November 30,  2011

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NESN: Hire Amalie Benjamin

I really believe The Remy Report has the very best coverage in all things Red Sox, especially the brilliantly written and edited section called Today In Sports - Plus (Am I shamless or what?). No, seriously folks, the Today In Sports - Plus section of The Remy Report really does get all the info about the Red Sox in a concise, succinct manner. (Thanks in no small way to the Goddess of Red Sox Baseball: Trish.) However, that doesn't mean that Today In Sports-Plus is the only site I go to for my Red Sox info fix. One of the other sources I subscribe to is boston.com, the on-line edition of the Boston Globe. I've found that most of the sports writers of the Globe who cover the Red Sox do so in a clear, informative, and well-written manner. One of the best of this group is Amalie Benjamin, or at least it used to be. Her reporting of all things Red Sox seemed to me to be missing from the Globe - at least the articles that I found (or didn't find) this past season. I don't know if her absence from Red Sox reporting is her decision, the Globe's decision, or one of mutual agreement, but all I know is that her talents have been greatly missed and if she is looking for a new position so she can get back to  Red Sox reporting I have just the job for her: Amalie Benjamin should replace Heidi Watney at NESN. (In case you didn't know, Heidi Whatnot has moved on because her contract was not renewed by NESN.)

Amalie Benjamin ... Possible replacement for Heidi Watney?

In addition to being an excellent writer and reporter, Benjamin would be an attractive addition to the NESN Red Sox reporting team. (Let's face it folks, rightly or wrongly, we know that all too frequently, women are hired for their appearance on camera and not for their sports acumen.) Heidi Watney had basically no sports reporting experience before she was hired by NESN to take the place of Tina Cervasio, who I also felt had very little talent in the sports-reporting field. As far as I'm concerned, those two were nothing more than window dressing.  But with Ms. Benjamin you get the complete package: good looks as well as - and this is the most important thing to me as far as sports reporting is concerned - a well-educated, talented writer/reporter. Benjamin is someone who can actually ask the questions that need to be asked and will look for the answers that we, as Red Sox fans, want and need to hear. Honestly, I don't give a rat's patootie about which ballpark has the best sushi and that you have a really great view from the roof of Tropicana Field. I've been to Tropicana Field and I think I'm reasonably smart enough to look at that poor excuse for a ballpark and figure that one out all by myself.

NESN has an opportunity to think and go outside the box and hire a real baseball and sports reporter who can really add to the coverage of the Red Sox. As Red Sox fans, we deserve more than just some bubbleheaded bleach-blonde, as the Don Henley song goes, telling us what NESN thinks we want to hear or care about. A while ago I remember reading about how the ratings for Red Sox games on NESN have been slipping and they were in a tizzy as to why such a thing could be happening. Do you think it might be possible that the inane, cut-in reporting by Ms. Whatnot may have been a contributing factor to that slide? It's possible. I know for a fact that Red Sox fans are a no-nonsense group and don't want silliness in their reporting. Red Sox fans want answers that are well-thought-out, well-written, and truthful. Amalie Benjamin is just that type of reporter and it would be in NESN's best interest if they hired her immediately, if not sooner.

That is, if she wants the job. It's not like she has a tough pair of shoes to fill.

for now Peace and....

Have a comment for Mark?
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Well Mark, I don't often agree with you, but, I believe for the first time you hit the nail directly on the head. As a devoted watcher of Sox games, despite their good looks, Tina and Heidi brought absolutely nothing to the broadcasts. If I want to look at beautiful women than there are plenty of places to see them. When I'm watching sports I want sports info, not fluff. I have said that Amalie is one of the best baseball writers I have ever read and am also dissapointed that I have not seen any articles from her in a while. I'm not sure that sideline reporting is her forte, but she would definately bring something positive to the broadcasts.

Lynn * Billerica

Count me in for the "draft Amalie Benjamin" campaign, Mark! You summed it up nicely - Ms. Benjamin is intelligent and well-spoken as well as attractive and - bottom-line - she KNOWS baseball! She would be a terrific addition to NESN's Red Sox coverage; the NESN broadcasts have been missing her insights since the Globe reassigned her from the Red Sox "beat." NESN would do well to hire Amalie Benjamin to add the knowledgable, professional female voice that has been missing from NESN Red Sox broadcasts since Hazel Mae left.

Mikki * NH

Thank you Steve for answering my question about playing baseball. I'll bet you get A's in Journalism! As for Mr. Walsh in FL, yes, we're all upset over the collapse in September but to refer to our Sox players as Red Flops that to me is very degrading to all the players who worked very hard. You sound more like a disgruntled Yankee fan as I read your article in last weeks "On Your Mind" so if one is a true Sox fan then I wonder where their priorities are, with us or against us who love our Sox players. Shame on you Mr. Walsh.

Sylvia

Mark!!! What a great idea. I too think that Amalie Benjamin would make a great replacement for Heidi. Whenever Amalie was on the Red Sox pre game show I thought she showed a great insight to the game and did a great job reporting on the game and the players. I think she would be able to do so much better than Heidi, particularly when she interviewing players or staff. Heidi tended to ask questions like "Do you think signing with the Sox has been the best thing that you've ever done" or this brain number "How good does it feel to hit a walk off home run" DUH, how is a player supposed to answer those lame questions. I also thought that the food bits were the most uncomfortable and ill advised pieces of "reporting" I've ever seen but I really can't blame Heidi since I think that was the brainchild of someone in the NESN front office, whoever that was should be fired. I personally like Tina very much because of her personality and I was sorry to see her leave and I am sorry to see Heidi leave, she was definitely easy on the eyes, and I think that Amalie would bring a great personality, and real baseball knowledge to the position and I think she more than holds her own in the looks department as well. Enter my vote for Amalie.

Robert W. Tremaine

To Kate: Thank you for your kind (and well-expressed) words, I really appreciate them. As a start, if you haven't already read it, I recommend "Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series", by Eliot Asinof. It paints a true picture of the conditions under which major league players worked in baseball's early years. Then you should read a book on Curt Flood's struggles (there's one that I haven't read, but which has received great reviews, called "A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports" by Brad Snyder). Most of what I learned about the Flood case, I learned from newspapers, magazines and the like as it transpired.These books should give you a feel for the labor-management struggles which shaped baseball over the years.

These books are serious, but there are a lot of great baseball books that are terrific entertainment while also being informative.

Maybe we should start a baseball book section here!

Jack * Framingham

Rather frustrated today on several levels: could only open the lead article in Today in Sports - Plus this morning; all the others just gave me the interminalbe "hourglass". I really wanted to find out about the other teams who have a "serious interest" in David Ortiz. Ortiz is a sparkplug of the Red Sox organization and has been my favorite player for years - through slumps and triumphs! It's the RED SOX who should have a "serious interest" in our beloved Big Papi, as his performace this past season indicates. Of course, if the Red Sox had a Manager, it would be more enticing for Ortiz to enter into salary arbitration. Who wants to set sail on a ruddlerless ship? Please, Theo, Larry, Ben, et al, hire a manger, for cryin' out loud!

Peggy Baxter * Ware, MA

I have been very quiet for some 60 days or more, mainly because I was trying to think of what to say in this forum and just how to put it. Well, I had some help today thanks to Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. He didn't come right out and say what I'm about to say, but he sure hinted on it. I blamed Larry Lucchino for what happened in '05 which, in the end, cost us Johnny Damon but smarter heads prevailed and Epstein was saved. I can't prove what I feel, but I believe Epstein wanted to leave then because Lucchino wanted final say on everything and didn't want to allow others to do the job they were hired for. This year it comes up again only causing more confusion because he insisted Francona go even though Epstein wanted him to stay. Well Francona went, Epstein went, and oh yea - we lost our closer. I won'tt be surprised if we lose more key ingredients. I'll always be a red sox fan but gee, Larry - if you want to be a dictator go and buy your own team, the Dodgers are available.

John Beaulieu * Townsend, MA

Is Ben Off to a weak beginning? First he Wanted Sveaum. Then he called Valentine immature. Then he wanted Lamont. The new Sox manager wasn't on the original list. The One Ben put all his due diligence into. the Sox manager is Valentine. Luchino's choice. Remember when Theo had a falling out with Larry and left Fenway in a bear outfit? I wonder if Ben will be thinking about that? As the winter meetings start I hope Ben is a better wheeler dealer with other teams then he is in house. This what is on my mind.

SoCal Dawn

I couldn't agree more with Mark's idea to have Amalie Benjamin replace Heidi Whatney at NESN. I missed Amalie's knowledgeable insights all last season. I'd love to see her on NESN on a regular basis!

Annie