, 6 April 1988).
 

InsideTheParker

persists in error
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
40,371
Pioneer Valley
From the NYT Obituary:
Remy had been on leave from his color commentary post with NESN, the New England Sports Network, since early August when he underwent his seventh in a series of treatments for lung cancer, which was first diagnosed in 2008.

He had spoken out against smoking.

“I started smoking when I was 16 years old,” Remy said in a 2019 interview with the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. “My saying is: ‘Don’t pick up the first one because it’s really tough to put down the last one.’”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/31/sports/baseball/jerry-remy-dead.html
 

grsharky7

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
1,243
Berlin, PA

Schillondahill

New Member
Jun 29, 2006
1
I haven't been on here in years, but the passing of Rem Dawg had me thinking of the good times. Orsilo and Remy will forever be the sounds of the summer of 04' for me. Boston lost an icon today. He will be missed. RIP Remy!

Schillondahill
 

gmontys

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
6
Mass.
When Jerry came out in the WC game it was as good as over for the Yankees. Assist for Remy, 1978 repaid! Thank you for everything , Remdawg was the Best.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,992
Newton
One of the things I have loved about most of these tributes—from Eck, McAdam, Chad, Buckley—is that they have all embraced that Remy was a complicated guy. That he wasn’t warm and cuddly, that he had personal challenges (some very significant), and that he could be kind of intense (sometimes to a fault) about his work. And each recognized that all of these qualities—combined with the fact that he was so open about them—made him that much more tightly bonded with fans.
 

Erik Hanson's Hook

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 20, 2013
1,079
I referenced that in my comments earlier. Still a joke in my household.


  • Yes! I still say this joke to my kids and they don’t think it’s nearly as funny as I do.
Thank you! And Big Papa Smurph, I have been searching the interwebs for that clip forever. This is why SoSH is great.
 

Leskanic's Thread

lost underscore
Silver Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
2,774
Los Angeles
May I suggest "Here Comes The Pizza"?
I dig this. My initial thought was Requiem For A Dawg.

He was traded to the Red Sox the offseason before I was born. I have some vague memories of watching Sox games without him involved, but he has been the voice of the Sox since the summer I turned ten. His legacy is complicated for sure, but even when I was angry at him, his voice triggered the part of my brain that makes me feel like I'm home. RIP and buenos noches, amigo.
 

mikeford

woolwich!
SoSH Member
Aug 6, 2006
29,517
St John's, NL
One classic Remy moment I haven't seen mentioned in here is when him and Orsillo were talking about Manny Ramirez's durag and they came back from break and well

 

jasail

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
1,189
Boston
In the early 00s they had Peterman from Seinfeld in the booth. If I recall it correctly, Peterman had just gotten married and said something about his bride still having that "new wife smell." Jerry and DO lost it and I think Jerry referenced every game for the next week and would get DO to break down into giggles. Those two were the greatest. Over 162 game season with all the ups and downs, you could put them on every night and be entertained. Remy is a legend, on the Rushmore with Most, Tommy, and Gil. Sad to see him go so young. As a former smoker, it's a terrible habit to break but this is why you go through the hell of breaking it. Buenos noches, amigo.
 

Humphrey

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2010
3,163
My fondest memories of his story telling from his playing days centered around Dick Williams; especially the one where he said he couldn't get a bunt down and Williams wouldn't talk to him for weeks.
 

Manuel Aristides

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 7, 2009
224
It's funny how small things can become so important to us. Just a baseball announcer, sure, but a major marker in the history of life-through-baseball. Jerry's voice has been a constant through my, all of our, lives. Longer than any player, any coach, shit, he was here longer than the current ownership. His voice and personality are inexorably connected to many of the best memories of my life. A man most of us never met, whose nasally accent will rattle in our heads, certainly in mine, forever.

Words fail. A imperfect man, like any of us, but the perfect man for the job nonetheless. I quit smoking about 60 days ago and will retroactively dedicate it to him. I think they probably ought to retire #2 now.

Buenos noches, amigo. I'll never see a slice of pizza without thinking of you.
 

Zososoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 30, 2009
9,208
South of North
Orsillo and Remy made baseball fun. When they cracked up together, I cracked up with them. Some of the most contagious laughter and chemistry I'll likely ever encounter on a sports broadcast team. I'll miss him.
 

CreightonGubanich

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 13, 2006
1,378
north shore, MA
I was born in 1986. I don't remember the Red Sox without Jerry Remy in the booth, just like I didn't remember the Celtics without Tom Heinsohn. My generation has been pretty lucky in this regard - lots of familiar voices on the local sports broadcasts that we've known our entire lives, even as we approach 40. There's something reassuring about the same person describing the game to your six year old that you remember when you were six. Alas, nothing lasts forever. RIP, Jerry. And let's appreciate Mike Gorman and Joe Castiglione while we have them.
 
Last edited:

Al Zarilla

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
58,867
San Andreas Fault
What with all the times he had to take a hiatus for treatment, he must have known that it was eventually going to get him. Yet, he maintained his personality, sense of humor and all of his baseball broadcasting skills through it. That couldn't have been easy. Thanks to him for giving us those years, as well as the pre-illness ones.
 

The Gray Eagle

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2001
16,720
In this article on The Athletic, by Peter Gammons remembers Remy:
https://theathletic.com/2925398/2021/10/31/gammons-to-me-jerry-remy-was-scoots-and-his-humor-toughness-and-friendship-will-always-resonate/

I never knew that as kid he went to the pennant clinching game in 1967 and ran out onto the field afterwards to celebrate:
"(Remy) grew up loving the Red Sox; one of the first times I ever talked to him he told me how he was there on the final day of the Impossible Dream 1967 season and ran out on the field to join in the mobbing of Jim Lonborg.
Peter admits he voted for Remy for the Hall of Fame:
I admit I am not unbiased. In 1990, his name appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot, which in itself is a remarkable accomplishment, because any player who meets the requirement of lasting 10 years in the big leagues has to be an exceptional player. I voted for Jim Palmer and Joe Morgan on that ballot. They were inducted that year. I voted for Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins, Jim Bunning and Ron Santo. I did not think that at that time any of the other players on the ballot had a chance to make it.

So I voted for Jerry Remy. It was his lone vote before permanently falling off the ballot. Months after the vote went public, he figured out who did it, and said, “I can always tell my grandchildren I got a vote for the Hall of Fame.”

RIP Jerry. Buenos noches, amigo.

For 31 years, I have been conflicted about doing it, even though I did not think it denied someone else an election opportunity.
 

reggiecleveland

sublime
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Mar 5, 2004
27,957
Saskatoon Canada
Watching these videos makes me realize Don and Jerry as a team made watching more fun, even when the team was playing poorly, having a down year, or the game was a blowout. Orsillo leaving is on the level of Mookie leaving for my enjoyment of the game. When Don was in the booth with Jerry and Eck it was off the charts good. If Don and Jerry were not friends, they sure fooled me.

My favorite thing with Jerry was when he let the wall fall a bit and admitted certain things bored him.

"Here's my least favorite thing, the check swing replay."

'Yeah it was foul, but the batter stepped out so here it is three more times."
 

Humphrey

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2010
3,163
Watching these videos makes me realize Don and Jerry as a team made watching more fun, even when the team was playing poorly, having a down year, or the game was a blowout. Orsillo leaving is on the level of Mookie leaving for my enjoyment of the game. When Don was in the booth with Jerry and Eck it was off the charts good. If Don and Jerry were not friends, they sure fooled me.

My favorite thing with Jerry was when he let the wall fall a bit and admitted certain things bored him.

"Here's my least favorite thing, the check swing replay."

'Yeah it was foul, but the batter stepped out so here it is three more times."
Funny you should mention something related to home plate replays- his predecessor, Monty, used to comment on replays of passed balls/wild pitches like some Kennedy Assasination conspiracy fanatic looking at the Zapruder Film.
 

cannonball 1729

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 8, 2005
3,572
The Sticks
My favorite thing with Jerry was when he let the wall fall a bit and admitted certain things bored him.
Oh, man - my favorite of those was when NESN had the promotion of "if someone hits a home run on the 100th pitch, a lucky winner will win a free car." Inevitably, the 100th pitch would arrive and the outcome would be incredibly anti-climactic - a called strike, a ball outside, sometimes a foul, very occasionally a ball put into play. (Once, I think the 100th pitch even came during an intentional walk.) Finally, during one of the games, Remy blurts out, "You know, we've done a lot of promotions over the years....but this is probably the dumbest promotion we've ever done.", and proceeds to go on a five-minute rant about how stupid the contest is.

In a related story, that contest was moved to the radio broadcast the following year.
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 25, 2002
90,014
Oregon
Bill Belichick, on Jerry:

At the end of his interview, Belichick closed with a message on the death of Red Sox legend Jerry Remy.
“Before we sign off, I just wanted to say to all our fans out there, who are mostly Red Sox fans, how much we are all saddened by Jerry’s passing and how much he meant to all of us, the connection that he as to the Red Sox, his voice in the game and [how great] it was for the fans,” said Belichick.
“He meant so much to Boston sports as a player and as an announcer, and his commentary of the game and insight into the game, we’ll all miss him,” Belichick continued. “I know our fans are Jerry Remy and Red Sox fans too, so our sympathy goes out to the Remy family. I just want to express my and all of our appreciation for all that he did to make Boston sports enjoyable and exciting for all of us. We’ll certainly miss him.”

https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2021/11/01/bill-belichick-trade-deadline-mac-jones-jerry-remy/
 

reggiecleveland

sublime
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Mar 5, 2004
27,957
Saskatoon Canada
I am still a hard-core Sox fan, and I always try to have the game eon, whether on TV, computer, radio on my phone. Since Don left, and Jerry got sick I find the frequency with which I walk away, or lose interest has risen. I find I stick with Joe on the radio as much as ever, but the NESN broadcasts, especially without Eck I find myself wandering away or switching off unless the game is compelling. DOB never had the same chemistry, and with Jerry being ill that is understandable.
 

Doug Beerabelli

Killer Threads
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dang. Reading this thread made me realize how much Remy was a part of all our lives, and perhaps the most iconic Red Sox moments we experience--the same ones doing great work for us to take the sting off some other iconic Red Sox moments before he joined the broadcast world. I loved him and Eck, and really enjoyed him and Orsillo, my appreciation of them becoming more acute over the recent years of watching Don's successors.

RIP, Remdog. You were one of us, and you'll always be part of us.