On a night at Fenway Park where the focus was supposed to be on a tribute to the late Jerry Remy, the Red Sox were caught in a maelstrom of backlash after Don Orsillo, Remy’s play-by-play partner on NESN’s game broadcasts for 15 years, tweeted that the team did not use a video message he had put together.
Orsillo, now a television play-by-play voice for the San Diego Padres, remains a sensitive subject for a large segment of Red Sox fans. The Red Sox and NESN underestimated his popularity in tandem with Remy when they decided not to renew his contract after the 2015 season, choosing instead to move Dave O’Brien over from the radio booth.