Sure, certain goofy sideshow antics that have infiltrated NESN’s Red Sox telecasts in recent years are beyond annoying. Baseball should be entertainment enough, and intrusions such as, say, an in-game reporter’s chicken-and-waffles tasting are unnecessary. But spend a little time hopping from regional cable broadcast to regional cable broadcast on MLB.tv sometime, and it quickly becomes apparent that NESN’s game production is of consistently high quality by comparison to most other markets.

For the past nine years, Russ Kenn has been as significant a part of that production as anyone. His name may not be as recognizable as those of Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy, but as the coordinating producer, he has been essential in navigating that delicate balance between the expectations of his bosses and those of diehard viewers, and he’s done it with uncommon patience and professionalism, according to many who have worked with him.