Remy on D&C: Tampa crowds 'depressing'

NESN Red Sox analyst Jerry Remy joined Dennis & Callahan for his weekly discussion about Boston baseball.

The Red Sox won the first two games of their series against the Rays in the Tropicana Dome, which has been mostly empty despite the importance of the games for the home team.

"It's really depressing," Remy said. "I can imagine being one of the players on the Rays and coming home from a full house in Baltimore, a full house in Yankee Stadium, and you get home where you've really got to win games and you've got 10,000 people there -- not easy."

The Rays continue to be strong on the mound, but their lack of hitting has led to them being on the brink of falling out of the wild card race.

"You've got to have some offense," Remy said. "This offense down here is not threatening at all. You've got a guy like [Carlos] Pena hitting .198, with not hitting the home runs that he used to. They just don't have that kind of team. The thing that surprised me this year is their defense, how bad it is, because usually it's pretty good. Look out for Sean Rodriguez at third base for fans at Fenway when they come to town. That could be very dangerous if you're sitting behind the dugout, keep an eye out for him.

"They just don't have the weapons it seems like this year. You always can't count them out because of their pitching. But the fact is if they don't get a one- or two-run game, they're in trouble."

Controversial pitcher Alfredo Aceves continues to be an issue for the Red Sox. Asked if he's worth the trouble, Remy wasn't sure.

"That is a tough one," Remy said. "We had a shot of him in the dugout last night; he wasn't even in the bullpen. I don't know what's going on there. I don't know if he just refuses to go down there or if [Bobby] Valentine, after being shown up by him at Fenway, said, 'The hell with you, I'm not pitching you anymore.'

"But is he a good enough pitcher? Yes. I think he's a very good pitcher. And I think he's one of the smartest pitchers the Red Sox have. He's really good at setting up hitters. For a while he did a pretty good job closing games out for them. So, there's value there. And I think that's one of the reasons they haven't released him after some of his actions. Because there is some value there. It could be in a trade, or it could be with the Red Sox. I don't know."

Added Remy: "Whether they want to deal with that kind of stuff again, I have no idea. Because it's not easy to deal with. He's a different cat, that's for sure. The only way I see him back is as a starting pitcher. But he's got some trade value. There's some teams out there that would want him."

During the Red Sox' series in Toronto, Valentine pinch hit for light-hitting shortstop Jose Iglesias during the middle of an at-bat, drawing widespread condemnation.

"That was unbelievable," Remy said. "I couldn't believe it. This is not the Yankees you were playing, we were not shooting for first place. To me, it didn't make any sense at all. I just thought that you're tearing the confidence up of a kid who is really learning to hit at the big league level. I didn't see any reason for it.

"If you're going to pinch hit for him -- which I understand -- why not do it before the 2-2 count? Do it before he even comes to the plate. … I thought it was a bizarre move. And I think maybe if what Bobby did was to dig deep, he'd probably say the same thing."

Following are more highlights from the interview.

On who he would prefer to have as the next Red Sox manager: a veteran or a former player with no managing experience: "I kind of like the veteran guy, the guy that's been around, been through the wars a little bit -- depending on who it is, obviously, and their personality. I kind of prefer that. I think they command a little bit more respect when they come into the clubhouse, only because they've done it before.

"But on the other hand, [White Sox manager Robin] Ventura proved this year that it can be done. It can be done with a lot of help. You have to have a great bench coach there, somebody that's got a ton of experience in that position -- which are kind of hard to find, because a lot of those bench-coach guys eventually they become managers so they're not available anymore. And then once they've been a manager, it's tough to go back to being a bench coach. So, you need a guy like that. You need a strong pitching coach. You can make the decisions, there's no question about that.

"And when you talk about a guy like [Jason] Varitek, you wonder, is he still too close to some of the people that he played with on the team, because he's got to make tough decisions. You wonder if he's not that far removed, obviously, from playing, only a year, would it be too soon for something like that? Ventura was away for a long time before he came back. And none of the guys that he's got on his club he played with. So, it makes it a little bit easier. 

"So, I guess I'd have to say that I lean a little bit more toward guys that have the experience, that have been there and been through it -- the good and the bad."

On the possibility that the Rays would part ways with manager Joe Maddon if the team doesn't make the playoffs: "I don't think so. They really like him down here. He's had great success down here. I would be very surprised if he was fired. He's dealing with a  club that's really based on pitching, and nothing else. They've got no offense, they've got no defense, their defense is terrible. And they've got a low payroll. I think that he's done as much as he could possibly do in this place."

On rehabbing pitcher John Lackey: "I've watched it all year. He was criticized for being with the ball club. But I thought that criticism was a little bit foolish, because he's been working hard every single day. And I give him a lot of credit for it. I said on TV, I said this guy really is one of the better teammates on this club. He's always out in the dugout, he's always pulling for the other guys, he's always got something to say in the clubhouse. He's really a pretty good guy. Now, I know he doesn't come off well in interviews, and he makes excuses and stuff like that, and when balls are hit that should be caught he'll show them up a little bit on the mound, but he's been doing that since Day 1 of his career. That's just his competitive nature.

"I'm pulling for the guy to come back. And I think that all the work he's been through and the progress he's made, he's going to be OK. And that could be a surprise. It really could be a surprise, because nobody's expecting anything out of him. I think that having that surgery could make him even stronger than he was. This guy pitched hurt for two years. He pitched hurt, and he took a beating for it. Now he's finally getting healthy."

To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page. For more Red Sox news, visit the team page at weei.com/redsox.