Jerry Remy

Jerry Remy's on Bolyston Street goes before the Boston Licensing Board next week for permission to keep its season-old roof deck open until midnight seven days a week. The restaurant currently has to start ushering guests off the roof by 11 p.m. when it's open.

The board's hearings begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday in its eighth-floor hearing room at City Hall.

Joy of Sox is no longer getting much joy from Sox games - and not just because of what's going on on the field:

NESN gives us worthless "tours" of concrete hallways in other stadiums and asinine non-baseball segments. Worse than that, the network often fails to show the action on the field.

Announcers Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy have become sad parodies of themselves. While Orsillo still calls a decent play-by-play, he also swamps viewers with waves of useless information between pitches and batters. Remy, ostensibly an analyst, offers no analysis whatsoever.

The Sox color commentator tweeted today:

I will not do Red Sox game tonight-except for a very bad flu I'm OK-my previous health issues have everybody concerned-please don't be-Jerry.

The Globe reports Jerry Remy's new restaurant on Boylston Street will offer $500 "season passes" to people who don't wish to mingle with the rabble waiting to get in before games - which will include vouchers for some free food and a free beer for each visit.

Not so fast, Boston Licensing Board Chairman Daniel Pokaski says. He told restaurant reps this morning state law bans handouts of free alcohol, and suggested the restaurant increase the value of the food voucher instead.

The restaurant was before the board because it wants permission to add a 40-seat patio area in front - on part of the sidewalk that is privately owned. Also, the restaurant is seeking formal permission to change its closing time from 2 a.m. to midnight - at the request of nearby residents.

The board decides on the patio and closing hour at a meeting tomorrow.

Would I make that up?

Via Geoff Edgers.

Jerry Remy just twittered:

As NESN just announced I will be returning to the booth on Friday-I can't wait-Thanks again to all of you- Jerry

He also says that he's going to ease back into it and may not go on road trips initially.

All in all, though, it's going to be great to have him back with Don Orsillo in the broadcast booth.

Ian Browne tweets form a long discussion between Jerry Remy and the media; Remy also hopes to return to the booth this year and thanks fans who have reached out to him.

The Globe reports he'll actually make a visit to the NESN booth in the top of the second inning tonight.

A brief audio message from the President.

NESN says he'll have a seat in the announcers' booth when he returns:

"I hope that disclosing my bout with cancer will reinforce the dangers of smoking to every member of Red Sox Nation, especially children," said Remy, the president of Red Sox Nation.

Remy posts some more details:

... Unfortunately, following the surgery, I developed a bad infection further compounded by a case of pneumonia. It was the pneumonia and the infection that set me back. This all happened just as I was leaving for spring training. ...

Infection set in during spring training.

As the ALDS stretches into four games, Sox fans begin to reach for a hammer to throw at their TVs.

Soxaholix sums it up:

Doug: Well, the Red Sox bettah close this thing out tonight because I can't take too much more of it.

Bill: What, the stress?

Doug: No, the friggin Frank TV ads. ...

Julia Spitz pines for the RemDawg:

... There actually is a vast conspiracy against Boston teams perpetrated by the national media. They don't like us. They don't get us. And they're dopes. ...

Yeah, like even aside from that guy with his endless closet of Joker-like suits, what was with the "big swing from a little man" crap last night after one of Pedroia's outs?

Alas, looks like Remy is a bit busy right now.

Yay! Now, enough with the puns.

Capn Ho: It was a great (and badly needed) win, and a good way to wash the taste of the events of the last week out of our collective mouths.

But Remy? You're on notice.

And CHB? Stalking does not become you.

Boston Fan in Michigan, for one:

... They sit on my desk and nod encouragingly. It's quite nice.

David Scott makes the case that Jerry Remy is veering toward annoying and has been going downhill ever since Sean McDonough's departure:

... The games have gone from baseball broadcasts to RemDawg infomercials, right down to the dutiful infomercial co-host, Dandy Don Orsillo, who even got his own "Yo-Lo-Go-Lo-Va" t-rag during a recent game. ...

The start of baseball can't come soon enough for Yup:

... I can't wait to hear his voice again, those suit commercials weren't enough to get me through the winter. Rem-dog, whisper your sweet baseball nothings into NESN, go ahead, I'll let you. ...

John might leave work early although he says he doubts it will affect his productivity.

Sully: The Chicago White Sox, flawed though they may be, present a real challenge for the Red Sox.

Red predicts Red Sox in four and glumly notes the absence of the Rem Dawg:

... Can't he muster up some kinda webcast, so we can follow the action wrapped in the comfort of his voice? Don't gimme that crap about "the express written consent of Major League Baseball, etc." Rem Dawg could get all Pump Up The Volume on us like that ::snaps finger::, taking it underground like some sorta broadcast dealer, providing us with a pivotal fix when we need it most. And he should bring that Orsillo feller around as well. 'Cause we like him, too. ...

Hart kicks that thought up a notch:

... Oh, no! Today's game is on ESPN. Does that mean Joe Morgan? Joe frickin' Morgan! Please. I am a good person. Why does God hate me? ...

The baseball-talkin' chicks analyze why nobody seems to care about the White Sox - don't blame Boston for that!

Jay is sick of those silly mayor/governor bets, especially when our offer is so much better.

Bruce rounds up the columnist reactions to today's matchup.

RallyCuff exempts only David Ortiz from a rant so scorching I had to move a couple feet back from my monitor. She probably needs to replace her F and U keys now.

But since we all know the score this morning (8-7), can we take a moment to discuss Jerry Remy? Like, Jerry, WTF is up with the camera focusing on you gesturing toward somebody behind a curtain none of us can see WHILE THE GAME IS GOING ON? But I'm a Certified Curmudeon (tm) and not really a New Englanda, so what do I know?

Turns out I'm not alone. Dave is really starting to dislike the RemDawg:

... [T]he more I watch him (which is a lot, considering that I watch, almost, every sox game from start to finish) the more I feel like he's kind of a douche bag, especially to the play-by-play man Don Orsillo. ...