Red Sox make bad situation worse with their Don Orsillo excuses

Red Sox make excuses for Don Orsillo’s absence from Jerry Remy ceremony.

The Boston Red Sox are making a bad situation worse.

Instead of gritting their teeth and simply apologizing for leaving Don Orsillo out of their Jerry Remy tribute night on Wednesday, they’re disseminating non-answers and excuses, even going so far as to blame Orsillo and several other beloved Red Sox legends. Their strategy comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with the organization’s many missteps, but in this particular instance, it’s in very poor taste.

If you missed the drama, on Wednesday night, Orsillo explained why he was not involved in Remy’s tribute.

The revelation that the Sox had allegedly told Orsillo he was ‘not needed’ sent Red Sox Nation into an outraged (and justified) tailspin. For context, when he was unable to be part of Dustin Pedroia’s retirement last season, he recorded a video, instead. There was absolutely no reason they couldn’t have done that again. According to the Boston Globe, Orsillo’s video was approximately 30 seconds long. It’s unfathomable that they couldn’t make the time for something that would have been so short, yet deeply meaningful.

First, team president Sam Kennedy issued a statement on the situation:

“So much thought, consideration, and love was put into yesterday’s ceremony honoring Jerry and his impact. We extended invitations to former teammates and broadcast partners who spent a considerable amount of time working alongside him. We are grateful to the overwhelming turnout of coworkers and teammates who attended Fenway Park to say a final farewell to a true gem.”

In short, a whole lot of sugar-coated nothing.

But Kennedy also tried to play the blame game. In an attempt to make the Orsillo exclusion seem less terrible, he name-dropped Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and Pedro Martinez, claiming plenty of other Sox legends could have also done tribute videos. The statement is technically a statement of fact, but really, it’s another bad look. Throwing franchise legends under the bus to deflect blame from yourself? Bold strategy.

Red Sox SVP Pam Kenn, who went viral the night before for suggesting there were “two sides” to the story, also posted this:

Of course, she contradicted herself several times, first saying that they didn’t ask him for any kind of remote participation, but then saying they didn’t intend to leave him out. She also contradicted Kennedy, who said they did discuss having Orsillo record a video message, and Orsillo himself, who shared the script of said video.

Like Kennedy, Kenn also blamed Orsillo for not attending, even though the Red Sox know full well he has a job in the San Diego Padres broadcast booth on the other side of the country. As in, the job he took when the Sox fired him in 2015. And since they knew he’d be unable to attend, an alternative solution should have been a top priority.

Kenn got one thing right, though. You don’t honor Remy without Orsillo.

For so many of us, the soundtrack of our childhood was Orsillo and Remy’s voices intertwined with the cadence of the ballgame. For fifteen years, they made the great moments better and helped us get through the hard times. It should have been Orsillo’s voice that helped us give Remy the tribute he deserved.

This is the first season in decades that Sox games won’t begin with Remy’s iconic “Buenas noches, amigos!” (or ‘buenas tardes,’ for day games). His name and presence are felt and seen everywhere at Fenway Park, but he is gone. The games are without his anecdotes and laughter, and while Boston baseball will soldier on, it will never been as it was.

That the Red Sox refuse to simply admit they were wrong and apologize only makes it hurt more.