Roche: For Red Sox Fans, Jerry Remy 'Became Part Of Your Life'
BOSTON (CBS) – Fenway Park will be missing a familiar face in the seasons to come following the death of former second baseman and legendary broadcaster Jerry "Rem Dawg" Remy.
WBZ-TV sports anchor Dan Roche reflected on the death of Remy, whom he worked with in 2004 on the Friday Night Baseball broadcast for MyTV38.
"One thing in life and what we do, often times you hear 'Be yourself.' That was Rem. Rem was himself on the air. He was himself off the air. I think that's what endeared him to Red Sox fans," Roche said.
Roche said Remy, who grew up in Somerset and went on to play seven seasons with the hometown Red Sox, was "everything I think a lot of fans wanted to grow up to be in New England – that was to play for the Red Sox."
A member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame and Massachusetts Broadcast Hall of Fame, Remy has been a staple for baseball fans over the last several decades.
"He just became a part of your life," Roche said.
Part of Remy's story is his battle with cancer. Remy survived cancer four times, and was open about his health issues, which doctors attributed to smoking cigarettes. Remy used his platform to discuss his struggles with depression, and to urge people not to smoke.
"He gave everything he had like when he was a ball player. He battled cancer to the very end. And again, very sad that he has passed away. Red Sox Nation lost probably its biggest fan," Roche said.