After an entire month-plus where the Red Sox made a mess in not renewing TV voice Don Orsillo’s contract and in essence giving him to the San Diego Padres, the team’s flagship radio station quietly made a move to replace Dave O’Brien who will step into Orsillo’s booth next season.
Tim Neverett who has been with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the last seven seasons will join Joe Castiglione on WEEI and its vast radio network across New England and upstate New York. Neverett is a New Hampshire native and also played baseball at Emerson College in Boston so he is very familiar with Red Sox history.
According to the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn, Neverett beat out some 200 applicants for the job. In addition to calling the Pirates, Neverett was with Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain calling the Colorado Rockies and also hosting the team’s broadcasts.
As is standard in this day and age, Neverett tweeted his move to Boston on Twitter:
I will miss The Burgh a lot, but now look forward to joining @WEEI and the @RedSox. I appreciate everything #Pirates did for me. Thank you
— Tim Neverett (@TimNeverett) December 28, 2015
This will be the fifth partner for Castiglione who has been calling Red Sox games dating back to 1983. Castiglione has worked with Ken Coleman, Bob Starr, Jerry Trupiano and O’Brien.
One interesting note is how Red Sox fans prefer an announcer who hails from New England and understands team history. It’s one of the most provincial areas in the country and is very mistrustful of people from outside the area. One thing is that Red Sox fans don’t like change especially when it comes to their TV and radio announcers. They should warm to Neverett who has built a loyal legion of fans during his time in Pittsburgh.