Last week, reports surfaced that the NESN would not be bringing back popular Boston Red Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo for the 2016 season, instead wanting to “re-energize” their broadcasts with some new voices. Orsillo has since been working Sox games without referencing the issue, and has — we think — been mum on the whole thing since news broke. Until tonight, apparently.
A few hours after the Red Sox dropped an 13-8 afternoon decision to the New York Yankees at Fenway Park, Orsillo tweeted out a link to a Dave Matthews Band song titled “Out Of My Hands”. The video is from a 2011 performance of the song live from Radio City Music Hall, and features some pretty pointed lyrics: “Out on my window ledge/I don’t feel safe/And I stay/Looking down on you/It’s out of my hands for now.” Later in the song, Matthews sings: “I can’t just walk away/Be nice to walk away” and “I start to feel like I’m crazed/Betrayed.”
Many fans and media feel like Orsillo was betrayed by the Red Sox and NESN, who admitted they were releasing the announcer following the 2015 season only after he approached them about it.
“In a Dave Matthews mood tonight!” Orsillo captioned the video.
This is probably no coincidence. Nearly all of Orsillo’s tweets over the past month have involved the Red Sox and his gig as play-by-play man.
Meanwhile, a change.org petition to keep Orsillo at NESN is approaching 60,000 online signatures. For more background on what’s going on, check out Dan Shaughnessy’s recent article in the Boston Globe.
Here’s Orsillo’s tweet:
In a Dave Matthews mood tonight!….https://t.co/rk3sGbnf0o
— Don Orsillo (@DonOrsillo) September 3, 2015