At NESN, Roberts getting up to speed

"Dave is a very fast learner," said NESN spokesman Gary Roy of the affable former outfielder who, along with Dennis Eckersley, is handling the majority of the color analyst duties on Sox telecasts while Jerry Remy recovers from lung cancer surgery. "He's impressed a lot of people around here already, particularly considering how new he is to all of this."

Roberts, whose tide-changing stolen base in Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series is remembered as perhaps the defining moment of the Red Sox' first championship in 86 seasons, even falls into the speed trap himself.

"I think I'm picking it up pretty fast," he said. "The toughest transition, and I think understandably, is that I am no longer a player, but on the media side now. Players and the media obviously have a different outlook on the game. Some players think the media is jaded and out to get them. I realize that's not the case, and I think I can help bridge that gap.

"Relative to that, my hope is to be as objective as I can be," added Roberts, who retired April 12, two days after he was released by the San Francisco Giants. "I made a pact with myself that I would never forget how hard it is to play this game. But I'm also no longer a player, and it's my job to explain what's happening honestly, to be fair to the viewers as well as the players."

Roberts, who turns 37 Sunday, came to be part of NESN's coverage team in whirlwind fashion. While the San Diego resident was in Boston to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before an April 22 game, he was introduced to NESN vice president for programming Joel Feld and expressed his interest in working for the network. Producer Russ Kenn spoke to Roberts via telephone a few days later, and six days after Roberts's hiring as a pre- and postgame analyst was formalized April 30, Remy announced he was taking a leave of absence.

Which is how Roberts found himself alongside Orsillo and Eckersley in the broadcast booth for the May 6 Red Sox-Yankees game in New York, just two weeks after his initial conversation with Feld.

So it's not surprising that Roberts, who has worked most of the Sox' road games in Remy's absence (previous commitments, including some pre- and postgame television duties with the Padres, prevent Roberts from having a full schedule with NESN) is still a work in progress as a broadcaster.

He is personable and articulate, and he has an easy rapport with Orsillo, whom he has known since their minor league days a decade ago. But he slips into the rut of repeatedly describing star players and important plays as "great," and his habit of saying, "See, right there," as a play unfolds on the screen is a rookie mistake.

"I realize there are things I need to get better at, and that comes with time," said Roberts, who takes the criticism in stride. "I'm my own biggest critic. I want to be able to share my knowledge in an intelligent way and with eloquence. I don't want to be just another ex-ballplayer with a microphone."

First, as commissioner Gary Bettman has said repeatedly since Versus became the exclusive national rights holder to NHL games in 2005, the league benefits from essentially being the only game in town on Versus, whereas on ESPN it could easily be lost in the deluge of highlights from more universally popular sports. Versus promotes the league with the vigor that was lacking at ESPN, which showed little interest in continuing to broadcast NHL games after the 2005 lockout.

Also, Versus is encouraged by the gradual growth in its NHL audience. According to an article in SportsBusiness Daily this week, total viewership was up 20 percent during the regular season and 35 percent during the first round of the playoffs, and Versus is now approaching the numbers the NHL pulled on ESPN2 during the 2004 season.

It is not a perfect marriage to be sure - the Versus production of Bruins playoff games paled in comparison to what NESN provided - but it is one the NHL seems content to live with. Of course, whether the NHL remains on Versus beyond 2011 will depend upon one factor more than any other: money, specifically which network is willing to pay the most in rights fees. In that regard, the NHL is just like every other league.

Chad Finn can be reached at finn@globe.com.