Dick Szymanski obit

Dick Szymanski, Colts Pro Bowler who later became team’s G.M., dies at 89

 

 He was not on the list.

Dick Szymanski, who played both center and middle linebacker for the Colts and would later become the team’s General Manager, has died at the age of 89.

Colts owner Jim Irsay announced Szymanski’s death.

“Rest In Peace, Dick Szymanski,” Irsay wrote on Twitter. “A 13-year great of the Baltimore Colts, ‘Sizzy’ played both center AND linebacker during his playing career; and then worked his way up from scout to GM. One of the last remaining links to the ‘old guard’ of the NFL. My condolences to his family.”

Szymanski played his college football at Notre Dame and was the 16th overall pick in the 1955 NFL draft. He was selected as a Pro Bowler in his rookie year but then missed the 1956 season after he was drafted into the Army. He returned in 1957 and played through the 1968 season, retiring after Super Bowl III.

He then began working in the Colts’ front office, serving as G.M. from 1977 to 1982.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Colts had what many considered the best group of linebackers in the NFL with Szymanski, Don Shinnick and Bill Pellington.

“We were a good trio,” Szymanski recalled to the Baltimore Sun in 2016. “Pellington was rough, tough and mean. A wide receiver who got close to him would get clotheslined, which was then a legal hit.”

Teammate Art Donovan recalled in his autobiography how tough it was going against Szymanski in practice, illustrating the point with a story about Szymanski refusing to admit how badly he’d injured his knee in a game against the Chicago Bears.

“We were coming out of the locker room at Wrigley to get on the team bus and I offered him a hand,” Donovan wrote. “I think I asked him if I could carry his shoulder bag or something innocuous like that. At any rate, he got all indignant, yelling at me, ‘Don’t you worry about me, Fatso, I’m just fine! I’ll be seeing you in practice Tuesday and I’ll be kicking your ass!’ Yet whenever that bus hit a bump on the way to the airport, I noticed old Syzzie was squirming in pain. In those days, you just didn’t want to show it.”

The pain did take a toll, although Szymanski remained healthy into his 80s, even as he outlived most of his old teammates. He was on the same team as Colts greats Alan Ameche, Lenny Moore, Johnny Unitas, Fuzzy Thurston, and Gino Marchetti, Raymond Berry, Art Spinney, Gene Lipscomb, Lenny Lyles, Jim Mutscheller, Milt Davis, Jim Parker, Lenny Lyles, George Preas, Ordell Braase, Don Joyce, Tom Matte, Billy Ray Smith, Booby Boyd, Andy Nelson , Jerry Hill, Jimmy Orr and coach Weeb Ewbank as well as Don Shula. He played for owner Carroll Rosenbloom.

“How many broken bones have I had? Don’t ask,” he said. “Despite all of the football injuries, I can walk. Must be my genes. What depresses me more than anything is when I get a phone call, or read in the paper that one of my teammates has passed away. You’d think you’d get over it, but you don’t.”

Jerry Remy obit

Longtime Boston Red Sox broadcaster, former player Jerry Remy dies of cancer

 

He was not on the list.

Jerry Remy, a longtime television broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox and a former standout player for the team, has died of cancer at the age of 68.

The Red Sox confirmed that Remy, who logged more than 40 years of service to the organization, died Saturday night. He was approaching his 69th birthday on Nov. 8.

“Jerry’s love and connection to baseball didn’t allow anything to stand between the game and him, including for many years cancer. He devoted his entire career to baseball and whether from his seat in the clubhouse or his perch above the field in the broadcast booth, he took generations of rising Red Sox stars and a multitude of fans along for the ride with him," reads a statement from Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry. "During his lifetime, he witnessed great triumphs and terrible tragedies handling all of it with grace, dignity, and a huge heart. He left an indelible mark on this club and on an entire nation of Red Sox fans.”

“I am heartbroken by the passing of my longtime friend and colleague, Jerry Remy,” reads a statement from Sean McGrail, president and chief executive officer of New England Sports Network, where Remy worked as a broadcaster over the past four decades. “It is difficult to put into words how much Jerry has meant to all of us in Red Sox Nation. His storytelling, humor, and love for the game of baseball were unmatched, and it showed on our broadcast for the 33 years that he was a part of our NESN family. He connected with Boston fans in a way few have ever done. Jerry’s legacy as a phenomenal player, talented broadcaster, and passionate ambassador will live on in the hearts of Red Sox Nation. Our thoughts are with his wife, Phoebe, and the entire Remy family during this very difficult time.”

Remy had stepped away from his role as the color analyst for New England Sports Network's Red Sox broadcasts on Aug. 4 to undergo treatment for lung cancer. This was the seventh time the Massachusetts native had been diagnosed with cancer following the initial diagnosis in 2008. His most recent previous cancer diagnosis was in 2018.

"There's no question I'm laying here today because of cigarettes," Remy said in a 2019 interview with the Mass General Cancer Center. "I'm not one to go out and preach to people who smoke and say, 'You better stop that,' They know what they're doing. The information is out there now. It wasn't quite like that when I was a kid growing up. My parents smoked but they both quit.

"I wish I didn't smoke. I started smoking when I was 16 years old," Remy added in the 2019 interview. My saying is: 'Don't pick up the first one because it's really tough to put down the last one.' I knew smoking wasn't good for you, but I was addicted. I never stopped, I never stopped. Even through my professional baseball career, I continued to smoke as other athletes did. There's no doubt I'm here today because of that."

On June 11, Remy said he experienced shortness of breath during the third inning of a game between the Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. He stepped away from the broadcast as a precaution and was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital. He was released from MGH on June 16 and returned to the broadcast booth on June 20.

His most recent public appearance came on Oct. 5, when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the American League Wild Card Game against the New York Yankees.

Dennis Eckersley, a former Red Sox teammate of Remy's and his colleague at NESN for 19 years, caught that first pitch.

"I think we all knew that that was kind of a goodbye at that time, but it's so moving to look back at that," Eckersley said. "It's special at the same time because I got a chance to catch a ball, hug him, tell him how much I loved him and how the crowd loved him — you know, he got that moment."

Remy was born in Fall River on Nov. 8, 1952, and grew up in the nearby town of Somerset. He was a graduate of Somerset High School and attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.

 

The speedy second baseman nicknamed "Rem Dawg" was selected by the Washington Senators in the 19th round of the 1970 MLB draft but did not sign with the team. He did sign with the California Angels, who selected him with the 129th overall pick (eighth round) in the secondary phase of the free agent draft in January 1971.

Remy played the first three seasons of his major league career with the California Angels, making his debut in April 1975. He became the second team captain in the franchise's history in June 1977 but was traded to the Red Sox just six months later.

In his first season with Boston in 1978, Remy was selected to the MLB All-Star Game, had a team-high 19-game hit streak and finished the year with 30 stolen bases. He continued to be the Sox starting second baseman for the next six seasons.

On June 14, 1980, Remy stole four bases against the Angels — his former team — to set a Red Sox single-game record, which stood for over 30 years.

He had a career-high 19 bunt hits in 1982 and finished with a career-high 178 hits the next season.

Remy retired from the major leagues during spring training in 1986 after missing the entire 1985 season due to a knee injury that limited him to just 30 games the year before.

He played in 710 games across his seven seasons with the Red Sox, batting .286 with 98 stolen bases.

In 1986, Remy served as bench coach for the New Britain Red Sox, which was Boston's Double-A affiliate at the time. During his time in New Britain, Remy coached future major league players and coaches, including Ellis Burks, Sam Horn and DeMarlo Hale.

Remy was hired by NESN in 1988 and called thousands of Red Sox games as a color analyst over the last several decades.

"He really loved the Red Sox, too. That was not for show. That wasn't put on," said Dave O'Brien, Remy's broadcast partner at NESN. "I mean, he lived and died with the ball club and he loved, loved to be at Fenway Park.

"The last text that we shared, which was about 10 days ago, was very simple from me. I said: 'I miss you. We miss you,'" O'Brien added. "And his response was: 'I'll miss everything about it.'"

In recognition of his career as a player and broadcaster, Remy was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006. He was among the franchise's all-time leaders at second base in fielding percentage (.982), games played (685), putouts (1,370), assists (1,988) and double plays (466) at the time of his Hall of Fame induction.

A year after getting into the Red Sox Hall of Fame, Remy was elected as the honorary president of Red Sox Nation.

Longtime WCVB sports anchor Mike Lynch said he first met Remy while playing at a high school all-star game in Fenway Park in 1969.

"He was one of us," Lynch said. "He played in the Bucky Dent game. He saw the ball go through Bill Buckner's legs. He agonized over the World Series like everybody else, and when the 86-year curse was lifted, he celebrated like everybody else.

"He grew up in Somerset, played for the Red Sox, lived out his boyhood dream and he was trusted," Lynch added. "We trusted him to come into our living rooms. We knew if Rem Dawg said it, it was true."

In 2017, Remy was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

In January 2020, he was awarded the Judge Emil Fuchs Memorial Award for long and meritorious service to baseball by the Boston Baseball Writers Association.

Remy is survived by his wife, Phoebe; their three children: Jared, Jordan and Jenna; and two grandchildren: Dominik Guyette and Arianna Remy.

Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox teammate (1978-83)- “In baseball he was a very, very hard worker. He made himself an outstanding player. He carried those same work habits over to the broadcast booth. We were a couple of lockers down from each other so we would talk a lot. We became very good friends. This is a sad day.”

Wade Boggs - Words can’t express my feelings right now so sad to hear about the passing of my former teammate and friend Jerry Remy. Scoot you’ll be dearly missed RIP.

Fred Lynn- I lost a great teammate and friend today. A true gamer and important part of all of  Red Sox Nation. R.I.P. Remdog.

Alex Cora - A few txt from Remy in October: “Keep Fighting” “Congratulations” “Clean it up” (my favorite one) He was always there for us. He will be miss.

Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox player - "This is a such a sad day. My thoughts are with Jerry’s family and his loved ones. As a player, I always loved seeing Rem in our clubhouse at Fenway every day. He was the first person you’d see when you came in. Whether it was just to say hello or to talk baseball, he was always there. You knew he loved the Red Sox and that he was always pulling for us. He will be missed.”

David Ortiz - Rest in peace REM DOG Your memories will never be forgotten! Those will always remain with us forever. No grief is greater than the departure of such a kind man as him. rest in peace.

Dustin Pedroia, former Boston Red Sox player (2006-19) - “It’s difficult to put into words what Jerry meant to me and our entire organization. I will miss our baseball talks, joking and laughing together, and our friendship. Jerry helped me so much as a young player and I looked up to him. He helped me see the game in different ways. He left his mark on everyone and will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his entire family.”

Eric Greif obit

Former DEATH Manager ERIC GREIF Dies

 The Canadian-American also worked with a young Mötley Crüe, Obituary, Cynic and more

He was not on the list.

Eric Greif, former manager of DEATH and president of Perseverance Holdings Ltd., which manages Chuck Schuldiner's (DEATH, CONTROL DENIED) legacy, has died. Greif also worked as an entertainment lawyer, representing bands like OBITUARY and MASSACRE. He was 59 years old.

Greif was reportedly an insulin-dependent diabetic for much of his life, which was briefly cured by a pancreas transplant, but it failed a few months later and health continued to be a struggle for him.

In recent months, Greif was desperately searching for a kidney donor but was unable to find one.

Eric met Chuck at the Milwaukee Metalfest in summer 1987 but didn't start managing DEATH until a bit later. "In '88, Chuck and I began speaking directly about management as we got along immediately like brothers," Greif told the Empty Words web site in 2002. "He was looking for a manager who would go beyond the standard business role and instead fight alongside him in the trenches. Chuck fed off what we called 'channeled brutality', and he liked the way I raged on his behalf."

For more than a decade, Eric had worked with Relapse Records to make DEATH's storied catalog available as part of a meticulous reissue campaign.

Seven years ago, Greif discussed his efforts to preserve Schuldiner's legacy in an interview with Metal Underground. He stated at the time: "The partnership with Relapse was something that the Schuldiner family and I felt good about from day one, and the last five years have only proved that our instincts about them were correct. They are a fantastic bunch of dedicated people, and without each of them, these reissues could have turned into cranked-out schlock. I owe them everything. Plus I'm a little fanatical about my work, especially when I hold it so close to my heart as I do Chuck's music, and the Relapse people have been able to deal with me. I feel that we're totally united in what we’ve tried to achieve, and we've done it.

"When I travel on the road with DEATH TO ALL, which is the tribute band made up of former DEATH players that we use to publicize Chuck's music, I meet so many young fans whose introduction to DEATH has been through the reissues," he continued. "For them, it is all alive, new and exciting, and the reissues have done that. In many ways, DEATH is as happening and vital as it was back in the day, and that's been the goal.

"I've said many times that I want DEATH to be as iconic and groundbreaking a brand as METALLICA or SLAYER, and when I travel the world meeting the cool fans of DEATH, I believe it has been achieved. Chuck would think it is awesome."

Greif was raised in Calgary, where he performed in and recorded with local bands while also writing column "Teen View" for The Calgary Herald. A dual citizen by birth, he shared in a 2007 interview with Sleaze Roxx that upon his final year of high school in Alberta, he "knew...that I wanted to get the hell out of Calgary and do something in music."

"As a U.S. citizen it was easy to contemplate a move to a big American city, and I chose [Los Angeles] because I knew that it was where all the record labels were. So, during the summer of 1980 after grad, newly turned 18, I headed for the States in my tiny Fiat X19."

Arriving in L.A., Greif enrolled at the now-defunct University of Sound Arts in Hollywood, with the intention of becoming a recording engineer, but was soon encouraged to become a producer by then-instructor and record executive Ron Fair.

"He flattered me that I had a decent ear for producing, and that fed my ego in dangerous ways," Greif recalled to Sleaze Roxx. "But it did give me added ball size to try and push myself to carve out a career. I wanted to produce, or manage, or do something cool in the music biz, and that's all I knew."

Greif would go club-hopping in West Hollywood in search of bands to work with, becoming exposed to the nascent hard rock and metal scene beginning to take over the Sunset Strip. Work with the Greg Leon Invasion led to Greif meeting Tommy Lee, drummer of a young Mötley Crüe.

The coming months would see him become assistant to band manager Allan Coffman, who would place him in charge of organizing Mötley Crüe's first-ever tour of Canada in 1982, shortly after the release of their 1981 debut album Too Fast For Love.

"The tour was hysterical, ridiculous, dramatic and hilarious. The idea on paper was to get the guys out of California, give them some road experience, and make some news," Greif shared with Sleaze Roxx. "At that point, the farthest away they'd ever travelled to gig was the area near Lake Tahoe where Allan lived."

Greif would explain just how ridiculous things got before the Crüe had even landed in Canada, recalling how, "As rock stars in training, they decided to wear all their stage gear on the plane, which is the exact opposite of what they would do nowadays. Instead of trying to be inconspicuous, [Nikki Sixx's] hopes were to draw as much attention to the band as possible."

However, the band's glam-metal get-ups prominently featured "custom-made spiked bands of leather" worn on wrists, arms and necks, which Canadian customs took issue with. Greif explained, "They were detained...there was talk of pressing charges, and in the end after a long wait they were let into the country, sans much of the stage wear. Then, once they obtained their bags, [singer Vince Neil] was lectured at length when one of his small suitcases was opened up by a customs officer revealing dozens of hardcore porn mags, all confiscated.

"Weeks later I found myself in a hassle with the Canadian government trying to get the spiked leather stuff returned, but by the time I got a positive ruling, they informed me that, following procedure, unfortunately they'd all been destroyed."

Camille Saviola obit

Camille Saviola Dies: ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’, Broadway Actor Was 71

 

She was not on the list.

Camille Saviola, whose many stage and TV roles included the Bajoran religious leader Kai Opaka in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the mother of the hapless Turtle in Entourage and characters in Nine and Chicago on Broadway, died yesterday. She was 71.

Her death was reported on the Star Trek website WarpFactorTrek.com, and in social media posts by friends. Additional details were not immediately available.

Longtime friend and actor Harvey Fierstein tweeted: “She was a friend for 40 years who could always be counted on for a laugh, a shoulder or a kick in the ass. The Italian Godmother of Soul! Farewell.”

Actor Wilson Cruz, who said he performed with Saviola at many AIDS benefits over the years, tweeted: “What a presence this woman was! My heart is heavy. My love to Camille’s family and family of friends throughout the industry. She will be missed.”

On Facebook friend and actress Mary Jo Mecca wrote, “We lost Camille Saviola today- A DIVA of the greatest kind. I met her when we played Mother & Daughter in The Rink for The Musical Theatre Guild. We spent everyday on a park Bench sharing stories of our Italian upbringing and building a relationship that we transferred to the stage. She called me ‘Jersey’ and I called her ‘Walk-Up’…She was a tough cookie with a huge heart a wicked sense of humor and a voice that would shake the rafters….She fought the good fight in silence.”

A Bronx native who got her start in show business as a singer in 1970s New York rock band the Margo Lewis Explosion, Saviola made her Broadway debut as Mama Maddelena in the 1982 production of the Tommy Tune-directed musical Nine. In 2003, joined the replacement cast of Chicago as Matron Mama Morton.

Her film debut came just two years after her Broadway bow when she was cast in a small part in Woody Allen’s 1984 Broadway Danny Rose. She reunited with Allen the following year for a role in The Purple Rose of Cairo and from then on enjoyed a prolific career in both TV and film. She reteamed with Allen yet again in 1991’s Shadows and Fog. Other film roles included Betsy’s Wedding and Last Exit to Brooklyn.

On television, she made appearances on Remington Steele, Baby Boom, JAG, Some of My Best Friends, Saving Grace, Without a Trace and Nip/Tuck, among many others. In 1992 she recurred on both The Heights and Civil Wars, and in 1993 began playing Kai Opaka in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a role that would be featured in four episodes through 1996.

In 2002, she recurred on the James Garner legal drama First Monday as Justice Esther Weisenberg. She also played an attorney in several episodes of Judging Amy from 2002-05.

From 2006-09, Saviola recurred on HBO’s Entourage, portraying the mother of Jerry Ferrara’s character Turtle.

Saviola’s most recent credit is the recurring role of Filomena in the Darren Star-created series Younger.

Harvey Fierstein tweeted - Camille Saviola…. How could you leave us like this?  She was a friend for 40 years who could always be counted on for a laugh, a shoulder or a kick I. The ass.  The Italian Godmother of Soul! Farewell.

Filmography

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1984      Broadway Danny Rose   Lady at Party     

1985      The Purple Rose of Cairo               Olga      

1985      Remington Steele            Shirley Tannenbaum       Episode: "Steele in the Chips"

1986      Weekend Warriors          Betty Beep         

1987      CBS Summer Playhouse Belle Meyers     Episode: "Son of Gunz"

1989      Penn & Teller Get Killed                 Airport Security Guard  

1989      Last Exit to Brooklyn       Ella        

1989      Baby Boom         Ofelia    Episode: "When It Rains"

1990      Nightlife               Rosa Mercedes

1990      Betsy's Wedding               Angelica              

1991      Queens Logic     Madame Rosa   

1991      All I Want for Christmas                 Sonya   

1992      Shadows and Fog             Landlady             

1992      L.A. Law                Dr. Bernardi        Episode: "Christmas Stalking"

1992      The Heights        Shelley Abramowitz        6 episodes

1992–1993          Civil Wars            Louise Iannello Episode: "Captain Kangaroo Court"

Episode: "Denise and De Nuptials"

Episode: "Mob Psychology"

1993      Addams Family Values   Concetta             

1994      Friends The Horrible Woman      Episode: "The One With the East German Laundry Detergent"

1995      Stuart Saves His Family Roz Weinstock  

1995      Hope & Gloria    Cookie Episode: "Love with an Improper Stranger"

Episode: "Salon, It's Been Good to Know You"

1995      The West Side Waltz                       TV Movie

1995      NYPD Blue                           Episode: Curt

1996      Mr. Wrong          Consuela             

1993–1996          Star Trek: Deep Space Nine          Kai Opaka            Episode: "Accession"

Episode: "The Collaborator"

Episode: "Battle Lines"

Episode: "Emissary"

1996      Sunset Park         Barbara               

1997      Living Single        Mabel   Episode: "He's The One"

1998      L.A. Doctors        Maureen Hart    Episode: "Nate Expectations

1999      Becker Mrs. Corigliani   Episode: "P.C. World"

2000      JAG        Janet Vitaglianso              Episode: "Florida Straits"

2001      Some of My Best Friends               Connie Zito         Episode: "Pilot"

Episode: "Scenes from an Italian Party"

Episode: "The Marriage Counselor"

2002      First Monday      Justice Esther Weisenberg           13 episodes

2004      ER           Margaret             Episode: "Twas the Night"

2002–2005          Judging Amy       Molly Babitz

Atty. Molly Babitz

Mr. Powell's Attorney

Episode: "Getting Out"

Episode: "The Song That Never Ends"

Episode: "Lost and Found"

2005      E-Ring   Secretary of Colonel McNulty      Episode: "Pilot"

2007      Lez Be Friends    Older Ritta         

2007      Standoff               Sofia Marcovich                Episode: "Severance"

2008      Saving Grace      Burn unit nurse                 Episode: "Are You an Indian Princess?"

2008      Without a Trace                Camilla Russo     Episode: "Push Comes to Shove"

2006–2009          Entourage           Turtle's Mom     Episode: "One Car, Two Car, Red Car, Blue Car"

Episode: "Return to Queens Blvd"

Episode: "Aquamom"

2009      Nip/Tuck              Agent Sonja Thomas       Episode: "Wesley Clovis"

2012      Silent But Deadly              Fanny   

2015      To Whom It May Concern             Miss Bloomfield               

2015      Staten Island Summer    Mrs. Bandini